Coll 28/28 ‘Persia. Perso-Baluchistan Frontier. Demarcation near Mirjawa.’ [‎44r] (98/658)

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perhaps, they would willingly waive a point or two to expedite our denarture
“*
27. As for Mirjawa itself, its importance, strategically, has been fully
dwelt upon by Major Showers m paragraph 4t of his report above quoted
This importance, as know, has been thoroughly understood by the Russian
Government and, through them, s now fully appreciated by the Pers an
Government. Personally, I am inclined to think that the importance of the
place has been somewhat over-rated, although there is no denvina the fact that
it is a well watered place close to our trlde route, which, under certa^ bu
still remote, conditions, might be made of great inconvenience to' us. It is
situated on the best and easiest route from Khorasan and Seistan to the
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , but the strengthening of our Baluchistan border, and improve!
communications, would tend very largely to negative the value, n other hands
of a route passing so very close to our territory. The important to ourselves’
or others, of Mirjawa, very largely depends on the coui-se of future eventlin
Seistan. The more our position with regard to Seistan is strengthened the
less and less important does Mirjawa become. ° G d ’
i .? 8, f i 70 obtam possession of it ourselves is a matter which obviously lies
outside the scope of a local Demarcation Commission such as this and is^one
which, if taken up at all, can only be arranged by direct negotiations in
the smr^der rf P^sia Goverami r' 1 ti The analogy of Gumbad-bKabcos, and
tlie surrendei of Peisian water rights to Eussia at other pi ints of the Ru^so-
Persian border, would, primd facie, afford a fair pretext for demanding some
similar concession to us at Mirjawa, if such be desired. S
2 a I am not however, called upon to discuss this question beyond so far
record!! bvMa^rSho where f ou f !: ne f P 08 * be ci built. Sufficient has been
^Wl,f d ,u i MjS ^ 0f topography of this tract to show fairly
rly that, in accordance with the definition and map of Colonel Holdich’s
agreement, our post at Padaha is in imminent danger of finding itself within
Persian territoix In the printed and signed copy of the North-West W
forms ^'be nffi ' 1 m,le8 > s hc e t No. 14 S.-W. of November 1892, which
,f 8 rae official agreement map, it will be seen that the junction of the so-
Th l ed bo Mlr r^ nd Ta abriTerS i S shown S0lne 7 miIe8 south of Mirjawa.
The boundary line shown on that map would bring the Padaha, nnst «nma
distance within Persian territory. I understand that notable sdt Ss “n
the neighbourhood to which our post could once more be removed and, even if
it could, we may, I think, reasonably decline to add another to Uie m!nv
concessions which, unnecessarily or not as the case may be, have already bee!
made by us m the matter of the Perso-Baluch boundary". '
„ a u°j 1° ? UC u P romin ence has been given to Mirjawa and its neighbourhood
and Padaha has been so explicitly referred to in the instructions of the Persian
Government to the Yamin-i-Nizam, that I foresee no possibility of making
““ a f 86 a ?/ boundary in this neighbourhood more favourable to us thaS
that of the Holdich Agreement. Short of re-opening the whole question of the
Perso-Baluch boundary, and demanding, on the strength of our recent surveys
nd enquiries, a rectification of the frontier which will give us Mirjawa fn
return tor concessions made to Persia further south, the only course open to
us appears to be to press for such slight rectification of Holdich’s boundary as
may be found necessary to include the Padaha post within our territory. ?
31 This request would, of course, be based on the same arguments as those
suggested for the red boundary line, paragraphs 23 and 24 above. There is
one shght disadvantage in urging this request prematurely, as there is a chance
otSb^rj P r 0ne uV° f be i E S a ble to prove tL our Padaha pSt
meets this difficulty. procedure I have suggested in paragraph 34
r.iltn 32 V i Th i c ° nces .l on > by sale or lease, of a small plot (say 1 square mile) of
culturahle land with water on the right bank of the Bar-i-Ghiaban-Talab
l°J growing fodder and vegetables for the adjacent posts on our trade
route Jias been stated to be very desirable.