"تقارير إدارية ١٩٠٥-١٩١٠" [ظ‎‎١‎٨‎٢] (٦١٦/٣٦٩)

56
ADMIN1STBATI0N REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GOLF POLITICAL RESIDENCY
The Sardar-i-Motazid never made any attempt to take up the reins of
government at all or even to collect any of the revenue. He no sooner got
here than he wanted to return to Tehran and neither he or any of his suite
could answer the natural question of why they ever came here. He made
himself very cheap and greatly lowered the olgmty of the Governor-General
and having made Tehran understand that he could not collect any money,
his resignation was accepted the second time of asking, early in July, and
he lost no time in starting for Tehran.
After his departure the Sahib-i-Ikhtiar was appointed Governor-Gene
ral and was reported to be coming immediately by It turned out,
however, that immediately was used in the strictly Persian sense. He sat
down in Kashan and wired for money to be sent, changing his nominee in the
Deputy-Governorship when it did not arrive. After a lot of trouble and
chiefly through the Adil-es-Snltaneh who though nomma ly only General
Commanding the local forces was really holding things together m the town,
some money was collected and sent to Kashan On receiving it the Governor
be^an to make his preparations and when they were completed he started
bv easy stages for Kerman. After a long halt in Yezd he at last reached
his district and arrived at Rafsinjan about the middle of September Here
he was delayed for some days trying to straighten out the very unsatisfactory
state into which the district had got. His efforts have had no very evident
results but he could not continue them indefinitely and came on to Kerman
about the end of the month.
He immediately set to work to remove the bad impression made by the
Sardar's democratic behaviour by introducing the most rigid etiquette and
exacting a greater respect than either the Rukn-ud-Dowleh or the Farman
Far The lone reicn of anarchy had thrown the district into a state of chM
The Governor of Baluchistan had discreetly retired to Bam; every petty chie
who had been turned out of his fort by the Persians re-occupied and proceeded
to re-build it. Bahram Khan, one of the most important chiefs, revived his
claim to the fort of Bampur and proceeded to besiege thc govcrnor s ocum
tenens in it. Said Khan, another important chief, directed his attention to
the south and appointed himself customs officer on the south coast.
The Rudbari Khans joined a looting expedition which was earned as
far as Minab and then quarrelled over the plunder ^ d ^ e b ^ n f 0 gXn
since in fighting against each other. Daud Khan the governor of Sirjan.
had treacherously shot down Isfandiar Khan when quietly sitting at a
" rozakhana " and so started a blood-feud with the Buchakchis wheh kep
both sides busy repairing the damage to water-oourses and plantations
inflected by ^ 0^*1 pfovided a fewWals. The districts of Baf and
Jiruft had both found that they have no use for a governor and thc Ad
Sultan and Muhammad Khan had been m Kerman and BamrespectivelysiM
early in the year. Bands of Farsis and Baharlns had raided the w^tcrnwd
north-western frontiers of Kerman, looting Sirjan and Meshed
Rafsinjan. Bands of robbers had seated themselves on the ,, b ds
and Yezd so that no caravan could get through safely wh ^ le ^ med
of twos and threes all over the district robbed any unwary and unamea
small travelling parties whom they conld come across.
Baluchistan was the first to receive attention. Wali Khan w ^ p a !??°jV s
governor of Bam and Baluchistan and ordered to advance at o"
victorious army and raise the siege of Bampur fort. It was however oae
thing to shell the Bam rabble from a safe distance but ^^te anotfi
attack Bahram Khan and his Baluchis m the open, and no one exp
to send Bahram Khan an ultimatum to surrender or to P re P^ e J or derer on
The Persian Baluch does not thirst for war; he is only a retail n - ^
safe lines. When Bahram Khan began his advance the Persians m ^
attempt to check him but retired forthwith within the fort and clo d
gates. The Baluchis arrived and sat down outside, and ^ simply
itself into a question whether the besieging force would ® x , t ( j theirs.'
of supply from the surrounding villages before the besiege sufficiently
or were'relieved by a force which the umpires would consider sum
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