"مذكرة عن البعثة البريطانية في طهران." [و‎‎٢‎٠‎٥] (٤/٣)

' <, 1 ° r ' 1 “ i”* “ Ea *“
iO. The views of Lord Lytton’s Government (25th May 1876) were in entire
accord with those of the Government of Lord Northbrook and of the India
Office as to the expediency of appointing from the Indian Service a
Secretary of Legation, as well as a Military Attach^. But they added
“ 6. The representation of specially Indian interests has, for many years, been so neelected or at
kast so unsnccessfully maintained, at the Court of Teheran, and the influence of Russia ^ thi
Court has, during the same period, so greatly increased, and so firmly established itself that it
would now be difficult to re-constitute Persia into areally effectual bulwark to this Empire without
an expenditure largely exceeding any which the Indian revenues are at present able to afford For
this reason, and also because, in consequence of the above-mentioned fact, the character of
diplomatic relations with Persia must now be determined by considerations subject to the general
foreign pohcy of Her Majesty s Government,'we think that the time is past when the entire
establishment, and direct management, of the British Mission at Teheran could be advanta-eouslv
undertaken by the Government of India. ° ^
‘‘ 7 There are still, however, so many important questions in connection with which the interests
ol India may be advantageously, or injuriously, affected by the couduct of the Persian Government
that we deem it extremely desirable that some officer thoroughly conversant with those interests
(political and commercial, as well as military) should be on the permanent staff of Her Maiestv’s
Legation in Persia.” J y
11. After farther desultory correspondence between the India and Foreign
Offices, the whole matter, both as to the appointment of special officers to the
Mission and of the transfer of the Mission to the India Office, was dropped,
and has remained dormant up to the present time. A somewhat decided*
representation from the India Office in 1879 resulted, however, in the
reduction of the annual charge from 12,000/. to 10,000/. At that limit it is
to remain by agreement up to the year 1889, when the proportion of charo-e
as between the two Treasuries is to be again considered.
12. So far as the Political Department of the India Office is concerned, it
has always supported the view put forward in former years as to the advan
tages of the India Office having control of our relations at Teheran. But, in
existing circumstances, it is sceptical of the expediency of the step, (1) be
cause experience of the past treatment of India by the Imperial Treasury
affords no hope of any portion of the charge being borne by Imperial revenues
once the transfer is made; (2) because the Government of India has recently
increased its obligations so considerably in Afghanistan and Khelat that
their consent to further financial and administrative responsibilities can
hardly be anticipated; (3) because the existing system works fairly well
since direct communication between Her Majesty’s Minister at Teheran and
the Viceroy has been established; (4) because from the recent rapid march
of events the Persian question is becoming more European than formerly,
and as such requires the supervision of the Foreign Offiqe; (5) because it is
believed that the Shah has a repugnance to any such change ; (6) because
the whole condition of Persia appears to be now so hopeless, so entangled,
so Bussainized, that India may well pause before she throws more “ good
“ money after bad,” or accepts any increased responsibility in regard to that
country.
13. If these objections can be got over, no administrative difficulty need
stand in the way of transfer from the Foreign to the India Office of the
immediate control of the Mission, provided that the Imperial Government
meet all expenses connected with it over and above the 10,000/. a year now
paid from Indian revenues, or grant a fixed annual sum of, say, 5,000/.
a year, as promised in 1858.
25th February 1887.
O. T. B.