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‘Seistan Persia & Seistan’ [219r] (445/617)
The record is made up of 2 volumes (301 folios). It was created in 22 Jun 1896-3 Mar 1900. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
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[ * ]
r 4 Ss'sc it^riss “sii F ~j ^ »«> - ■«
overland connection with the East are ^ + 1 ^ r J, f tlle mam
savjjaafe ssr^sf 2ft«?vSS?
s .1444 4 ttri—irisS 1 S
said to be equally British and Indian, since it is equally indispensable to the
interests of both countries; but which also has an ulterior the
inasmuch as the Trans-Persian wires, and the sub-marine cables by wMchtt^y
are supplemented m the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
, are largely utilised for the conveyance
of messages between Great Britain and places lying beyond India notabIv the
Australasian Colonies. From a calculation bashed "upon tL ag«e ^
of the past five years we have ascertained that no less than 30 per cent of
e total traffic is of this description. Nevertheless the cost, in so far as it is
STthe Cme Exo”*’ eV ° 1VeS eSclW1 y the Indian, and not
u 9 ' ,^ C Mf etl l e main 1 interests of Grea t Britain in Persia. It will be
observ ed that the shares that may be claimed by the mother-country and by
India m the sum total of those interests, have in the passage of time become so
mterwoven and fused as to render the task of separating or distinguishing; them
neither easy nor profitable. It may not be difficult, as we shall endeavour to
argue later on, to distinguish between sources of expenditure which should more
properly fall to the charge of the one or the other partner. But we maintain
that enough has been said to prove that on the broad field of international policy
Persia is not exclusively an Indian interest, but is emphatically an Imperial
interest of Great Britain ; and that the latter should be prepared to exert her full
strength for the defence of that interest, should it be jeopardised or impugned.
10. In discussing the manner in which it is desirable that these principles if
accepted, should be carried into action, we are anxious at the outset to make our
position, in one respect, perfectly clear. We have no desire to make an addition
to the political or territorial responsibilities of India, for which we have not, under
existing conditions, the means either in money or in men. We are not about to
propose that there should be established any Protectorate, open or covert, over
any part of the Shah’s dominions, that might compel us in the future to’ hold
the country so protected by force of arms. We can conceive of circumstances
that might some day tempt both the Indian and the Home Governments from
this attitude of reserve, and that would in a case where the vital interests of the
Empire were at stake, force us to consider a burden for which our shoulders
are still unprepared. But for the present our ambitions are exclusively limited
to making secure the interest which we have already built up, and still more
to preventing it from being undermined or taken from us by others, with the
result not only of a considerable accretion of strength to them, but of positive
detriment to ourselves. We have, in fine, no desire to disturb the political
status quo in Persia so long as it can be maintained. We prefer indeed, weak
as it is, to invest it with such renewed vitality as may be found possible. But
we press for an early decision and for early action, since, unless we bestir our
selves, there is good reason for fearing that the already trembling balance may. ^
be disturbed by others to our disadvantage.
11 . We now proceed to draw a picture of the present state of British
interests in Persia, as they present themselves to our eyes, and to examine the
dangers by which they appear to be threatened. Sir M. Durand Las to a cer
tain extent anticipated us in this task ; and in so far as he has touched upon
the same ground as that whieU we propose to cover, we shall not recapitulate
About this item
- Content
The volumes contain papers relating to Persia [Iran], including Seistan, and the tract of land south of the Baluch-Afghan boundary between Nushki and Persia, which had become British territory following the demarcation of the Afghan-Baluch border.
The papers largely consist of printed copies of correspondence between the Governor General of India in Council (Government of India Foreign Department) and the Secretary of State for India (Lord George Francis Hamilton), and enclosed correspondence and papers.
Letters from the Governor General of India in Council to the Secretary of State for India include:
- Number 170, 16 September 1896, relating to the opening up of a trade route between Nushki and the Persian frontier, crossing the tract of British territory south of the Baluch-Afghan boundary, and the protection of the newly-demarcated frontier, with enclosed memorandum by Captain Arthur Henry McMahon, British Commissioner, Baluch-Afghan Boundary Commission, containing his proposals for the management and administration of the tract and for the protection of the trade route
- Number 58, 31 March 1898, concerning the trade route between Baluchistan and Persia, including the suggestion that Consular Agents should be appointed at central points along it between Seistan and Meshed, with enclosures including a report by Lieutenant Frank Webb-Ware, Political Assistant at Chagai, on his visit to Seistan at the beginning of 1896, and the measures introduced for the development of trade between Baluchistan and Persia (which includes a blueprint map, Mss Eur F111/350, f 33)
- Number 163, 15 September 1898, forwarding copies of papers regarding the situation in Makran and Panjgur, following recent ‘disturbances’ in Makran.
The file also includes:
- Copies of Government of India Foreign Department papers numbered 40-58 relating to the Kerman Consulate and British interests in Southern Persia, including correspondence between the Government of India Foreign Department and the Secretary of State for India
- A letter from the Secretary of State for India to the Governor General of India in Council, with enclosed despatch from Sir (Henry) Mortimer Durand, HM Minister at Tehran, to the Foreign Office, dated 12 February 1899, in which he gives his opinion on suggestions for the appointment of additional consular officers in Persia (this includes a map titled ‘Skeleton Map of Telegraph Lines in Persia.’ Mss Eur F111/350, f 187)
- A letter from Durand to the Secretary to the Foreign Department of the Government of India, 24 February 1899, enclosing a copy of his memorandum (with appendices) drawn up in 1895 on the situation in Persia, and the steps he proposed should be taken to improve the British position there
- Copies of a draft despatch from the Governor General of India in Council, 2 September 1899, regarding relations between Great Britain and Persia, including improving the British Political and Consular service in Persia, and the extent of the share of responsibility for Persia that should be devolved upon the Government of India, followed by printed comments upon the draft
- Copies of a minute by George Nathaniel Curzon, Viceroy of India, on Seistan, dated 4 September 1899, including the question of a railway connection between India and Seistan
- Handwritten pencil notes by Curzon relating to Persia and the ‘Seistan Question’.
In addition to the two maps noted above, the file also includes the following maps: map of the area south of the border between Afghanistan and Baluchistan (Mss Eur F111/350, f 300); map of the area west of the border between Persia and Afghanistan (Mss Eur F111/350, f 301); and ‘Route Plan of Robat Nala’ (Mss Eur F111/350, f 302).
- Extent and format
- 2 volumes (301 folios)
- Arrangement
Most of volume A is arranged in reverse chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume (from folios 6 to 76); volume B is arranged is rough chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: this file consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover of volume one (ff 1-150) and terminates at the inside back cover of volume two (ff 151-304); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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‘Seistan Persia & Seistan’ [219r] (445/617), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/350, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100072740555.0x00002e> [accessed 12 August 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F111/350
- Title
- ‘Seistan Persia & Seistan’
- Pages
- front , back , spine, edge , head , tail, front-i, 2r:32v, 34r:62v, 64r:84r, 86r, 89r:93v, 96r:96v, 99v:100v, 101v:128v, 129v:149v, back-i, front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 152r:186v, 188r:189r, 190r:299v, 303r:304v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence