'General information on Persia for any future edition, 1895' [‎49r] (88/211)

Farther Correspondence respecting the Condition of the
Populations in Asiatic Turkey.
[In continuation of “Turkey No. 1 (1891)G. 6214.]
No. 1.
Sir W. White to the Marquis of Salisbury.—(Received January 9.)
My Lord, Constantinople, January 5, 1891.
I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship copies of two
despatches which have reached me from Erzeroum, the former from Mr. Vice-Consul
Devey, relating to recent affairs in the neighbourhood of Van, and the second from
Mr. Vice-Consul Boyadjian, reporting the recent decision given in the Blaidar case, by
which several of the accused were acquitted.
I have, &c.
(Signed) W. A. WHITE.
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
Vice-Consul Devey to Consul Lloyd.
(Extract.) ^ arl » December 6 , 1890.
I HAVE the honour to state that in several cases of sheep robbery which have
taken place to the north-east and east of this town, entire reparation has now been
made; and I learn that the Tabur-Aghassi of the Van gendarmerie, wdio lately passed
the Persian frontier to remonstrate with some of the more audacious Kurdish tribes m
respect of such raids, may reasonably expect that these troublesome practices will be
discontinued in that neighbourhood, as the result of threats which admit of execution.
Other items of new r s deserving notification are the arrest of Haidar Bey, and the
wounding of a “petition w r riter,” Nishan Terzibashian. , .
Nishan, the “ Arzuhalji,” is no relation to the wealthy grandee family Terzibashian,
of whom Artin Effendi, ex-member of the “ Idareh ” Council, was in custody last
year, but a poor man of no standing; perhaps, even, he may bo slightly crazy,
apparently emulous of the attentions paid to Charukji-Oglu Abraham, he has
for a considerable time been holding out as the repository oi important state
secrets, and has, like Haidar Bey, been sending voluminous information to Constanti
nople. About a fortnight ago there was a rumour that this Nishan was to go to the
capital; the Vali, to whom he had repeatedly addressed himself, had consented to the
journey, but had not provided any funds. It was understood that Nishan was on the
point of setting out, when on the evening of the 2 nd instant a revolver-bullet grazed
the low r er part of his left arm. His account is that as some Armenians w T eie passing
one said, “ There’s the traitor,” and immediately he was wounded. He accuses a young
man of wdiose innocence there can scarcely be the slightest doubt; and from the
circumstances and the trifling nature (next day he at once presented himself again to
the Vali) and position of the wound, there is some ground lor believing in the current
report that he shot himself, or persuaded his brother to do so.
The revelations, it may be assumed, he proposed to make probably related to
existence of seditious association or meditated acts in A an among Armenians, and are
possibly in great part mere foolishness, and in any case trifling and of no profound
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