Page 108 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

6 REVIEW BY THE POLITICAL RESIDENT IN THE PKR8IAN CULT.

Residency at Bush ire, representations which have had the hearty co-operation of
the local Customs authorities, the levies have one by one been removed
The great “ Rahdnri ” grievance however still continues unremedied on the
trade routes.
The one or two political difficulties connected with the Henjam-Bunder
Abbas Cable, which were mentioned last year as outstanding between ourselves
and the Persian Government, remained much where we left them.
It is true that in the matter of the location of the Cable-House local difficulties
continued for some months owing to the aggressive tactics of Monsieur Stas
Director of Customs, who appeared to have fallen completely undeT the influ­
ence of the Russian Consul, but in December Monsieur Stas was transferred
and he having replaced by a more friendly official the matter has since rested
in peace so far as the local officials are concerned.
Meanwhile the Tehran authorities have been so much engrossed with
affairs nearer home, and His Majesty’s Government with the Anglo-Russian
negociations, that such inconvenient local problems as these connected with the
Henjam Telegraph Station and the Bunder Abbas Cable-House have for the
time been laid aside.
No inconvenience accrues to British interests from this delay in settlement,
as in the meanwhile we have all the use from the Cable that we need for our own
purposes, and the Henjam difficulties are for the present quiescent.
The progress of the Anglo-Russian negotiations and the desire of both Gov­
ernments that they should not be made more difficult by the incidence of fric­
tion between any of their local representatives in Persia has apparently had
little influence on the attitude of the Russian representative at Bunder Abbas,
who seems unable to throw off the strong anti-English propensities which
he displayed in former years at Bu shire and in which he has indulged unceasingly
since his return to the Persian Gulf. His unfriendly tactics have been specially
manifested in connection with Quarantine, and with the Cable-House Question
above mentioned, and also by the employment of several shady characters on
errands oi espionage, both upon his British Colleague personally and in other
directions further afield.
It is to be hoped however that the imminent conclusion of the agreement
will have the effect of placing a check on Monsieur Owseenko’s amenities or of
bringing about hL> transfer to some other sphere of usefulness.
VL—PERSIAN MEfCRAN COAST.
Owing to the difficulties under which the central and provincial Governments
were labouring in connection with the Shah’s demise and the spread of the national
movement, it was not possible to arrange thi3 year for the usual Border meeting for
the settlement of cases with Persian subjects arising in the jurisdiction of the
Political Officer, Mekran Coast, and the report of this section for the year calls
for little comment except as regards the Arms Traffic which unfortunately flour­
ished exceedingly, in 3pite of the efforts of His Majesty’s ships in patrolling the
Coast and in endeavouring to cut off consignments on their way from Maskat.
This year again they received the utmost co-operation from Mr. R. New, the Assis­
tant Superintendent of the Jask Division of the Telegraph Department, bat it
was found impossible to circulate news in time, and no luck attended their efforts;
meanwhile the smugglers pursued their vocation with undaunted boldness.
A clever capture of a large caravan by Baluchistan levies near Robat
just after the close of the year was a very satisfactory piece of news, but beyond
making the Afgans careful to avoid passing through an acre of British territory
it is unlikely to have any permanent effect in discouraging the trade. This ques­
tion is fast increasing in moment and urgency, but little improvement is appa­
rently to be looked for pending the meeting of the contemplated Internatio
Conference during the coming year.

VIL—MASKAT.
bin Suweflim, whose useful
T!»^ treacherous murder of Shaikh Suleiman a serious blow
services were sympathetically referred to in last year's review, is at the
to the Sultan’s interests. His ajsaasinari'ui caused much perturbation
while the
time, and His Highness even appears to have contemplated for a