‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎108v] (215/949)

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Telegram from Colonel A. H. McMahon, C.S.I., C.T.E., No. 445 , dated the 8th
(received 13th) October 1903.
Communicates certain corrections to 'paragraph 15 of the foregoing report.
From Colonel A. H. McMahon, C S.I., C.I.E., No. 1124, dated the 3rd (received
14th) October 1903.
Forwards a correction to paragraph 8 of the foregoing report.
* Seistan arbitration file.
Your Excellency will read Colonel McMahon’s report. He adheres to his opinion as to
the area irrigable in Seistan. He advises an offer of 6^ lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees a year to the Amir for the whole
of the Chakansur district, which extends up to Lat above Rudbar on the Helmand, and from
which the Amir derives a gross revenue of some Rs. 65,000 at present. He believes that it
will be almost as easy to secure this as the Rudbar tract to the south of the Helmand, for
which one lakh One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees might be offered at present, and 2 when the canal is made. The rent in each
case is to cover a free right of way via Khwaja Ali.
As the Amir derives no revenue from Landi Barechis and Pulalak, and as Khwaja Ali and
Khugi are Sinjerani Baluch villages, perhaps he would be willing to include tnese in a lease
which would secure us the right of way necessary and a shorter railway line.
This, however, is a detail. The main question is, will the Amir agree to lease anything?
The telegrams* from Sir A Hardinge, dated
10 th October, and from McMahon, dated bth
October, show that the Persians are commencing to require that no dams shall be put up
between the Band-i-Kohak and Rudbar because they may affect, not present irrigation, but
c * t! ™ nr>o xt c future extensi ms in the Tarakun tract. As
Secret F, March 1903, Nos. 1-216, page 69 of , ,, . c r\ v p
note8 to this the notes of the Conference of 20 th
September 1902 may be read. The Amir will
doubtless be most unwilling to cede territory, as this is forbidden by Muhammadan law We
can, however, point out to him that the only way by which we can effectively prevent the
Russians pressing him on the west as on the north is by his allowing us to establish ourselves
in strength on the lower course of the Helmand, so as to prevent the Russians from occupying
Seistan. With a British force there, his troops would be set free to dt fend Herat and the
northern border, and he would have no apprehensions of the Russians taking him in rear by
Kandahar or of our being forced to go there to protect our own border. Then we can explain
that, if he attempts to dam the Helmand, the Persians will at once invoke our arbitral
assistance, whereas we may be able to arrange matters with them, and that at any rate his
position would be much stronger if we were directly interested in the case. We can tell him
what we have heard by telegraph of the ideas of the Persians.
We could then broach the subject of a perpetual lease of the whole of the Chakansur
district as proposed by McMahon, plus the condition that no new large works are started again
above Rudbar on the Helmand. In view of the attitude assumed by Russia in regard to
frontier relations, I think we should be justified in speaking very plainly to the Amir through
the Agent on this subject. The Agent starts on 2 Uth October from Landi Kbana. Mr. Grant
knows the case and could give him a note to be read to the Amir and returned, if no other
opportunity of addressing the Amir verbally is likely to occur, or preferably could coach him up
in what he should say. The Amir is writing about his subsidy account, and we must, of course,
point out to him that, if he does not help us to prevent the Russians compelling him to have
direct relations with them, he is practically not acting up to his father’s agreements with us,
and is not entitled to any subsidy at all.
To escape from this dilemma he may be more amenable on the subject of a lease of
Chakansur, though, of course, we must not forget that it was Goldsmid’s dealings with Seistan
that first alienated Sher Ali seriously.
L. W. Dane, — 14 - 10 - 03 .
I will deal with this case on the file containing the Amir’s latest letter.
C [urzon] 15 - 10 - 03 .
Dated Seistan, the 3 rd October 1903 .
From— Colonel A. H. McMahon, C.S.I., C.I.E., British Commissioner, Seistan
Arbitration Commission,
To—L. W. Dane, Esq., Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign
Department.
I sent off the report you call for on the Helmand question yesterday. I am sorry for the
slight delay in doing so, but this was unavoidable.