Page 509 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

POLITICAL RESIDENCY FOR 1010. 16

to Bushirc. Be this as it may, Zair Khadhar and His Excellency eventually
came to terms which, however satisfactory they may have been to themselves,
left Shaikh Hussein completely at the mercy of his enemies, by whom he was
forced to concede all the points originally demanded of him by his brothers,
the latter being given the three villages already referred to above, and Shaikh
Hussein being loft with Ahmcdi. The result of this expedition was to leave
Zair Khadhar and his Tangistanis all powerful in the districts surrounding
Bushirc without in any way settling the quarrel on account of which the
Darya Bcgi had ostensibly left Bushire. His Excellency returned to Bushire
on the 9th of Scptoaber and left shortly afterwards for Bandar Abbas. As
soon as he had left, Zair Khadhar sent in demanding a sum of tomans 2,000
from the Kalantar of Bushire and one Zair Haji, Shaikh Hussein’s Agent, by
way of fine for the assistance they had given Shaikh Hussein during the late
hostilities and announced his intention of coming, when opportunity offered,
to take the money by force in the event of a refusal. He was taken seriously
by the populace and measures were at once taken by the local authorities, under
telegraphic instructions from His Excellency, to meet the expected attack, and
arrangements were made with the Khan of Bandar Rig for the supply of re­
inforcements. Zair Khadhar on hearing the above wrote in aenying all
hostile intention whatsoever as regards Bushire. He added that he had been
offered the Kalantarship of Bushire by the Sowlet, but had declined the same.
There can be little doubt that at this period the Sowlet-ud-Dowleh was posing
to Zair Khadhar as having obtained some promise of or interest in the
Governorship of Bushire, and had put up the Tangistani Chief to endeavour
to insinuate himself into the Kalantarship of Bushire in order to work in his
interests. The number of Tangistani wandering about Bushire at this time
was about 100; the Kadkhoda of Bushire was also a Tangistani, and had an
influential T&Dgi&sai become Kalantar also, Bushire would have been entirely
administered by the Tangistani clement and a very inconvenient situation
would have resulted.
The third occasion on which the contingency of a descent on Bushire was
the cause of some lively anxiety was in connection with the activity, already
referred to abevt, displayed by the Customs Department in preventing smug­
gling. Not satis&ed with the revenge already taken in the shape of the mur­
der of the Customs Mudirs, the Dashti Khans collected at Ahram, Zair
Khadhar’s bead-qaarters, and announced their intention of marching on
Bushire with a view to sacking the Customs. The Governor, professing to be­
lieve that these reports might be well founded, on the 23rd November moved
some 4 miles out asd camped at Mukam with one gun and 80 men.
After communicating with Zair Khadhar and obtaining assurances of his
good intentions fee returned to Bushire, on the 27th November, and eventually
induced the Taigistani Chief to come in himself and interview the Director
df Customs. Wihifo in Bushirc, His Excellency and Zair Khadhar axe said to
have formed aiseccet compact with each other and Ahmed Khan Angali, who
has always br.sa & strong supporter of Zair Khadhar, to resist the Sowlet-ud-
Dowleh,. shou&d Jibe latter attempt any hostile action against the Darya Begi
or Zair Khadtar.
Sowlet j/itd~D&teleh’s visit to Bushire.—The Sowlet-ud-Dowleh arrived on
29th of December much to the concern of the Darya Begi who had received dis­
tinct .assurances from the Central Government that the Ilkhani would not cross
the boundaries off Faxs. The Sowlet was accompanied by some three to four
hundred Kashgai followers, and nearly every Khan of local importance in the
surrounding country, each with a tribal following of his own in addition. It
is estimated that at one time there were close on 1,200 tribesmen on the penin­
sula. The immediate cause for this gathering of the clans was the expected
arrival of the newly appointed Governor-General of Fars, Nizam-ud-Sultaneh,
who, however, did not reach Bushire till the beginning of January 1911. In
view of the apprehension expressed by the Darya Begi at the daily increasing
number of tribesmen present, and the fact that petty acts of trespass and pil­
fering had already begun to be rife, the First Assistant was instructed (by
wireless) by the Resident, who was away at Debai, to visit both the Sowlet and