'Volume I. MEMORANDA REGARDING PERSIA AND NORTH-WEST TRANS-FRONTIER. 1905.' [‎98r] (200/310)

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immediately. It contains many changes,
including an increase of the vise fee on pass
ports payable by foreign subjects. As Captain
Macpherson had no information on the subject,
he has asked Mons. Molitor to defer taking
action pending a reference to Sir A. Hardinge,
who has already made strong representations to
the Minister of Customs.
Sir A. Hardinge reports that the
Yamin-i-Nizam has represented to the Persian
Government the desirability of changing the
present Governor of Seistan, but that the return
of the Hashmat-ul-Mulk would be dangerous,
and that he (the Yamin) wishes to resign. The
Persian Government have declined to accept
the Yamin’s resignation, as affairs in Seistan
are not settled, and Colonel McMahon’s water
award has yet to be confirmed by the Shah.
AFGHANISTAN.
Herat .—Two Russian sowars and an
Uzbek, who were proceeding in the direction
of Herat and the Band-i-Ardawan, were met
by some Afghan frontier sowars; and, on being
asked why they had entered Afghan temtory,
said that they had lost their way while in
pursuit of some thieves who had stolen their
sheep. They were turned back.
There appears to be a considerable trade
in north-western Afghanistan in Martini-
Henry rifles and ammunition which are
obtained from Maskat. Most of these rifles
are disposed of in the Herat district, but some
find their way over the border into Russian
territory.
More attention than heretofore is being
paid to the drilling of the troops at Herat,
and to their equipment, consequent on orders
received from the Amir.
Under orders from His Highness one
hundred sow r ars and one hundred infantry have
been placed under the immediate orders of the
Governor for the collection of revenue and
other civil duties; His Highness has ordered
the military officials not to concern themselves
with these duties in future.
Kandahar—T \\q Governor of Kandahar
has ordered the strength of the khassadars on
the British border to be increased.
The Amir has sent a firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). to the
Governor to the effect that, as Naib Salar Slier
Muhammad Khan is in command of the
Kandahar forces, the Governor should not
interfere with him. The military titles con
ferred on the Governor (see last Journal) have,
apparently, not had the effect of removing the
friction between the two officials.
The fT uard on the door of the British
news- writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. at Kandahar, which used to bo
stationed in front of his house, has now