'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.' [‎120v] (245/386)

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for Russian signallers on the Central Persian line. The parallel was rather to he
found in the Astrabad-Chikislar lineon which Great Britain had not asked for the
location of signallers. Further it could not be admitted that Russian interests
in Yezd and Kerman were at all comparable to British interests in Seistan, and
it was suggested that the proposal of the Russian Minister in this matter should
be referred to tbe British Legation. Lord Lansdowne expressed concurrence in
Lord Curzon’s telegram and instructed Mr. Grant LuEf to info:m the Persian
Government accordingly and to add that the Seistan line being purely a
Persian line on which neither the British nor Persian Governments had any
special rights, equality of treatment was imperative. Me uas to add that there
would possibly be no objection to the Russian Consulate having a telegraph
employe for its own service equally with the British Government, but that it
must be clearly understood that the Meshed-Seistan line was a Persian one in
respect of which Great Britain had at least equal rights with Russia. Mean
while, in pursuance of the arrangement arrived at between Russia and Persia in
the early part of 1003, tive new Russian telegraph employes, including a chief
constructor for the Meshed-Seistan line, arrived at Meshed in October 1904. It
was also reported that five more would follow shortly; that the Russian Govern
ment were about to take over the line and, by constructing a line from Askabad to
Meshed via Kuchan, to absorb the Persian line from Kuchan to Meshed and to
bring under complete Russian control the whole line from Askabad to Seistan.
The report relating to the arrival of the telegraph employes was admitted by
the Mushir-ed-Dowleh who informed Mr. Grant Duff that the clerks were
destined partly for the Seistan line and partly for Kuchan, but he denied (and
the denial was subsequently supported in a note from the Persian Government)
that the Meshed-Seistan line was to pass under Russian control, or that the
Russians had been allowed to construct a line from Askhabad to Meshed via
Kuchan. In respect to this matter Lord Curzon telegraphed on the 1st Novem
ber 1904 that acquiescence in the transfer of the line to the Russians should
be declined in view of the assurance given to Sir A. Hardinge hy the Mushir-
ed^Dowleh in March 1904 to the effect that the appointment of Russian tele*
graphists was on the clear understanding that the line was to be an exclusively
Persian one. It was also suggested that the Persian Government should be
informed that wherever a Russian signaller was placed on the Meshed-Seistan
line a British signaller would also be sent, and further that if the report as to the
construction of the line to Meshed via Kuchan should be confirmed, His
Majesty’s Minister should be instructed again to press strongly for consent to
the lines from Seistan to Koh-i-Malik Siah and from Henjam to Bunder Abbas
being linked up. Instructions to this effect "were given to Mr. Grant Duff
by Mis Majesty’s Government.
31. The struggle during 1904 to get the line from Koh-i-Malik Siah
to Nasratabad proved futile. Not only was it urged by the Government of
India as a set off against the Kuchan-Bajgiran concession but also (March
1904) in connection with the presence of Colonel McMahon’s Mission the
detention of which in Seistan was held to ho a good reason for its extension to his
camp or if this were impossible to Varmal or some other intermediate point
which would reduce difficulties of communication. To every argument advanced
the Shah was unyielding and on the 14th May 1904 the Government of India
informed the Minister of their intention not to press the matter further then,
but expressed a hope that at no distant date an opportunity would offer to bring
the matter to the Shah’s notice and induce him to agree to the connection.
32. This point as well as the demand for concessions identical with those
granted to the Russians was again urged by the Government of India on the
17th March 1905 when information was received that permission had been
granted to the Russian telegraphist at Kuchan to transmit and receive public
messages and that similar permission had been granted to the employe at Turbat
who they said had hitherto done only Captain Yass’s quarantine work. The
Persian Government denied that messages were received for the public by Russian
signallers who they said had only been permitted to send messages in Russian
for the Quarantine Cordon. Sir A. Hardinge suggested to the Government of
India that men from the construction party at Robat should he sent to offices on