Page 545 - PERSIAN 4 1899_1905

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RESIDENCY AND MASKAT POLITICAL AGENCY FOR THE YEAR 1004*1005.
epidemic, tlic innumerable dead wero in many cases only superficially buried,
Ihcro is some reason to fear that the coming hot weather may see a recruaesoonce.
On receipt of reports from His Majesty’s Consul pointing to the urgent
need of the Shiraz community for the ministrations of a European doctor,
the services of the Residency Surgeon, Bushire, with the concurrence of the
Government of India and JLlis Majesty’s Minister, were spared for duty there,
and assisted hy Ilis Majesty’s Consul and other European residents, he rendered
such devoted 6orvioc to the stricken community os the prejudices of the latter
would allow them to accept.
Two Europeans succumbed, one of them Mr. Van JLennep, the able and
respected representative of the Imperial Dank of Persia.
Captain Condon’s deputation at this critical time was only rendered
possible by the continued immunity enjoyed by Bushire itself. Though, as
before stated, the disease had evidently cnteied Ears through some of the small
ports to the north or south of Bushirc, and although the neighbouring villages of
Tangistan and Dashtistan were one after another infected, the port of Bushire
continued to enjoy a phenomenal immunity, only one authentic case being
discovered. This, 1 consider, must be attributed to two causes: firstly, the
timely and effective arrangements instituted by the Residency Surgeon as Chief
Sanitary Officer for Bushire and the Gulf ports, assisted by the Customs
Administration, and, secondly, to the natural advantages which Busliire possesses
for resisting the ingress of epidemic disease, by which I mean its peninsular
formation and the character of its water-supply, both of which render the
locality a comparatively easy one to handle and protect.
In July the epidemic spread to the ports of the Trucial Chiefs, and for two
months raged with considerable severity. It is computed that as many as 8,000
persons succumbed within their collective jurisdictions between July and
September, when the disease gradually died out.
Administration of Customs in the Persian Gidf.— During the year under
report the operations of the Imperial Customs Administration have been
extended and developed. Several new po>ts have been inaugurated and the
local influence of the Belgian officials of the department, wherever they are,
has been much augmented by the recent introduction of an arrangement under
which they are entrusted with the disbursement of the salaries of the local
Persian officials.
Among the new Customs posts opened since the issue of the Rfcglement
Douanier tho^e at the islands of Kharagand Hen jam deserve special mention.
The Arab inhabitants of the latter islands, whose place of primary origin is
Debai and other parts of the Trucial Coast, have shown the greatest resentment
to an innovation which they regard as a significant encroachment upon their
time-honoured privileges as a semi-independent Arab community, and were it
not for the revival of the British Telegraph Station on the island (outside
the immediate precinct* o* which tho Customs official hardly dares set foot), it
would probably be impossible for him to remain at his post at all.
The following interesting episode in connection with the institution of
Customs posts and Guards on certain of these islands is worth recording.
Monsieur Dambrain, Director-General of the Customs of the Bouth,
proocodrd on tour in the Customs Steamer Mutaffer at the end of last year’
and or. his return to Bushire early in April 1904, it transpired that he had
landed Customs Guards on the islands of Sirri, Abu Musa and 'l amb, and that
in the case of the last two mentioned he had taken the extreme measure of
hauling down the Jowasmi flags of the Sheikh of Shargah’s representatives
and had hoisted the Persian flag in their place.
The R. L M. S. Lawrence, which had been despatched to the islands for
the purpose, having verified the reports originally received, the Government of
India and His Majesty's Minister at Tehran were informed of what had
oocarrcd, and the ultimate result was that the Persian flags on Tamb and Abn
Musa were removed by the Persian Government themselves and the Jowasmi
rT!^i-a?dJul «nPl<*sant incident was thus avoided. As regards the
umu ®uls wugh tae uUe of the Shah’s Government to place
their