Page 438 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

28 ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULF

riftoo of
Name of trerollcr. Data of robbery. robbery. Ehmarii.

Bcr. J. II. Linton, C.M.S. October. Shiraz-lspahan. Had to
spend some days at Abadeh, the
road being closed by Boir Ahmadi.
Mr. and Mrs. Christmas,
I.E.T.D. 24-th Octo­ Near Das- Donkey load of personal baggage
Mrs. Ferguson. * ber 1909. tarjin. belonging to Madame Nataf carried
Mine. Nataf, of Alliance off by Kashgai.
Israelite.
M. Pcssek and Kadlou- 24th Novem­ K h a n-i- Caravan plundered. One Cossack
• bousky. ber 1909. Zinian. killed and one wounded.

Thus out of 21 parties of travellers, 9 were robbed or molested, and in no
single case has any punishment been inflicted or compensation paid.
Haji Mirza Husein and Ilaji Ibrahim Khan continued to represent
Foreign Representatives. France and Turkey respectively'.
M. Kadloubousky, Acting Russian Consul-General, arrived in Shiraz in
June, being fired at en route, as already noted. M. Passek, Consul-General,
arrived on November 15th, and left on the 23rd. After the robbery of their
caravan they returned to Shiraz and remained until the close of the year.
From the personal point of view, the British and Russian Consulates
were extremely friendly throughout, though their official relations were
cloud:-d for a time by the extraordinary episode of the appointment of Nasr-
ed-Dowleh as Russian Consular Agent in June.
It is impossible to conjecture with the knowledge available here what the
Russian object can have been in this amazing appointment, which was made
without the slightest preliminary warning to the British Consulate. # It
soems equally incredible on the one hand that the Russian authorities should
not have realized the enormous extension of their direct responsibilities in
Fars entailed thereby (Nasr-ed-Dowleh and his brother owning enormous
estates in all parts of the province, some part of which is perpetually being
ravaged by some enemy of their family), and on the other that they should
have seriously contemplated assuming the vast responsibilities in the neutral
zone which this appointment would at any rate ijn general popular expecta­
tion have thrust upon them. The incident must remain a mystery, and a
decidedly unpleasant one. The appointment was the subject of emphatic
protest bv the British Consulate and Legation, it was apparently never re­
cognised by the Persian Government, and terminated in a satisfactory way
by Xasr-ed-Dowleh’s resignation after Sabam-cd-Dowleh’s arrival, a settle­
ment which is largely attributable to the tact and influence of Muvaqqar-ed-
Dowleh. Otherwise the two Consulates co-operated in the most cordial mao-
ner throughout the troublous period of the summer, and their friendly re­
lations were cemented by the circumstances attendant on the robbery of ihe
Russian caravan and the funeral of their murdered Cossack.
Mr. J. H. Bill, I.C.S., was in charge
His Majesty’s Consulate.
as Acting Consul throughout^the year.
J. H. BILL, I.C.S.,
His Britannic Majesty's Acting Consul, Shiraz.