§ Colonel YATEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he would state how many British subjects, and how many caravans containing British goods and merchandise, have been attacked and robbed in Persia during the last four years, and in how many cases have the Persian Government paid compensation for the losses sustained?
§ Sir E. GREYI will ask His Majesty's representative at Teheran for a return, as far as it can be obtained.
§ Colonel YATEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whether British consular officers have been attacked and robbed on more than one occasion in recent years whilst travelling in Southern Persia; and what steps, if any, have been taken by the Persian Government to punish the offenders and to protect Europeans from gross indignities, such as, it is stated, Miss Rose was recently subjected to?
§ Sir E. GREYThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The Persian Government are endeavouring to remedy the prevalent insecurity in Southern Persia by the organisation of a gendarmerie force, but some time must necessarily elapse before satisfactory results can ensue.
EARL of RONALDSHAYWill the right hon. Gentleman say whether European officers are to be employed to command the gendarmerie that Persia is organising; if so, what will be their nationality?
§ Sir E. GREYSome Swedish officers have already been engaged.
§ Colonel YATEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whether, in view of the fact that quantities of British merchandise have been detained for long periods at Bushire and other ports in the Persian Gulf, owing to the insecurity on the roads in Southern Persia, with consequent loss to British and Indian merchants, he will state what prospect there is of this state of affairs being remedied in the future?
§ Sir E. GREYI would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the concluding portion of the reply which I gave to his immediately preceding question.
§ Colonel YATEWill steps be taken in the meantime to make the roads secure?
§ Sir E. GREYIt would be undertaking a very serious responsibility, and might lead to grave consequences if we ourselves were to undertake the patrolling the roads. I am not at present able to say that we shall do anything of the kind.
§ Mr. DILLONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when he would lay further Papers on Persian affairs; and whether the Papers, when laid, would be brought up to date, and would contain full information as to the raid of the ex-Shah into Persia and the proposed appointment of Major Stokes?
§ Sir E. GREYA Persian Blue Book has been issued at least annually of late years, and the last appeared in May of this year. I propose to lay Papers certainly early in next year, and they will include Papers on the two subjects named in the question.
§ Mr. DILLONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the British Minister in Teheran had informed Mr. Schuster that the appointment of Mr. Le Coffre, as collector of taxes of province of Azerbaijan, would be objected to by the Russian Government and might lead to the occupation of Northern Persia by Russia; and, if so, how he could reconcile such action with the mutual undertaking between Russia and England in the 177 Anglo-Russian agreement by which they bound themselves to respect the integrity and independence of Persia?
§ Sir E. GREYThe constant appointment of British subjects in the north of Persia must give the impression that Russian influence is being displaced by British in the north of Persia. We cannot connive at that change, which is quite contrary to the spirit of the Anglo-Russian understanding, and is bound, if continued, to provoke counter-measures on the part of Russia. Mr. Schuster has been informed to this effect in connection with the appointment of Mr. Le Coffre. It is in the interest of the independence and integrity of Persia that neither British nor Russian subjects should be appointed to administrative posts on the frontiers of Russia or India respectively.
§ Mr. T. M. HEALYCould the right hon. Gentleman say whether Russia has any intention of sending Cossacks to Connemara?
EARL of RONALDSHAYMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether it is not a fact that Mr. Le Coffre is a Frenchman and that he has been serving in the Persian Revenue Department at Teheran for some two years past; and whether he is one of the few men that has the necessary knowledge to carry out the duties that Mr. Schuster desired to give him?
§ Sir E. GREYI had not heard of him before I heard of the appointment, but I am informed that he is undoubtedly a British subject.
§ Mr. DILLONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether there are any Russian officers now serving in the corps of Cossacks in Teheran; and whether there exists any restriction on the part of Persia in which these Cossacks can be employed?
§ Sir E. GREYThere are five Russian officers now serving in the corps of Cossacks. They are all employed in northern Persia: two in Teheran, one at Tabriz, and two at Kashan. They are not limited to those posts by any formal restriction, for the arrangement for the employment of Russian officers was made before the Anglo-Russian Agreement, but as a matter of fact more have been employed since that in the British sphere of interest.
§ Mr. DILLONIs the British Government prepared to protest against the employment of these Russian officers, and to apply the same principle as the Russian 178 Government has applied to the appointment of Major Stokes?
§ Sir E. GREYYes, that would follow from the attitude we have taken with regard to the appointment of Major Stokes; and I think I made that clear in the previous answers.
§ Mr. DILLONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been directed to the statement recently published by Mr. Morgan Schuster, the Treasurer-General of Persia, and to the charges contained in that statement against the Governments of Russia and Great Britain of obstructing his work and persistent interference with the independent and sovereign rights of Persia; and whether he will cause this statement to be printed, together with the official replies of the British Government to the detailed charges contained in it and circulated to the Members of the House?
§ Sir E. GREYI have seen Mr. Schuster's letters in "The Times": it is not proposed to lay them as a Parliamentary Paper, or to make official replies to Mr. Schuster. I will deal with his statements, as far as they affect British action, when I have an opportunity in the House.