国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

adopt an obstructive attitude. The objection raised to my entry into Chinese
Turkistān was removed through the intercession of Sir Miles Lampson. But
obstruction was subsequently continued by means of dilatory tactics on the part
of the provincial authorities and evasive proceedings at Nanking. An account of
the difficulties put in the way of useful work has been furnished by me in a
letter published in The Times of July 16th, 1931. As it is reproduced below in
Appendix B, I content myself here with quoting its last paragraph:²

'Perhaps the time may not be too distant when competent Chinese scholars
will be prepared to recognize that researches bearing on the cultural past of
their country have suffered by the obstacles which unjustified agitation has
raised against continued work of a confrère who has done as much as any one
to throw light on the great and beneficent part played by ancient China in the
history of Central Asia.'

Recognizing the serious loss of time and effort involved in further struggle
against systematic obstruction, I had, by March 1931, while making my way
once more round the Tārīm basin, taken initial steps towards the realization of
an alternative plan, kept in view from the first. This contemplated archaeological
explorations in south-eastern Īrān. Their chief object was to extend the
operations by which I had, in the cold weather seasons of 1926–7 and 1927–8,
succeeded in tracing and examining many ancient sites, mainly prehistoric,
widely scattered through British Balūchistān and Makrān, into neighbouring
regions of southern Persia.³ There was reason to hope that researches con-
ducted on similar lines in parts of Īrān, as yet little known in their antiquarian
and geographical aspects, might throw further light on the character and relation
of those prehistoric civilizations of which my preceding explorations had brought
to light plentiful relics between the south-eastern border of Persia and the hill
tracts overlooking the Indus Valley.

My application, intended to secure from His Iranian Majesty's Government
the desired permission and facilities, specially indicated the need of trial excava-
tions. It also contained the request that, subject to the conditions laid down in
the recent law concerning antiquities in Īrān as regards the ultimate disposal of
finds, permission might be granted for the temporary transfer to London of all
objects recovered in the course of trial excavations for the purpose of their
detailed examination there within reasonable limits of time. On the recom-
mendation of Sir Evelyn Howell, then Foreign Secretary to the Government