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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [93r] (192/1814)
The record is made up of 2 volumes with inserts (898 folios). It was created in 1892-1924. It was written in English, Urdu and German. 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
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
*
WAYS AND MEANS 53
clearly beforehand what to take and what to leave behind, what to expect
and what to avoid.
It is useless to take out the usual European paraphernalia of port
manteaux, hatboxes, and trunks. They will merely have to be discarded
the wav, or left behind to follow at snail s pace aftei the
Chapar- u •/’ . . i i
riding. owner—and be knocked to pieces in the process by mule or
Baggage camel caravan. The first rule to be observed is that every
piece of baggage must be of such a size as can easily be suspended or
strapped to one side of a galloping horse ; the second, that, as fai as
possible, the several pieces must correspond in size and weight. The
slightest inequality makes it very hard upon the horse, and necessitates
constant stoppages to readjust the load. I took out to Persia two
medium-sized Gladstone bags (measuring 22 inches in length by 14
inches in depth), and the agreement of other travellers with my own
experience leads me to recommend them as by far the best. Wlren
you arrive in Persia you can buy in the bazaar of any Peisian town, or
get manufactured in a day, a pair of large native saddle-bags oi khuvjins.
They are made of carpet and leather. Put your Gladstone bags, one
into each side, and throw the whole over the back of your postboy s
horse. The two sides will balance, and no trouble will ensue. As the
postboy does not use a saddle, but merely sits straddlewise upon the
top of whatever baggage may be strapped upon his animal, he can be
further made to carry bundles of rugs, coats, and bedding to almost
any extent. Your Persian servant, who must be engaged beforehand,
and without whom it would be foolish to travel, can carry upon his
horse a second pair of saddle-bags, in which can be stored any smallei
bags or articles, the cooking apparatus, and his own kit. Finally, in
the holsters and saddle-bags of your own mount you will carry the im
mediate necessaries of the journey—flask, money, pistol, requisites of
the toilette, books, &c. In addition to my Gladstone bags, I took two
stout brown canvas bags, which I found most useful. They would hold
a great deal when filled; and yet, if not wanted, could be rolled up into
a very narrow compass. It will be obvious that the lighter a horse s
load the more quickly will the stage be accomplished.
As regards saddlery, the Persian saddle, which is small and high-
peaked, is so unlike anything that an Englishman has ever been
accustomed to ride upon that he will only suffer from making
Saddlery ^ ex periment. He must take out a roomy English military
saddle, with holsters and saddle-bags, and plenty of rings or staples
fitted for straps, of which he will find that a good surplus supply will
be invaluable. In one of my holsters I carried a flask that held over a
quart bottle of spirits, and whose contents were ample for the require
ments of a journey of many hundred miles. The traveller is sometimes
so exhausted that he would be tempting Providence if he had not some
About this item
- Content
These two volumes are George Curzon's own personal annotated copies of both volumes of his book Persia and the Persian Question , which was published in 1892. Alongside the volumes are various loose papers relating to Persia [Iran], consisting of the following: received correspondence; newspaper cuttings; publishers' press releases; cuttings from various booksellers' catalogues; various journal and magazine articles; two items of printed official British correspondence; several prints of photographs and sketches; and a few handwritten notes by Curzon.
In most cases these papers, which range in date from 1892 to 1924, relate to the chapters in the book where they were originally inserted, suggesting that they were kept by Curzon with the intention of using them to inform a revised edition of the book.
Of particular note among the small amount of correspondence are two letters received by Curzon in 1914 and 1915 from retired schoolmaster and Islamic scholar Sayyid Mazhar Hasan Musawi of Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India (ff 5-9 and ff 44-53). These letters, which are written in Urdu and are accompanied by English translations, discuss in detail several inaccuracies found in the Urdu version of Persia and the Persian Question .
The various prints of photographs and sketches, which were originally inserted into volume two, are of different locations in the Gulf region. Several of these appear to have been produced in preparation for the publication of the second volume of John Gordon Lorimer's Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Oman and Central Arabia (i.e. the 'Geographical and Statistical' section) in 1908, as they are identical to the versions found in that volume.
Also of note among the loose papers are an illustrated article from Country Life dated 5 June 1920, entitled 'The People of Persia' (ff 36-37), and a printed family tree of the Shah of Persia [Aḥmad Shah Qājār], produced in preparation of his visit to Britain in 1919 (f 233).
Volume one of Persia and the Persian Question contains a map of Persia, Afghanistan and Beluchistan [Balochistan], which is folded inside the front cover (f 1).
The German language material consists of a publisher's press release for two books authored by German archaeologist Ernst Emil Herzfeld (ff 29-30).
- Extent and format
- 2 volumes with inserts (898 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: this shelfmark consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the first folio of volume one (1-463), and terminates at the last folio of volume two (ff 464-898); 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. Each volume contains a large number of loose leaves, which have been foliated in the order that they were inserted into the volume; for conservation reasons, these loose folios have been removed from the volume and stored separately. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers of the two volumes.
Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English, Urdu and German in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [93r] (192/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213842.0x0000c7> [accessed 4 June 2026]
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- Reference
- Mss Eur F111/33
- Title
- Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Questionby George Curzon, with Inserted Papers
- Pages
- 54r:135v, 147r:149v, 158r:180v, 183r:221v, 224r:224v, 227r:246v, 248r:257v, 259r:260v, 268r:362v, 364r:364v, 367r:388v, 390r:400v, 402r:416v, 419r:432v, 434r:444v, 448r:462v, 464r:471v, 475r:481v, 483r:513v, 516r:525v, 527r:544v, 546r:563v, 566r:598v, 600r:622v, 624r:656v, 658r:665v, 667r:675v, 678r:684v, 687r:688v, 691r:691v, 693r:693v, 695r:708v, 711r:721v, 724r:726v, 728r:729v, 731r:736v, 742r:742v, 746r:757v, 759r:761v, 763r:763v, 765r:765v, 772r:777v, 780r:789v, 793r:794v, 797r:809v, 811r:821v, 825r:840v, 843r:898v
- Author
- Curzon, George Nathaniel, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
- Usage terms
- Public Domain