§ MR. KING (Hull, Central)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State 545 for Foreign Affairs what post Major A. C. Talbot now occupies in Persia; what was the date of his appointment; whether he had previously served in any post on the Persian Gulf; what office he held in March, 1890; and whether there is any truth in the allegation that he made use of his official position in Persia to obtain a concession for the purchase and sale of tobacco in that country?
MR. J. W. LOWTHERMajor A. C. Talbot now occupies the post in Persia of Consul General for the Provinces of Fars and Khuzistan and for the coasts and islands of the Persian Gulf. He resides at Bushire. He was appointed in December, 1891. He had not previously served in any post in Persia or on the Persian Gulf. In March, 1890, he was Acting Consul General at Baghdad. There is no truth whatever in the allegation that he made use of his official position to obtain the concession referred to, which was granted a year and nine months before Major Talbot's appointment in Persia.