Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-02
The PERSIAN PATHWAY TO INDIA

While Russia's hands are held up In
farther Asia, England and Germany are
busy with commercial and
herman railway projects in Asia MI
Tntri0ue nor and countries east OF the
Persian gulf Recent dis
patches. indeed affirm that the Persian en-
peror's sudden interest In Morocco con-
cealed purpose outside of that country.
where German interests are more fictitious
than real. The emperor would force France.
whose ally was ineffective-in extremis In
the east as well as In Europe-to Join Ger
many in a new deal The kaiser. besides.
would secure by a bold blur as the price
OF getting out Of Morocco certain coveted
concessions. or cooperation at least in the
development OF German interests In Asia
Minor. and along the Persian pathway to
India.
Persla's fate hangs upon the struggle for
commercial supremacy now begun between
the two great rivals. England and Ger
many.
Americas commerce along this pathway
is yet undeveloped, and IL wisely directed
may be greatly augmented.
The United States concluded treaty
with Persia December 49, 1850. The text
differs somewhat from the ordinary. and
begins as follows:
I'm the name Of Cod the clement and the
merciful. the President of the United States
of North America and his majesty. as ex-
allied as the planet Saturn: the sovereign
to whom the sun serves q standard.
whose spiendor and magnifcence are equal
to that of the skies: the sublime sovereign.
the monarch whose armies are as numerous
as the stars. whose greatness calls to mind
that OF Jetnshid: whose magnif1cence equals
that of Darius. the heir Of the crown and
throne of the Kayanians. the sublime en-
peror of all Persia. both being equally de-
slrous of establishing relations of friend
purpose named. for the United States. Car
roll Spence. minister resident: for the en-
perOr of all Persia. Eminul Molk Farrukh
Khan, ambassador ETC.. decorated with the
portrait of the shah, with the great Gordon
bleu and bearer Of the girdle of diamonds.
etc., etc..
Persia. in this treaty. conceded to the
United States the privileges extended to
the citizens and subjects of other foreign
nations under treaty known as the Ca
pitulations. in which the citizen or subject
was amenabie only to the consular and
diplomatic jurisdiction OF his country.
There Is serious trouble reported on the
northern frontier of Persia and the Trans
Caucasia between Mohammedan and Ar
menian bands, whose barbarities have so
far provoked the government of Trans-Cau-
casa as to cause it to send an army corps
under Prince Louis Napoleon to nip the
affair in the bud.
Persian history proper begins with Cyrus
the Great, who in the middle of the sixth
century B. G. overthrow
Fers1an Astyage, King of the Modes,
u;,4 and established that mighty
Persian empire which ex-
tended from the Oxus and Indus to the
Mediterranean. Cambysses, son and success
sor to Cyrus subdued Tyre and Egypt.
Darius conquered India, added Thrace and
Macedonia to his empire. but suffered de-
feat at Marathon, B. c. 400. Xerxes, or
Khsayarsha, first son of Darius, conquered
Egypt In revolt and undertook to accom-
plish the ambition of his father to conquer
Greece Xerxes colossal army. though
Salamis. At Mssolonghi 2,2s7 years after
ward Byron, writing of the heroic defense
of Greece against the Turks. said:
The sea looks on Marathon
And Marathon looks the sea,
And musing there hour alone
dreamed that Greece might still be free;
For. standing Persian's grave.
could not deem myself slave.
Persia was conquered by Alexander the
Great 1913 B. c.; by the Arabs 652 A. D.;
by the Mongols under Ghengis Khan 1926;
by the Turcomans. who founded the dy
nasty of the Black Sheep in 1907; by the
Turcomans revolted, who founded the dy
nasty of the White Sheep, 146S, and under
whom began the schisms between Persians
and Turks which are still maintained. Agha
Mohammed. a eunuch of the Kadjar race,
founded the present dynasty in 1874.
Georgia was ceded to Russia in 1901. Sub
sequently Daghestan. Shervan and Baku
were abandoned to Russia with the right of
navigation in the Caspian sea, and by the
treaty of Turkmantchai in 1923 Persia
ceded to Russia the greater part of Persian
Armenia, plus indemnity of eighteen
million rubles. A tax to pay this sum
caused the instruction of October IL, 1899.
in which the Russian ambassador. his wife
and the attaches of the legation were as
sassinated. Mohammed Shah, son of AbbaS,
assembled the throne In 1884 He attempt
ed to extend the limits of Persia TO Herat
and incurred thus the hostility of England.
who landed sepoy force from the Persian
gulf. 1888. Nasr-el-Din succeeded in 1913;
he seized Herat in 1856. but British army,
under Outram and Havelock. compelled the
abandonment in 1851. The Persians agreed
to refer the boundary disputes to Sir Fred
erick Goldsmid. who delivered an award in
1872.
Sir Frederick. 1t may be added. a
general of brigade in the British army
whose experience and gentle manners rem
dered him influential with the oriental.
The writer met him frequently in Egypt in
1882 in company with Sir William Gregory.
Sir Winifred Blunt and Sir Edward Malet,
and subsequent events disclosed the fine
hand of Sir Frederick and his colleagues in
the comedy which ended In the British oc-
cupation of Egypt and the exile to Ceylon
of the pseudo patriot, Arab
Nasr-el-Din, Shah of Persia, visited Eu-