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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎836v] (1689/1814)

The record is made up of 2 volumes with inserts (898 folios). It was created in 1892-1924. It was written in English, Urdu and German. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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538 PERSIA
encountered some Persian merchants, who had greatly flattered the-
last named desire. This self-accredited but gallant emissaiy was
received with the utmost distinction by Shah Abbas, who formed
for him a strong personal attachment, and who, besides sending
him as his own plenipotentiary to the powers of Christendom,
granted him a firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). , c which shall be of full effect and foice fo]
ever, without renuing, for me and my successors, not to be
changed/ conferring freedom from all customs and tolls, legal
recovery of debts, protection of person and property, leligious
liberty, and the right ‘ to repaire and trafique in and tlnough oui
dominions without disturbances or molestations, upon all Ghiistian
merchants . 1 It does not appear, however, that amy immediate
advantage was taken of this concession by English traders, although
it doubtless encouraged them in their forthcoming essay in the
south.
Early in the new century a fresh endeavour was made, by
negotiation with the Czar of Russia, to reopen the overland route
Sir John through his dominions, between England and the East.
Memck 1040 John Merrick arrived at Moscow on amission
with this object from James I. to the Czar Michael Feodorovitch,
the first of the Romanoffs. The conservatism of the Boyars,
however, would not admit of the concession ; and, upon the plea
that nothing could be done till the war with Poland was over,
the request was refused . 2 In 1618 the Moscovy and East India
Companies agreed to amalgamate their fortunes, and it was pro
posed to advance a loan of 100,000 marks to the Czar, in order to
secure his support for the revival of the transit trade through his-
dominions . 3 Sir Dudley Digge was sent out as ambassador in the
same year to negotiate a formal agreement; but again the mission
failed . 4 Thirty years afterwards, when the English monarchy was-
overthrown and the Commonwealth established, the Czar revoked
all privileges enjoyed by foreigners, and expelled all British traders
from Muscovy, except from Archangel. It was not till a century
later that, under a more liberal monarch, and in the hands of the
Russia Company, the project again achieved a short-lived realisa-*
tion.
1 lor a copy of this grant, vide Report of Sir Anthony Sherley's Journey, 1600,:
quoted by Malcolm, History of Persia, vol. i. p. 353.
2 Calendar of State Papers (East Indies Series), vol. ii. (1617-1621). Nos..
307, 308, 309, 310, 312, 313.
3 Hold. No. 306.
4 Ibid. No. 467.

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Content

These two volumes are George Curzon's own personal annotated copies of both volumes of his book Persia and the Persian Question , which was published in 1892. Alongside the volumes are various loose papers relating to Persia [Iran], consisting of the following: received correspondence; newspaper cuttings; publishers' press releases; cuttings from various booksellers' catalogues; various journal and magazine articles; two items of printed official British correspondence; several prints of photographs and sketches; and a few handwritten notes by Curzon.

In most cases these papers, which range in date from 1892 to 1924, relate to the chapters in the book where they were originally inserted, suggesting that they were kept by Curzon with the intention of using them to inform a revised edition of the book.

Of particular note among the small amount of correspondence are two letters received by Curzon in 1914 and 1915 from retired schoolmaster and Islamic scholar Sayyid Mazhar Hasan Musawi of Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India (ff 5-9 and ff 44-53). These letters, which are written in Urdu and are accompanied by English translations, discuss in detail several inaccuracies found in the Urdu version of Persia and the Persian Question .

The various prints of photographs and sketches, which were originally inserted into volume two, are of different locations in the Gulf region. Several of these appear to have been produced in preparation for the publication of the second volume of John Gordon Lorimer's Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Oman and Central Arabia (i.e. the 'Geographical and Statistical' section) in 1908, as they are identical to the versions found in that volume.

Also of note among the loose papers are an illustrated article from Country Life dated 5 June 1920, entitled 'The People of Persia' (ff 36-37), and a printed family tree of the Shah of Persia [Aḥmad Shah Qājār], produced in preparation of his visit to Britain in 1919 (f 233).

Volume one of Persia and the Persian Question contains a map of Persia, Afghanistan and Beluchistan [Balochistan], which is folded inside the front cover (f 1).

The German language material consists of a publisher's press release for two books authored by German archaeologist Ernst Emil Herzfeld (ff 29-30).

Extent and format
2 volumes with inserts (898 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: this shelfmark consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the first folio of volume one (1-463), and terminates at the last folio of volume two (ff 464-898); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Each volume contains a large number of loose leaves, which have been foliated in the order that they were inserted into the volume; for conservation reasons, these loose folios have been removed from the volume and stored separately. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers of the two volumes.

Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.

Written in
English, Urdu and German in Latin and Arabic script
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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎836v] (1689/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213850.0x00005a> [accessed 23 June 2026]

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