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tion of grain was unchecked. Her Majesty’s Chargd d'Affaires accordingly
induced the Persian Government to withdraw the embargo on the following con­
ditions :—
(i) That the amount of grain exported monthly was to be reported to
the Persian authorities and registered by them.
(a) That 40 days’ notice was to be given when it was intended again to
prohibit the export.
(3) That export was only to be allowed from Bushire, Bandar Abbas and
Bandar Rig, and that no export would be allowed under any
circumstances after the 40 days in the event of an embargo being
again laid on the export.
623. The Governor of Bushire, however, supplemented these orders of the
Shah’s Government by a prohibition of his own that no more than 7 or 8,000
bags of com were to be exported monthly.
624. When these restrictions were brought to the notice of Her Majesty’s
Chargd d’Affaires, Mr. R. Thomson, the latter wrote to the Moatemid-ul-Mulk,
who replied that the Provincial Governor was better able to judge of the resources
of his Province than anybody else and that the amount of grain (8,000 bags)
which was permitted to be exported was not small.
625. The Chargd d’Affaires then wrote saying that there were the following
grounds of complaint against the Fars authorities:—
(1) That they had illegally seized and detained Messrs. Paul, Gray and
Company’s wheat-cleaning machines.
(2) That they had interfered with foreign trade without the sanction of
the Supreme Government.
(3) That they had illegally attempted to regulate the amount of grain to
be exported.
(4) That they had closed the port of Bandar Rig to British merchants.
626. On receipt of this letter, Moatemid-ul-Mulk issued orders to the
Governor of Fars forhidding him to restrict the amount of grain exported and to
prevent British merchants purchasing grain at Bandar Rig, provided they exported
it via Bushire.
627. From further correspondence it was found that the export duty of
5 per cent, at Bandar Rig was a local import, which went into the pockets of the
local chief ; that formerly this payment exempted the exporters from fresh pay­
ment of duty at Bushire in case the grain was brought there for export; that the
new arrangement involved payment at Bushire of the duty formerly paid at
Bandar Rig with the result that the farmer would benefit thereby, and the Shaikof
Bandar Rig would try to make up for the loss by some other impost, which would
practically put a stop to the export of grain from that place.
. 628. Further the Governor of Bushire, ignoring the orders from Tehran,
again intimated to the Resident his intention of restricting the amount of grain
exported by British merchants to 4,000 mans a month on the ground that there
was scarcity in Bushire.

Prohibition of export of grain in 1889.
629. On the 22nd April 1889 the British Minister telegraphed to the Resi­
dent that on account of scarcity the export
External A., June 18S9, Nos. 53*61.
of grain was prohibited from the south.
The British merchants at Bushire protested against this prohibition without
notice, stating that grain was plentiful and that they held considerable quantities.
On the representation of the British Minister, Amin-ul-Mulk directed the Gov­
ernor of Bushire not. to interfere with the export of grain purchased before the
prohibitory order was issued.