‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎423r] (844/949)

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No. 60, dated Bashire, the 29th (received 7th February) January 1905. 7^
From-MAjou P. Z. Cox, C.I.E., Officiating Political Kesident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
To—The Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department.
I have the honour to forward, for the information of the Government of
India, a copy of aletter addressed by Mr. Newcomen of the Commercial Mission
to His Britannic Majesty s Consul at Kerman, together with a despatch which
I have addressed to His Majesty’s Minister at Tehran, in connection therewith
No. 6 , dated the 29th January 1905. *
Dated the 9th December 1904.
From—A. Gleadow Newcomen, Esq., President, Commercial Mission to Persia,
To—His Britannic Majesty’s Consul, Kerman.
I wish to express through you my thanks to His Majesty’s Legation for
the assistance rendered and the kindness shown to my Mission. The orders
issued to the various Governors for our safe conduct and the arrangement of
our supplies have done much to increase our comfort. The Sartip who has
been deputed* from Tehran to accompany the Mission on its tour will too, I am
sure, prove of great assistance.
Everywhere the Persian officials have been most obliging, and their con
duct has been such as to prove them anxious to carry out not only the letter,
hut the spirit, of the orders they have received from Tehran. There has been
one exception however. This exception I think it only right to bring to your
notice, not in a complaining spirit, but in the public interest.
The Director of Customs at Bandar Abbas, M. Cattersell, showed himself
in all his dealings with us possessed of a spirit of unreasonable obstructiveness.
Seeing the way in which he treated myself and my Mission, it is within the
bounds of possibility that he might treat even less reasonably persons less
fortunately placed as to position and special facilities.
I beg to place on record my complaints against this official, who may, it is
possible, have sinned more through ignorance than through malice:—
( 1 ) He had received explicit orders to admit free all the baggage of the
Mission. This he refused to do till he had received repeated,
and, I believe, detailed orders from head-quarters. This unreason
able obstructiveness naturally caused us annoyance.
(2) Knowing well that there were no arrangements made at the
quarantine station for food, or for cooking the same, he yet tried
to insist on our sending all our stores, cooking utensils, and camp
equipage to the Customs House, which is situated three miles
from the camp, at the quarantine station, ignoring this fact and
general usage, whilst in quarantine we were virtually in the
position of not having landed, and, segregated as we w T ere, w r e
were as much cut olf from intercourse with, the outei v r oild as
we w ould have been ahoardship.
(3) Not content with disobeying his orders, through misapprehension.
or other causes, he sent an armed guard to keep watch and ward
over us. He also annoyed and insulted me by sending verbal
and peremptory messages demanding the instant surrender of our
goods and chattels through his Ramal Bashiy this despite the
fact that our arms and ammunition had been lodged m the Cus-
toms House in accordance with the law. Though he had two
distinct orders in his hand at the time, he threatened us with
all sorts of pains and penalties, even when as a compromise, we
sent our stores to be shut up in one of the Consulate godonns for
( 4 ) M. Cattersell’s action was equally obstructive with regard to the
ammunition belonging to our guard and le . on \ . ° ‘ j‘
Orders had originally come from Tehran to admit this ammum
tion. The Director of Customs, however, it is reported, sent an
4795 F. D,