Miscellaneous Correspondence, Notes, and Newspaper Cuttings Relating to Persia [‎63v] (130/255)

No. 6 .
His Highness Sadr-Azam to the Persian Minister in London.—{Communicated by the
Persian Minister, June 28.)
(Translation.)
(Telegraphic.) j une 2 o, 1899.
^ I AM in receipt of your last telegram containing an account of your interview
with the Marquess of Salisbury, and his Lordship’s answer.
Y ou are to present yourself to his Lordship again, and convey my grateful
acknowledgments for the friendly and sincere sentiments which those few words from
him have convinced of.
I wish to say no more than this, that it is not my intention to complain of Her
Britannic Majesty’s Minister.
I am not interested in any particular personages, be it Sir M. Durand, Colonel
•Picot, or Major Sykes. I am solely interested in the maintenance of friendly relations
between our two Governments. My only care is to restore to its former position our
friendship. I wish once again to re-establish, in everyliody’s mind, from my Sovereign
down to the meanest of his subjects, the conviction that Lord Salisbury has the best of
wishes for the int egrity a nd welfare of Persia.
This is my aim; I leave the rest to his Lordship. If the attainment of this
laudable object is possible with the present mediums, so much the better; we have
nothing to say. If, on the other hand, something else has to be done, I hope his
Lordship will do it. He is better able to judge what is the best course than I can
advise.
Lord Salisbury will remember a passage in his speech at the Mansion House,
when we were in England, where he said, “ In our wishes for Persia there is nothin" to
offend any one. We wish the Persians to make progress.” And then again, at his
own house, his Lordship re] 3 eated the same words.
Mith flic aid of Lepresentatives so distinguished as Sir D. Wolff, and so judicious
and well-disposed as Sir E. Lascelles, I applied myself to the task of instilling the
essence of those words into the mind of my countrymen with such success that the
relations between our respective countries reached a point as to excite envy. Now,
after a lapse of the twenty months of my retirement, I return to find that the opinion
in Persia has been entirely altered, indeed to an extent that even people have been led
to believe that, for instance, England intends to interfere in the affairs of South Persia,
and even to deprive the Imperial Government of its authority in the southern dominions
of its own Empire; and that, further, she is aiming to wrest from the hands of the
inhabitants the commerce and trade of the country; such are the impressions created.
Is this state of affairs advantageous to Her Majesty’s Government ? Would the
removal of these prejudices harm the interests of England, or, as I understand will it
be a service rendered to her ? If it will be the latter, then I pray that his Lordship
will favour me with his assistance that success may attend my efforts, but, on the other
hand, should the former be the case, then I am mistaken, and the policy must have
altered, and in that case it will be well to tell us so plainly that we may know on what
ground we tread and what course to pursue. In any case I pray his Lordship to
believe that I am as sincere now in my sentiments towards Her Britannic Majesty’s
Government as I have ever been, for I highly value England’s friendship for my King
my Government, and my country.
An incident has happened to-day which goes far to prove what I have said.
To the Foreign Office Colonel Picot has come to-day, to say on behalf of Her
Britannic Majesty’s Minister that they do not approve of the appointment of Hassan