Page 599 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

19
FOR THE TEAR IV18-
„.rty alone, British support would bo withdrawn from him. But I^isham-

Sanch left Kerman on lGth February, taking with him at least a quarter o
million tomans in cash and carpets Kerman breath* d once more.
The efforts of His Majesty’s Consul to obtain the appointment of Sardar
Kusrat as acting Governor-General until the arrival tf the Governor-General-
jfCt Uishmat-ud-Douleh, were unavailing owing to the hostility of the
^Democratic Cabinet of Mustaufi-ul-Jlamalik. Kusrat-ul-Mamalik a term of
office was uneventful, such little governing as was done being in the hands ot
bis son Nusrat-us-Sultan and his nephew Mukhtar-ul-Mulk. Sardar Nusra
nd bis family resented the preference shown to the rival Khanzaaa clan an
were at first inclined to intrigue against them, but desisted at a hint from tne
Consulate. < _ .
Hishmat-ud-Douleh, a Tabatabai of good family in Azerbaijan, arrived on
9th July. He was formerly a friend of the Russians and is a decided Royalist
in sympathies, having been Mohammad Ali Shah’s Chief Secretary. The fact
that he was nominated by a Democrat Cabinet and was a friend of ^ Mustashar-
nd-Douleh, however, raised great hopes among the Democrat party in Kerman,
whe spread it abroad that he intended not to recognise the South Persia Rifles^
as a Persian Department, to forbid sale of grain to them and to hamper them
io every way. Whatever may have been Hishmal-ud-Douleh*s professions and
beliefs in Tehran (and he himself admits having believed all kinds of Demo­
cratic slander of the British in South Persia) his ideas underwent a change
very soon after his arrival and he became the open and professed—if_ not
altogether sincere—admirer and partisan of (fee Briiish- He is not strong either
in character or physique, but possesses both adroitness and cavoir faire, whiie
thanks to his Constantinople education ho is not without knowledge of
European affairs. The fact that he is neither a Prince nor a Bakhliari with a
large following, One or the other of which all his predecessors for several years
have been, detracts from his prestige; though extremely anxious to keep in
with the Consulate and South Persia Rifles, he is also afraid of the Democrats and
attempts to make up for his lack of prestige by playing each off against the
other. Nevertheless he is an improvement on his predecessor, uhile his
right hand man Muntasim-ud-Douleb, Deputy Governor, is a welcome charge
from the selfish and unscrupulous Ihtisham. Above all, the new Governor-
General’s relations with Sardar Nusrat, Haji Mirza Ali Muhammad, etc., have
so far been all that could be desired. During most of the last three months of
the year he was inca[ acitattd by a serious ear complaint, for which he was
successfully operated on by Dr. Dodson on by 16th November, and afterwards
by influenza.
Kamal-us-Sultan remained in office till April, when in spite of His Majes-
K.rguuri ty’8 Minister's efforts on bis behalf he
n ,. , . was recalled by the Mustaufi-ul-Mama\ik
Cabinet, chiefly because he was regarded as playing too much into the hands
of the British. Certainly, though weak and without influence, Kamal-us-
sultan did his best to conduct the cases referred to him by His Majesty's Consu­
late without prejudice to British interests. .In particular he made himself
unpopMar with h!s own Government by agreeing with His Majesty’s Consul
onthe vexed question of the jurisdiction of the Karguzt.ri in suits in wbicn
*5® Pai*Llf “ a British protected Persian subject. This principle, claimed
by His Majesty r Government under its most favoured nation agreement with
bv v°TA bv OTlg practice’ appears to have been consistently denied
y recent Cabinets. In consequence, progress in certain test cases. notafcW
Fcrtdun vs. Bahadur-ul-Mulk, in re Shahjehanabad prooerty^Sd
Xuzurff vs. Mukhtar-ul-Mnlk in re Khnbis water richis hai ^
P°werful defendants being able, backed by tte Mhiiste^
ind ^eign Affairs, to obstruct proceeding altnLt indefinite^ Justi°e
Karguzar himself i6 on thdr Eence “fie anSme^7 i? $ the
Kultaneb in place of Kamal-UB-Sultan. This man’B W“jaHai-us-
Jleshed whence he was removed for obstructive ness within . PP°lnknent waB at