File 3516/1914 Pt 9 'German War: Persia' [‎113v] (231/618)

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Eventually the two
Sehunemann to prevent h s ^ al] escort of bou t fifty Cossacks and
obviously foolhardy lo p • Government ordered the Swedish gendarmerie^
fcVbeCanfh h tfsendhn adequate escort, but Captain rfonesson refused on'
otticer at ivermansna a similar attempt to get gendarmes from
rnhw phhdedVh^k^Etter then threatened to send two squadrons of Russian
^slacks from Kazvin. This produced the desired effect, and a force of gendarmes
fctuTllv a rifed when Schunemann’s attack on Kangavar was m progress, but declined
to t dm anv part hr the fight and went on to Hamadan As I informed you by telegraph,
the Germaifforce retired and the two consuls were able to regam Hamadan in safety.
Meanwhile M de Etter had, as I think wisely, reconsidered his decisron to send
Cossfcks Kennanshah is of course of the first importance to the Germans and
Turks, as it is their sole door of communication with the outer world “d Ae one by
which thev introduce arms, ammunition, money, &c. The Germans "°uM e e
have kept their position there at all hazards. It is true that the population o e
mwn desired the return of the two consuls, but I doubt whether their appearance
with a large bodyguard of Russian troops would not have cooled their enthusiasm. In
Inv case if is certain that Hassan Raouf, who was not far off would have returned with
his own Turkish troops and a horde of Kalbum and Pishkuhis to support him, and the
Russians would have required heavy reinforcing, which the Kazvm force is not able
t0 ^Tlie Russian Minister therefore made a virtue of necessity and informed the
Persian Government that in order to avoid embarrassing them by creating a serious
incident he would not send the Cossacks, provided they agreed to provide a sufficient
force of Persian Cossacks to take the two consuls to Kermanshah. Orders were then
given to Captain Mamomof, at Senneh, to proceed to Kangavar, but the consuls a
already left for Hamadan, and it was an open secret that until 700 to 800 men are
collected, no attempt to convoy Mr. McDouall and Baron Gbirkassof can succeed
For this purpose Colonel Prozorevitch is now collecting the scattered detachments
of the brigade from all parts of North-West Persia, even from Tabriz ; they aie to
assemble at Hamadan until it is decided whether to renew the attempt of the two
consuls to return to Kermanshah or not. Personally 1 believe that they will be kept
at Hamadan as a useful striking force in case of necessity nearer the capital.
The insolence of the German consul and the open avowal of the German Minister
that he could not permit the door of Kermanshah to he closed has given great offence
here, hut the Government knows that it is powerless and has had to swallow these
affronts.
I have, &c.
CHARLES M. MARLING.