ملاحظات أُعدت كمرجع خلال جولة كرزون في الخليج الفارسي، وأوراق أخرى عن بلاد فارس والخليج الفارسي [و‎‎٢‎٦‎٢] (٦٧٨/٥٢٣)

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[This Document is the Property of Her Britannic Majesty's Government.]
No. 1 .
Sir M. Durand to the Marquess of Salisbury.—{Received August 3.)
(No. 49.)
My Lord, ^ _ Gulhek, July
1 HAVE the honour to transmit herewith a summary of frontier news from the 10th
June to the 10 th July which has been drawn up by Mr. Wyndham.
J have, &c.
(Signed) H. M. DURAND.
Inclosure in No. 1 .
Summary of Fontier News, June 10 to July 10, 1896.
WITH the exception of Pars, Arabistan, and the Kurdish frontier, the country is
remaining very fairly quiet. But should disturbances arise the central Government would
probably have difficulty in coping with them. Through the peculation and mismanage
ment of the Naib-es-Sultaneh, continued through a number of years, the army has become
untrustworthy, the troops have been, for the most part, long unpaid, and have, in the
provinces, shown signs of mutiny.
Kasvin. There has been a disturbance at Kasvin, directed against the Governor,
who was generally considered both able and popular. The mob paraded a supposed
corpse, a man who had been beaten by the Governor’s servants, and carried him through
the streets to the Governor’s house. The Governor happened to be calling on the Belgian
Minister who was passing through Kasvin, and remained with him till the disturbance had
subsided and the supposed corpse had come to life again.
Astrabad .—In Astrabad the troops are reported to have revolted, and the Governor
was obliged to borrow 3,000 tomans in order to pay them.
Tehran —An infantry regiment broke into mutiny a few days ago on the parade-
ground in Tehran itself. The men drove away their officers at the point of the bayonet
and took “ bast in the main square opposite the bank. There they remained until they
received their arrears of pay, nearly 2 , 000 /.
Shiraz.' - In Shiraz a large number of merchants and landowners have taken “bast ”
in the principal mosque and declare they will not leave it until they have an assurance
that their looted property will be restored and that they will be released from taxes.
1 hese disturbances are doubtless chiefly due to the shock which Government has met
in the death of the Shah, out evils dating from an earlier date have much to do with
them. The depreciated copper currency has caused misery and deep-rooted discontent
among the poorer classes. A determined attempt is now being made to remedy this evil.
The Imperial Bank, at all its branches, is buying up copper on behalf of the Persian
Government, and a contract has been concluded by which it shall import at least
100,000 lbs. of silver to restore the currency.
Ur mi. The disorders in Turkey are spreading to the Persian frontier, and reports
from Tabriz announce that a holy war is being preached among the Kurds. They have
murdered the Nestorian Bishop of Urmi on his way back from visiting the Nestorian
Archbishop at Nochea, across the Turkish frontier.
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