THE POST OFFICE IN MESOPOTAMIA AND THE PERSIAN GULF
The Great War has thrown such strong light on the countries which
border on the Persian Gulf that it may be interesting to record the
important part which has been played by the Post Office of India in
connection with imperial policy in Persia and Mesopotamia.
Owing to political considerations and the necessity of keeping open
alternative means of communication between Europe and India, the
importance of the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia as a mail route was
established nearly a century and a half ago. The ships of the old
Indian Navy carried mail packets from Bombay to Basra, which was the
starting-point of a regular dromedary post to Aleppo, linked with a
horse post from Aleppo to Constantinople, and it is an interesting
piece of history that Lord Nelson's letter to the Bombay Government,
giving the news of the naval victory of the Nile, was transmitted by
this route.
During the first half of the last century, as the Persian Gulf and the
Shat-el-Arab were infested with pirates, these waters were avoided by
British trading vessels, so that, when a ship of the Indian Navy was
not available to convey mails to Bombay, letters from the Political
Residents of the East India Company stationed at Bagdad and Basra were
sent to India by the desert route via Damascus and Beyrout and thence
through Egypt, and correspondence between Bushire and India had to be
diverted through Teheran and Alexandria. In 1862 a regular six-weekly
mail service between Bombay and Basra was undertaken by the British
India Steam Navigation Company, and about the same time the Euphrates
and Tigris Steam Navigation Company agreed to extend the mail service
from Basra to Bagdad by running their steamers in connection with
the ocean line. The postal system at the coast ports, however, was
defective owing to the absence of local post offices for the collection
and distribution of mails, but these were gradually established from
the year 1864 onwards at Bushire, Muscat, Bandar Abas, Bahrain,
Mohammerah, and other places under the protection of British Consular
officers, and post offices were opened at Bagdad and Basra in Turkish
Arabia in 1868.
Although all these post offices were primarily intended for the benefit
of political officers of the Government of India, they have proved
just as useful to the consular representatives of other European
nations and to the public, and there is no doubt that, by supplying
a commercial want, they gave a great impetus to trade in the Persian
Gulf region. For years there was no other local postal service worthy
of the name, and intercourse with the hinterland was entirely under
the control of the British Consular officers. In 1868 Turkish Arabia
was wholly dependent for regular communication with the outside world
on English enterprise. There were two mail routes from Bagdad, one to
Teheran via Kermanshah, a distance of 480 miles, and the other from
Bagdad to Damascus, 500 miles, in connection with the British Consulate
at the latter place and the route to England via Beyrout. A monthly
mail service was also maintained by the Government of India for the
convenience of the British Legation at Teheran and the Residency of
Bushire, the route lying through Shiraz and Ispahan, where British
agencies had been established, but no postage was charged on letters
despatched, as the line was kept up purely for political purposes. In
addition to this post the Indo-European Telegraph Department had a
weekly service from Bushire to Shiraz. These Persian lines were worked
partly by runners and partly by horsemen, and continued until the
Persian Government inaugurated its own service in 1877 and established
a weekly post between Bushire and Teheran.
The Turkish representative at the International Postal Congress held
at Berne in 1878 urged that all foreign post offices in the Ottoman
dominions should be suppressed, but the demand was rejected as it
involved a diplomatic question outside the province of the Congress.
In 1881 the Turkish Government established a dromedary post between
Bagdad and Damascus in opposition to the English consular overland
post and, after repeated representations on the part of the Ottoman
Government, the latter was abolished in 1886 after having been in
existence for upwards of a hundred years. In the following year the
Ottoman Government closed their own line, and the only direct route
left open to Europe was the Turkish post via Mosul on the Tigris to
Constantinople. When reporting the closing of the British desert post,
the British Consul-General at Bagdad asked the Postmaster-General in
London to warn the British public not to post anything of value by any
route other than the one from London to Bombay and thence by sea to
Basra and Bagdad, and the numerous complaints of the loss of parcels,
books and letters fully justified his want of confidence in the Ottoman
post.
