Page 312 - Gulf Precis (VI)_Neat

280 Part IV-
u to authoriseliim to sco, According to the principio observed at Lucknow in all eases of
guaranteed pensions, that the money in question is expended agreeably to tho intention of the
royal donor, that i<, in eleemosynary grants and religious attendance, and not in political
excitement or militaiy corruption j and to givo the Political Agent a discretionary power in
emergent eases to suspend payment altogether."
4. On this letter Lord Dalliousie noted as follows : —
“ Tho Resident lui6 no right to exercise any supervision at all. The money was left by will to
these priests, and we have no power or control over it. 1 would not correspond through Colon* !
llawlinson. I would ask the Court to ascertain distinctly which of the two courses is prcleired
by the Minister at Constantinople through Her Majesty's Foreign Secretary. It should Le
clearly pointed out that we have no right to control the money."
5. A dospatoh in Ibis spirit was addressed to the Court, who, on the
17th August, replied by forwarding copy of a despatch from Colonel Hose,
Cliargd d’AUaires at Constantinople, in which that officer expressed entire
concurrence in Sir 11. llawliusou’s views, adding that it was necessary
to the maintenance of good relations with Turkey to take the means of revolt and
intrigue out of the hands of its sectarian opponents, tho Shiah fanatics. Upon
receipt of these instructions tho Government of India cancelled tho original
arrangement, made the money payable openly from the Baghdad treasury, and
authorised the Political Agent to exercise “a judicious supervision over the
expouditure.” These orders were issued on the 8th October 1852, and havo
continued in forco ever since.
6. Tho Nawab Ikbal-ud-dowlnli submitted in 1866 an application to the
Secretary of State in which he complained that the money paid to tho priests
of tho two shrines, instead of being devoted to the relief of indigent Indian pil­
grims and devotees, was diverted to the benetit of tho priests’ own friends and
relatives, Arabs and Persians, in alUuent circumstances. Ho suggested as tho
justest course of all, that
“ this alms 6hould altogether be withheld from Arabia and be expended in India, especially in
the pioviuco of Oudh, as being originally Oudh money ; for which reason it ought to be
disbursed there—nay, it should be restricted to the poor persons of the Royal family of Oudh."
7. In case, however, the Government of India should eonsidor itself bound
to carry out the obligation it undertook from King Ghazi-ud-din llyder, lie
recommonded as tho next best arrangement, that the fund should bo distributed
over the following objects:—
1. Tho maintenance of poor Mujawurs resident at the shrines.
2. The relief of poor Indian pilgrims, with a preference to natives of
Oudh.
e 3- The burial of pilgrims dying in Turkish Arabia, and the support of
their widows and orphans.
4. Tho construction of rest-houses and hospitals at the places most resorted
to by pilgrims.
6. The establishment of schools and orphanages for Indian children.
8. The machinery he suggested for giving effect to these plans was a com­
mittee composed of the most respectable resident Indians, who, under the absolute
control of the Political Agent, should supervise the distribution of the money
in fitting proportions for the several objects.
9. The Secretary of Stato forwarded tho Nawab Ikbal-ud-dowlali’s applica­
tion to Sir A. Kemhall, who submitted it to
Political A., Jnnusry 1608, Noi. 112-114,
the Government of India with his observa­
tions. The Government of India addressed then the following despatch to the
Secretary of Slate (No. 131, dated 7th August 1867)
The Political Agent for Turkish Arabia has forwarded, for our infoimation, copy of a
correspondence which recently passed between himself and ller Majesty's Under Secretary of
Stute for India on the subject of certain reforms which the Nawab ]kbal-ud-l)owla desires to
bare introduced in the distribution of the money which the Government of India, in fulfil­
ment of an obligation incurred to King Gha/i-ud-din llyder in lbilG, pays from the
Baghdad Treasury to the Shiah Shrine® at Kcrbelkh and Najaf.