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1872, and that the local authorities were informed of this appointment in
September 1873, that nothing beyond the ordinary commission fees had been
paid to the Prince Governor and his subordinates.
452. On the 22nd January 1875 Colonel Ross addressed a letter on the
whole case to Mr. Thomson, stating, with regard to the pressure put upon
Muhammad Baker to sign the bill of sale, that whatever coercion had been used,
must heve been employed by the Foreign Agent himself, but the latter in a
letter to the Resident, dated 3rd June 1871, had distinctly denied that any
oppression had been exercised towards Agha Muhammad Hassan, whose treatment
seemed to be the ground for the statement that Muhammad Baker had signed
the bill of sale under coercion.
453. This was further disproved by the evidence of the Assistant Resident
and by a document obtained by Abboo Nubbee from the principal persons who
were witnesses to the execution of the bond, to the effect that no compulsion
had been used.
454. With regard to the charge of bribery, Colonel Ross explained that,
though he could speak with confidence on such a subject, he believed that fees
of some sort were given, but this
11 is the invariable custom in this part of Persia when such transactions take place, and
would scarcely be cited except for party purposes ”
It may be noticed that Hajee Nubbee Khan stated that these fees amounted
only to 10 or 12 tomans, while he gave the Foreign Agent himself 200 tomans.
455. Colonel Ross was of opinion that the injury to Hajee Nubbee Khan had
been planned by the Foreign Agent deliberately; he was well aware of the position
the former held, and if he succeeded in his object, “ it is to be expected that
parties in our employ will be made to suffer in property and position.”
456. The correspondence between the Resident in the Persian Gu.f and
Her Majesty’s Minister at Tehran
Political A., August 1876, Nos. 35*41.
on the subject resulted in the issue of an
order, dated 24th March 1875, from the latter to the Persian Foreign Office
Agent at Bushire, directing him to make over the house to its “ former owner.”
The Foreign Office Agent however declined to act at once on this order pretend­
ing ignorance as to whether the words “former owner” applied to Hajee
Muhammad Baker or to Hajee Abdool Nubbee. He therefore telegraphed
to Tehran for precise orders on the point, and was of course informed in reply,
dated 19th April, that the house was to be given to Hajee Abdool Nubbee.
A correspondence on the subject then ensued between the Foregin Office Agent
and the Assistant Resident, and it was not till the 21st of April that the claimant
was placed in undisputed possession of his property : and when he did proceed to
take it over it was found that the delay caused by the Foreign Office Agent’s
reference to Tehran as to the mcening of the words “ former owner” had been
utilized to throw the house into a ruinous condition. The wooden fixtures such
as doors and screens had been removed; the verandahs had been demolished;
and altogether damage to the extent of 730 krans worth had been committed.
Further, the Foreign Office Agent when informing Hajee Abdool Nubbee of the
order from Tehran gratuitously insulted him by hinting that his son associated
with disreputable persons. He moreover encouraged the original owner, Hajee
Muhammad Baker, and his family to make the house untenable by giving
annoyance to any party when Hajee Abdool Nubbee might place therein.
457. Colonel Ross in reporting the above occurrences to Her Majesty’s
Minister at Tehran remarked that the whole proceedings of the Foreign Agent had
apparently been prompted by personal animosity towards Hajee Abdool Nubbee,
and not by any wish to be offensive to the local British authorities. He how­
ever added that it was extremely desirable that the Foreign Office Agent should
be given to understand that he must be more careful in his actions towards per­
sons under the protection of the British Government. Finally, Colonel Ross
stated that it appeared to him appropriate that Mirza Muhammad Khan should
be made to pay the value of the damage done to Hajee Abdool Nubbee’s house
by his instigation or with his connivance.
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