'SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS AND MEASURES OF THE VICEROYALTY OF HIS EXCELLENCY LORD CURZON OF KEDLESTON, VICEROY AND GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA IN THE FOREIGN DEPARTMENT. I. JANUARY 1899-APRIL 1904. II. DECEMBER 1904-NOVEMBER 1905. VOLUME IV. PERSIA AND THE PERSIAN GULF.' [‎53r] (110/386)

7
Government or to the Government of India might be determined, and the
charges incurred for them debited against the revenues respectively of the
United Kingdom and of India. The latter was the solution preferred by the
Government of India.
27. The real line of distinction, the despatch continued, should he that,
whereas the commercial interests of Her Majesty’s Indian subjects, outside of
India, were in the main the concern of the Imperial Government, yet in cases
where the political importance of a place or district exceeded the commercial,
and where that political importance was Indian rather than English in character,
the Government of India may legitimately he called upon to defray sometimes
a large proportion, sometimes the whole of the cost. The despatch then pro
ceeded to apply these principles to a consideration of certain suggestions of Sir
M. Durand and certain proposals of the Government of India concerning the
increase of Consular establishments in Persia. In touching upon the proposals
made by Sir M. Durand regarding the abandonment of the annual subsidy of
£2,000 paid in equal moieties by the two Governments to Messrs. Lynch for
their service on the Karim and the establishment of a Consul for that region,
entire agreement was expressed in the views of previous Governments in respect
of the Imperial and non-Indian character of the charge on the ground that
the Government of India was only indirectly interested in the Karim question
and should not ho called upon to pay for charges connected therewith. The
changes and additions which were iu consequence made in the appointment
and rearrangement of Consuls in pursuance of the proposals in the despatch of
September 1899 will be summarised in the individual acts during Lord Curzon’s
Yiceroyalty and will he better understood when the main features of the period
have been chronologically narrated.
28. On IGth March 1900, His Excellency the Viceroy followed up this
Her Majesty's Government asked for despatch with a telegram to the Secretary
a reply to the despatch of September
1899.
of State for India, pointing out that al
though it was six months since the Gov
ernment of India had addressed Her Majesty’s Government with regard to the
position in Persia, no reply had been received from them.
“ Russian attitude towards Persia and towards British interests in that country has in
the interval been more clearly defined by the negotiation of a loan which is tantamount
to Russian control over the greater part of Persia, including several of those provinces that
appertain to the British sphere of interest and trade; by the appointment of a Russian Consul
to Seistan ; by the well authenticated reports of Russian railway schemes in different parts of
the country; and by the appearance in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. of a Russian gun-boat, whose com
mander is" believed to have entered into negotiations with the local authorities for a coaling
station at Bunder Abbas in defiance of the assurances given by the Russian Government.”
Now that the strain of the war in South Africa was to some extent
relieved, the Government of India desired most urgently to represent that the
situation in Persia was one that could not be indefinitely ignored, and they
submitted the desirability of making some clear announcement to the Persian
Government concerning the nature and extent of the interests of Great Britain
and India in Southern Persia, presuming it was intended that they should be
maintained.
cc Repeated but cautious statements of British concern in those quarters have oeen autho
rised at Tehran But they do noc appear to have been couched in a form sutficiently definite
to secure their object, or to have obtained from the Persian Government the respect to which
they are entitled.
“ We are willing to make considerable sacrifices in defence of what we regard as largely
an Indian interest. But we cannot do it alone, and we are anxious, therefore, to be favoured,
with the views of Her Majesty’s Government, at an early date, and to know to what extent
we may rely upon their support.’
29. At length on Gth July 1900 Lord George Hamilton replied to the
above telegram and to the despatch of 21st September 1899.
With reference to the proposals for increasing British representation in
Persia the Secretary of State reserved his opinion until—
(a) ho had received proposals from Tehran ;
(b) the report of the expenditure commission had been considered.