File 3047/1909 'Railways: Asiatic Turkey; railway construction in Asia Minor' [9r] (22/368)
The record is made up of 1 volume (182 folios). It was created in 1908-1911. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
[This Document is the Property
of His Britannic Majesty^ Government]
^ ASIATIC TURKEY AND ARABIA.
oUL igi
I
[June 20.]
CONFIDENTIAL.
Section 2.
[24643]
No. 1.
Mr. Marling to Sir Edward Grey—(Rec^ved June 20.)
gj ' 1 . 0 ^ ' ^ June 20, 1911
WITH reference to your despatch No. 149 of the 30th ultimo, enclosing certain
papers relative to a proposed concession for railways in Asia Minor, I have the honour
t 0 observe that the scheme referred to in these documents is, as yon are aware, the one
which was originally submitted to the Turkish Government in 1909 by a certain
Dr. Glasgow. „ ^ , i t
Tins sell 6 ni 6 at first ni 6 t witli soiii 6 favour in Cioi 6 iiiiii 6 iit and parliamentai j
circles, but the negotiations were suspended and eventually ceased when Mr. Chester
came forward with his proposal to construct the same network of lailrvajs on conditions
which appeared more favourable to the Government than those offered by Dr. Glasgow.
Mr. Chester’s project has been before the Government for nearly two years, and
negotiations had advanced so far that, as I had the honour to inform you in my
despatch No. 383 of the 2nd instant, the Government was m a position to lay all the
papers as well as the convention drawn up and agreed to b} the Public M orks
Department and Mr. Chester, before Parliament in the eail} pait of last month.
Owing, however, to the approach of the closure of the session, the House vas unable
to devote any time to the examination of the project and the inattei has consequent!}
been placed on the agenda for early discussion when Parliament meets foi the m xt
autumn and winter session. It is understood that the long negotiations betv een
Mr. Chester and the Public Works Department resulted in changing some of the
proposals first made by Mr. Chester, and that the convention as finally diawn up and
presented to Parliament, embodies a considerable number of modifications favourable
to the Government. A copy of this draft convention has so far not been procurable,
and it is therefore impossible to compare the proposals, as they now stand, with those of
the Glasgow' scheme contained in the papers communicated by Lord Denbigh.
The Government is now' so far committed to the Chester project that I think there
is little chance of other proposals being considered, unless they offered conditions clearly
more advantageous than those which now stand in Mr. Chesters name. The region of
country through which the proposed railway is to pass is mostly mountainous, and the
cost of construction would consequently be high; the railway w ill enjoy no guarantee,
and the return on expended capital will have to be derived solely from traffic receipts
and such problematical profits* as can be made out of the working 0 f mines which
the concessionnaire may chance to find within a certain zone on either side of the
line. Whilst unable to form an opinion as to the real merits of such a concession, I am
inclined to believe that although the construction of such a network of railways will be
beneficial to the country, the conditions offered for carrying out such an undertaking
are altogether of too speculative a character to engage the attention of serious
capitalists.
Lord Denbigh and his friends will, however, have to satisfy themselves as to
the soundness of the scheme now before the Government and in the event of a
favourable view being taken they will have the option of either joining hands with
Chester or submitting proposals more favourable than those to which the Government
seems at present committed.
I have, &c.
CHARLES M. MARLING.
[2082 cc— 2 ]
About this item
- Content
The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, and notes relating to the construction of railways in Asiatic Turkey, 1908-1911, as well as oil concessions in Mesopotamia.
Correspondence outlines the proposal to develop a railway from Tripoli via Homs and Deir and along the Euphrates to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , to compete with the Baghdad Railway. The company was designated 'The Anglo-Syrian Tripoli - Homs Railway and Tripoli Harbour Improvement Company'.
Correspondence also discusses the different consortia bidding for oil concessions in Mesopotamia and the relative significance of French, Russian and German involvement. Included in the volume is a letter (folios 49 - 153) from William Knox D'Arcy giving a 'List of Turkish concessions connected with oil now being sought'.
The principal correspondents in the volume include the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Edward Grey) and the Ambassador to Constantinople (Sir Gerard Lowther).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (182 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume. The subject 3047 (Railways: Asiatic Turkey) consists of 1 volume,
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 178; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
- Written in
- English and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
File 3047/1909 'Railways: Asiatic Turkey; railway construction in Asia Minor' [9r] (22/368), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/166, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100030544745.0x000017> [accessed 30 October 2024]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100030544745.0x000017
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100030544745.0x000017">File 3047/1909 'Railways: Asiatic Turkey; railway construction in Asia Minor' [‎9r] (22/368)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100030544745.0x000017"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x00003b/IOR_L_PS_10_166_0022.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x00003b/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/166
- Title
- File 3047/1909 'Railways: Asiatic Turkey; railway construction in Asia Minor'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:67v, 69r:138v, 140r:148v, 154r:157v, 159r:170v, 175r:181v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence