"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الجزء II. ج. ج. لوريمر. ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٨‎٤‎٨] (١٢٦٢/٣٦٥)

1848
2nd J uly.
i^iffioultieg of
Baqir Khhn
and evacua
tion by him
J^tishehr,
9tli to 11th
J aly 1779.
in a manner that was almost apologetic, for he explained that only the neces
sity of providing himself with a stronghold in which he might he sate
from the enmity of Sadiq Khan had compelled him to act as he had done
and he promised to rule with strict moderation and justice. His later
policy, equally, was a mixture of conciliation and force : on the one hand
he persuaded the Muhammadan, the Armenian, and even the Hindu
mercantile communities to petition separately for his recognition by Akl
Fat-h Khan, the titular sovereign of Persia; and, on the other, he proceeded
to improve the defences of the town against external attack, and to guard
against insurrection within the walls by depriving the citizens of their
weapons. The conduct of Baqir Khan in seizings Bushehr, it may he
remarked, was the more reprehensible in that he had, before the death of
Karim Khan, undertaken to provide for the safety of the place during
the absence of Shaikh Nasir.
On the 2nd of July the two Gallivats which had been prepared left
for the southward in search of Shaikh Nasir j and on the next day a numher
of poor families were expelled from the town to make room for a numher
of Tangistani immigrants, some of the better class among whom were
armed. Ou the 5th of the month an officer of the Mir of Rig, who had
come to request that the family of a deceased relation of the Shaikh of
Bushehr should be handed over to his master, left for Rig after success*
fully discharging his commission; but before his departure he visited
Mr. Beaumont, the British Resident, and assured him that the Mir, so
far from having instigated the seizure of Bushehr by Baqir Khan, his late
guest, highly disapproved of the usurpation and would probably arrive
before long with his own people and those of Ganaveh to help in bringing
to an end. By this officer Mr. Beaumont despatched a letter to the
British Factory at Basrah, in which he informed them of the crisis at
Bushehr and of his own disagreeable situation. During the next three
days nothing of importance happened.
On the 9th of July Baqir Khan received, with reference to his overtures,
an unfavourable reply from Abul Fat-h Khan, by whose Farman he was
directed to restore to the inhabitants of Bushehr everything that he
had taken from them, to deliver up the town to Shaikh SaMun, and to repair
at once in person to Shlraz to answer for his late conduct. As prepara
tions were already being made by neighbouring chiefs for an attack on
him by sea and land, as it now seemed not unlikely that their efforts
mi ftt e /u e T nded ^ the Government of Shiraz, and as, moreover, it was
probabe that he would be deserted by his own followers, whose family
111 JanglSten tod begU11 to suffer by the attacks of Arab symj
ffcialv
si
iJi