‏"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." [و‎‎٩‎٥] (٣٨٦/١٩٤)

as above shown by Messrs. Lynch and Co. and the Isfahan-Tehran road worked
by another British (Transport) Company. The entire route from the sea to the
Persian capital was in this manner brought directly or indirectly under British
control.
18. Messrs. Lynch & Co. were energetic in pushing this new trade route
to Tehran which is not only much shorter than the old Bushirc*Shiraz
route but also much cheaper. Goods by the latter took a month to reach the
capital while 15 days was the maximum by the Ahwaz-Ispahan route.
19. But the efforts of the Bussians to capture the trade of Central Persia were
not discouraged. In September 1901, Sir A. Hardinge reported, on the authority
of the Manager of the Russian Banque d’Escompte, that on completion of the
railway from Erivan to Julfa in June 1905, it was intended to establish a ser
vice of motorcars on the Julfa-Tabriz (Russian) road, to liuk up the capital of
Azerbaijan with the Prussian railway system. This report received confirma
tion in June 1905 when information reached India that the Russian Govern
ment had decided to inaugurate a service of motorcars for Russian goods on the
Resht-Tehran, Kazvin-Hamadan, and Julfa-Tabriz-Kazvin roads which were
worked by Russian companies. It was clear that if the scheme succeeded goods
brought up in this way to Tehran would be able to reach Ispahan, Sultanabad
{via Hamadan) and all the other neighbouring markets in Central Persia in
half the time and half as cheaply as they could do via Ahwaz and Bushire
so that the blow dealt to British trade and shipping interests connected with
it in Persia would be serious.
Lord Curzon felt that it was imperative to make some counter-move.
Enquiry was made from the minister whether it would be possible to start
a British Motor Car service from Tehran to Shiraz and as to who held the
road concession from Ispahan to Shiraz. In Sir A. Hardinge’s opinion the
proposed service was possible, no one holding the concession for the Ispahan-
Shiraz road, and he recommended to the British Foreign Office that until the
Persian Government could pacify Luristan and thus enable the Persian Trans
port Company to realise its concession they should allow it to work the-
Ispahan-Shiraz road. The Government of India proposed, however, to recom
mend to Bis Majesty’s Government an immediate demand for the construction
of a road from Bunder Abbas to Bam with the right to make extensions to'
Seistan and to use motor cars at discretion. This scheme seemed preferable to
the Tehran-Shiraz proposal as the road from the latter place to the sea coast
was most difficult owing to the mountainous nature of the country.
Assuming, however, the proposed road concession obtainable, there was
still a difficulty as to the use of motor cars on it. In 1901, the Sani-ed-
Dowleh, a Persian magnate, obtained from the Shah a monopoly for 20
years for running motor ears throughout Persia, hut his right to exercise
any monopoly on the roads constructed and worked by Russian Companies
was contested by the Russian Einance Ministry, on the ground that his conces
sion could not cancel rights previously conceded to them. The Sani-ed-
Dowleh acquiesced in this view partially. It was possible therefore that lie
might come to an arrangement with the Russians either to allow them to run
their cars on the southern road or run his cars on those roads in conjunction
with them. Either would result in Russian goods being speedily placed in the
markets of the south to the detriment of British trade. The views of Major
Sykes, for many years Consul at Kerman, were strongly in favour of the road
scheme as he considered that, from the geographical, political and commercial
aspect, the Bunder Abbas-Regan-Bam route was the best in Persia. Prom
Regan he considered that there would he easy access to Seistan and Central
Persia. Mr. Newcomen, who had lately been over the ground, confirmed this
opinion, and Lord Curzon thought that these proposals which had certain
political merits and which fitted in with, the ideas of strategists should he pursued
with as much energy as possible. lie telegraphed therefore to the Secretary of
State on the 19th August 1105 that the information in possession of the Gov
ernment of India pointed to the fact that the Persian Government had ac
quiesced in the claim of the Bussians to share the Sani-ed-Dowleh’s motor
car inonoply on roads for which they hold concessions. Applying this