Page 325 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

AND TI1E MASKAT POLITICAL AGENCY FOR THE YEAR 1903. 25
In April Sheikh Mubarak lent his steam launch to Sheikh Khazal who
came up in it to Nasiri, and at the time of the Beni Turuf troubles in August
lie gave him the support of his presence at Muzafferiya.
30. Bandar Nasiri.—Sheikh Hanzal has continued to hold the post of
Deputy-Governor, and Sheikh Abdul Hussain has remained in charge of the
customs. Both have given satisfaction to the community in general, and
to the European section of it in particular.
31. Nasiri continues to grow and many new houses have been built or
commenced during the year. Among others in course of construction is
one for Ghulam Hussain Khan .and Haji Khasrau Khan, the Bakhtiari chiefs.
32. Haji Seyyid Hussain, the neighbour of the Consulate, has so built up
and added to his house as to surpass the Consulate in bulk and prominence
if not in aesthetic merit.
The proposed site for the Consulate has remained unoccupied but im­
mediately beside it, and in a position that will place it on the left front of
the Consulate building, a building has been commenced under the orders of
the Sheikh. The work has not been carried far and has indeed not been in
progress since the Consul’s return.
33. Owing to the failure of the rains in the preceding winter, the crops
were a failure in Southern Arabistan. There was therefore no export of
grain and business in general was dull.
The price of grain, fodder and firewood rose very high at the end of the
year, in consequence of the drain on local resources caused by the musteriag
of the Beni Turuf expeditionary force at Muzaffariya.
34.. Internal Affairs.—The Ilkhani and Ilbcgiship continued to be Held Tho Bakh.
during the period under review by the Samsam-us-Sultaneh and the Shahab •tarw'
us-Sultanch, now the Sardar Muhtasham, with the possible exception of the
end of the year, when it is uncertain whether or not the Samsan was deposed..
The year has not in any ease passed without the usual bickerings between
the Khans. In April, while publicly asserting their complete unity and
brotherhood, certain of the Khans approached His Britannic Majesty’s
Consul with a view to seeing how lie would regard the removal
of the Samsam from his official position and from his connection with the
affairs of the Oil Syndicate. No encouragement was offered them.
35. Later on, in summer, a breach occurred owing to the Samsam’s re­
fusing to take part in raising a contingent for the service of the Shah in
Tehran. This disagreement has continued to fester, and has resulted in as
near an approach to open hostilities as the Bakhtiaris of to-day arc capable
of.
An attempt was made in December by the Samsam’s opponents to wrest
the local authority from him at Ramuz, but apparently without any decisive
success. Much alarm was felt by the people of Ramuz who expected that the
town would be made the theatre of operations, in which case they would have
suffered at the hands of one or both parties.
All however that appears to have occurred was some miscellaneous plun­
dering outside the town limits.
Reports are very confused but it seems that about the end of the year the
opposition began to yield to their usual fear of the Samsam’s personality and
were ready to treat with him. In reply to their advances it is stated that
the Samsam laid it down as a sine qua non condition that the Ilbcgi should be
selected from the family of Reza Kuli Khan which for a long time enjoyed
the distinction of furnishing that dignitary. This would mean the cfface-
ment of the Aulad-i ( o));I ) Imam Quli Khan, the family represented by
Ghulam Hussain Khan (Sardar Muhtasham) and his brothers.
The only one of the Khans who appears throughout to have thrown in his
part with the Samsam is the Muntazzim-ud-Dowlch, son of Isfandiar Khan.
36. The Shah’s gratitude for the services of his faithful Bakhtiaris has
been testified as in other parts of the country, by a prodigal bestowal of titles.
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