Page 119 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

POLITICAL RESIDENCY FOR 1000-1007. 17
of office waB passed, firstly in dislodging the Sardar-i-Akram, ex-Vazier of Fare,
other followers and the family of Prince Shuaa*-ul-Sultanch ; secondly in ^ the
endeavour to Bct.tle the burning question at issue between His Highness Shuaa’-ul-
Sultanch and the people of Fars regarding certain Crown lands—including as
was contended the main bazaar of Shiraz — purchased by the Prince from the
Shah in 1005.
It was not till 7th April that His Highness’s family left Shiraz for Tehran.
On the same date the Sardar-i-Akram quitted the town. The question regarding
the lands in Fars, claimed by the Prince to have been acquired by him, continued
to rage till the autumn, giving rise in its course to the first of a series of drama­
tic appeals by the Persian people to representatives of His Majesty’s Govern­
ment.
In June this question had reached white heat. On 9th June a body of 300 to
400 inhabitants of Shiraz including a large number of Persian notables and mer­
chants entered the Residency gardens and announced their intention of remaining
in “ bast ” till their grievances were redressed, and definite assurances given to them
through His Majesty’s Legation that Prince Shuaa’-ul-Sultaneh would neither
return to Fars or continue to hold land there. The crowd of “ bastis ” which was
estimated at times to number abotft 1,000, continued to occupy the Residency
garden till 21st June, on the evening of which they withdrew, ostensibly at the
command of Mirza Ibrahim, only partially re-assured by the news conveyed to
them from His Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires that Ala-ud-Dowleh had been appointed
Governor-General of Fars with full powers to deal with the question of Prince
Shuaa’-ul-Sultaneh’s properties in Fars.
Ala-ul-Dowleh, who reached Shiraz on the 4th July, acclaimed by a show of
popular enthusiasm, found himself burdened with the difficult task of acting as an
arbitrator between the people of Fars and Prince Shuaa’-ul-Sultaneh, the favourite
son of Mozuffer-ud-din Shah. The Royal rescript which His Excellency exhibited
conferring on him full powers to settle this question was destined to be rendered
almost a dead letter by the intrigues of the Prinoe and his followers in Tehran and
in Fars.
At the outset however, on 10th July, he was able to announce to the people
of Shiraz that His Majesty the Shah had been graciously pleased to renounce all
claim to the Bazaar-i-Vakil, which was to remain, as before, the property of the
numcrou6 private individuals who claimed a vested interest in it.
The five months of Ala-ul-Dowleh’s administration were spent, chiefly in
ncgociations to bring about an equitable settlement of the grievances of the people
of Fars; partly in the endeavour to re-establish a semblance of order on the
Bushire road where brigandage combined with the exactions and insolence of the
road-guards had created a most unsatisfactory state of things.
In both these difficult questions His Excellency was partially successful.
Espousing the cause of the people against the Prince, he exposed the fraud and
oppression practised by the Sardar-i-Akram, ex-Vazier of Fars, and other
followers of His Highness. His efforts paved the way to a subsequent arrange­
ment by which the lands purchased by the Prince reverted to the Crown.
Under his administration, the Bushire and other roads enjoyed for a time a
measure of security.
A Persian of the old school, with, at heart, a distrust and a dislike for all
foreigners, Ala-ul-Dowleh displayed at the outset a strong personal hostility to
His Majesty’s Consul, and it required much patience and long endeavours to win
him over to the very friendly attitude which he eventually assumed.
The intrigues of Prince Shuaa’ul-Sultaneh and his personal influence with the
Shah, his father, led to the recall to Tehran about mid-November of Ala-ul-Dowleh.
His recall gave rise to a somewhat theatrical display of popular feeling in his favour
The masses, not unprompted, as may be surmised, surrounded the palace * the
clergy and notables mounted guard over the person of the Governor-General declar­
ing that they would not allow him to quit Shiraz. At one moment it seemed there
would be another popular movement in the direction of His Majesty’s Consulate.
After three or four days spent in the exchange of telegrams between Tehran
and Shiraz, Ala-ul-Dowleh, on the receipt of a peremptory message from the Shah,
rode off about midnight between the 20th and 21st November with a few Mlowen?