'Volume I. MEMORANDA REGARDING PERSIA AND NORTH-WEST TRANS-FRONTIER. 1905.' [‎138v] (281/310)

2
Samarkand .—1 regiment Cossacks; and 8
battalions of infantry.
K1IORASAN.
Meshed .—With reference to the question
of telephone concessions in Khorasan (see
Journal for August), Major Sykes reports
that Mirza Ahmed Khan, Manshur-ul-Mulk,
the Persian Karguzar at Askabad, has received
a contract to construct telephones in Khorasan;
but that, though Ahmed Khan has approached
one Murtaza, a Musafi Saiyid, on the subject,
nothing has been settled yet.
Major Sykes has furnished the Governor-
General of Khorasan and the Karguzar with a
Persian translation of the telegraphic summary
of the new Anglo-Japanese Treaty ; he reports
that they were much impressed by it.
Sir A. Hardinge, when recently at Meshed
(see last Journal), suggested that, as the British
Consul at Resht who is also Manager of the
Imperial Bank of Persia, has not the leisure to
visit Astrabad, a remote but important town in
the Resht Consular district, an officer of the
British Consular Staff at Meshed or Turbat-i-
Haidari should pay an annual visit of inspection
to the place. The Government of India have
informed His Majesty’s Government that there
seems to be a good primd facie case in favour
of the proposal, but they have suggested that,
before steps are taken to give effect to it’
Sir A. Hardinge’s opinion should be obtained’
whether the proposal, if adopted, would be
likely to cause offence to the Russian authorities
and provoke retaliatory action on their part.
Early in November, the Persian Govern
ment, replying to Mr. Grant Duff in the matter
of the importation of arms for the British
Consulates at Meshed and Seistan (see last
Journal), informed him that they were nego
tiating with the Russians for the removal ^of
the arms which the latter have imported ; that
to sanction the request of the British Govern
ment would defeat the object of these nego
tiations ; and that they hoped that the matter
would not be pressed. Mr. Grant Duff considers
it improbable that the Russians will consent
to remove the arms, or that the Persian
Government will sanction the importation of
the arms for the British Consulates.
The state of feeling in Meshed has
improved since the failure of the Russian
attempt to obtain compensation from the local
Persian officials for damage done during the
Moharram riots, and the "departure of Mons.
de Samoy, who was specially sent to Meshed from
the Russian Legation at Tehran for the purpose.
The Russian claims fell through, as the Gov
ernor-General was able to prove that Russian
Muhammadans were chiefly concerned in the