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326. The rumours by this time had crystallised upon the affairs of the
National Bank, in which Teymourtache had always taken an active interest and
which were clearly in a bad way. An official investigation that took place in the
autumn was supposed to have whitewashed everyone concerned, but, in spite of
this, there is every ground for supposing that, apart from anything else, he had
made money on a rather shady exchange transaction connected with an Anglo-
Persian Oil Company loan to the Bakhtiari Khans. ^
327. The crisis began shortly after the return of the Shah from the south m
November. Teymourtache was constantly reported to have resigned, to have been
imprisoned, to have been executed, to have been given a post abroad, and so on.
His position seemed more assured after an official salaam on the 16th December,
at which the Shah treated him with particular cordiality, but on the
24th December it became known that his dismissal, which had been whispered for
some days, was an accomplished fact. At the end of the year he was still at
liberty, though under close surveillance.
328. Teymourtache’s own downfall was preceded by that of his faithful
henchman, Mirza Abdul Hussein Khan Diba, the Treasurer of the Court. The
latter, a somewhat odious and certainly corrupt character, is known to have been
in disfavour with the Shah for some time, but to have maintained his position
through the good offices of his chief. The story goes that one evening Diba won
a large sum at cards from Mujallal-ed-Dowleh Doulatshahi, the father of the
Shah’s second (Qajar) wife, so large that the loser had a heart attack when
leaving the table and succumbed soon afterwards. A day or two later Diba was,
on the 17th November, dismissed, and later placed under open arrest at his house.
His downfall was regarded at the time as a blow at Teymourtache’s prestige, and
the fact that Teymourtache went openly to the cinema with Diba and his wife the
evening after the latter’s dismissal may have been regarded by the Shah as an act
of defiance.
329. The real reason for Teymourtache’s fall may have been a growing
determination to show that no Minister was indispensable, and the affairs of the
National Bank and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company mere excuses. Popular
belief inclined, at first at any rate, to the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, to whom
he was supposed to have shown himself unduly friendly.
The Cabinet.
330. The aged Mehdi Quli Hedayat continued Prime Minister in name
throughout the year, though he had very little to do with the direction of affairs
of State. On the 27th February Seyyid Baqir Khan Kazimi resigned from his
post as Minister of Roads and Communications, and was succeeded by Mirza
Riza Khan Afshar, who was in turn succeeded by General Abdul-Majid Mirza
Firuz (Nasir-ed-Dowleh) on the 14th July. In October it was announced that
Mirza Yahya Khan Qaragozlu was appointed Persian Minister at Paris, and
that his post as Minister of Education would be taken over by Mirza Riza Quli
Khan Hidayat (Nayyir-ul-Mulk). But the change did not take place at once, and
Mirza Yahya Khan was still Minister of Education at the end of the year. Mirza
Ali Akbar Khan Hakimi was relieved of his duties as Director-General of
Agriculture in June; his duties were taken over by Seyyid Mehdi Khan Farrukh,
in addition to Farrukh’s duties as Director-General of Industry (which includes
mines). Mirza Qasim Khan Sur-i-Israfil resigned on the 26th March and was
succeeded as Minister of Posts and Telegraphs by Mirza Farajullah Khan
Bahrami (Dabir-i-A’zam) on that date.
Governors-General and Governors.
331. The following changes took place :—
Province of Pars (capital, Shiraz).—Haji Mirza Shams-ud-Din Khan
Jalali was appointed Governor-General at the beginning of July in
succession to Mirza Farajullah Khan Bahrami, who had left in March.
Province of Kerman. —Seyyid Mustafa Khan Kazimi was appointed
Governor-General at the beginning of March, making an exchange of
posts with Mirza Reza Khan Afshar, till that time Minister of Roads
and Communications.