'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.' [‎111r] (226/386)

any civilised Government, it was suddenly announced in July 1902 that the
Belgian Director of Customs, w T ho, since February 1902, had become Chief of
the Persian Post Offices, had been instructed to arrange for the extension of the
postal service from Birjand to Seistan and on to the frontier, that he had taken
over the postal service which had been organised by the Bussian Consul between
Birjand and Seistan, and that he intended to employ the same men between
Seistan and our border. The new service was to begin from 1st September,
from which date the international postage rates were to come into force for
letters between India and Persia. The Government of India objected to a matter
necessitating friendly interchange of opinion being rushed through in the
manner proposed and in a spirit unfavourable to our interests, and on a protest
being lodged by the British Minister in Tehran, the Persian Government agreed
to the use of a closed official Consular bag to Nasratabad and Meshed, and to
the employment of Major Bonn’s sowars on the section between Seistan and
Koh-i-Malik Siah. The arrangement of the further local details, however,
occasioned much friction between Major Benn and the Belgian Customs Officer,
owing to the marked discourtesy of the latter.
74. At length on 1st February 1903, the Persian Postal system was linked
up with an Indian Post Office at Diwanchah—afterwards changed to Koh-i-
Malik Slab Ziarat at the insistance of the Persian authorities who appeared to
think that in calling the mail exchange station Diwanchah wffiich is the actual
name of the place, the Government of India harboured some sinister designs.
The Persian Government continued to run only a weekly service to Seistan and
the British Consul still made his own arrangements for a bi-weekly letter post
to Nasr itabad and for the parcel post. In March 1901, the Consul represented
that the Mission sowars came daily to Chah Muhnmmed Raza (within 35 miles
of Na^ratabad), where the road to the Mission Camp diverged, and asked, in the
interests of increasing trade and political considerations, for the entertainment
of extra dak System of postal communication used in Moghul India and later by the East India Company. sowars to carry the Consulate post from Chah Muhanamed Baza to
Kasratabad. The extra expenditure seemed unnecessary so long as the Mission
sowars could be utilised, and it was suggested to the Comul by the Government
of India that arrangements for a daby post might be made vid the Mission
Camp. This was accordingly effected in April 1901, and these arrangements
continued until the departure of the Mission in May 1905, when sanction was
given to the entertainment of additional sowars for the maintenance of a postal
service three times a week from Robat to Nasratabad. The postal authorities
at the same time arranged for a tri-weekly letter, and a weekly parcel, service
between Quetta and Bobat.
75. In addition to his duties as arbitrator in the Seistan dispute, Colonel
McMahon was also entrusted with the
Mwjawa boundary dcinm a ion. delimitation of the Perso-Baluch boundary
from the neighbourhood of Padaha (Mirjawa) to Koh-i-Malik Siah. The
circumstances which led to the necessity for taking action on this part of
the frontier were briefly as follows :—
“When settling the boundary in 1896, as the result of an Anglo-Persian
agreement in 1895 (Durand Agreement) regarding the alignment which was
to he followed by the Perso-Baluch frontier from Kuhak to Koh-i-Malik
Siah, Colonel (afterwards Sir Thomas) Holdich based his information as to the
northern portion of the boundary on a map which subsequent surveys showed
in no way correctly represented the country under consideration. The error
was due to the delimitation not having proceeded beyond Jalk. While at Jalk,
the British Commissioner decided against proceeding any further north, and
after consulting the Persian Commissioner and notifying the Baluch-Afghan
Boundary Commissioner that he had decided to lay down the frontier on the
old map*he despatched a native surveyor to Koh i-Malik Siah with instructions
to pass through by double marches, to erect boundary pillars as he went, to
determine the position of Koh-i-Malik Siah, and to rejoin him as early as possible
at Jalk. Provided with a sketch map in which the position of the various
pillars to he erected had been indicated, the surveyor carried out his instructions
as far as he was able, making such additions and corrections to the map as were
possible in the limited time at his disposal, and returued to Jalk where he.