Page 456 - Gulf Precis (VII)_Neat

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808. Sir William Merowothor explained that Captain Ross had bron
Instructed to act in a measure as Assistant to the Political Agent, Klielat,
because a portion of the tolegraph line ran through Kludai territory, audit
was thought that references might have to bo made to Khelat.
“There being, however,” he said, *' no postal communication from ” Gw-idur to Khelat, thin
courso has never been ad"picd, all questions that, arose being reported by Captain lt-'ss to the
Commissioner in Sind, and referred by him, when necessary, through the Political Sup<rimen-
1 ■ f--
TT
»- rT!- n:—ti-* .... •* I’ho connection," he
dent, Frontier Upper Sind, at Jactbnbad, to His Uignness the IChnn.
n(Idl'd, “ withtho Muscat Pol tieal Agency, was lormcd because Gwadur belonged to the ruler
of Oman, and it was consi-mred advisable that the ollicor at Gwadur should bo reckoned
subordinate 'to the one at Muscat, but in reality this is not uecssarv, and all that has ever
had to he done there, or is ever likely to bo done, would be executed equally well by the Political
Officer at Gwadur, being counted separate from Muscat, merely communicating with iliat
Agency whenever matters relating to the possesions of that power were involved."
309. The Bombay Government in submitting the case reported that
Captain Ross had already been instructed to uso the greatest discretion and
caution in assuming any political functions, arid it added that these instruc­
tions would he repeated to Captain lloss with an intimation that, as a general
rule, his duty as Political Officer should be confined to bis giving it (Bombay
Government) the earliest and most complete information on political affairs.
•No. 1257, duti-cl fith Septombor 1809. (Prog*. These proceedings wore approved by the
Puliiical A., September 1809, No. 314.) Government of India.*
t Political A., Septombor 1809, No. 315. 310. By despatch No. 311, dated the
t No. 279, dated uth necombcr 1869. (Political 20th of September 1839, t the Government
a., August 1870, No. 1)4). of India reported the case to the Secretary
of State, who replied} :—
“Adverting to the great importance, present and prosp-»cl ivo, of our political interests in
Mekrnn, and to the exped'oncy, in every point of view, of giving supp -rt t«» the officer who
may be charged with their local supervision, it appears to Her Majesty’s Government that it
would be desirable that the Assistant Political Agent on the Mekran Coast should be a recog­
nized officer of the Political Department, receiving instructions with regard to our relations
with the local Chiefs from the Commissioner in Sind, to whom he would bo immediately subor­
dinate.
“I shall be glad to have the opinion of Your Excellency's Government on tho suggestion
I have thus thrown out oF improving the political position of the officer stationed at Gwadur,
without at the same time interfering with the discharge of his other duties as Inspector of tho
Telegraph along the Mekran Coast.
In rejoinder to the above, the Secretary of State was informed § that tho
adoption of the proposed measure was
§ No. 69, dotod 29th March 1870. (Politioal
A, August 1870, No. 115.) considered not only inexpedient but likely
# to he productive of political difficulties;
and looking to the importance of our political relations in Mekran, the Govern­
ment of India was of opinion that the Political Assistant should, as heretofore,
confine himself to collecting information for submission to Government. It
was pointed out that the complicated questions-regarding the rights of Persia
and Maskat on the Mekran Coast were of an imperial character, and depended
for their settlement on various considerations, of which purely local officers
were not competent to take a correct view. Moreover, in illustration of the
inexpediency of entrusting the initiation of measures of an imperial character
to local officers, the following instances were quoted :—It had recently been
found necessary (1) to prohibit Captain Ross from going into the. interior, (2)
to remonstrate with the authorities in Sind for urging the Khan of Khelat to
military action, and (3) to request the Government of Bombay to enjoin all its
officials in Sind, in the most stringent terms, to abstain from interference in
the disputes between Persia and Khelat.
312. With reference to these objections, the Secretary of State enquired
flK.w. Political a., Augu.t 1870, Nos. lie-117. whether Government could not suggest
some moans by which Captain Ross could
be placed in a more intelligible position with reference to actual and possible
political complications in Mekran. His Grace added that he had no wish to
n**ge the adoption of his former proposal in opposition to the views previously
expressed by Government. ||