Page 32 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

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22 ADMINISTRATION REPORT ON THE PERSIAN GULP POLITICAL

matters improved a good deal as far as actual robberies wero conoomod but
both soldiers and tofangchis combined in tho endeavour to exact blackmail
from mulotoers and travellers, especially between Kazeroon and Borasjoon.
They bad the sense however not to molest ills Majesty’s Consul who travelled
down the road to see things for himself. Early in 3.906 tho position again
lapsod into its former lawless stato, and tho Shiraz Authorities now pleaded
the disturbed state of affairs in Ears, brought about by tho tyrannical Govern­
ment of the Shoa-cs-Sultanoh, as their excuse for absolute inaction. At tho end
of the year, however, the stato of tho road was again more satisfactory for tho
time being.
A good deal has been done in this direction during the year thanks to the
strenuous efforts of Ilia Majesty’s Chargd
Settlement of oatntnnding British cUimo.
d’Affaires, Tehran.
At the desire of the Minister, a full list of the outstanding claims of tho
last ten years was submitted by the Resident in August 1905 comprising 93
items of the aggregate value of Rs. 2,73,480; 5G of these were forthwith
pressed upon the Central Government and in March 1906 the Governor and
Karguzar received peremptory instructions to exert themselves in the direc­
tion of their settlement. In pursuance of these orders they agreed to go
through all the files of ihe cases with the Resilient, wiih a view to separating
those claims which could not be disputed and should bo paid forthwith- from
others which they saw reasonable grounds for questioning. Two long meetings
were held before the close of the year during which 25 cases were gone into.
Apart from these commercial claims several important matters which had been
for years pressed without success upon the Shah’s Government were satisfac­
torily settled thanks to the strenuous efforts of His Majesty’s Legation, such as
the claim for exemption from export duty on fresh provisions for His Majesty’s
ships in Harbour; but the Legation failed to move the Persian Government
in regard to other pressing ones such as the murder of Abu Thabi subjects
by the inhabitants of Taona on the Dashtistan Coast and these are now under
separate reference to His Majesty’s Government.
In cases with the Government of Fars, the Residency has received much
cordial co-operation and assistance from His Majesty’s Consul, Mr. George
Grabame.
The following travellers, whose move­
Tr*Tdr<r*.
ments were of some interest, visited
Bushire during the year :—
Mr. Arthur Crawford, a young Canadian Journalist, who, starting from
Kew York without funds, had undertaken to complete the circuit of tho world
ou his feet or on roller skates within a space of two years, for a stake of £6,000
and an appointment on the staff of a New York paper, arrived at Bushire from
Bassora on 12th March 1906 with the intention of traveling via Shiraz and
Kerman to India. The undesirability of an Englishman begging his way
across Persia was suggested to His Majesty’s Chared d’Aflaires, Tehran, who
held that he could not be legally stopped but should he warned of the risk be
was running. Mr. Crawford was eveutually dissuaded from entering the
country and left by rami for Maskat and India.
3m March 1905 a Frenchman named Gaston Perronne with two servants
arrived at Lingah by mail and proceeded thence to Debai where he obtained a
lodging from the British India Steam Navigation Company’s Persian Agent.
He gave out that he bad been sent out by a French Syndicate to examine the
conditions of trade on the Om3o Coast and in the Persian Gulf. The Sheikh
and the people of Debai, however, objected to his presence aDd be was obliged
to leave after two or three days for Bahrein where he stayed some weeks and
then returned to Europe.
AwAber partr of French travellers, a Madame Nhttan with her daughter
and nephew spent some months in Bahrein during the pearling season. The
lady is the widow of the bead of an apprently well-known firm of jewel or
pearl mcirhar.ts in the Rue LaGtte, Paris, and came out to study the pearl
trade on the spot. Sbe did no business until just at the end of the season as
she cmld not induce the Bania pearl traders to deal with her, but she was