'Lord Curzon's Notes on Persia' [‎578r] (1157/1386)

BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND INDIA. 3
Karachi along the Mekran coast (as this part of Beluchistan is generally
called) as far west as Gwadur, a fishing village in the occupation of the
Sultan of Muscat. The gap from that point to Fao it was decided to fill
up by means of a submarine cable, to be manufactured and laid at the
expense of the Indian Government, without the intervention of a guaran
teed private company.
The project therefore at this time (1862) stood as follows :—1st, The
lines as they then existed between London and Constantinople; 2d, a
Turkish line already opened between Constantinople and Baghdad ; 3d,
a line to be made with British help from Baghdad to Fao; 4th, a sub
marine cable to be laid from Fao to Gwadur; and 5th, a land line to be
erected from Gwadur to Karachi. From London to Constantinople there
was no special organisation for the transmission of international traffic.
Each State had its own system adapted to suit its own internal require
ments. From Constantinople to Fao the Turkish Government retained
the entire charge and working of the line in their own hands. From
London to the head of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. messages would consequently
have to undergo most varied treatment, and be transmitted by clerks of
many nationalities, all totally unacquainted with the language in which
the telegrams were written. It was hoped that when through communi
cation was once opened the different Governments concerned would be
induced to give special facilities for the transit of Indian messages. One
of the sections, however, above enumerated—that, namely, in Turkish
Arabia, from Baghdad to Fao—was thought likely to prove very unsafe,
and liable to constant interruption at the hands of the lawless Arab tribes
of Mesopotamia. It was therefore deemed advisable to open negotiations
at the Court of Teheran with a view to obtaining an alternative line
between the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Baghdad through Persia. The negotia-
tions, however, seemed very unpromising, and not likely to lead to any
practical result.
Such were the projects and prospects (not very bright it must be
confessed) of telegraphic communication with India when Colonel Patrick
Stewart assumed general charge of the scheme in 1862. Accompanied by
Major (afterwards Sir John) Bateman Champain, R.E., he went to Persia
for the purpose of examining the country from a telegraphic point of view,
and of ascertaining what prospect there was of a satisfactory arrangement
being made with the Persian Government, without which all idea of a
line through that country was, of course, out of the question. The situation
of the principal cities in Persia, which it was presumed the Persian Govern
ment would naturally wish to connect with the capital, Teheran, by means
of the proposed telegraph, at once indicated the route which the line
should follow, viz., Bushire, Shiraz, Ispahan, Teheran, Hamadan, Kerman
shah, Baghdad, a distance of about 1300 miles. On reaching Teheran,
however, Colonel Stewart found there was little prospect of a practicable
telegraph convention being agreed to. The Persian ministers were natur
ally somewhat suspicious of our motives and objects, and made all kinds
of impracticable proposals in order, as was supposed, to delay or defeat the
scheme we were pressing on their attention. Their policy appeared so
clearly to be what in parliamentary language would now be called