"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الجزء II. ج. ج. لوريمر. ١٩١٥" [‎٢‎٤‎٥‎٥] (١٢٦٢/٩٧٢)

2455
ib
ser
vices from
Bu>hehr be
fore 1877.
At this period two services between BOshehr and the interior, initia- Inland
ted apparently in 186-i, were maintained by the British authorities; the
first was a weekly or fortnightly line between Bushehr and Shiraz,
passing through the stations of the Indo-European Telegraph Depart
ment ; the second, generally known as the Legation Chapar, was a four-
weekly line between Bushehr and Tehran, running via Shiraz and
Isfahan. From Bushehr to Shiraz (180 miles) the mail bags, partly on
account of the difficulty of the track and partly for the sake of economy,
were carried by Qasids or foot-runners, borne on the establishment of the
Bushehr Residency ; but from Shiraz to Isfahan (300 miles) and from
Isfahan to Tehran (2SO miles) they were conveyed by Ghulams of the
Tehran Legation, who were mounted on horses hired from the Persian
Chapar service. No charge was made for carriage by the Legation
Chapar even of letters totally unpaid ; but after 1870, in consequence of
an agreement between the authorities concerned, prepayment at Indian
inland rates by means of Indian stamps was required in the case of
letters posted in India for places in Persia or in Persia for places in
India; and at the same time unpaid letters arriving in India from
Bushehr or at the Bushehr post office from India were made subject to
the ordinary rules of the Indian Post Office. A small delivery fee,
which had always been recovered at the places in the interior served
through Bushehr, was maintained to cover the cost of carriage in India
and between India and Bushehr, but letters for telegraph stations were
delivered free, and Persian officials who were permitted to use the line
enjoyed the privilege of franking their correspondence. The Legation
Ghulams were not prohibited from carrying letters, otherwise than in
the Legation bag, for other employers; and the Ghulams between
Tehran and ^iraz sometimes earned as much as Bs. 100 by this means
in a single journey. It should be mentioned that there existed, side by
side with the Legation Mail, a Chapar or horse post irregularly worked
by the Persian Government between Shiraz and Tehran; the rarson
d'etre of this line was the carriage of Persian Government despatches,
but specie, parcels and letters were also accepted from private individuals
for transmission. Special fees were charged on this Persian line for
valuables ; but the rates for letters were fixed and ranged from 1 to 2
Qrans.
Ejtabliah-
ment d a.
Persian Post
al Depart
In 1875 it was announced that the Persian Government intended to
establish a postal administration of their own, and that they had improvised
a postage stamp and engaged an Austrian postal official. In July 18/6 ^ ^
this employe, who had meanwhile succeeded in instituting a postal service 1875
between Tehran and Kurope via Tabriz, was appointed to the Director- 1877.
ship-General of Persian Posts. In August 18/7, after the Government
of India had been consulted by the Director of the International Office at
Berne and had agreed to the proposal on certain conditions, Persia was
admitted to membership of the International Postal Union with effect
from the 1st of September 1877 In February 1878 an agreement for
the interchange of closed mails was concl ded between Persia and the
Oovernment of India, of which the following were the principal
provisions: —
a