The British post offices at Basra and Bagdad and the service by river
steamer between these two ports were subjected to marked hostility on
the part of the Turks, notwithstanding the continued efforts of the
British Consular officer to limit their functions. Competition with the
local Ottoman postal institutions was never aimed at, and Indian post
offices were primarily and chiefly maintained for Consular purposes
and located in the Consulate buildings. Local traders, however, were
not slow to discover the advantage of the safe transit offered by the
Indian mail service and the convenience of the parcel post system, but
their efforts to avoid payment of Customs dues on articles imported by
this means were frustrated at the outset by the British Consul-General
of Bagdad, Sir Arnold Kemball, who went so far as to suspend the
parcel traffic in the interests of the Turkish Government until the
latter could make adequate provision for Custom-House examination
and levying of dues on both import and export parcels. After various
methods of detecting and dealing with dutiable parcels had been
tried for many years, the system of handing over all inward parcels
received from the offices of exchange at Bombay, Karachi and Bushire
to the Turkish Customs at Bagdad and Basra with copies of the Customs
declarations and invoices received was adopted by the Consular post
offices, the addressees being required to take delivery at the Customs
House on presentation of a delivery order signed by the British-Indian
postmaster.
Anyone who has had experience of the vagaries of Turkish Customs House
officials can sympathize with people whose goods fell into their
hands. The smallest irregularity, however unintentional, detected
in a declaration or manifest could only be set right by the liberal
distribution of bribes. Woe betide the scrupulous owner or consignee
who declined to adopt such methods and decided instead to stand by
his rights and carry his complaint to higher authorities. The story
is told of a young missionary lady whose wedding outfit was packed
into a box which was taken in custody by a Turkish official and was
detained for the ostensible purpose of examination of the contents and
assessment of duty. The settlement of this knotty point proceeded in a
leisurely fashion for weeks, because the owner's conscience or purse
would not permit of her speedily clinching the matter by a suitable
payment. When the box was finally delivered the addressee found, to
her horror, that the wedding dress and other articles of her trousseau
bore unmistakable traces of having been worn. To add insult to injury,
the Customs authorities threatened to confiscate the goods, saying that
there was a prohibition against the importation of "worn clothes"!
There is no doubt that they had been freely used by the harem of some
Ottoman Customs official, as the curiosity of Turkish ladies regarding
the latest European fashions was notorious and could usually overcome
official scruples.
When the Inland Insurance system was introduced in India in 1877 it was
extended to the post offices in the Persian Gulf and Turkish Arabia.
The Insured Parcel Post was used largely by traders at Bagdad, Basra
and Bushire for the exportation of specie, and the total value insured
in 1882-83 amounted to over twenty-four lakhs of rupees. The pearl
merchants at Bahrain, which is the centre of the pearl fisheries in the
Gulf, availed themselves largely of the Insured Parcels Post for the
export of valuable parcels of pearls. Protests were soon lodged by the
British India Steam Navigation Company, which held the mail contract,
against this competition on the part of the Post Office on the ground
that it infringed their monopoly. They argued that the carriage of
specie and pearls was almost the sole source of profit from the Persian
Gulf service, and after a careful review of the whole question it was
decided in 1885 to abolish insurance of parcels and letters to and from
the British post offices in the Gulf and Turkish Arabia. This measure
resulted in a heavy loss in postal revenue, but was only fair to a
Company which had risked much in maintaining British trade relations
with that part of the world, and which has done more than any other to
throttle German competition.
The steamship companies employed to carry mails have all along had
to contend with serious difficulties at the Gulf ports. The original
mail service undertaken by the British India Steam Navigation Company
between Bombay and Basra, and by the Euphrates and Tigris Steam
Navigation Company between Basra and Bagdad, was a six-weekly one,
but a monthly service was arranged in 1866 and a fortnightly service
in 1870. From 1878 onwards mails were despatched weekly in both
directions, and this has been supplemented in recent years by a fast
service in connection with the English mail, the steamers calling only
at the principal intermediate ports. There were many obstacles to
speedy transit and delivery of mails, such as absence of lights and
buoys, want of harbour facilities at the Persian ports, difficulties
of navigation in the river Tigris during the dry season, obstruction
on the part of the authorities, especially the Turks, and difficulty
of obtaining regular labour at the various anchorages. At many places
the mail steamers have to anchor far out in the roadstead, and in rough
weather there is some risk and delay in landing and embarking mails.
The mail contract with the British India Steam Navigation Company
required that mails should be exchanged during daylight, and three
hours were specified for the purpose; but this condition could not
always be observed, and it was in the power of the local postmaster to
upset all arrangements. Unrest was a common feature of the political
life of these parts, especially when there was a change of Governors,
and the authorities were generally too feeble to cope with a rising
among the Arab or Persian tribes without the assistance of British
bluejackets or Indian troops, who were not always available on the
spot. At such times the Indian postmaster used to shut up his office
long before darkness set in and barricade himself and his mails in the
inner rooms of the building, so that the ship's mail officer arriving
at dusk had no easy task in getting access to him. On one occasion the
Political Resident of the Persian Gulf, whose word is law in these
regions, was a passenger by the mail steamer which arrived at a certain
port on a very sultry summer evening. Being anxious that the steamer
should sail to Karachi without unnecessary delay, he asked the captain
to expedite its departure, and the latter, who had previous experience
of the local post office, said that he had his doubts about receiving
the mails before morning, but promised to try his best, and went ashore
himself. Two hours later a message came to the ship asking for the
Political Resident's personal assistance, and there was nothing left
for the distinguished official to do but to go to the office himself.
