'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.' [‎110v] (225/386)

written undertaking as above. While negotiations were proeeedingalocal agita
tion led by the Russian Consul commenced against the retention of the buildings
which was attributed to sinister motives; and without any intimation they were
burnt down under orders of the Yamini-i Nizam who was apparently animated
by a desire to clear himself of the Anglophile tendency ascribed to him. His
Majesty’s Government immediately intimated that they would expect suitable,
reparation. Lord Curzon was of opinion that the action of the Persian Govern
ment was so insulting that some form of local reparation was indispensable;
and he suggested to the Secretory of State that it should take the form of the
linking up of the Robot-Nasratabad telegraph line which had often been pressed,
since the mere acceptance by Persia of the Seistan water award would not be an
act of r* paratiou. On the 12th November Mr. Grant Duff reported that the
Persian Government had given a written undertaking to erect the buildings if
required and on the 18th hinted that he would press for the telegraph line
extension in connection also with the recent acts of incivility shown to the
Legation and to British Consular officers. He was instructed hy His Majesty’s
Government on the 29th November to accept an apology and also to ask for
re-erection of the buildings, but not to press the latter demand if the Persian
Govemment were conciliatory in other respects, e.g., in the matter of the exten
sion of the telegraph line to Nasratabad which should be treated as a set off to the
Kuchan Askabad line, and not as compensation for the incident at Kohak. He
was also to point out that the refusal of the Robat extension, coupled with other
acts of the Yamin, were calculated to produce the worst possible impression on
H is Majesty’s Government which would be best effaced by a spontaneous offer
on the part of the Persian Government to construct the line.
71. It has been mentioned that the McMahon Mission arrived in Seistan
Protsction of British interests in none too soon to uphold British interests
seistan. a region where Russia bad specially
applied herself to defeat them and that it was undesirable that the withdrawal
of the Mission should imply any lessening of British interests in that direction.
For this purpose the Government of India in sanctioning on the 13th June
1905 an increase in the strength of the Chageh levies from 17G to 270 ordered
that 42 sowars should be located at Robat for the protection of the border as a
support to the British Consul in Seistan, in addition to the existing dak System of postal communication used in Moghul India and later by the East India Company. levies
which were first instituted in March 1897 to maintain a weekly postal service
between Quetta and Koh-i Malik Siah. The service was extended in conse
quence of tbe appointment of a British Consular officer in Seistan and a post ran
twice a week via Robat and Nasratabad between Quetta and Birjand w r here
there was a Persian Post Office. At Birjand this mail connected with the
Persian post for Meshed.
72. Expanding trade required additional postal facilities It was consider-
Institution of a Postal Service. cd that . th f. °P«“ng of through postal
communication between Quetta, Seistan
and Meshed by linking up the small break (z77 miles) between Meshed and
Birjand would facilitate trade and enable us to oome to an arrangement with
the Persian Government for a mutual exchange of post bags at the frontier
post of Koh-i-Malik Siah. 73
73. On 12 th February 1901 tbe Government of India wrote to the Minister
Postal and Telegraphic connection at Tehran, suggesting that our postal
with Seistan. service from Quetta to Bobat should be
linked up with tbe Persian postal system, and, on 26th April 1901, Sir A.
Hardinge informed the Foreign Office that he bad mentioned the matter to the
Persian Government, who had called for a report from the Governor-General
of Khorasan. On 16th September he reported that the Persian Director General
was arranging for a regular postal service from Birjand to Seistan, and that
this service would eventually be continued to our frontier when correspondence
would be exchanged with India by arrangement with tbe Indian Government,
with which the Persian Government were already in communication. No com
munication, however, was received from the Persian authorities in order to clear
up, by mutual arrangement, the many details which had to be settled before the
existing system could be altered and a proper postal exchange could take place*.
In spite of the omission of these preliminaries, which courtesy demanded o£