Page 246 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

G2 ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GOLF
POLITICAL RESIDENCY;
At t lie end of the Persian year there were the following troops and
material at Khanikin :—
2 battalions of Infantry, each 500 strong.
1 battalion forming from the Redif.
1 regiment of cavalry variously given as being 150—500 strong.
100 M. I. mounted on mules.
3 guns with 45 artillerymen and 28 horses.
SO mule loads and 50 camel loads of military stores and ammunition.
The Turks claim the districts of Zoliab and Saumar.
Regarding Zolrnb Sir Henry Rawlinson says-“It formed one of the 11
Pashaliks dependent upon Baghdad until about sixty years ago (*.<?., beo-innino-
of 19th century) when Mahornmed Ali Mirza, lTinee of Kermansbnh, annexed
it to the crown of Persia. By the treaty concluded between Persia and the
Porte in 1823 it was stipulated that the districts acquired by either party
during the war should be respectively surrendered and that the ancient frontier
line should bo restored which had been established in the time of the Salfavi
monarchs. According to a subsequent, treaty Zoliab ought certainly to have
been given up to the Turkish authorities, but. neither had the Persians the will
to render this act of justice nor had the Pasha of Baghdad the power to
.enforce it and Zohab has thus remained to the present day in the possession of
the Government of Kermanshah.
It is commonly stated in Kermanshah that the father of the present Wali
of Pusht-i-Kuh acquired the district of Saumar by conquest from the Turks.
The Turkish Consul-General remarked to me one day that if a man lias
property of yours and you are strong enough to take it irom him if lie will not
give it up you naturally take it by force.
Having regard to the preparations mado, especially in ammunition and
material, it would seem the natural course of events that the lurks should
await till the question of these two provinces comes before the Frontier Com­
mission and then, should there bo any dispute about the matter, that they should
insist by force on what they consider to be their rights.
?raperial Bank I have, throughout the year, been employed with the affairs of the
>f Persia. Imperials Bank of Persia, which still continues in a most unfortunate state
owing to [the defalcations of Mirza Ismail Khan Bakir, formerly the book­
keeper of the Bank. It appears that blank signed cheques # were left in the
bands of the book-keeper who did all the work and was virtually manager of
the Bank, since his signature was sufficient for loans, etc. The natural
consequence was that being without supervision he took advantage of the
unfortunate trust placed in him, indeed what else could be expected of a
Persian. Ismail Khan needed capital for his own adventures and took it from
the Bank under the form of loans to various persons. He also gave loans to all
and sundry taking as security property, which is against the charter of the
Bank, consequently most of the loans are unsecured. What is still more
unfortunate is that lie had large numbers of private transactions and both Bank
and private transactions are made out in the name of “ Ismail Khan Bakir
IMudir-i-Bank.” The resulting confusion can be imagined and, although the
The resulting confusion can be imagined and, although the
Bank books show which transactions belong to the Bank, it can be understood
that the Persian debtor attempt to deny that be owes money to the Bank at all
or brines up receipts which concerned private matters and attempts to sot them
off against Bank claims. The situation is then at best a complicated one : add
to this the fact that throughout the year Governments have changed wit a a
kaleidoscopic rapidity and it will he ssen that the recovery of money by force
from a recalcitrant debtor was practically a matter of impossibility.
Since the beginning of the year under report, however, wc have succeeded
y payments and matters have assumed a more hopeful
man
in getting in a good . _
form, though there is still much to
The year has been an exceptionally dry ono, the total rain falling um°unt-
'oather and
copo.
tho rcsuR that what arc usually rushing streams