Page 317 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

AND TIIE MASKAT POLITICAL AGENCY FOR THE YEAR 1908. 17
with a large party of his own section, and was shot dead from behind by
Asghar Khan’s brother, as the party was approaching the village of Saidan
on the Ispahan road. This event, followed by the dismissal of Zil-cs-Sultan,
made Asghar Khan a great man, and lie gave himself up to a course of
continual depredation on the Ispahan road, maintaining himself entirely on
the crops of the settled population. His reputation rose so high that he was
at one time known generally in the north of Fars as Asghar Shah. He
received a telegram of thanks from the Shah for removing Motamid-ud-
Divan, and for the same reason became the cherished friend of the Qavamis.
The other Arab sections, though not enjoying the same privileged posi­
tion, still contrived to combine a maximum of robbery with a minimum of
revenue. The concluding months of the year were spent by the whole tribe
in assisting Qavam-ul-Mulk and Nasr-ed-Dowlch, in a somewhat spasmodic
fashion, in their abortive operations against the Lari Seyyid.
Kuhgclu.—The Boir Ahmadi section of this tribe, in proportion to their
numbers, were more conspicuous than any other for the number and extent of
their depredations. They completely closed the Ispahan road between Yez-
dikhast and Shulgistan for about ten days in the autumn, and Behbehan, the
market chiefly frequented by them, was reported to be glutted with European
goods of all kinds, obtainable below cost price.
The principal features of the year were a good average crop of opium co mincrcf.
commanding a good price, a congestion of imports owing to the insecurity of
all trade routes, which paralysed the circulation of goods from Shiraz to
the districts, and an increasing shortage of cash owing to the extensive
ravages of the nomads, which left the people nothing to sell. In this connec­
tion the outlook for 1909 was exceedingly unfavourable. In connection with
non-British trade the only incident worthy of note is the arrival of Dr. Pugin
in September. This gentleman was endeavouring to introduce German
alizarine dyes, but was not apparently very successful, as, although their
colours are fast, they require more care in manipulation than the extensively
smuggled anilines.
The grain crops above Kazerun were good when they were allowed to Agriculture,
stand by the nomads, but they were very extensively destroyed by the latter.
In the maritime plain the crop was a complete failure. The opium crop was
a failure in the Shiraz plain and about average elsewhere.
This subject may be summed up in very few words;—with Zil-es-Sultan, pUbiic Men-
security was practically complete; without him, non-existent. The Bushirc by­
road was never actually closed to traffic, but robberies, especially during the
autumn migration oi the Kashgai, were very frequent. The town of Kazerun
relapsed into its usual anarchy on Zil-es-Sultan’s dismissal, and internecine
feuds were vigorously carried on until the appointment of Haji Muhammad
Karim Khan, a Kashgai chief, at the end of September. On November 9th
the man who more than anyone else had been responsible for the perpetual
disturbances in this town, Khwaja Ibrahim, met his natural end by
treacherous murder. Fighting between Haidar Khan of Kamarij and his
enemy the Khan of Daliki, suspended during Zil-es-Sultan’s stay, was joy­
fully resumed on the latter’s departure, and the plain of Konartakhteh was
the scene of intermittent hostilities for the rest of the year.
The Ispahan road was actually closed for some ten days in the autumn
by the Boir Ahmadi tribe, a party of whom succeeded in killing the only
headman on the entire road who had shown any capacity to resist the nomads.
The post was robbed seven times on the Ispahan road, and four times on the
Bushire road, two postmen being murdered.
The largest of many robberies of British goods were—three cases opium,
value tomans 1,500 taken by Arabs; indigo, value tomans 1,360 stolen by Fars
tribesmen in Kerman province : and 40 bales of piece goods valued at tomans
3,049, the property of Messrs Dixon, taken by Boir ATimadi near Shulgistan.
This unfortunate firm has lost no less than tomans 3,760 or about £750 in this
period alone. But such direct losses are the least of the extra charges in­
flicted on British trade by a state of disorder such as that now prevailing in
D