Page 153 - PERSIAN 4 1899_1905

ADMINISTRATION REPORT

ON THE
PERSIAN GULF POLITICAL RESIDENCY

AND
MASKAT POLITICAL AGENCY
toe
1900-1903,

Part I.—GENERAL SUMMARY.
Rainfall and Harvest.—The rainy season of 1900-1901 set in early and l General#
the rainfall was at first satisfactory. There was, however, an unusually long
break in the rains during the months of January and February, and consider­
able ansiety was felt. Timely rain in March has much improved the pros­
pects, and it is now believed that the harvest will be a fair one. . The rainfall
in Busliirc during the season amounted to 8 inches 83 cents against 11* inches
21 cents in 1899-1900.
The embargo on the export of wheat was removed in July, but it was
re-imposed in November. At Mohammerah, however, and in the Karan dis­
tricts, the order of the Persian Government removing the embargo remained
a dead letter in so far as European firms were concerned, the Shaikh of Moham­
merah, acting, as he said, under the orders of the Governor-General of Arabistan,
refusing to allow exports to be made. Native dealers, however, managed suc­
cessfully to evade the embargo. The harvest of 1900 having been a good one
throughout Southern Persia, the embargo was quite unnecessary, and the policy
of the Persian Government in allowing it to remain in force must necessarily
put a stop to the increase of cultivation and seriously interfere with the develop­
ment of trade.
The Governorship of Bushire.—The Darya Begi has held the Governor­
ship of Busbiro throughout the year. lie has, it is understood, been confirmed
in tbe appointment for the coming year. His Excellency was presented with
. a sword of honour by the Government of India in recognition of the services
rendered by him on the occasion of the murder of Mr. Graves. The presenta­
tion was made by the Resident on the 4th June, In the month of December
His Excellency received a Russian decoration.
Rublic Reace and Tranquillity.—The year under review was a fairly
tranquil one. At the beginning of tbe year it was feared that the assumption
of the Customs management at the various Gulf Ports by the Belgian Adminis­
tration might give rise to trouble, but, so far as Bushire was concerned,
beyond tbe closing of the shops for a few days and the abstention of native
merchants from business for a short while, no excitement was manifested, and
business soon resumed its normal course. At the other Gulf Ports no trouble
was experienced.
At the end of May another murder was committed at Bushire near the
Telegraph offices. The man killed was a Persian subjeot and a relation of
Mahmud, the Jamadar of tbe Telegraph Department, The perpetrators of the
crime have not, so far as is known, been brought to justice. On the 81st-
August a serious outrage was committed at the British Residency at 8&bs&-
bad. In the middle of the night a patty of men surrounded the Residenoy
and commenced a fusillade. The firing lasted only, a few minutes, and fortu­
nately occasioned no loss of life, although thero must undoubtedly have been
i