‏"ملخص الأحداث والتدابير الرئيسية التي اتخذها سمو نائب الملك اللورد كرزون من كيدلستون، نائب الملك والحاكم العام للهند في إدارة الخارجية. ‏I‏. يناير ١٨٩٩-أبريل ١٩٠٤. ‏II‏. ديسمبر ١٩٠٤-نوفمبر ١٩٠٥. المجلد IV. بلاد فارس والخليج الفارسي." [ظ‎‎٢‎٠] (٣٨٦/٤٥)

™"!'««“ ”S "L’skS “4 s s* w o ;
Meshed. In 1899, ‘‘’e r<ul neaa lay ^ short further extension is
^tto'place ^hf Li-minus at Ahmedwal. This place is well adapted as a
starting point for caravans. Water abounds; supplies are plentiful; and ample
Thetodewi voung, and needed careful tending. Resort to artificial
ihe trade was youi = , bounties was sternly disapproved. But
Encouragement of trade. legitimate assistance was withheld.
o„w.,„t;.,l loans were granted to finance the operations of the pioneers in trade,
in offi Sgent was alpointed for a term to canvas traffic in the markets of
the Indian frontier, and in Khorasan. The railway system, which links the
trade route with the’ ports and marts of Western India, lent its aid; and
special rates of freight were granted for consignments to or from the Persian
frontier. Favourable Customs regulations were enacted; and merchants, who
passed their goods in bulk from the Indian port of entry to the Persian border,
could claim a refund which reduced the fiscal charges on the transit trade to
an inappreciable fraction of the normal dues. The introduction of the new
Persian tariff was the occasion for the grant of assistance m a someuhat
unusual form. The revised tariff became operative on the 14th February
1903 a month earlier than had generally been expected, with the resu t t at
several traders, who had already despatched their caravans from Quetta to
Persia by the Seistan route, were unable either to import their goods into 1 eisia
before the enhanced duties were imposed along its frontiers or to recall their
caiavans. The abnormal drought of two consecutive seasons had already
imposed a serious check on the traffic of the new route, and, with a view
to mitigating the further effect of the sudden imposition of the increased rates
of duty the Government of India decided to grant to traders a refund of the
difference between the enhanced Customs actually levied on the Persian frontier
and the dues which would have been leviable under the old tanii, on all goods
despatched from Quetta, or already collected there for export to Persia, before
the 1st April 1903. The statistics of trade by the new route show that the
efforts expended on it have produced results, which, if
show that the
small, are still
gmg-
Import
8.
Exports.
Total.
Us.
a.
P-
Us.
a.
P-
Us.
a.
/>•
1897-98
... 3,05,608
0
0
2,84,321
8
0
5,89,929
8
0
1898-99
... 3,4,6,823
14
0
3,81,258
9
3
7,28,082
7
3
1899-00
... 6,82,019
3
9
5,53,392
12
0
12,35,411
15
9
1900-01
... 7,48,021
0
0
7,86,431
0
0
15,34,452
0
0
1901-02
... 7,39,493
0
0
11,99,144
0
0
19,38,637
0
0
1902-03
... 5,74,650
0
0
4,65,649
0
0
10,40,299
0
0
1903-01
... 4,75,471
0
0
5,64,987
0
0
10,40,458
0
0
1904,-05
... 7,01,171
0
0
9,20,446
0
0
16,21,617
0
0
But political influence in Seistan could not he acquired by measures taken
on Indian soil alone. It was soon apparent that British interests icquiied
the appointment of a permanent Agent in
Appointment of a Consul in Seistan. s e i g tan. It has already been seen how, in
June of 1898, the news arrived from Meshed that the Russians were themselves
about to post a Vice-Consul to Seistan in the person of M. Zeidler; and how, as
a temporary measure, it had been arranged that Major Sykes should leave his
post in Kerman and proceed to Nasratahad. Major Sykes arrived in Seistan at
the beginning of January 1899, and was recognised as the first British Consul
for Seistan and Kain. But his stay in Seistan was short: the summer months
were passed in the cooler climate of Birjand; and when in the autumn the
provisional Consul returned to Nasratabad, it was only to make a brief halt
before again leaving for Kerman. M. Zeidler had still not arrived. Hardly,
however, had Major Sykes departed, when in December 1899 the intelligence
was received that a M. Miller was already on his way to take up the appoint
ment of Vice-Consul for Russia in Seistan. It was again necessary to depute
a British representative. M. Miller reached Seistan on the 14th February
1900 ; and Major Trench arrived at Nasratabad only a few weeks later. Major
Trench was already designated as British Consul-General at Meshed, and at