He found the captain and his second officer pelting the roof of the
post office with stones, while from inside issued forth the vilest
abuse of all ships' captains and their relations, with threats to
report the attack to the Resident. The matter was eventually settled,
and the story is still told by all the natives with great gusto, as the
Eastern mind sees a special humour in the setting down of an important
official.
The Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation Company, owned by Messrs.
Lynch Brothers, during the many years of its existence was never able
to obtain permission from the Ottoman Government to run more than
two steamers between Basra and Bagdad. The distance is five hundred
miles, and, as the paddle-boats had occasionally to tie up during the
night when the river was low, it is not surprising that the weekly
mail service each way had no reputation for regularity. There were
several other causes which contributed to misconnection between these
boats and the ocean-going mail steamers of the British India Company.
The run from Basra to Bagdad and vice versa was usually accomplished
in five days, which left only two days at either end for loading and
unloading, cleaning and repairs of engines and other duties. If a
steamer reached port towards the end of the week, little or no work
could be done. Friday is a general holiday among the Turks and Arabs
who are Mohammedans, and the Customs House is kept closed; Saturday
is the Hebrew Sabbath, when Jews are absent from the wharves; while
Sunday is a _dies non_ with the Armenian Christians, who are among the
most important of the shippers. It was hard for an European merchant to
contend with such an accumulation of sacred days. He was willing to
keep open and work on every day of the week, but the susceptibilities
of the local population cannot be overridden. The Turkish Government
tried every conceivable method of hindering the enterprise of Messrs.
Lynch and Company, but their steamers continued to flourish and gain in
popularity, whereas the Ottoman line of steamers, established in 1867
under the auspices of the Government with the avowed object of smashing
the British line, failed to justify its existence. The Turkish steamers
were badly equipped and inefficiently controlled, and being always in
a state of dilapidation became a byword of reproach even among the
Turkish subjects of Mesopotamia. It was not surprising, therefore, that
overtures on the part of this Company to obtain the English contract
for the carriage of mails were never seriously considered. Apart from
the unreliability of the service, there were strong political grounds
for supporting the Company which had done so much under the British
flag to open up the commerce of Mesopotamia.
Originally the merchants at the intermediate river ports of Kurnah,
Kut and Amara, on the Tigris, were accustomed to post letters on the
river mail boats and the clerk on board acted as a sort of travelling
postmaster, but it was not long before the Turkish authorities raised
objections to this practice as an infringement of their postal rights,
notwithstanding that they had a concession of free carriage of
Turkish official correspondence through the British Post. After much
correspondence and discussion between the Indian Political and Postal
authorities it was decided not to allow the mail steamer to be used
as a post office. Consequently all letters posted on board were made
over to the Ottoman post offices, and this procedure was also followed
in respect of local postings in the British post offices at Basra and
Bagdad for all places in Turkish Arabia.
The purely Consular status of the Post Office in the Persian Gulf
region was shown by the fact that our mail bags for Bagdad were
always labelled "H.M.'s Consul-General, Bagdad," and those for Basra
directed to "H.M.'s Consul," special seals with the Royal Arms being
used. The British Indian postmasters at these places held no written
communication with Turkish officials, and the rule was that all such
correspondence should pass through the Consul or Consul-General.
Service privileged correspondence between Turkish Government
departments, if properly franked, was allowed to pass free of postage
through our post offices at Bagdad and Basra, and registered letters
or packets suspected to contain precious stones, jewellery and other
valuables liable to duty were transferred to the local Customs House.
The Indian Post Office in Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf was not
only the handmaiden of British commercial enterprise for many years,
but also helped in an unostentatious way to consolidate our position
and influence in those regions. Over thirty years ago a Persian Gulf
division was formed under the control of an European Superintendent
who had to supervise and visit the offices regularly. The postmasters
are either Indian Christians, Mohammedans or Hindus, and they are
invested by the backward and unenlightened inhabitants of the remote
Gulf ports with mysterious powers as the representatives of the great
Indian Government. Wild-looking Central Asian traders armed with dagger
and pistol, who bring down camel-loads of carpets, dried fruit and
other merchandise from the interior of Persia and the Mekran; courtly
and picturesque Arab horse-dealers who ship their thoroughbreds to
Bombay every year; sleek Persians in their sky-blue tunics; emancipated
negro slaves--all trust the postmaster in matters relating to their
private business as they would never trust one of their own kind. The
arrival of the weekly mail at a Persian Gulf port is like a festival.
