Page 399 - Gulf Precis (VII)_Neat

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th«\t tlie party from Kliclat should be attended by a detatchment of the Sind
Horse.
75. Impressed with tho nccossity of obtaining some basis for discussion
General Goldsmid now proposed to open tho confei cnee at Peshin, which was
admitted by Ibrahim Khan (the chief representative of Persian authority in
these parts) to bo his frontier post in the direotion of Kedj. To this at first
tho Persian Commissioner signified his agreement; but, on General Goldsmid’s
non-aoccptanco of his condition that he. should be escorted to the frontier bv
Ibrahim Khan with an armed forco, he withdrew that couacnt, on the ground
that the proper frontier of Persia’s possession was beyond Peshin. In Gne, the
Porsian Commissioner virtually demanded that tho right of his Government to
all that it asserted to be in its possession should he acknowledged ; that the
discus.Nion should be limited to tho further territory which it claimed, and
should be carried on in that territory in the presence of an armed forco of
Persians.
76. Seeing clearly that, this attitude offered no opening for the discussion
and settlement of the question, General Goldsmid determined to proceed to
Gwadur on the line of telegraphic communication with the Government of
India and with Her Majesty’s Minister at Teheran. He begged the latter to
procure instructions that the Persian Commissioner should meet him at Gwadur
for discussion, and, before leaving Bampur, was assured by the Porsian Com­
missioner that, when duly instructed, he would come down and discuss the
boundary on tho data to be supplied by the officers engaged in its survey,
Captain Lovett and the Persian Surveyor. On the IStii March, however, he
wrote asking why he should attend a Conference at Gwadur, and renowing
the proposal to visit the frontier places (viz., Kedj) in compliance with the
orders of his Government.
77. On the 23rd March, Mr. Alison telegraphed that instructions would be
sent directing the Persian Commissioner to proceed to Gwadur, and (as it was
afterwards explained) to inspect the frontier line. When he arrived, however,
he not only refused to meet the Klielat Commissioner, or to listen to any of
the Khelat evidence as to the possession of places on the frontier, hut even
said that bis written instructions differed from the telegrams. This statement
explains the fact that notwithstanding tho assurances from Teheran that the
Persian Commissioner had been directed, in conjunction with General
Goldsmid, to “ visit the necessary places,” to prepare a map and co-operate
in a suitable manner with General Goldsmid, he refused to visit any place
except Kedj. Indeed, he admitted to Captain Smith at Charbar that he had
been only authorized by his Government to visit certain places which had
been named to him.
78. Being informed by General Goldsmid that the Persian Commissioner
was anxious to leave Gwadur, the Viceroy, on the 17th April, urged Her
Majesty’s Minister to press the Persian Government to desire him not to leave
till the matter was settled. A similar application had been made to
Mr. Alison by General Goldsmid. But, although Mr. Alison had, on the 21st,
telegraphed that the Persian Government had by telegraph repeated the
instructions to their Commissioner to visit the necessary places, and to collect
information regarding their state and position, the Persian Commissioner
insisted on leaving on the 24th without carrying these instructions into
effect, saying that he knew of no place necessary to be visited except Kedj,
and that he had aleady procured all needful data regarding the other places
at Teheran. Even Kedj he would not visit unless it was evacuated by all
the Kholat soldiers before bis visit, and unless he wa9 accompanied by
Ibrahim Khan, in whose persistent encroachments the boundary question
originated.
79. Lastly it has hero to bo mentioned that the Persian Ministry had, on
the strength of the allegations of the Porsian Commissioners, laid before
Mr. Alison charges, tho baseless charaoVer of which General Goldsmid clearly
showed.
The Government of India sent to the Secretary of State a strong expres­
sion of its opinion that these unfounded charges should he withdrawn. by the
Porsian Government. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs sent