"تقارير إدارية ١٩٠٥-١٩١٠" [ظ‎‎٢‎٢‎٠] (٦١٦/٤٤٥)

24
ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULF
He spent the remainder of the year in fruitless negotiations with the
Central Government, in which he was consistently supported by the two
Consuls.
But as soon as it became clear that the Central authorities were unable
to force Sowlet to accept the Governor-General's authority, and unwilling or
afraid to dismiss him, it was obvious that Saham-ed-Dowleh's regime was
doomed. Needless to say the Russian robbery went entirely unpunished, and it
was not clearly ascertained who the perpetrators were, although some of them
belong undoubtedly to the Boir Ahmadi section of the Kuhgelu. The year
thus closed with the gloomiest possible prospects for the future, the prestige
of the Persian authorities having been heavily damaged by the failure of
Saham-ed-Dowleh, a man far above the average of Governors-General in both
character and ability, and the customary inviolability of foreign Consular
officers having been finally broken down.
It remains to be mentioned that Seyyid Abdul Husein, the Lari firebrand,
was sent for by the new Government to come to Tehran and explain his highly
suspicious proceedings, but he succeeded in arriving in Shiraz on November
19th, although the orders sent were to the effect that he was not to enter the
town. He remained apparently in strict retirement until the close of the
year, although he received a secret visit from Nasr-ed-Dowleh, at which it is
probable that some cash changed hands. The departure of the Shiraz
deputies for Tehran should also be noted, although it attracted little atten
tion and the validity of their election was subsequently questioned.
The prestige and self-confidence of this important tribe and of its leader
Nomad tribes. Kashg™. Sowlet-ed-Dowleh has increased greatly
during the year. As already noted they
have displayed an unanimity unprecedented in the history of the tribe, and
the consolidation of Sowlet's authority, due to the practical disappearance of
his brother Zeigham-ed-Dowleh from the tribal politics, is sufficient by itself
to render the tribe twice as formidable as it has been in the past.
It is freely alleged that Saham-ed-Dowleh's failure to procure Sowlet's
dismissal was due to the latter having bribed Sipahdar, and it would cer
tainly seem improbable that Sardar Assad, with whom he is on the worst of
terms, would not have seized the opportunity to dismiss him, had he not met
with strong resistance from his colleague.
As a result it is doubtful whether any attention would now be paid by
the Kashgais to orders from Tehran dismissing Sowlet-ed-Dowleh, and it
seems far more likely that the only result would be to provoke the latter to
open rebellion.
Not only the Kashgais, but the Farsis in general are accustomed to speak
contemptuously of the present Government as " those (variously qualified)
Bakhtiaris in Tehran, and it is by no means improbable that Sowlet, cautious
as he is by nature, may, during the ensuing year, be driven by public opinion
Within his tribe to some overt act of hostility against the ascendancy of the
Bakhtiari, whom every Kashgai considers inferior to his tribe both in courage
and m nurnbers. It is safe to say that very little of the old time prestige of
lehran and the Shah's Government has descended to the persons now in
power, who are regarded rather as a band of unusually successful robbers
than as the representatives of duly constituted authority.
-r^ e ^ r ^. e were on t-he whole, well in hand throughout the year, although
the Darshuri and Farsimadan sections made themselves conspicuous in the
autumn by extensive damage to the telegraph line between Dastarjin and
Kazerun, and by maltreating the Armenian signaller at the latter place, the
result being a total interruption which showed signs of continuing indefinitely.
I consequently paid a visit to Sowlet's camp and was assured that all the dam-
asp was being done by a contumacious Kashgai chief in order to discredit his
(bowlets) authority; but this is hardly credible, as the damage was too exten
sive to have been done by a small party, and moreover it ceased completely
the moment Sowlet issued orders to that effect; I have consequently little
doubt that the damage^ was done wih his knowledge as a conspicuous demon
stration of the incapacity of Saham-ed-Dowleh to keep order.