"تقرير الإدارة عن المقيمية السياسية في الخليج الفارسي للأعوام ١٩١٥-١٩١٩" [و‎‎١‎٢‎٧] (٣٩٦/٢٦٠)

FOR THE TEAR lyig.
19
party alone, British support would be withdrawn from him. But Ihtisham-
ud-Douleh's evil influence was too strong, and rather than give him up after
seveial weeks of prevarication and wire-pulling at the Capital, Prince Nusrat -us-
Sultaneli left Kerman on 16tli February, taking with him at least a quarter of a
million tomans m cash and carpets. Kerman breathtd once more.
The efforts of His Majesty s Consul to obtain the appointment of Sardar
Nusrat as acting Goyernor-General until the arrival cf the Governor-General-
elect, Hishmat-udvDouleh, were unavailing owing to the hostility of the
Democratic Cabinet of Mustaufi-ul-JVlamalik. Kusrat-ul-Mamalik's term of
office was uneventlul, such little governing as was done being in tLe hands of
his son JNusrat-us-Sultan and his nephew Mukhtar-ul-Mulk. Sardar Nusrat
and bis family resented the preference shown to the rival Khanzada clan and
were at first inclined to intrigue against them, but desisted at a hint from the
Consulate.
Ilishmat-ud-Douleh, a Tabatabai of good family in Azerbaijan, arrived on
9th Ju-y. He was formerly a friend of the Russians and is a decided Royalist
in sympathies, having been Mohammad Ali Shah's Chief Secretary The fact
that he was nominated by a Democrat Cabinet and was a friend of Mustashar-
ud-Douleh, nowever raised great hopes among the Democrat party in Kerman
who spread it abroad that he intended not to recognise the South Persia Rifles
as a Persian Department, to forbid sale of grain to them and to hamper them
^ ev fT ^ W hatever may have been Hishmai-ud-Douleh's professions and
beliefs m Tehran (and he himself admits having believed all kinds of Demo
cratic slander of the British in South Persia) his ideas underwent a change
very soon after his arrival and he became the open and professed—if not
altogether sincere-admirer and partisan of the British. He is not stron^ either
in character or physique, but possesses both adroitness and savoiv faive, while
thanks to his Constantinople education he is not without knowledge of
European affairs. The fact that he is neither a Prince nor a Bakhtiari with a
large follow injj, one 01 the other of which all his predecessors for several years
have been, detracts from his prestige; though extremely anxious to keep in
with t e Consulate and South Persia Rifles, he is also afraid of the Democrats and
attempts to make up for his lack of prestige by playing each off against the
other Nevertheless he is an improvement on his predecessor, while his
light hand man Muntasim-ud-Douleh, Deputy Governor, is a welcome change
from the selfish and unscrupulous Ihtisham. Above all, the new Governor-
General s relations ^ith Sardar Nusrat, Haji Mirza Ali Muhammad, etc., have
so far beer, all that could be desired. During most of the last three months of
the year he was inca| acitated by a serious ear complaint, for which he was
successfully operated on by Dr. Dodson onlW 16th November, and afterwards
bymfiuenza. \
Kamal-us-Sultan remained in office till April, when in spite of His Majes-
Karguzari. ty's Minister's efforts on his behalf he
p.. * was recalled by the Mustaufi-ul-Mama:ik
Cabinet, chiefly because he was regarded as playing too much into the hands
ot the British. Certainly, though weak and without influence, Kamal-us-
ultan did his best to conduct the cases referred to him by His Majesty's Consu-
ate without prejudice to British interests. /In particular he made himself
unpopular with his own Government by agreeing with His Majesty's Consul
on the vexed question of the jurisdiction of the Karguzc.ri in suits in whicti
one of the parties is a British protected Persian subject. This principle, claimed
y His Majesty's Governmpnt under its most favoured nation agreement with
■rersiaand endorsed by long practice, appears to have been consistently denied
y recent Cabinets. In consequence, progress in certain test cases, notably
endun vs. Bahadur-ul-Mulk, in re Shahjehanabad property, and Mirza
uzurg vs. Mukhtar-ul-IIulk in re Khabis water righis, has been extremely
l )0wer ^^ defendants being able, backed by the Ministers of Justice
and foreign Affairs, to obstruct proceedings almost indefinitely so long as the
arguzar himself is on their side Hence the appointment of Mujallal-us-
M h H ^ ^ ace Kamal-us-Sultan. This man's last appointment was at
esned whence he was removed for obstructiveness within three months at the
request of the Russian Government. For several months after his arrival