Page 427 - Gulf Precis (VII)_Neat

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CHAPTER XII.

Changes in payment of Telegraph subsidy. Settlement of outstanding
claims of the British Indian Subjects against Pcrso-Baluch
Chiefs. Arrest of the remaining two murderers of Mr. Craves.
Detachment at Jnsk and Charbar. Deaths of several Chiefs.

201. The above matters form tbe subject of an interesting report of Mr

once is therefore printed in extenso below :—

No. 171, doted Butliire, the 12th November 1899.
From—Tho Political Resident in tho Persian Gulf,
To—The Secretory to the Government of Indio in tho Foreign Deportment.
I have the honour to forward, for the information of tho Government of India, a copy of
the despatch, marginally noted, which I have
No. 114, dated 11th November 1899, and
enclosures. addressed to Her Majesty's Minister at Tehran,
submitting reports from Mr. Sealy, the Officer in
Political charge of the Met ran Coast, and Director, Persian Gulf Telegraphs, on the subject
of redistribution of the Telegraph subsidies paid to local Chiefs, and other matters dealt with
by him during his visit to Charbar in March last.

No. 114, dated Bushire, the 11th November 1899.
From—Her Britannic Majesty's Consul-General for Fars and Khuzistan,
To—His Excbllbnct Sib H. Mobtimeb Pubamd. K.C.S.I., KC.I.E., Her Britannic Majesty'a
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at tbe Court of Hia Majesty tbe
Shah of Pernio, Tehran.
I have the honour to forward, for Your Excellency's information, copies of the marginally
noted letters addressed to me by Mr. G. Sealy,
No- 93-P., dated 17th June 1899.
No. 126-P., dated 18th August 1899. Director of the Persian Gulf Section, Indo-
European Telegraph Department, on the subject
(a) of the annual payment of presents by the Telegraph Department to the Chiefs of the
Persian Mekran Coast; (is) of tho arrest of the remaining two murderers of the late
Mr. Graves, and (sis) of the settlement of the outstanding claim of British Indian traders :
against the Chiefs of the Mekran Coast-
2. On tho subject of the payment of presents to the local Chiefs it does not appear
necessary for me to make any remarks. The proposals for the redistribution of the subsidies
were framed and submitted by Mr. B. T. Ffinch, tho Director-in-Chief of the Indo-
European Telegraph Pepaitment, to Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for India, who approved
of them, the Government of India concurring, and Mr. Sealy has by now received from
Mr. Ffinch intimation of his approval of the distribution of the presents he made amongst the
various Chiefs and headmen in December last.
S. I would, however, endorse M r. Sealy's remarks on the subject of the impropriety of
the Gcb subsidy going indirectly into \ho treasury of the Persian Governor of Bampur, as
thb payment is quite distinct from the subsidy of III 2,000 paid annually by the Telegraph
Department to the Persian Government, and was intended to be the direct reward of the
local Chief for the protection of the line passing through his territory. 1 would recommend
that the Persian Government be told that they have no right whatever to expect to receive
any portion of this subsidy and that the Telegraph Department will only pay it, distributing
it amongst such of ihe local headmen as it thinks will further its own interests best, when
satisfied with the manner in which the latter are performing their portion of the compact i
made with the Department.
4. A report which, however, requires continuation has just been received of the
death of Sardar Husain Khan of Geh at Scrbaz. 'ibis, if true, coupled with the facts of