'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎11v] (27/610)

10
Qonflict of
British oersHg
Russian ia- ,
finance after
1890.
contrast to the treaties of Gulistan and Turkomanchai imposed
by Russia on Persia in 1813 and 1828 respectively, when Russia
annexed large shoes of Persian territory, and are proof of the
British policy to promote the independence and integrity of
Persia.
These three successive campaigns against Herat in 1837,
1853 and 1856 were the outward and visible results of Russian
intrigue and influence at the Shah’s Court. As yet, however,
Russia was still occupied with expanding and consolidating her
influence up to the frontier of Persia, and 1890 marks the
beginning of the active Russian commercial and political
penetratfon within Northern Persia, extending further into the
country and entering into acute and provocative rivalry 1 with
Great Britain. The accession of the weak Muzaffar-ud-Din Shah
in 1896 and the resulting weakening of the Government and
disintegration of the country facilitated the progress of this
Russian policy, and by 1905 Russian influence had become
predominant in Tehran and throughout Northern Persia, and
every effort was being made to extend it southwards to the
Persian 2 Gulf and to SIstan. 3
The first serious shock to the moral prestige of Great Britain
had been the tobacco 4 regie episode of 1890, which aroused
1 Allusions to this rivalry are also made in Chapter VII, para, (a) ‘ trade
generally, pages 257-260, and para. 4 below. The Belgians in the Customs
administration, who realized their dependence on the goodwill of Russia, were •
also in many cases regarded as Russian agents to hinder British trade:
a e u. In 1902 Russia proposed to construct an oil pipe line from Baku to
the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . In 1905 she declared that lighthouses and buoys were neces
sary in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and offered to survey the coast and undertake the work,
although Russian shipping and trade in those regions were practically nil. In
the same year she established consuls at Lingah and Bandar Abbas and a Russian
trade mission visited Southern Persia. .
A long dispute also was waged about the phrase all the Customs of Persia
except those of Fdrs and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ” which were assigned as security for
the Russian loans. Great Britain interpreted the exception in a broad sense as
equivalent to the “ Customs of Southern Persia In case of default the Customs,
houses might be seized and placed under Russian yontrol, so the_ question was of
considerable importance, and it became the subject of much discussion with the
Persian Government, who eventually accepted the British interpretation as a
condition of the 1904 loan of £100,000 by the Imperial Bank. See also p. 16,
note *.
3 In Sistan owing to its proximity to India she displayed particular interest.
She viewed with disfavour the opening of the Quetta-Nushki-Sistan trade route,
and by the operations of a cholera cordon, which she instituted, she succeeded ir
practically nullifying its value. Control of a Meshed-Sistan telegraph line was
one of her coveted schemes. As a condition of the 1902 loan to Persia she had
first demanded that a Russian line should be constructed as a counterconcession
to the Telegraph convention of 1901 for the construction by the British Govern
ment of the Central Persia line (see page 457). This demand was modified and
the line was to be constructed by the Persian Government, but a verbal promise
was obtained that Russian signallers should be employed. In 1905 these signal
lers were introduced and in 1906 Russia seized the Sistan end of the line.
See para. 3 below, pages 15-16.