The Parliamentary paper in which the text of the Anglo-
Russian Convention is published also contains an important, despatch from Sit- Edward Grey to Sir A. Nicolson, in which it is explained that no mention of the Persian Gulf is made in the Convention because the arrangement is limited to the regions of Persia touching the frontiers of Britain and Russia.: The Persian Gulf is not part of those regions, and is only partly in,Persian territory. The despatch continues :—" His Majesty's Government have reason to believe that this question will not give rise to difficulties between the two Governments should developments arise which make further discussion affecting British interests in the Gulf necessary. For the Russian Government have in the course of the negotiations leading up to the conclusion of this Arrangement explicitly stated that they do not deny the special interests of Great Britain in the Persian Gulf—a statement of which His Majesty's Government have formally taken note. In order to make it quite clear that the present Arrangement is not intended to affect the position in the Gulf, and does not imply any change of policy respecting it on the part of Great Britain, His Majesty's Government think it desirable to draw attention to previous declarations of British policy, and to reaffirm generally previous statements as to British interests in the Persian Gulf and the importance of maintaining them. His Majesty's Government will continue to direct all their efforts to the preservation of the status quo in the Gulf and the maintenance of British trade; in doing so, they have no desire to exclude the legitimate trade of any other Power." We allude elsewhere to the character of the "previous declara- tions" of British policy in the Persian.Gulf.
