![Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎691v] (1399/1814)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x00033b/Mss Eur F111_33_1415.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎691v] (1399/1814)")
Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [691v] (1399/1814)
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.
!,
340 PERSIA
than a local mart for the needs of the Arab tribes, and for a limited
export of native produce, such as grain, opium, wool, and dates.
Its customs were farmed a few years ago for 1,500L ; but as the
duty was levied on the number of packages or bales, irrespective of
bulk or value, no criterion was thereby afforded of the total volume
of trade. Selby in 1842 laid stress upon the exceptional healthi
ness of the place, which he said was superior in this respect to any
other part of the adjacent country, to which he attributed the
continued immunity from bad fever of himself and ships crew,
and which he explained by the coolness of the snow-fed stream.
This testimonial, if it be applicable to the river, which has been
disputed by other witnesses , 1 can scarcely be transferred to the
town, whose main street is also its cloaca maxima, and which riots
in smells. Nothing, indeed, redeems the place from insignificance
but its palm-groves, which are superb, and its physical situation,
which in any other country and under any other government would
long ago have been turned to enduring profit. In the river off
the town were moored some twenty mehalas, the large native
boat, ranging from five to fifty tons, and having a draught of from
three to six feet, built with raking prow, lofty poop, and a single 3
vast lateen sail, which is the immemorial cargo boat of the
Karun.
Here I embarked on board the c Shushan,’ too late, however,
to proceed till the next morning. The Persian Government
A Persian maintained an agent at Mohammerah, one Mirza Kasim
official Khan, known as the Karguzar, to superintend mercantile
operations, represent the Foreign Office, and watch Messrs. Lynch.
The first of these functions was easily performed, because the
composed of 5,000 men, with twelve guns, four armed steamers, and two sloops of
war. At daybreak on March 26, 1857, the British guns opened fire upon the
Persian batteries, which were silenced in less than an hour. The troopships then
advanced, passed the batteries amid musketry fire, landed under Sir H. Havelock,
drove the Persians out of the batteries (these alone of the enemy showed fight),
and advanced through the palm-groves towards the camp where the main Persian
army was entrenched. The latter fled precipitately, leaving their tents, stores,
ammunition, and sixteen guns. The officers were afterwards publicly disgraced
by order of the Shah, being dragged along the ranks by rings through their noses,
beaten, and cast into prison. The arch-coward, however, Khanlar Mirza, who
ought to have been shot, having made a present of 8 , 000 Z. to the prime minister,
received a sword and robe of honour.
1 W. K. Loftus {Travels in Chaldee a, p. 278), W. F. Ainsworth {Personal
Narrative, vol. ii. p. 175).
4
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 [691v] (1399/1814), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/33, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100157213848.0x0000c8> [accessed 5 April 2025]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100157213848.0x0000c8
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_100157213848.0x0000c8">Annotated Copy of <em>Persia and the Persian Question</em> by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎691v] (1399/1814)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100157213848.0x0000c8"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x00033b/Mss Eur F111_33_1415.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