"تقرير الإدارة عن المقيمية السياسية في الخليج الفارسي للأعوام ١٩١٥-١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎٤‎٩] (٣٩٦/١٠٥)

20
PERSIAN GULF ADMINISTRATION REPORT
passed entirely into the hands of the Germans and Democrats. As the former
were busy maturing their plans lor an advance into Baluchistan and Afghan
istan, they appear to have left the Democrats an almost free hand to
mismanage local affairs. i 1 he Sardar Zafar nominally retained his position as
Governor-General, but was alternately cajoled and bullied by the Democrats,
and he made no effort to assert his authority, as he could probably easily have
done.
The affairs of the province, and especially as lying nearer to hand, of the
town, were controlled by a junta the principal and most active members of
which were the Karguzar, Muham-ul-Mulk, the Rais-i-Muarif, Saijid
Mustafa Khan, Sultan. Muhammad .Khan, Commanding the Gendarmerie, and
the Rais-i-Tahdid (Superintendent of the Opium Department) Mirza Husain
Khan. The Nazim-ut-Tujjar might almost be allowed a place in this galaxy,
but for some reason he was a little unpopular in the most select Democrat
circles. The names of the Shari'at-Madar, Agha Mehdi, Eais-i-Baladiyah,
and the Amin-ul-Islam also deserve to be inscribed in the roll of Persian
Patriots.
The following are a few of the principal events that occurred during the
six months between the departure of the British in December and their return
in the following June. The sources are Persian narratives, and Persians are
poor chronologists, so the sequence of events is in many cases somewhat
uncertain.
Certain Democrats were promptly deputed to go to the office of the
Imperial Bank of Persia and bring away the cash. There was some 40,000
tomans of which half was given to the Sardar Zafar.
The Germans sent one Ali Asghar, Naqqash, a former employ^ of the
Oriental Carpet Manufacturers, Limited, to raise a force of sowars in Shiraz, and
they were reinforced by the arrival of the German Seiler with some Austrians.
The carpets of the Oriental Carpet Manufacturers, Limited, were then seized
by Zugmeyer and handed over to Bruggmann, who despatched a large quantity
to Yezd.
The Democrats soon began to wish to reap the fruits of victory, and they
were also doubtless in need of funds in order to keep their followers together.
They therefore arranged with the Sardar Zafar to appoint four Committees to
give effect to their desires.
No. 1 was a Committee of Adjustment for the management of domestic
affairs and included some respectable and non-Democrat members, such as the
Sardar Nusrat and the Mukhtar-ul-Mulk.
No. 2 was a Commission to raise Aanah or war tax.
No. 3 was for the enlistment of local forces and the acquisition of arms
and ammunition.
No. 4 appears to have been a financial Commission, which framed a
budget for the He venue Department that was naturally never given effect
The Germans received further reinforcements from Shiraz, and Zugmeyer
then despatched a party to Khabis which was intended to proceed across the
Lut to Sistan. It started off, fell in with robbers, was roughly handled and
forced to retire again on Khabis. Keinforced bv Seiler it start fid nnf no-nin hnt
assisted bystratagems in which the Sardar Zafar pla^d IZ
as a good deal of half open half concealed opposition fomented by the Sardar
Nusrat and the Mulla Jamal-ud-Din. The Sardar Nusrat (if he and his friends
take th^dirocHou 0 o7« a ff • y " f 1° the Sardar Za fer to assert his authority,
subservLnce tn tbe + 0 ^ ow , I \ hands aDd suppress the Deipocrats, but
subservience to the Democrats brought pecuniary benefit or else the Sirdar
Zafar was really too timorous to oppose them as he could well have done with