Page 241 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

AND THE MASKAT POLITICAL AGENCY FOR THE YEAR 1007-1000. 57
On tho 1st July Salar-cd-Douleh loft Kormnnsbah for Tehran accom­
panied by Saif-od-Doulch, the Governor, and Znhir-ed-Douleh, Governor of
Hamadan, was appointed to act in the latter’s place.
Zahir-ed-Doulch had arrived on tho 20th June as Commissioner to
enquire into tho state of affairs at Kcrmnnshah. On the evening of his
arrival ho came to the Consulate to see the refugees hut did not come up to
visit me as lie did not. wish to meet. Salar-ed-Dowleh. He persuaded Agha
Mahommed Mohdi and others t*> leave tho Consulate and then went to the
Telegraph Office, where certain of the aristocratic party had taken “bast**
and induced them also to go to their homes.
Having accomplished this he telegraphed to Tehran that not a soul was
left in “ hast ” in either places. This was a piece of oriental phraseology for
as a matter of faet the whole of tho heads of the various trades and their
followings, being about three-fourths of tho total refugees, refused to leave till
they had received some pledge through me aud did not quit the Consulate
till two days later.
Tl>us the refugees having left on the morning of tho 22nd June and
Salar-ed-Douleli on the evening of the same day, I was considerably freer
than I had been for some time past.
Zahir-ed-Douleh was now confirmed in his appointment. He told me
that when he visited Salar-ed-Douleh’s camp the latter had not above 1,000
men, badly armed and clothed, some even without, either arms or clot hie g.
His Imperial Highness was apparently a great, believer in blulf in which he
succeeded to a certain degree. He gave out that he had 10,00o men with
him in the hills and I do not think that even the i’ersians knew quite how
many men could be raised in l.uristan. Sa'ar’s object was not to fight but
either to frighten his brother iuto giving him the governorships which he
wanted or else to attract to his standard the local tribes and thus increase his
strength to the point icqulred before taking the field. The chief mi'take he
made was in that he imagined that his personality attracted others like that of
Napoleon or Nadir Shah, to both of whom he frequently compared himself,
lie had correctly gauged the political situation, he knew that the Shah would
not deal fairly with the Constitution and that there would be great distrust of
him ; he therefore proposed himself taking tho side of the Constitution and so
gaining the people’s affection for himself. Had he had another character,
had he been of a more honest nature there is little doubt that he would have
had an opportunity which would have with good management brought him
very near that unstable and undesirable seat, the throne of Persia.
If Salar had obtained the four Governorships for which he asked, there is
equally little doubt that his idea was to so strengthen his position—he had
already allied himself by marriage to several of tho chief tribes including that
of the Wali of Pusht-i-Kuh—that he could on opportunity arising attempt by
force that which he was now endeavouring to attain by policy. The mistake
ho made was in imagining he had that which he has not—a character which by
its own force surmounts all difficulties.
To resume, Zahir-ed-Doulch had now turned his attention to the work for
which he had been appointed, namely the settling of the disputes between the
two parties, the determining with whom lay the responsibility for looting the
bazaar and in what manner the losses so incurred were to be repaid.
It is curious that he did not succeed in fully gaining tho confidence of
the people for his sympathies were supposed to be very much with the
progressive party. On the 12th August he hold a meeting for the decision of
certain points but it was not attended by any of the people’s representatives,
in fact on the previous day a large crowd had visited his residence and had
roundly abused him while his attempts to pacify them were without result.
In the meantime the presence of Agha Mahommed Melidi was required at
Tehran in connection with the enquiry being made there also at the instance
of the Assembly into the cause of the riots. A large number of people
doubtful of Zahir-cd*Douleh’8 assurances had proceeded to Tehran and had
induced the members of the parliament to tako up a separato enquiry.