Page 148 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

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ADMINISTRATION REPORT OP THE PERSIAN GULF

CHAPTER IV.—KERMAN POLITICAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR
1906-1907.

Colonel Stewart was His Britannic Majesty’s Consul from the 1st of April to
the 13th October 1906. when he was succeeded by Major Ducat who continues to
hold the post.
The Russian Consulate was in charge of Mr. Adamoff throughout the year.
The Farman Farma was Governor-General of Kerman and Persian Baluchistan
with his son, the Nasrat-ud-dowleh, as Deputy Governor until the 16th February
1906, when he was summoned to Tehran and appointed Minister of Justice. The
Kasrat-ud-Dowleh was the appointed Governor-General with the Salar-i-Mansur
as Advisor, but the latter refused to accept the somewhat invidious post, and the
Nasrat-ud-Dowleh was lea in sole charge. The Adil-us-Saltaneh was appointed
Deputy Governor. The Government practically remained in the hands of the
Farman Farma, who was in constant communication by wire with the Nasrat-ud-
Dowleh.
In the month of April 1906 a British Vice-Consul, Lieutenant Ogilvie, was
appointed to Bam and arrived there in June 1906. He remained there till the end
of the year.
The Akhram-us-Mulk, who was Karguzar at the beginning of the year, was
transferred to Seistan in January 1907. The Itt-ala-ud-Dowleh had been appointed
Karguzar. but owing to the opposition of the Farman Farma had not taken
up the post of Kaiguzar. but had been appointed Chief Justice instead. As this new
post was still more unpalatable to the Farman Farma and the Ikram-ul-Mulk
was not allowed to stay, he got the Ittala-ud-Dowleh appointed Karguzar
instead. The latter was foolish enough to try at first to hold both posts and put
himself in opposition to the Fannan Farma and Nasrat-ud-Dowleh who was by the
time Governor-General The Farman Farma thereupon brought about his
dismissal and he was recalled to Tehran. The Karguzari office was left in
charge of Mirza Habibuilah Khan, the head clerk, for the rest of the year.
Under the firm rule of the Fannan Farma the district was unusually quiet
and the year was fortunately uneventful. The only serious disturbance occurred
in Baluchistan in the month of February 1907 when Ibrahim Khan, who had re­
purchased his ancestral fort at Sarju, successfully defended it against the Governor
of Baluchistan, who had unjustly sold it again. A Persian Sartip and a few local
levies were killed and about twenty of the levies wounded. The Persian Governor
retired and Ibrahim Khan ha& since been left in triumphal possession.
The events in Tehran and the struggle between the Shah and the Majlis roused
very little interest in Kerman. The death of the late Shah luckily caused no
local disturbance. The most influential Mullah preached to the people advising
them to remain quiet and mourn publicly for His late Majesty. The people of
Kerman thereupon went into mourning for Muzaffar-ud-Din Shah while his own
sons were attending school as usual and his capital going about its business as if
nothing had happened.
The attempted founding of the National Bank caused certain amount of
interest and talk, but nothing more. Money was promised by a number of people,
but none was, or is ever likely to be paid.
The elections of members for the Tehran Majlis were held in January and
February, but there was very little enthusiasm and no serious disturbance over
them.
A local Majlis was established in January and held a few meetings witiicm
any results and then adjourned to await the arrival of the Nizamnamah from
Tehran.