The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume X, No. 6 [‎101v] (55/186)

594
RECENT JOURNEYS IN PERSIA—DISCUSSION.
much interest in the photographs that I had taken on the Baluch
frontier. Moreover, I had the opportunity of making the acquaintance
of the leading Persian statesmen, one of whom, His Excellency the
Nasir-ul-Mulk, is here to-night, having paid us the compliment ot
returning to England the moment his official duties on the continent
were finished.
In conclusion, I would mention that, after travelling for many
thousand miles in Persia, I still wish to travel there again, and, although
perhaps the free open-air life and the glorious climate have something to
do with this, I cannot but feel that it is also owing to the Persians
•themselves being so hospitable and friendly a race.
before the reading of the paper, the President said : We have to welcome here
this evening an officer who has seen a good deal of a very interesting part of Persia,
and from whom we have received several letters of great interest, though I believe
we have not before had the pleasure of listening to him in this room. I will now
call upon Captain Sykes to read his paper.
After the reading of the paper, the following discussion took place :—
The President: I would now ask his Excellency, Nasir-ul-Mulk, to open the
discussion by some observations.
His Excellency, the Nasir-ul-Mulk : I am very pleased to have had the oppor
tunity of being present at this meeting, and of listening to the very interesting
lecture of Captain Sykes. As you have seen, Captain Sykes has shown himself a
very active explorer, and has availed himself of the opportunities afforded him to
give you new information about the outlying parts of Persia. I am afraid that
all he said was about the outlying parts and the deserts, and that may give you
the idea that all parts of Persia are the same. As you know, Central Persia is
desert, but the borders are very beautiful and fertile places, and I am sure that
Captain Sykes on another occasion will give you information about these parts also.
I have to thank him for the kind allusion he has made to myself, and again to
express the pleasure I have had in being present at this meeting.
Major-General Sir Frederic Goldsmid : I am afraid that any remarks which
I can make on the very interesting paper we have just heard would involve too
distant a retrospect to warrant attentive consideration on your part. My know
ledge of Persia goes back to so ancient a date, that anything I may now say on
that country must be of comparatively little interest. About thirty-four or thirty-
five years ago I had the honour of addressing this Society at a meeting presided
over by Sir Roderick Murchison. I had then recently returned from the coast of
Mekran, which I had been sent to explore under orders from Bombay. Although
we, in Sind, were neighbours to Mekran, we knew very little of that province in
those days. I was ordered to go along the coast as far as I could, and see whether
the country was fitted for the setting up of our telegraph line, whether the people
were fitted for protecting that line, and whether I could make any permanent
arrangements for its protection. Accompanied by an escort of Sind horse, I
reached Gwadar in about seven weeks, exploring and taking notes the whole way,
and making my report to the Bombay government. From Gwadar I should have
continued the exploration, but was directed to return, lest our little acquaintance
with Western Mekran should lead us into political complications. Consequently,
J put my camels and horses into boats, and returned to Karachi. A few years
..later, I reached this very place, Gwadar, from the neighbouring port of Charbar,