"سكة حديد بغداد" [ظ‎‎٣‎٥] (١٢٩/٧٠)

2
for the instructions which they then dispatched to reach their local officials, whilst the
latter, intimidated by M. Miller, had no clear idea as to how the Central Government
desired you to be received.
I am sending a copy of this despatch to you to the Government of India.
I have, &c.
(Signed) ARTHUR H. HARUINGE.
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
M. Naus to Sir A. Hnrdinge.
M. le Ministre, Teheran, le 3 Mai, 1903.
COMME suite a la conversation que je viens d’avoir avec votre Secretaire Mr. Seymour,
je tiens k confirmer & votre Excellence que la defense de permettre des exportations de
cerdales envoyee par moi a la Douane de Seistan le 20 Janvier dernier ne visait en aucune
fagon la Mission du Colonel MacMahon, lequel ct cette epoque devait d’aitleurs se trouver
encore bien loin du Seistan.
J’avais regu un rapport du Seistan me signalant que le Gouverneur, d’accord avec le
nomme Pourdill Khan, pratiquaient la fraude des cereales a la sortie, et qu’une caravane
avait franchi la frontiere nonobstant I’opposition de la Douane.
C’est alors que j’ai telegraphic a M. Molitor k Meched 1’ordre suivant:—
“ Donnez ordre formel Douane Seistan s’opposer absolument a toute exportation
cerdales sauf quantiles autorisees pour Robat.
“ Si exportations ont lieu par force nonobstant defense, faire dresser procCs-verbaux
de contravention et me cabler immediatement.”
Je le repete, ceci visait le trafic illegal auquel se livraient le Gouverneur et Pourdill
Khan, mais nullement la Mission du Colonel MacMahon.
Votre Excellence voudra d’ailleurs bien se souvenir que mon intervention relative-
ment aux ordres a donner concernant la Mission a toujours eu pour but de faciliter les
affaires.
Je vous prie, &c.
(Sign?) J. NAUS.
No. 2.
Sir A. Hardinge to the Marquess of Lansdowne .— (Received June 1-3.)
(No. 69. Confidential.)
My Lord, Tehran, May 14, 1903.
THE telegram from the Government of India of the 9th instant, and your Lord
ship’s telegram No. 46 of the 1 ith May, seem to make it desirable that I should explain
more fully and clearly than I have yet done the exact financial situation in Persia, and
the bearing upon it of the advance made last month by His Majesty’s Government,
for the completion of which the Persian Government is now applying.
The revenues of the Persian Government may be estimated at about 1,200,000/.
a-year, but for practical purposes the only ones we need take into account are those
under European administration, viz., the customs and posts.
The Caspian Sea royalties represent 20,000/. a-year, but the permanence of this
source of revenue is doubtful.
The telegraphs represent at present, under Persian management, only about 5,0001.
a-year.
Of the “ maliat,” or land revenue, which may be estimated at about 700,000/. or
800,000/. a-year, but which under proper administration would bring in a great deal
more, very little reaches the Imperial Treasury.*
The annual revenue of the posts, under Belgian administration, may be estimated
at 10,000/.
The customs brought in last year a revenue of 420,000/., and M. Naus estimates
that this year they will rise to 440,000/., and, when the new Tariff is in thorough
working order, to 500,000/. Of this the northern customs, including with the term those
* Many of the employes of the Central Government are ipaid, however, out of drafts on the Provincial
Treasuries, and much of the land revenue covers local expenditure.