Page 12 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

2 ADMINISTRATION REPORT ON THE PERSIAN GULF POLITICAL
Other features of the year’s history which stand in relief are :
In the Persian sphere, the upheaval at Shiraz resulting in a determined
and eventually successful revolutionary
Disturbance* at Bbirax.
movement of tho people of Shiraz, and of
Fars generally, against the unconscionably corrupt and unscrupulous adminis­
tration of His Imperial Highness the Shoa-es-Sultan oh, tho second and favourite
son of His Majesty the Shah.
Similarly on the Arab side the Nejd arena has been a scone of continual
strife between the Wahabi and Shammar
Btrifu io Nejd.
Chieftains, aggravated by the persistent
interference of the Porte, and, perhaps fortunately, terminating a few days
after the clrse of the year in the death of Abdul Aziz bin Rashid at the bauds
of his Wahabi rival. This disturbance of the balance of power is likely to
have an important effect on the political situation in Arabia, which is pregnant
with possibilities.
The remaining salient themes of general • interest are more profitable to
treat of, and include the following:
The meeting of the Hague Tribunal in August 1905 for the adjudication
of the French Flag case, and the delivery
French Flag.
by them of an award which has fully
vindicated our attitude towards the policy of the French Government in regard
to the grant of their flag to Arab dhows, and which, if legally interpreted,
will give His Highness the Sultan and ourselves all that we could reasonably
expect to achieve from the International Court.
The D’Arcy Oil Concession in the territories of the Bakhtyari Khans.
Tnis Syndicate having for the time beiug
Oil Co&cctiion.
relinquished their borings near Kasr-i-
Shirin under Kermanshah, transferred their chief attention to Southern
Arabistan, and with the assistance of Mr. J. R. Preece, C.M.G., British CodsuI-
General at Ispahan, were able in October 1905 to conclude a working agreement
with the Bakhtyari Khans for the inception of operations in their territory.
It would he premature at present to hazard any prognostications, as to the
probable future of this concession; suffice to say at present that the promoters
are taking all possible measures to push their work forward.
In order that Government might have expert information in regard to
the features of the scheme recommended
The Earao Irrigation Scheme.
by Mr. Van Roggen, the Dutch Engineer,
who, as mentioned in last year’s Report, had been commissioned to explore the
tract on behalf of the Persian Government, the Government of India depat©!
Major W. R. Morton, R.E., early in 1905 to report upon the scheme. This
officer has since been occupied in rnakiu? an exhaustive eramrnanon of the
irrigable region and had not nearly concluded his labours by the end of the
year.
The arms traffic from Maskat to the Persian littoraL This organised
industry in contraband arms ^ unfor*
Lrmt
tuna tel y continued to flourish during the
year, but energetic action was taken to combat it. A panic was for some time
created by one of His Majesty’s ships which was on special duty for several
weeks, cruising between Maskat and Mekran, and towards the close of the year
Captain F. McConaghey, Assistant Political Agent at Panjgur, was specially
deputed to travel through the districts interested in the smuggling and to make
a thorough investigation of the ramifications of the trade ; as well as to confer
with a Persian official appointed for the purpose as to the measures wbic
might be possible to put it down. Mr. R. New, Assistant Superintendent m
charge of the Jask-Gwadur Section of the Telegraphs, also furnished valuable
reports on the hinterland traffic in the course of a journey of inspection
between Jask and Gwadur. We shall soon have complete information as to
tbe modus operands and routes followed by the smugglers; and shall then be
in a better position to organise effective measures to cope with the eriL