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Manuscript of Persia and the Persian Question (Continued) [‎203r] (405/690)

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The record is made up of 1 file (218 folios). It was created in 1890. 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. .

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The second or northern
jectivo the capital Teheran
the provinces which are fed that centre
Here the Russian monopoly of th^ Caspian and
the prohibitory tariffs charged upon\Russian rail
roads before reaching the Caspian\ ports have
placed entire trade in Russia’s hands. She
approaches'and supplies the capital by two rontes
from the Caspian ; the first the principahnaravan
entry into Persia from the port of Reslrt ; the
second from Meshed-i-S4r, a shorter but less
organized, and on the wholfj costlier, journey
one^can compete with Russia upon either of
lines; and they give her a position in the Tehertr
market overwhelming in its physical advantage
From the Englishman’s point of view, therefore, it
is satisfactory to read in the Russian newspapers
loud and reiterated complaints of the decline of
her commercial influence in the north. For my
own part I think that these jeremiads are as un
called for on the part of Russia as any exultation
on the part of England would be premature and
unwise. From careful questioning of those quali
fied to pronounce I am led to believe that the
following is the actual condition of affairs in the
Teheran market. The import trade from the south,
i. e., from the Gulf, which is almost wholly
English, has very largely increased in the last'iBL
years, and in certain goods enables our merchants
to hold their own against Russia in spite
of the enormous advantages possessed by the
latter. Thus in cotton goods the market is at pre
sent about evenly divided between the two rivals,
England having perhaps a slight advantage.
Austria n«jiB,claims the largest share of glassware
and woolrejHoods. Russia has almost the exclusive
supply of sM^ar, oil, and candles. The bulk of
the trade istof course Russian, though much of it
is in cheap articles, that aggregate no very impos
ing total. That Russia herself is dissatisfied with
her present position is shown bv the symptoms
which I have already mentioned, and
hibition of every variety of Russian goods that was
opened while I was in Teheran by the well-known
Moscow firm of Konshine, in order to attract local
purchasers and to secure orders from Persian traders
in general. I have *oimio read in the Russian
journals that the enterprise did not meet with the
success to which its excellence, both in material
and selection, seemed to me to entitle it ; that the
wares were too costly for the Persian taste ; and
that the most gratifying transaction recorded was
the sale of a pair of decanters to the Shah. A
feeling in Russia that her mercantile supremacy
in North Persia is imperilled —TmtofT* to
undertake the construction of one of those north*
railways of which I have spoken in an earlier
letter. My own impression is that, railway or no
a
Ot
'TsLa^

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Content

This file contains sections of the handwritten manuscript of the book Persia and the Persian Question by George Nathaniel Curzon. These papers come as part of the full handwritten draft of the book that comprises the shelfmarks Mss Eur F111/30-32. The printed edition of the book can be found in the file with the shelfmark Mss Eur F111/33.

Eventually published in 1892, the papers in this file cover the ancient and modern history, geography, and social and political aspects of Persia during the late nineteenth century when George Curzon temporarily lived in Persia. The manuscript also discusses the Russian and British presence in Persia and the author's views on the two countries' respective strategies in the country. The papers also include some of George Curzon's own travel writing while in Persia.

Extent and format
1 file (218 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged by chapter as part of a handwritten manuscript.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: this file consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the front cover of volume one (ff 1-220) and terminates at the inside back cover of volume two (ff 221-345); 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-344; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

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English in Latin script
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Manuscript of Persia and the Persian Question (Continued) [‎203r] (405/690), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/32, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100076276760.0x000006> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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