Page 168 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920

23 PERSIAN GULP ADMINISTRATION REPOBT
u His Majesty’s Government also wish it to be made clear that
maintain their attitude respecting the right of British Co1
Officers to extend protection in Persia to the subjects of
and Trucial Chiefs, and that, in refraining from pressin*
request for Persian recognition of this claim, they do so onl ^
the understanding that their rights will not be disputed °n
practice.” a ^
fi’he aide memoirc furnished by the Vosuk-ud-Dowleh to His Majesty,
Minister statos:—
• * * •
but with regard to the concluding passage's in the memorandu
ie the buoyage and lighthouses and the recognition of the jjJf*
of British Consular Officers to protect certain classes of person
the Ministry for Foreign Affaire has the honour to refer ly
Britannic Majesty’s Minister to the proposals made to him on
evening of the 11th March by His Excellency the Mushavcr-ul!
Mamalik, Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs, respecting tu
erection of lighthouses and to previous correspondence between
tho Persian Foreign Office and the British Legation on the Bahrain
question. It is to be added that tho Persian Foreign Office
maintains its former views in tbo case alluded to, and all similar
cases.*’
The latest information on the subject of tbo gendarmerie and their cost is
perhaps rather beyond the purview of this report, but it was understood, in May,
that the gendarmerie were going to cost £-100,000 per annum. For one year
from that date sufficient for the day was the evil thereof. The day is past and
over at the time of writing this report, and it is quite an interesting object of
peculation as to what is going to happen next.
This term is frequently used in official correspondence and the Resident
was, in the end of February, asked by Ilis
“ Policing of the Persian Gulf" defined.
Majesty’s Minister to explain exactly
what was meant by it.
In reply the Resident telegraphed as follows:—
“ Policing ” may be said to comprise “ the maintenance of measures and
the performance of duties necessary for the preservation of the
Maritime Truce.*’
' These duties are chiefly exercised in the suppression of piracy, the
slave trade, and traffic in arms; in maintaining order amongst
boats engaged in the pearl fishery and the protection of dhows
employed in the exportation of dates from the Shatt-el-Arab and
its vicinity; also in the prevention of breaches of the Maritime
Truce by the passage by sea of armed dhows in connection with
inter-tribal warfare on land.”
u When necessity arises these duties carry us into territorial waters, and
even to terra firms. Vts-a-vis the Persian Government we have
already claimed to exercise our discretion in this direction and
on repeated occasions have given effect to it.”
“The right is thus one which is habitually exercised by us with or with­
out the previous concurrence of the Persian Government, out
without disregarding Persian sovereignty unnecessarily, and our
^requirement at the present moment is merely specific and gencrj\
recognition by Persia, as one of tho maritime powers of thei yu .
of this right, with a view to consolidating our juridical position
regard thereto vis-a-vit outside Powers.”
The ^Resident pointed out that in the course of current negotiations with
the Voile we had made a similar demand. # , Qf
In April, the Government of India accented tho Hcsidont’s definition
tho duties implied in tho term u policing ” the Persian Gulf.

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