Skip to item: of 1,814
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎422v] (847/1814)

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.

Apply page layout

PERSIA
596
ment that was sent against the Yomut Turkomans near Astrabad
in 1889, is said to have borne its due share in the general
ignominy. The men supply their own horses, but receive an extra
allowance of 100 Itrans per annum for ‘ wear and tear’ of animal.
Barracks 1 and stabling are provided at the Government cost. The
privates of the Muhajer regiment receive pay and rations to the
annual value of 655 Irans (18L 14s.); those of the Bumi regiment
to that of 535 h-ans (15k 6s.). The subalterns, non-commissioned
officers, and privates receive also per annum one uniform of
European cloth, one uniform of Persian woollen stuff, two uniforms
of thin cotton, and one pair of boots, amounting in all to an
annual value of 100 krans. Their arms and accoutrements, viz.,
Berdan rifle, sword, saddle, and bridle, are also furnished by the
State. One of the chief causes of the superior efficiency of these
troops is that the men are paid, from the Persian Treasury it is
true, but through the hands of the Russian officers. The latter,
however, do not control the promotion, which is a corresponding
source of weakness. I append the foregoing table of the two
regiments. To sum up, the annual cost of the two regiments, if
kept at their full complement, would be as follows :
Krans
Krans
Instructors
. r • •
.
. 80,000
Interpreter
.

8,660
Regiment I.
Pay
223,940
Rations ....
85,994
Horse allowance
68,495
Medicines....
1,200
Wear and tear of horses .
58,900
Uniforms ....
58,900
497,429
Regiment II.
Pay
154,740
Rations ....
85,994
Horse allowance
68,495
Medicines ....
1,200
Wear and tear of horses .
58,900
Uniforms ....
58,900
428,229
Barracks and stables maintenance .

. 10,000
1,024,318
or £29,266
1 Persian barracks are built on the model of caravanserais, and consist o a
number of empty rooms, without windows, but with an extra allowance of door,
on the four sides of large open courtyards. The soldiers have no beds, but sleep
on the floor or on carpets.

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
Cite this item in your research

Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎422v] (847/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213846.0x000036> [accessed 4 April 2025]

Link to this item
Embed this item

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_100157213846.0x000036">Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [&lrm;422v] (847/1814)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100157213846.0x000036">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x00033b/Mss Eur F111_33_0859.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

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

Use and reuse
Download this image