ملف ٢٢٩٧/ ١٩١٩ "تقارير شهرية للمقيمية البريطانية في الخليج الفارسي. ١٩١٢-١٩٢٠." [و‎‎١‎٣‎٩] (١٠٤٤/٢٨٢)

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CONFIDENTIAL.
'A Summary of news of His Majesty’s Political Residency in the Persian Qulf far
the month of May 1917.
PERSIA. ' >
Ispahan.
Reza Khan Jnzdani has been wounded by the Russian force sent against him
and a number of his men killed. Jaafar Quli Khan was attacked by Lieutenant-
Colonel Khabaroff and many of his followers slain. Both of these robber chiefs
are believed to be in the Bakhtiari country and the Bakhtiari Khans show no
signs of expelling or giving them up.
A large number of Ardistan people took bast in the Ispahan Telegraph Office
to protest against having to pay taxes after haying been left to the mercy of Reza
Juzdani. Eventually the receipts given to the “ bastis ” by the robbers were
accepted by the Finance Department as temporary revenue vouchers and they
left the Telegraph Office.
All roads in the Province were reported comparatively safe on 22 nd April 1917
with the exception of that to Shiraz. Even the Yezd road was satisfactory owing
to the posting of sowars at Ardistan and at Nain : at the same time matters were
still further improved by Mashallah Khan (son of Naib Hussain) sending his sons as
hostages to Tehran and accepting responsibility for the Qum-Nain road. It is
hoped that the South Persia Rifles will tranquillize the Shiraz route in due course ;
a party of them defeated one gang and captured three robbers in April.
A most unfortunate incident occurred on April 29th. Mr. E. K. Harris,
Assistant in the Bakhtiari country to His Majesty’s Vice-Consul at Ahwaz, was
coming into Ispahan from Najafabad and shot himself at the Ateshgah some six miles
from the town whilst temporarily insane. By courtesy of the Diocesan Council
he was buried (like the late Russian Consul-General, Bogoiavlenski, and the late
Honorary Russian Vice-Consul, Von Kaver) in the celebrated (Armenian) Cathedral
in Julfa, Ispahan.
Mohammerah.
Thirty-five cases of plague with eleven deaths were reported during the month.
The Shaikh has given a sum of Rs. 10,000 for the construction of a new school;
local merchants are to contribute another Rs. 10,000.
Mr. Dick, who is to take charge of the Civil Dispensary at Ahwaz, arrived from
Basrah during the week ending 2nd May and left by the S. W. Aminiyeh (?) on
that date.
Behbehan and Kuhgelu.
The recent departure of the Governor of Behbehan for Ramuz has been
explained by news received to the effect that Sardar Muhtasham, Bakhtiari, has
resigned the Ilkhaniship of the tribe and no successor has been appointed though
the names of Sardars Jang, Zafar, and Bahadur have all been under consideration
in Tehran.
News was received on the 24th May that the Bakhtiari Khans had left Ramuz
and Behbehan and gone to Chaharmahal, no Bakhtiaris remaining south.
Behbehan and Kuhgelu therefore presumably revert for the time being to their
former lack of even nominal administrative control.
Shiraz.
Town quiet. The principal event of interest was an agreement, signed at
Khaneh Zinian, between Sir Percy Sykes, Colonel Gough, and the Soulet-ud-Douleh.
This compact modified and supplemented that already entered into by Mr. Bristow.
Soulet is to remove the rebel Nasr-i-Diwan from the Kazerun district for six months