"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الجزء II. ج. ج. لوريمر. ١٩١٥" [‎٢‎٤‎٥‎١] (١٢٦٢/٩٦٨)

2451
without reference to the TurVish demands; but the change, though
satisfactory to the British political and postal authorities, was unwelcome
to the native merchants of Basrah, who even presented a petition for its
restoration.
At Hasrah quarantine against India is now chronic, and, except when it
is temporarily suspended, the mail from India is taken to the Bureau
Sanitaire to be fumigated before being sent to the post office; the
Bureau is at a place about quarter of a mile from the British Yice-
Consulate.
The post office at Baghdad also owed its origin to Mr. Years;
it was opened experimentally on the same day as the office at
Basrah- the 1st of January 1868 and became permanent in June
1869. It was placed at first in charge of the senior clerk of the
residency staff, and this arrangement lasted until 1879, when, in conse
quence of the heavy work entailed by postal insurance, then recently
introduced, and by the money order system which was to come into force
from the 1st of J anuary 1880, it was found necessary to appoint a
trained Postmaster from India ; but until 1884 one of the residency
clerks continued to draw an allowance for assisting in postal work.
The introduction of postal insurance at Baghdad in 1877 and its
abolition in 1885 have already been noticed in the paragraph on the
general working of the offices of the Persian Gulf division.
With effect from the 1st of July 1904 the Baghdad office was
raised from the status of a sub-office to that of a head office, and from
the same date the accounts of the office began to be kept in Tm'kish
instead of in Indian currency*, the rate of exchange between Lirah
and rupee being altered, as necessary from time to time, by the
Political Resident; one object of this arrangement was to defeat the
manoeuvres of Baghdad speculators, who were accustomed to make a
profit out of the post office by sending money orders m one direction
or the other according to the state of exchange; and another reason
was the prohibition by the Turkish Government of the importation of
foreign silver coin.t
Muhammareh remained for a long time without steamer com
munication or proper postal arrangements.
In 1889 the opening of a British post office at Muhammareh was
suggested by the British Yice-Consul at Basrah ; in 1890 Mu ammare
became a port of call for the steamers of the British India Company on
their return voyage to India; and, in October of the same year, as no
special restrictions were then imposed by
a visit to Muhammareh, a call upon
introduced.
Baghdad,
1868-1907.
the Turks m
the outward
of
consequence
voyage also was
* The logical order of^tR is the opposite of that given : Bjigbdad w.s made a
head office because its acconnts, being now in a diBerent currency, could no longer
be included in those of the Bushehr head office. ^
tin 1901 when Maior Melvill, tbe British Eesident at Baghdad, "^ported
65,000 in specie fr. in the Btish_phr Besidency Treasury, the Turks ol^ected, and
the money had to be returned to Bushehr.
«d4) a
Muham-
roareh, 1892-
1905,
i
11''