'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.' [‎28v] (61/386)

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Governor, however, encouraged possibly by the presence of H. M. S. romone
which had been se^t to shadow the “ Gilyak ”, refused to permit the opera-
o The coal was accordingly transferred to native boats and was. afterwards
deposited in a Persian Government building where it has since remained Sub-
aequently to this incident visits were paid to Bunder Abbas by various Russian
officials, but direct action was not again attempted. There rs reason to think
that after 1900 the eve of Russia was fixed not on Bunder Abbas but on
ri,al,lnr a nort of Persian Mekran, which was the principal objective of a
Russian^railway survey of Southern Persia carried out in 1900. Though Koweit,
Bunder Abbas' and Chahbar were each m succession the pivot of Russian
policy in the Gulf, some interest was also shown by Russian officials and
travellers in Persian Arabistan, Oman, Bahrein and even Cen.ral Arabia;
but it does not appear that the designs of Russia in those countries were
serious, unless possibly in Arabistan where it is believed that strong olforts
were made by the Russians in 1900-02 to obtain control oi the Mohammerah
customs.
Clearer evidence of the general intentions of Russia was afforded by the
Russian railway survey of 1900 to which
Russian railway survey. reference has just "been made. This
survey was carried out hy a mission which assembled at lehian anti in the
course of threo months reconnoitred four dillerent routes Irona Isfahan to the
sea, terminating respectively at Mohammerah, Bush ire, Bundoi Abbas and
Chahbar. The leader of the Chahbar party was Captain Rittich of the
Russian General Staft, a well known authority in Russia on the subject of xail-
ways in Persia j and the result of the labours of the mission . was
the development of a scheme, admirably conceived in its political
and strategical hearings, for the construction of a Russian railway from
Resht by Tehran and Isfahan to Kerman and Bampur and thence to Chahbar
bay.
The indirect means used hy Russia to improve her position in the Gulf
indirect establishment of Russian in- next claim attention; they consisted prin-
fluence. cipally m naval demonstrations, in an
increase of the Prussian consular staff, and in the subsidising of Russian com
merce.
The first Russian ship of war sent to the Gulf in pursuance of political
aims was the “ Gilyak ”, whose proeeed-
Visitsof Russian war-vessels. lugs at Bunder Abbas have already been
noted. The “ Gilyak ” continued her cruise to Bushire and thence to Basrah,
where her arrival was made the occasion of a great official display by the
Russian consular authorities; from Basrah she returned down the Gulf, calling
at Koweit and Bushire. The second demonstration was made in 1901 hy the
Russian cruiser “ Varyag ” which visited Maskat and Bushire and returned
southwards hy Lingah and Bunder Abbas. The Russian flag was shown in tho
Gulf for the third time hy the cruiser “ Askold ” whose formidable aspect made a
serious impression at the ports where she called, including Maskat, Koweit,
Lingah and Bunder Abbas. A fourth tour was made by tho Russian cruiser
“ Boyarin ” in company with the Trench war vessel “ Infernet ” ; these ships
visited Maskat, Bushire, Koweit and Lingah together, and tiie cruise was evi
dently intended as an illustration of united action. Excessive pomp and
ceremony characterised the proceedings of all these vessels while in Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
waters.
In 1897 a Russian Consulate'General had bem established at Isfahan for
. , purely political purposes not unconnected
Russian consular establishments. tdth the affairs of the Gulf, ami in the
same year a specially selected officer was appointed to the Russian Consulate-
General at Baghdad from similar motives. These arrangements w r ere supple
mented by the creation in 1899 of a Russian Consulate at Basrah, in 1901 of a
Russian Consulate-General at Bushire which was provided with a guard of
Russian Cossacks, and in 1902 of a Russian Consular Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Arahistan. In
1897 two Russian doctors had been sent “ to study plague” at Bushire, and
since then one or more medical representatives of "Russia have resided continu
ously at that place.