"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٤‎١‎٢] (١٧٨٢/١٥٦٧)

fit 1
If3 ■:
niiiihii mum ■in
; 1850.
1412
making reference to the Karbala massacre of 1843 and to the inveterate
antipathy always existing- between the Sunni and Shi'ah sects of Islam, to
the latter of whom the Oudh Bequest belonged, while the Government of
Turkish 'Iraq was in the hands of the former. He feared that the Bequest
funds were already sufficiently large, " apart from the loan which with
" probable facility might be raised upon the forthcoming monthly pay
ments, to corrupt, if need be^ the Turkish garrisons on the spot; or at all
events to secure the aid and co-operaticn of a formidable body of Sheah
(< fanatics, who would scarcely require the spur of pecuniary gain to devote
" their lives to a cause by them esteemed so holy^,—namely the freeing
of Karbala and Najaf from Turkish domination. He added " I have endea-
vou'ed to show that the supply of such considerable funds by monthly
^ payments to the Mujtahids of Karbala and Nejjef may possibly, in their
UnCOntrolled expenditure, contain the elements of future disorder in this
" Pashahc ; and that their unconditional disbursement by me may hereafter
" furnish grounds of umbrage to the Turkish Government". He also drew
attention to the difficulties which might be experienced in keeping the
Agency Treasury supplied with funds for making the required payments.
In effect he only asked to a be invested with discretionary power to make
" or suspend the payments in question without reference to the dates on
which they fall due but it was clear from the tone of his letter that he
disapproved of the execution of the Bequest being undertaken by the
British Government, or at least by their representative at Baghdad/
Sii Stratford Canning, Her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador at
C onstantinople, replied that the circumstances hardly seemed to warrant
a violation of the terms of the King of Oudh's bequest, and that "the
^ most desirable arrangement would obviously be to pay the annuities as
(( W1 ^ J ma ^ e ^he receivers effectually accountable for their proper
application . He considered the question to he one of such delicacy,
owever, as to necessitate a reference to Her Majesty's Government. In
his instructions to Lieutenant Keraball he remarked : " You have at all
(( , ^ „ R u aid against any misunderstanding which might arise in some
«''c /it. T -! r ™' >le ' n eonsec l uenc o of the payments being made by means
° , . , r ' t ' sl1 A ^ e, "X ai wi I conceive that in spite of other consi-
'< fw 10n e ? rythlng of a clan<ies tine or mysterious character should on
that account be carefully avoided in the course of the transaction".
was meanwhile decided, however, by the Government of India that
• T 0n 7; ; U ! d n0t be paid at Ba g hdsd ' and instead the chief
d ,5" ? an<1 Najaf sh0 ' Jd ' Private agents of their own,
on the Bombay Treasury for the amount. A guarded concurrence in