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" The circumstances connected with the appointment of a French Vice-Consul at
• Vide letter from the India Office to the Maskat arc known to 11 is Majesty s Government,
Foreign Office, data! the 17th July 1894, It was held* in the ease that ' it would be
enclosed with Sir Henry Fowler’s Secret Dcs- difficult to contest the right of the French Gov-
patch No. 48, dated the 19th October 1894. ernment to appoint a Consul at Maskat so long
as the Anglo-French Declaration of 186a remains in existence and a British Protectorate
over Oman is not declared/ But the present situation is hardly analogous. Russia has no
treaty which binds Sultan to receive a Russian Consular representative ; and we have reason
to believe that His Highness would far from welcome any such appointment. We therefore
propose, with Your Lordship's permission, to cause the Sultan to be advised, if His Highness
consults Captain Cox in the matter, that he should politely decline either to receive or to
recognise a Russian Consul, cn the ground that Russian trade with Maskat does not justify
such an appointment. The value of Russian imports to Maskat for the year 1900-01, as
Your Lordship will see from the latest" Administration Report of the Persian Gulf Political
Residency and Maskat Political Agency, amounted to § 10,000 only.”
The ’’Novot Vremya" invites French co-oper­ 47. The Novoc Vremya in its issue of the
ation. 26th September 1901 invited the co­
Secret E., April 1902, No. 134.
operation of France in the struggle for
establishing its political and commercial influence carried on by Russia.
47-A. His Majesty's Government concurred in the proposal of the Govern­
ment, cf India (Secretary of State’s Despatch
Secret E., November 1901, N01.6-8.
No. 32-Secret, dated 20th September
1901).
48. In November 1901 Atabeg-i-Azam mentioned to Sir A. Hardinge of a
Pipe line from Baku to the Gulf, 1901. project for laying a pipe line for the-con­
Secret E., January 1902, No. 54. veyance of petroleum from Baku to the
Persian Gulf about which some Baku merchants had approached him. He
regarded the project as quite impracticable and appears to have given-an evasive
reply.
49. Captain de Gerlache, who commanded the Seltka when she went up
Visit to Bahrein of Captain de Geriache, late the Gulf in April 190!’, visited Bahrein
Commander of the Belgian yacht" Seiika.” again in October 1901 and left on the
12th November. He told Mr. Gaskin, the Assistant Political Agent, that he
and his companions, when they last visited
Secret E., February 1902, Nos. 15-18.
the Gulf,, brought about 3,000 francs worth
of small pearls, on which they made cent per cent profit when they returned to
Europe, and that he had come back again with the object of doing a bigger
business. He, however, found that the prices were, too high, and consequently
was only able to invest a little over Rs. 3,000 in pearls, and went' away much
disappointed with no intention of trying a similar venture again. He also said
that the owners of the Seltka had given up the idea of doing business in the
Persian Gulf diary for week ending nth Gulf. He had also visited Maskat in
November 1901. October 1901, and was inquisitive with
regard to Gulf politics.
50. The Kornxloff arrived at Lingah from Odessa on the 9th October 1901*
Russian commercial enterprise in the Persian having called at Maskat and Bandar
Gulf. Visits of the Russian merchant steamers Ahhas whprf* shf* landed r OOO cases of
" Korniiofff " Sigrid " and “ Trouver " to the Aooas, wnere sne lanaea 5,000 cases 01
Gulf. kerosene oil. The Russian Vice-Consul,
Persian Gulf diary for the week ending 21st who was on board, requested the Mudir
Secret E^October 1901, Nos. 387-392. of the Customs House to furnish him with
Secret E., November 1901, Nos. 104-106. a statement showing the total value of
Secret E., February 1902, Nos. 19-23. carpets, shells, soft and loaf sugar and
pearls imported into Lingah annually, but he was referred to the Director-General
of Persian Gulf Customs for the required statistics. She then visited Bushire on
the 1 ith October ; and after landing-12,000 cases of kerosene oil and xoo cases
of glassware cleared for Mohammerah and
Secret E., May 1902, Nos. 42-49.
Basrah. The greater part of her cargo for
the latter place consisted of petroleum, wood, and samples of matches, flour,
sugar, etc. From Basrah she took a cargo of dates for Levant- ports and Con­
stantinople and returned to Bushire on 17th November; After sh'ipping'4)^00
bags of tobacco,,6o cases of gum, inhales
Secret E., February. 1902, Nos. 19-23.
of cotton and 2 cases of opium, she lefc'ior
Lingah aud Bandar Abbas; from where she proceeded to Jeddah and Europe.