File 2297/1919 ‘Persian Gulf Residency Monthly Reports. 1912-20.’ [‎108r] (220/1044)

CONFIDENTIAL.
Confidential Summary of News of His Majesty^s Political Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. in the Persian
Gulf for the month of March 1918.
PERSIA.
Mohammerah.
Festivities in honour of the wedding of Shaikh Abdul Hamid Khan, second son
of the Shaikh of Mohammerah and Deputy Governor of Ahwaz, with the daughter
of Haji Mushir-ut-Tujjar, took place from the 5th to 14th of March, and included
an exchange of visits betweeh the Deputy Civil Commissioner and Inspect or-General
of Communications, Basrah, and His Excellency the Shaikh, Shaikh Chasib, Shaikh
Abdul Hamid, and Haji Rais.
Isfahan.
The only change in condition of the town and neighbourhood is for the wmrse.
A house robbery of exceptional violence occurred at Julfa and two murders
recently took place in the streets of Isfahan. A number of merchants took bast (Per.) A Persian custom allowing an individual to seek asylum at a designated location. in
the Persian Telegraph office, but when the claims of business forced them to leave
it their urgent requests to Tehran for the re-Establishment of order and safety had
elicited no satisfactory reply.
Distress in the provinces continues to increase. A daily average of 40 deaths
from starvation is reported from Kashan, and of 50 from Qum, to which beggars are
flocking from the surrounding country.. In Ardistan itself, however, there is promise
of good crops.
All roads are unsafe. Ja’far Quli has promised not to levy blackmail on
British caravans, which are being protected by escorts from the Cossack Brigade.
Shiraz.
The epidemic, mentioned in the January summary, continued with fluctuations
in the district for some months. It seems to have originated in Kazerun. At |
Bardeh, where about 100 deaths occurred, it was quickly stamped out by the
energetic measures of the South Persia Rifles. A cordon isolated the village
and the introduction of medical supplies and food reduced the daily death-rate
from 12 to nil in four days. There were several deaths in Shiraz, two of them
among the South Persia Rifles quartered in the town. But in spite of insanitary
local conditions and the lack of food among the poor and of energy among the
Persian doctors, the strenuous efforts of the Governor-General were successful and
the disease appears to have died out. Both the Prince and his son Muhammad
Hussein Mirza have devoted much attention and personal interest to the establish
ment of local hospitlas and poor-houses during the past winter, with excellent
results.
The Qawam, after meeting the Inspector-General of the South Persia Rifles,
proceeded to Ear and Darab and was not expected to return to Shiraz before
the first week in May. With the assistance of Captain Butters he defeated the
Mazidi Arabs and recovered from them a good deal of property stolen from the
South Persia Rifles on the Bandar Abbas road. At the end of the month the^
Sowlet was still at Chah Kazem.
So many of their animals have died during the winter that this year s migra
tions of Arabs and Qashqais are likely to be reduced and an increase of robberies
is probable.
On March 7th all parcels were stolen from the incoming Bushire mail atout
ten miles west of Shiraz. Merchants continue to press for a guarantee of safety
on the roads, and are ready to pay rahdari of 1 toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. per mule or 5 krans per donkey
to secure it. Latest information (reported in the Bushire section below) indicates
that concerted efforts are now being made in this direction.