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Lord Lnnsdowne says that if, ns he presumes is the case from my aocount of Your Ex­
cellency's statement to mo, tlio Poreian Government is really attempting to repudiate the
arrangement mndo with you last year, 1 am authorised to say that you are in his opinion justi­
fied in opposing such attempt. IIo instructs mo to remind you of thn messago which ho eont
you last year aud to add that you may rest assured of the support of the Brit ish Government 60
long as you on your side observo the conditions of tho arrangoment made between the Persian
Government and yourself.
He bos authorised mo to point out to that Govommont tho necessity for respecting the
conditions of tho arrangement on their side, but I do not propose to do’ so until I hear further
from you, as I think it will bo bettor in tho intorests of good relations between tho Persian
authorities and yourself that our intervention should not bo invoked until all’other means of
adjusting matters between them and you havo been exhausted Meanwhile, I should bo obliged
if you would 6end rao to Tehran, through His Majesty’s Resident at Bushiro, a copy of tho noto
from M. Naua, promising not to take duty on your personal imports and any further inform­
ation on this question."
(iii) Presence of Persian Customs Boats under the Belgian Customs administration of
Bushiro on the Shat-el-Arab, 1904.

282. In September 1904, the Persian Revenue Steamer Muzafferi (in
Major Coi'a ttlcgraui,datod J3th and 18th Sep- Oh&Tge Of the Belgian OustOlCS Adminis-
umbor 1904. tration at Bushire) and the gunboat Vpv
8epolia were found busy in the Shat-cl-Arab looking out for contraband
without apparently consulting the Sheikh of Mohammerah. They seized two
Koweit dhows between Gusbali aud Pao. Ono of them, which had 14 rides on
board, was released on payment of a fine of 800 tomans under protest, and the
other which had 28 rifles on hoard was detained at Bushiro pending tho pay­
ment of a fine of 1,200 tomans.
283. The Sheikh of Koweit complained of further acts of interference with
Koweit vessels on the part of tho Customs administration of Persia. Two of
the vessels, it was alleged, wore carrying dates and wood between Pao and
Koweit. Another Koweit boat bound for Basrah was seized, searched and de­
prived of 12 small arms, which were carried in the proportion of one gun for
every member of the crew, for protection against piracies.
284. Captain Knox, Political Agent, Koweit, in his letter No, 24, dated
14th September 1904, referring to these cases, observed that these constant
complaints, prove a deliberate policy on the part of tho Persian Government, of
which the objeot is to destroy the British influence in the Persian Gulf. He
reported that the feeling in Koweit itself was very strong and might at any
time lead to acts of retaliation on the Persians and thus the situation would
become acute and dangerous.
285. The Persians, it appears from Colonel Knox’s report, proceeded on
the extraordinary assumption that Arab Nakhodas are bound to prove that they
have not committed an offence against the Customs Department, which in his
opinion, can have only one result, where on the ono side we have a well-regulat­
ed department, armed with clerks, regulations, and engines of oppression of
every description, and on tho other ignorant Nakhodas seldom able oven to read
and write.
If tho Customs Administration persisted in this course of conduct, the
only remedy that appeared to him at all likely to meet the situation was that
one of our gun-boats should attend the Muzafferi and Persepolis, wherever
they went especially in the open sea, and whenever they overhauled a boat hailing
from the western shores of the Gulf, the Commander of the gun-boat should
insist on having a clear primd facie case against the boat being mude out to
his satisfaction or the immediate release of the vessel.
280. So far as the Sheikh of Mohammerah was concerned, when the news
of the first movements of the Persian ships was telegraphed by Major Cox to
the Government of India, they telegraphed to Sir A. Hardingo on 21st Sep­
tember :
“Under the Agreement of 1902, the Sheikh was to be subordinate to tho Ministry of
Customs only. The Arabistan Customs were separated from tho Gulf Customs. Does not
the viwt to tho Bushire Director in Persepolis constitute a direct violation of the arrange*
meat between the Persian Government and the Sheikh.