Page 304 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

4 ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULF POLITICAL RESIDENCY

In April, the district remained for three weeks without even a nominal
Governor, and after that the local tribal Chief, Zahir-ul-Mulk, was appoint­
ed. lie was a complete failure as Governor, as any local chief must of
necessity be. Considerable depredations were committed by tribes from
Luristan during the period when there was no Governor, and afterwards,
throughout the rest of the year robberies and attacks on travellers being
frequent. The roads round Kermanshah were less safe than they have been
for years.
Captain Haworth makes some interesting observations about trade
openings in his district. It is to be regretted that his efforts to interest
British firms have not met with a better response, but it can hardly be
wondered at, for Persia has become anathema in the eyes of the commercial
world.
Ma»kfct. Mr. Holland (who took charge of the Consulate on November 11th) has
submitted an interesting report, and it is unnecessary to comment at length
on Maskat affairs.
The principal matters of interest arc—
(1) The final settlement of the long drawn out French Flag question.
(2) The continued activity of the Arms Traffic.
(3) The appointment of an Italian News Agent in connection with the
arms traffic to Somaliland.
Mr- Holland deals with these in sections X, VIII and X (c) of his report.
On the 3rd of June Monsieur Blanchon, the newly-appointed French
Consul, died suddenly of heat-stroke. He had hardly been in Maskat a
month.
His Highness’s territories were on the whole comparatively tranquil;
but, as usual, desultory hostilities between various tribes occurred from time
to time.
His Highness has erected a telephone from Maskat to Matrah and Sib,
which is proving very useful.
Uakran Conat. The Mekran Coast (like the rest of Persia) has been very unsettled during
the year.
The principal interest in this Coast is of course the arms traffic. This
continued unabated throughout the year.
The incident of the capture of the dhow by the Proserpine on April
24th, 1908, and the subsequent posting of a guard at Jask was dealt with in
last year’s report. After this capture a considerable number of rifles was
thrown overboard by dhows on sighting men-of-war and the arms traffic
thus received a decided check towards the end of 1907-08 season, which closed
about the end of May 1908.
The nakhoda and crew of the boats seized by the Proserpine were
taken to Bushire by the flagship and there handed over to the Governor who
imprisoned them. After a short imprisonment the crew were bastinadoed
ana released, but the nakhoda, Hassan Tashi, was kept in confinement till
October when during the interregnum between the Derya Begi’s departure
and the Moazziz-ed-Dowleh’s arrival he effected his escape, probably by
bribing the officials.
Before the commencement of the season 1908-09, the opinion was ex­
pressed to the Government of India by the Honourable the Agent to the
Governor-General, Quetta, and by the Resident that the measures hitherto
pursued had had no tangible result and had simply had the effect of annoying
the Amir and his subjects without placing any serious check on the trade.
It was pointed out that measures on the present scale were futile, but that
the Coast could be blockaded either by land or sea if Government were;P?®"
pared to face the expense. Owing, however, to the fact that the result or the
Brussels Arms Conference might improve the outlook, His Majesty s Govern­
ment felt unable to consider more extensive measures and decided that tor
the season we must continue to do our best with the means hitherto employe .
Mr. New was authorised to continue his system of watchmen on the line an