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'Lord Curzon's Notes on Persia' [577r] (1155/1386)
The record is made up of 1 file (692 folios). It was created in c 1880-1891. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
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SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICA
TION BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND INDIA. 1
(Read at Meeting of Society, \3th December 1888.)
By General Sir R. Murdoch Smith, K.C.M.G.
To the present generation, the telegraphs to India and the Far East
on the one side, and to America on the other, seem as commonplace as
those which connect the different cities of the United Kingdom. Early
failures are long since forgotten, and we accept the marvellous abridg
ment of space with which we are now familiar as the most natural thing
in the world, as a sort of spontaneous growth or outcome of the spirit of
the nineteenth century. Success, however, preceded as it was by costly
failures, was only achieved by dint of persistent personal efforts, by indi
viduals most of whom have already passed away. I propose on the
present occasion to give a short account of those efforts, and of the
difficulties which had to be overcome in the case of the telegraphic system
between the United Kingdom and India. I confine myself to this parti
cular system for several reasons. Of all the great inter-continental
telegraphs, that which connects us with India is the most important for
the general interests of the Empire. This would be the case even if
India alone were concerned, but its importance is vastly enhanced by the
fact that upon it also depends our communication with the Straits Settle
ments, the Australian Colonies, China, and Japan. Secondly, the telegraph
to India was the first of the great inter-continental telegraphs, in point of
time, to be successfully established. Lastly, through the accident of my
connection with it from its first beginning until quite recently, I happen
to be familiar with its history.
The first idea of connecting England with India by telegraph began
to take shape during the great crisis of the Mutiny thirty-one years ago,
when the necessity for such means of communication had become painfully
1 Reprinted from The Scottish Geographical Magazine for January 1889.
About this item
- Content
This file consists of letters, notes, and printed material on Persia compiled by George Curzon in the course of conducting research prior to the writing of his book: Persia and the Persian Question . The papers' contents and type vary considerably, but consists primarily of handwritten notes, some of which are organised roughly for individual chapters of the book. The rest of the file includes newspaper clippings, official reports, printed maps, and other published material on the history and geography of Persia. The official government reports are primarily government of India balance of trade reports, while published material consisted mainly of academic and non-academic papers on Persian archaeology by members of the Scottish Geographical Magazine and the history of the telegraph published by the Indo-European Telegraph Department.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (692 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 692; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'Lord Curzon's Notes on Persia' [577r] (1155/1386), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F112/611, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100149372611.0x00009c> [accessed 6 April 2025]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F112/611
- Title
- 'Lord Curzon's Notes on Persia'
- Pages
- 576r:583v
- Author
- Smith, Sir Robert Murdoch
- Copyright
- ©Courtesy of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society
- Usage terms
- Creative Commons Non-Commercial Licence