Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [107v] (221/1814)
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.
82
PEESIA
caused, I believe, some offence; but bow true they were an
only a few months afterwards in an explosion of scandal w 6
doing, and intrigue, wbicb shook the society of Transcaspia t~
its foundations, and was not terminated until there had bee
Adminis- com P lete and radica l reconstruction in the personnel of the
trative Government. Into the story itself, which is an unattrac
tive one, I will not enter. The upshot of the entire
matter was that General Kuropatkin is now Governor-General of
Transcaspia in the place of General Komaroff, and that Colonel
Alikhanoff has been removed from his important and responsible
post at Merv, and has been placed at the disposal of the military
authorities of the Caucasus. Simultaneously M. Tcharikoff the
accomplished representative of Russia at the Court of Bokhara
has been succeeded by my friend M, Lessar, of Afghan Boundary
fame, and till recently Russian Consul-General in Liverpool
Further to the east, General Rosenbach no longer rules as Governor-
General at Tashkent, but has been replaced by General Vrevsky
formerly head of the police at Odessa. General Annenkoff did not
escape in the universal wave of slander and denunciation, but
appears so far to have triumphed over his accusers. 1
These changes, the effect of which cannot fail to be consider
able, have been synchronous with the long-contemplated recon-
Indepen- struction of the Transcaspian Government. An official
Trani 0f decree was promulgated in St. Petersburg on March 29,
caspia 1890, organising a separate administration for the
Government of Transcaspia. Henceforward the latter post is,
except in certain particulars, relieved from dependence upon the
Government of the Caucasus, and enjoys a limited independence,
analogous to that which prevails in Turkestan, including the privi
lege of direct correspondence with the Foreign Office at St.
Peteisburg. This is a change that has long been discussed, if not
anticipated, and that is thoroughly justified by the increasing
political weight and individuality of Transcaspia. Simultaneously
the four Khans of Merv, whom I described in my previous book,
have been deprived of administrative functions over their fellow-
tribesmen, while retaining their pensions of 1201 . a year for life.
Their place has been taken by Russian officers. Ko more striking
1 In March 1891 it was announced that General Annenkoff wonld not again
letmn to Transcaspia as Director of the Railway, which was transferred to the
control of General Kuropatkin.
iia be
^ C0 A s .ar
cuswy
i little 1110 i
A) 1 , yW l-
tm
j r ans» s P' a
Govern®''
|ta l i- uraS! lie
who i« s
reviewing
*f ofSk °Lg
ii.
tleageof eigM ee,1 ’ a
sie »eandsubsM(nen
fct from A 6
,litre le joined the
mote his first work
Central Asia, and w<
Khokand, in which hi
George. In 1876 he
treaty with 1 akub
British Mission of Fo
work. In the Russi
SkoMeff.and at its c
oftlie General Staff;
ffork on the recent 1
Mia, in command ol
blowing year execui
^oss the Turkoman
in time to l
tythenheins^
«fasbtt ? 01] all ^
a iid now i
-p , 111 a conn
Russian
general. '
‘wgotten
open
»hich 1,, j
1 have
*cll ls
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
Use and share this item
- Share this item
Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [107v] (221/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213843.0x00001c> [accessed 5 June 2026]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100157213843.0x00001c
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100157213843.0x00001c">Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎107v] (221/1814)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100157213843.0x00001c"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x00033b/Mss Eur F111_33_0232.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x00033b/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- 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
![Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎107v] (221/1814) Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎107v] (221/1814)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x00033b/Mss Eur F111_33_0232.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg)