"مذكرة بشأن الحدود بين المحمرة وتركيا". [و‎‎١‎١] (٨٢/٢١)

17
Mr. R. Curzon
and Colonel
Williams, No 30,
August 5, 1843.
Colonel Sheil
to British
CoinmisBioners at
Erzeroum,
August 29, 1843,
and No 1 ( J,
September 27,
1843.
(See also a
Memorandum by
Mr. Taylour
Thomson in
Colonel Sheil's
despatch No. 56
of May 14, 1844,
to Lord Aberdeen.)
Report of
Ninth Conference,
December 19,
1843.
Colonel Williams,
No. 45,
October 15, 1843.
Stratford
Canning, No. 70,
April 27, 1844.
Sir Stratford Canning observes that all these
persons (including the Koweitis !) were Turkish
subiects residing at a distance from Moham-
merah.
As proof of territorial claims, Turkey produced
certain deeds of sale, court rolls, and deeds of
foundation in mortmain. These documents bore,
in the opinion of the Mediating Commissioners,
the marks of antiquity; but Colonel Sheil, Her
Majesty's Minister at Tehran, pointed out that
even if the authenticity of these documents—
none of which was of more recent date than
1766—were admitted, they merely proved a
temporary possession, and that similar docu
ments might be, and had been, produced to
support a claim to Tabreez and Kasvin, which,
in consequence of the defeat of the Persian
armies, were known to have been held for a short
period by Turkey.
Most of the European maps produced,
including that of Macdonald Kinneir, adopted
the Shatt-el-Arab as the boundary between
the two Empires. The Turkish Plenipotentiary
somewhat unintelligibly cited also the geo
graphical work of Macdonald Kinneir to the
effect that Abadan Island had formerly been
in the possession of Turkey, but having been
conquered by the Chaab Sheikh Salman in
the middle of the 18th century had remained in
the possession of his successors. His object was
presumably to establish the original ownership
of Turkey, but the quotation served also to
confirm the duration of the severance of Turkey's
connection.
The British Commissioners at Erzeroum, Mr.
Curzon and Colonel (afterwards Sir Penwick)
Williams, basing their opinions on the evidence
produced.at the Conferences, and on a paper fur
nished by General Monteith, who had long been
employed in Persia, considered that the balance
of probabilities respecting Mohammerah was
immeasurably in favour of Turkey. But, at
the time of writing, they had not yet seer
Major Bawlinson's memorandum, which gave a
totally different complexion to the matter.
Sir Stratford Canning's view was summed u 1 ?
in the following sentence :—
The whole results iu a presumption that the original
territorial right is in favour of Turkey, and the right of
conquest and possession is in favour of Persia.
[2440 c—10] F