Page 459 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

I■■■

POLITICAL RESIDENCY FOR 1909. 49
In connection with his son’s rebellion the Wali obtained an opportunity
of attacking and defeating a section of the Sagwands. These he moved en
masse from their usual habitat to the neighbourhood of Deh Luran and later
to Tarhun. The object of this move was to remove them from a place where
they could always rob and plunder to a place among his own tribes where they
would have to turn their energies to more peaceful pursuits.
During the early part of the year constant raids were taking place be­
tween the Wali and Nazr Ali Khan, Fath-es-Sultan; later in the summer peace
was made between them, and their joint forces made a raid on Mandali, as a
reprisal for the assistance given by the Turks to the Wali’s son.
This peace was however shortlived and, early in November, the Wali of
Pusht-i-Kuh, assisted by his brother Ali Riza Khan, Shahab-ed-Dowleh, at­
tacked the Fath-cs-Sultan and, after some heavy fighting, utterly defeated
him. The Fath-es-Sultan himself escaped and took refuge in Silakhor, but,
on failing to raise a force to retrieve his shattered fortunes, tendered his
submission to the Wali, who settled him with a small following in Tarhun.
Late in the year Shaikh Ivhazal, Shaikh of Mohammerah, wrote to the
Sardar Ashraf, Wali of Pusht-i-Kuh, asking him to send a trustworthy con­
fidential dependent to talk over the subject of an alliance. The Wali wrote
to one of his Chiefs, Qaid Khani, summoning him prior to despatching him
to Mohammerah. En route to Gawe, the Wali’s winter head-quarters, this
Chief was wounded in a raid and returned to his home and up to the present
no further steps ha^e been taken in the matter.
Towards the end of the year another question besides that of the owner­
ship of the lands of Gunjian Cham arose between the Wali and the Turks
This was a question of water rights rendered acute by the completion of a
canal by the Wali, which takes oft from the Ab-i-Gunjian Cham, thereby
lessening the quantity of water which reaches Mandali. Up to the end of
the period under review however no active steps had been taken by either side,
to enforce what they considered to be their respective rights.
Sanction having been obtained in December for the appointment of an
Agent in Khurrainabad, Mirza Ali Akbar, who hitherto had been unpaid
‘news-writer’ to this Consulate in Burujird, was formally appointed, with
eftect from the 1st April 1910 (or from date of arrival in Khurramabad if
after that date) on an annual salary of R300.

Bakhtiaris.
With the exception of January 1909 (and December 190S) the Ilkhani-
ship has, throughout the year, been held
Internal relations and their bearing on the
National movement. by Najf Kuli Khan, Samsam-es-
Saltaneh; while the Ilbegiship has,
throughout the year, been held by Ghulam Husein Khan, Sardar Muhtasham.
Succinctly the causes which led to the Samsam-es-Saltaneh's temporary
deposal from the Uklianiship and his subsequent espousal of the Nationalist
cause and march on Ispahan were as follows:—
Haji Khusro Khan, Sardar Zaffar, having gone to Tehran in the summer
of 1908, returned in the late autumn to the Bakhtiari country to raise fresh
forces in aid of the Shah. The Samsam-es-Saitaneh having refused to assist
in the raising of this contingent, Haji Khusro Khan and others of the Bakh­
tiari Khans of the Haji Ilkhani family determined to bring about his down­
fall. With this end in view intrigues were set on foot in Tehran, the out­
come of which was that, at the end of December, the Shah deposed Najf Kuli
Khan, Samsam-es-Saltaneh, and declared that his lands and property were
forfeited to his opponents. An attempt was made, but without any signal
success to wrest his local authority from him at Ramuz. Seeing that the
tide had apparently turned against him, and, being afraid of future develop­
ments, the Samsam-es-Saltaneh put himself into communication with Aeha
Nejafi and Agha Nurullah, powerful Mullas in Ispahan, saying that he had