‘Confidential. Persia’ [‎499r] (47/112)

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*
no formal reservation or protest with re
gard to this particular point, either to
Russia or Persia, on the strength of the
engagement of 1897. Sir Charles Scott,
June i9co, Nog. 1 . 27 , Proceeding indeed, made a general allusion verbally
Secret E.,
No. 25.
to the existence of this prior engagement
in the course of a conversation with M. de
Witte on 10th March 1900, who said that
Secret e, June 1900 , No., i to 27 , Proceeding j t was in order not to interfere with any
British interests that he had expressly had
the revenues from the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ports
and the Province of Ears excluded, but he
did not call attention to the distinction
between “Southern Persia’’ and “Ears
and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .”
It must, at the same time, be noted that
the extent of British interests in Persia was
referred to by the British Government in
connection with the wording of the Russian
loan, for in a memorandum by Sir C.
Scott to Count Mouravieff, dated 19th
Eebruary 1900, we find the following:—
* * * •
u Her Majesty’s Governraent observe that in
the statement of the conditions of the new loan,
Enclosure to Proceeding No. 19 i i Secret E.,
June 1900, Nos. 1-27.
it is mentioned that the customs revenues of the
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ports and of the Province of Ears
are not included in those assigned as security of
the loan, but the interests of Her Majesty’s
Government in Persia cannot be considered as
restricted to the coast of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. or to the
Province of Ears, and it would seem desirable, in
order to avoid the risk of that antagonism which
both Governments are agreed to deprecate, that
Her Majesty’s Government should have the oppor
tunity of learning exactly what are the conditions
of the new loan, and of discussing them frankly
with the Russian Government for the purpose of
arriving at a friendly and confidential understand
ing. The Marquis of Salisbury has instructed Sir
C. Scott to speak to Count Mouravieff in the above
sense.”
But it must he pointed out that al
though no protest was made at once when
the Russian loan contract was published,
it may well at that moment have appeared
inconceivable to Her Majesty’s Govern
ment that the terms of the Russian loan
could conflict with the 1897 guarantee, in
view of the fact that this document was
brought prominently to the notice of the
Sadr-i-Azam on 11th December 1899,
when the Persian Government were in
the midst of the Russian loan negotiations.
The circumstances were as follows :—On
10th December 1899, the Sadr-i-Azam
in the course of a conversation with Mr.
Spring-Rice and Colonel Picot about the
circumstances of the loan then under dis
cussion in St. Petersburg, asked whether
the Legation was in possession of a docu
ment signed by the Mushir-ed-Dowleh, late
Minister for Eoreign Affairs, by which his
Government engaged themselves not to
give the control of the customs of the
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (sic) to a foreign Power as
guarantee for a loan, as his attention had