‏"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." [و‎‎١‎١‎٥] (٣٨٦/٢٣٤)

125
The undersigned. His Britannic Majesty*8 Envry Extraordinary and
Minister Plenipotentiary, hereby declares that in signing the Miijawa Jigree-
ment of the 13th May, without reference to Bis Majesty's Government of the
alterations in the original text introduced in compliance with the telegram from
Bis Majesty the Shah of the 12th May in order not to cause further delay in
the withdrawal of the Boundary Commission from Persian territory he reserves
the right of Bis Majesty's Government* should it not accept the amendments in
question, to withhold its assent to the agreement.
(Sd.) ARTHUR HARD INGE.
92. The period since 1899 witnessed great activity on the part of Russia in
Opening of a branch of the Imperial pushing her trade in Persia. Ihe most
Bank in Seistan. important general measure to further this
object was the revision of the Persian Tariff, already referred to. Another
powerful weapon for taking the fullest advantage of the favourable posi
tion which Russian trade enjoyed in its close proximity to the markets of
Northern Persia was the Banque d’hhcompte et des Prets which, as the
history of the loan negotiations showed, was raised from humble beginnings
to nothing less, in reality, than a branch of the Russian Ministry of Finance
under a financial expert in direct communication with M. de Witte. Nor
were the operations of this institution confined to Tehran alone.
In April 1902, Colonel Trench reported that the Russian Bank had com
menced business at Meshed on a grand scale with a large staff of Russian
employes. The branch of the Imperial Bank at Meshed had hitherto been
very fairly successful, but the rivalry of a Russian Government institution
became a serious menace to it, and an early reminder of the influences
in the background was seen when M. Castaigne, the head of the Customs
Department in Khorasan and Seistan, notified to the Imperial Bank in June
1902 that he had received orders to deal in future in all Customs matters "with
the Russian Bank instead of w ith the Imperial Bank. Strong rumours prevailed
that a branch was to be started in Seistan, and in a despatch, dated 26th June
1902, the Government of India pointed out to the Secretary of State for India how
undesirable it w T ould be from the point of view of Indian interests to have a
Russian banking business established in Seistan, and suggested tliat the Imperial
Bank of Persia should be approached with a view to ascertaining if they could
he induced to open a branch at Nasratabad. The proposal was referred to Sir
A. Hardinge who deprecated the step until it was certain that the Russians
meant to have an Agency in Seistan. By Deeember 1902, all doubts on the
point vanished and negotiations w r ere accordingly undertaken to establish a
branch bank in Seistan.
On the 17 th March 1903, the Secretary of State telegraphed the willing
ness of the Imperial Bank to open a branch in Seistan for a subsidy of £1,500
a year less the amount of annual net profit, fora period of five years and
enquired if the Government of India would pay the whole amount entirely from
Indian funds in view of having been relieved* of a moiety of the subsidy of
• vide roads and railroads. Chapter xni. page £ 2,000 for ten years which vvas now being
84, paragraph and footnote. entirely paid from Imperial funds for the
road concession taken over in 1902 by the Persian Transport Company.
Lord Curzon replied on the 24th March 1903 agreeing to the proposal
on the understanding that Indian revenues would have no further liability
for the road concession which should also be carried out. It was also
suggested that, if the Bank should make over its general business to other
parties, it should maintain the Stistau branch, to be worked under the
present charter and arrangements, and that without the formal consent of
Government no change of any kind affecting these as regards the Seistan branch
should be made. But this stipulation was not enforced as the change in the
status of the Imperial Bank would have involved more important interests than
the future of the Seistan Branch and it w r as considered inexpedient to raise the
question in connection with the agreement as to the branch. Arrangements
were concluded with the Bank on the 22nd May. The British Consul in Seistan