The precincts of the post office are thronged with a large and motley
crowd drawn from all grades of the populace. Letters are delivered on
the premises on this day, and everyone who has any link with the outer
world is present on the off-chance of getting a communication through
the post. The postmaster or his munshi stands at an open window calling
out the addresses on the letters, the owners holding up their hands
when they hear their names called. Most letters are prefixed with the
word "Haji," which denotes that the recipients are good Mohammedans
who have made the pilgrimage to the Prophet's tomb at Mecca. The deep,
guttural Arabic or the soft Persian response is occasionally broken
by a reply in the more familiar Hindustani or Gujrati, for in each
Gulf port there is a small colony of Hindu traders from the West coast
of India, easily distinguishable by their alert and business-like
appearance. Women are conspicuous by their absence--more so, in fact,
than in other Eastern countries--but, after the crowd has dispersed, a
closely veiled and sheeted figure occasionally glides to the window and
in plaintive tones asks for some service, the performance of which she
must personally see to in the absence of her lord and master from home.
The Great War completely altered the conditions in Mesopotamia. In
consequence of the Turkish Government having ordered the closure of all
foreign post offices within their territory, the Indian post offices
at Bagdad and Basra were closed under protest on the 1st October, 1914.
The sub-postmaster, Basra, continued at work settling the affairs of
his office until the 27th October, 1914, and left for India next day,
whereas the Postmaster, Bagdad, was made a prisoner on the outbreak of
hostilities with Turkey on the 1st November, 1914, and the post office
property in his charge fell into the hands of the Turks.
The formal entry into Basra by British troops was made on the 23rd
November, 1914, and the postal service was undertaken by the Indian
Field Post Office. The service was developed and extended as the troops
advanced. A railway was constructed from Basra to Amara and from
Kut-el-Amara to Bagdad, and a regular mail service has been introduced
by river steamers between Amara and Kut-el-Amara. The transit time
of mails between Basra and Bagdad has thus been reduced to two days.
Excellent jetties have now been built at Basra, so that much time is
saved in loading and unloading mails, and, with well-equipped post
offices at all important places, the postal service of Mesopotamia has
become quite efficient.
Since the Armistice in 1918 the Indian Field Post Offices have been
gradually withdrawn and have been replaced by civil offices under
a Civil Director of Postal Services. The occupied territory in
Mesopotamia is known as Iraq, and Turkish postage stamps overprinted
with the words "Iraq under British Occupation" were introduced in 1918.
On the 1st May, 1919, the Military Director of Postal Services was
withdrawn and the postal administration of the country handed over to
the Civil Director, who is now an official of the Local Government.
A few Indian field post offices are still retained for the troops
stationed beyond the frontiers of Iraq, but these will be closed as
soon as military operations are finished.
The first Civil Director of the Post Office of Iraq was Mr. C. J. E.
Clerici, an officer of the Indian Establishment. Almost the whole staff
consists of men from the Post Office of India, and will continue to
do so until local men have been trained in postal work. Indian inland
postage rates were at first charged for correspondence exchanged
between India and Iraq, but from the 1st September, 1919, the British
Imperial foreign rates of postage were introduced. With the exception
of four post offices on the Persian Gulf--namely, Koweit, Abadan,
Mohammerah and Ahwaz, which are being administered by Iraq--the other
Indian post offices in the Persian Gulf area are still under the
control of the Post Office of India.
Such is the history of the establishment of the Indian Post Office in
Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf region. It began with the opening
of small offices for the British Consular Agencies and commercial
establishments of the East India Company. The public, however,
were not slow to take advantage of the means of communication thus
provided, and, despite the strenuous opposition of the Ottoman Empire,
a really efficient postal system was organized. The extension of
the Bagdad Railway, the Euphrates Valley irrigation project and the
opening of the Anglo-Persian oil field, whose pipe-line terminates
on the Shat-el-Arab, are the three great factors in the development
of Mesopotamia. This country already occupies a prominent place in
the affairs of the Empire, and, situated, as it is, on a main highway
between East and West, it is possible that the region, which was the
centre and cradle of the earliest civilization of the world, will
recover its old importance. When this has been achieved the Post Office
of India will always be able to look back with pride on the pioneer
work which it has done in its quiet, unassuming way during the past
half century.