"الملف 14/115 VII الملحق (B 9) أكسيد جزيرة أبو موسى: مواد خلفية حول هذه القضية" [و‎‎٤‎٠] (١٩٠٤/٩٠)

73
A nnex 42.
Mote m the history and character of Mirza " The
UceAJonsulaie at Bushire " referred to at page 5 of the Foreign Office print
the German Memorandum, and in item 26
iLe Dragoman in question is the man referred to in tlie report submitted by
36 to His Majesty's Minister, Teheran. 3316 27tll Juae % 1909 in COBAectiOB with
No, 3 to His Majesty's Foreign Office. the disturbances at Bushire of the sprint of
No. 1498 to the Goyornment of India. ig 09; when troops hM to be landed from
His Majesty's ships for the protection of foreigners.
fI beg reference to that report from which point my present note takes un the
thread.
At that time (the summer of 1909) I considered that I had a good deal to com
plain of in the attitude towards me of the Acting German Consul Herr Wassmuss,
and in this view Sir George Barclay fully concurred on seeing papers which I
showed him personally in Teheran ; 1 attributed this mainly to the fact that Herr
Wassmuss, as a new comer with no knowledge of the country or language, was
necessarily in the hands of his Dragoman.
Both he, however, and Dr. Listemann, the permanent incumbent, placed im
plicit reliance on the man and neither would hear a word against him. This of course
was not unnatural
^As will be seen from what follows the man has since been entirely exposed, dis
credited and summarily dismissed.
On the termination of the disturbances and the expulsion of Saiyid Murteza
Mirza Husein gave up his leisure to local politics and by Judicious bribery
among the community of harbour boatmen (his father was a local Nakhoda) got
himself elected a member of the Bushire Anjuman. Later on, in January 1910, he
was able to contrive his selection and that of his ally Mirza Ali Kazeruni (see my
report of June 1909) as candidates for two of the seats in the Teheran Majlis allot
ted to the Gulf Poits. The Governor, however, intervened on the ground that
the election was not a bona-fide one and their deputation never took shape.
Meanwhile Mirza Husein's operations in arms dealings in association with Haji
Muhammad Hassan, the local broker of Messrs. Wonckhaus, proceeded as usual
but some of the captures of arms by His Majesty's ships were reported to have in
volved the pair in heavy losses and put them in some financial difficulty. Is
March 1910, owing to the stagnation of trade in Bushire and other causes, Messrs.
Wonckhaus withdrew their European agent for a time and left the broker Haji
Muhammad Hassan in charge. The jealousy evinced by Mirza Husein at not
being given the agency himself, resulted in a split between him and Haji Muham
mad Hassan which led to a good deal of mutual recrimination and consequent
exposure of their shady business affairs. In September 1910 a sum of £ 1,700
oddiwhich Messrs. Wonckhaus had despatched, through the medium of Haji Muham
mad Hassan, to the neighbouring coast by sailing boat for the purchase of grain
for export, was lost. The money disappeared in transit and suspicion, fostered by
Mirza Husein, fell on Haji Muhammad. The latter eventually absconded to
Tangistan, and Mirza Husein was appointed in his place as Wonckhaus' agent.
The firm, however, soon came to the conclusion that Mirza Husein was implicated,
and Muhammad Hassan more sinned against than sinning, and induced the latter
to return from Tangistan. A short time afterwards they preferred a claim on his
behalf against Mirza Husein for misappropriating in the broker's absence a cargo
of arms which the latter had ordered out. These arms Mirza Husein is said to have
sold to various dealers, of whom one Abdul Karim bought and secreted 10. These
arms having been traced and seized, the Director of Customs having obtained proof
of their import by Mirza Husein, took up the case against him with the Governor
and the German Consulate. At the same time the German firm convinced their
Consul of Mirza Husein's dishonest behaviour in connection with the disappear
ance of the £1,700 and the defalcations of Haji Muhammad Hassan, with the