File 252/1910 Pt 2 Persian Gulf: lighting and buoying; buoyage of Shatt al-Arab [‎225r] (456/660)

Telegram. /to 75- /y- 9u .^jl Hu a.!'™ S-eL
From - The Secretary to the Government of India, Marine Department,
To—The Director, Royal Indian Marine.
Please refer^ to your telegram No. 50 of 30th January, No. 60 of 2nd
February, and No. 81 of 11th February, and report at once exact position of
affairs, stating whether missing buoys have been replaced, and gas buoy taken
over.
Telegram P., dated the 22nd (received 23rd) February 1911.
From—The Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department.
Following addressed to India; sent to Foreign Office, Ambassador,
Constantinople ; Consul, Basrah, by post; Admiral; and Senior Naval Officer
Begins, Fao, February 22nd, 7 p.m. In reply to my letter of this morning,
a note in Turkish was brought this evening by Second in Command of
Mar marls from the Captain, which former said was to effect that the
Captain had received my letter with the utmost deference, but that his orders to
lay buoys at once were categorical and left him no discretion to delay action.
I verbally repeated my arguments of this morning, that missing buoys were
property of British Government, and that the bar was being re-surveyed and
buoys re-laid by them, but as there is no British man-of-war within reach to
prevent it, the buoys will doubtless he laid, and it would appear that they must
then in any case remain until we have ours on the spot to replace them. The
superstructures of the buoys carry device of Turkey painted on metal. Our ,
survey will probably show buoys to have been wrongly laid, and we shall thus
be provided with an excuse for removing them; hut matter has now gone so
far, that it does not appear that it can be satisfactorily solved by local action.
Remains to Government of India, Foreign Office (sic), only it is unnecessary
for me to indicate far-reaching consequences which may ensue if we now
relinquish prescriptive British right to maintain aids to navigation on the bar.
The usual position of the inner bar is in territorial waters, probably Persian,
hut this can only be shown conclusively by accurate survey. The rest of the
buoys are all outside territorial limits, and it would have most inconvenient .
hearing in other portions of Gulf, where shoal waters abound, if we admit any
Turkish right of supervision.
Telegram P., dated (Fao) and received the 22nd February 1911.
From —The Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
To The Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department, Calcutta.
In accordance with your authority conveyed in your telegram S.-72, dated
1 st February, I sounded Green way, Director of the Oil Company, as to their
providing accommodation within limits of their concession for the storage of
buoys. Provisionally, the Company will be happy to provide such accommoda
tion and to supply any skilled labour ashore that may be needed.
Telegram P., dated (Fao) and received the 23rd February 1911.
From—The Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department.
Your telegram S.-121, dated 22nd instant, saying that Lawrence must
replace Balinurus. On same date Naval Commander-in-Chief telegraphed
to Marine, Calcutta, that Balinurus will leave Karachi for the Gulf on
February 25th, which is correct ? I beg Lawrence may not be taken if the
Balinurus is available.