"تقرير الإدارة عن المقيمية السياسية في الخليج الفارسي للأعوام ١٩١٥-١٩١٩" [و‎‎٩‎١] (٣٩٦/١٨٨)

FOR THE YEAR 1917.
9
however, very kindly arranged for H. M. S. " Britomart " to visit Lingah the
following day. H. M. S " Britomart " only remained here about 36 hours.
His Excellency the Darya Begi called at Lingah on the 17th of June
in the Persian Sloop " Persepolis " and expelled Saiyid Shubhar and three of
Irs sons and one or two followers. This action had a very good effect on the
town, and w ; ll no doubt teach the Saiyid and particularly his sons a lesson. The
Saiyidhas for ^ ears been a troublesome character.
A Military Eield Post Office was opened at Lingah on the i6th of March,
and Military and Consular mails for
Condition of roads. Shiraz were run via Basiak and Lar up to
the end of July, when the Service was rlisoontinued and diverted via Bandar
Abbas. When once properly established, the service worked very well. The
average time taken between Lingah and Shiraz and vice versa was about eight
to ten days.
The post w r as again started via Lingah, Bastak and Lar towards the end
of September, but was finally run via Bushire.
There was a very large increase in caravan traffic on the Lingah-Lar
route over 1916, roughly about 12,000 animals entered and left the town.
Owing to the demand up-country for general food-stuffs, prices in Lingah were
attimes abnormally high. In August a bag of sugar weighing 2 cwts. cost
Es. 72-8-0.
No instance of gun running was reported
Arms traffic. during the year.
Eight slaves took refuge at the Vice-Consulate during the year. Five
were manumitted. The remainder, who
Salve traffic. were from the Trucial Coast, had not had
their cases settled at the close of the year.
Mail service was maintained by the Persian Customs launch, which plied
between Lingah and Henjam connecting
British interests. with the British India Steam Navigation
Company's Mail steamers at the latter port
Mails were occasionally also brought by His Majesty's Transports, w r hich
visited the port on ten occasions.
The port suffered throughout the year from the scarcity of merchant
steamers visiting the place. Only two steamers of the British iiidia Steam
-Navigation Company visited the port. The other vessels to call here were the
Persian Gulf Steam Navigation Company's S. 3. " Zayani on three occasions,
the S,S Paroo " on one and two Japanese vessels paying one visit each.
Two Japanese steamers chartered by Mirza Muhammad Shirazi of the
Abad Line visited the port during the
Foreign interests. year.
Lieutenant-Colonel A. P. Trevor, C.I.E., Deputy Political Hesident in the
Persian Gulf, visited Lingah on H. M, S.
Visits of the Deputy Political Resident. "Lawrence," on the 2nd of October,
leaving the same day for Bandar Abbas.
Hear-Admiral D. St. A. Wake, C.I.E., visited Lingah on tw T o occasions
during the year. On the first occasion on
Visits of the Admiral. H. M. S. 14 Lawrence," in June, and again
on H. M. S. " Dufferin," in November, when he was accompanied by Brigadier-
General J. H. Douglas, C.M.G., General Officer Commanding, Persian Gulf.
His Majesty's ships visited the port on
Visits of His Majesty's ' ships.' ten occasions.
No new cases of piracy w r ere reported during the year, but the case of
the " Batal Zavar Prasad, which was
Piracy. wrecked off Busati in October 1913, still
remained unsettled.
Several native craft were wrecked near Lingah and along the coast duiing
the year. Four vessels, one of which
Shipwrecks. belonged to a British Indian subject, were