"بلاد فارس والشأن الفارسي من إعداد السيد المحترم جورج ناثانييل كورزون، عضو البرلمان." [‎٦‎١‎٦] (٧١٤/٦٨٥)

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PERSIA
designed solely in the interests of Russian trade or aggression -
whilst its rumoured extension in the direction of Baghdad was
equally intended to give access to a part of the Turkish Empire
which Russia may some day find it not incompatible with her
respect for the eighth commandment to appropriate.
In 1878 a French-Armenian of Constantinople, M. Alleon re
presenting a Pans firm, obtained a concession, also inoperative
AiMon from Resllt to Teheran. An Austrian engineer Herr
Concession V on Scherzer, even traced a line for the railway, avoiding
t PaSS 0Ver the Elburz ^ a circuitous
route through theBakandi Valley, and climbing the central plateau
by serpentines with a gradient of one in thirty-three The proi'ect
came to grief because of the refusal of the Persian Government to
give a guarantee for the seven per cent, interest promised on the-
capital to be raised.
In the succeeding years, Mr. Winston, American Minister
Resident, and an eccentric personage, very nearly obtained an
American extensive railway concession, but was baulked at the last
English Moment. The English Government were on the verge
Sr 8 - f * l imilar succ . ess ' with a line from the Upper Karun
to ieheran. This, however, came to nothing. When a
line asked for or conceded to an English firm or English represen
tatives is finally refused, there is never any doubt as to the quarter
rom whence the opposition has been inspired. This could be
proved to demonstration.
l-mally, a M. Boital, who is a concessionary on a large scale
anil who has, at different times, received concessions for gasworks
Boital and electric light at Teheran, and for the construction of
Sr?8 82 r0 f ads 'ob^d a group of railway concessions, the chief
of which was a line from Resht to the capital, to be con-
tinned later on from thence to Bushire. In the grant were in
cluded branch lines in connection with the main system, and the
right to work all mines within a distance of ten kilometres on
either side of the metals. The works were to be opened in 1885,
and the concession was to run for ninety-nine years, caution '
monej o the extent of 500,000 francs being lodged by M. Boital
m Paris, as security for the fulfilment of his part of the contract.
Nevertheless, the IVmesis that overhangs all projected undertakings
in Persia was not to be baffled, and the Boital proposals experi-
enced the customary fate.