بلاد فارس، هراة، وسيستان. [و‎‎٨‎٠] (٢٨/٣)

far greater sacrifices the alliance or ttie neutrality
ot leisia. Ihe question, therefore, vhich is sub
mitted for Lord Craubrook’s consideration is one of
the deepest gravity.”
Although Lord Cranbrook took this matter into
careful _ consideration, the condition o? affairs in
Afghanistan precluded an. immediate reply on the
important subject above treated being sent. It
consequently lay for a time in abeyance.
On the 26th of January, Mr. Thomson addressed
the following communication to the Marquis of
Salisbury: —
I have the honour to inform your Lordship that
I received on the 24th instant a telegram from His
Excellency the Viceroy of India, inquiring whether,
if the war should eventuate in any territorial
changes of the Afghan frontier, there was in my
opinion any point which might be considered with
advantage, with the object of improving the rela
tions between England and Persia. His Lordship
mentioned that this had been suggested for con
sideration in London, and having also expressed a
wish for an early reply to his inquiry, I the next
day answered him by telegraph that if the other
portion of Seistan were ceded to Persia and her
claims to Kohuk formally recognized, her obliga
tions to Russia for having procured for her the
retrocession of Kotur would be neutralized, and our
relations here would doubtless be established on a
better footing.
“ I added that Persia had always complained
that the division of Seistan in accordance with Sir
E. Goldsmid’s award was a mistake, and that she
was the loser by that arrangement, especially as it
put into the hands of the Afghans the sluices of
the canals by which her territory was irrigated.
“ With reference to Kohuk, I said that Persia
has since 1874 occupied that territory, but Her
Majesty’s Government has never recognized her
right to do so.
“ In the fear of, at some future period, becoming
involved with Afghanistan, Persia has always re
fused to sign the revised Mekran arbitral de-
cision.
ii I ventured further to remark that, though good
results would accrue from these concessions, we
must also, if we wished to reap their full advantage
make up our minds to assume a firm attitude to
wards Persia, whenever it was a question of our
lawful interests; that when the Persians understood
that they had something both to gam and to tear
from us, we should, in my opinion, be m a more
satisfactorv position, and should be able,^ not on y
to have prompt attention paid to our just com
plaints, but also to hold, at least, our own agains ,
j us t as I had finished this telegram Nasoulak
Khan, the Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs,
called on me, and by direction of the Shah read me
an autograph letter, which His Majesty had ad-