Page 356 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

66 ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF TIIE PERSIAN GULF POLITICAL RESIDENCY

The Sardar-i-Motazid never made any attempt to take up the reins of
government at all or even to collect any of the revenue. He no sooner got
here than he wanted to return to Tehran and neither he or any of his suite
could answer the natural question of why they ever came here. He made
himself very cheap and greatly lowered the dignity of the Governor-General
and having made Tehran understand that he could not collect any money,
his resignation was accepted the second time of asking, early in July, and
lie lost no time in starting for Tehran.
After his departure the Sahib-i-lkhtiar was appointed Governor-Gene­
ral and was reported to be coming immediately by c/iappar. It turned out,
however, that immediately was used in the strictly Persian sense. He sat
down in Kashan and wired for money to be sent, changing his nominee in the
Deputy-Governorship when it did not arrive. After a lot of trouble and
chiefly through the Adil-cs-Sultaneh, who though nominally only General
Commanding the local forces was really holding things together in the town,
some money was collected and sent to Kashan. On receiving it the Governor
began to make his preparations and when they were completed he started
by easy stages for Kerman. After a long halt in Yezd lie at last reached
his district and arrived at Rafsinjan about the middle of September. Here
lie was delayed for some days trying to straighten out the very unsatisfactory
state into which the district had got. His efforts have had no very evident
results but he could not continue them indefinitely and came on to Kerman
about the end of the month.
He immediately set to work to remove the 'bad impression made by the
Sardar’s democratic behaviour by introducing the most rigid etiquette and
exacting a greater respect than either the Rukn-ud-Dowlcli or the Farman
Farma.
The long reign of anarchy had thrown the district into a state of chaos.
The Governor of Baluchistan had discreetly retired to Bam; every petty chief
who had been turned out of his fort by the Persians rc-occupitd and proceeded
to rc-b .iid it. Baliram Khan, one of the most important chiefs, reviv'ed his
cla’ui to the fort of Bampur and proceeded to besiege the governor’s locum
tenons in it. Said Khan, another important chief, directed his attention to
the south and appointed himself customs officer on the south coast.
The Rudbari Khans joined a looting expedition which was carried as
far as Minab and then quarrelled over the plunder and have been occupied
since in fighting against each other. Dana Khan, the governor of Sirjan,
had treacherously shot down Isfandiar Khan when quietly sitting at a
“ rozakhana ” and so started a blood-feud with the Buchakchis which kept
both sides busy repairing the damage to water-courses and plantations
inflicted by the other and provided a few funerals. The districts of Baft and
Jiruft had both found that they have no use for a governor and the Adil-es-
Sultan and Muhammad Khan had been in Kerman and Bam respectively since
early in the year. Bands of Farsis and Baharlus had raided the western and
north-western frontiers of Kerman, looting Sirjan and even threatening
Rafsinjan. Bands of robbers had seated themselves on the roads to Meshed
and Yezd so that no caravan could get through safely while small bands
of twos and threes all over the district robbed any unwary and unarmed
small travelling parties whom they could come across.
Baluchistan was the first to receive attention. Wali Khan was appointed
governor of Bam and Baluchistan and ordered to advance at once with lus
victorious army and raise the siege of Bampur fort. It was however one
thing to shell the Bam rabble from a safe distance but quite another to
attack Bahram Khan and his Baluchis in the open, and no one expected him
to send Bahram Khan an ultimatum to surrender or to prepare for attack.
The Persian Baluch docs not thirst for war; he is only a retail murderer on
safe lines. When Bahram Khan began his advance the Persians made no
attempt to check him but retired forthwith within the fort .and closed the
gates. The Baluchis arrived and sat down outside, and it simply resolved
itself into a question whether the besieging force would exhaust its nicans
of supply from the surrounding villages before the besieged exhausted theirs
or were relieved by a force which the umpires would consider sufhcicnty