"مجلد I مذكرات بخصوص بلاد فارس والمنطقة الحدودية الشمالية الغربية. ١٩٠٥." [ظ‎‎٦‎٦] (٣١٠/١٣٧)

2
the Customs Department over an alleged charge
of fraud, has not yet been settled. Mons.
Castaigne declines to meet any of Colonel
Minchin’s proposals, or even to hold himself
bound by the terms of the supplementary
agreement, modifying Article 97 of the D&gle-
ment. He at first ignored all knowledge of
the supplementary agreement; and even alter
it had been communicated to him from Tehran,
said that he was within his rights in confiscating
the whole kafila, since he was empowered to
inflict the maximum fine, not only on the
owner of the caravan, but on each person
connected with the fraudulent act, which, he
held, included the camel-drivers.
The Karguzar at Meshed has reported to
Tehran that the local Armenians are sending
reports to the Amir which are calculated to
incite him to assume the offensive against
Kussia. He has recommended tnat all
Armenians should be expelled from the service
of the Persian Government, and placed under
careful supervision. He added that explosives
and fire-arms were being smuggled into Meshed
by Armenians who were British subjects.
Ataulla Khan, Barakzai, who recently
murdered two Persian Customs employes at
Ahwaz, has been allowed by the Sipah Salar of
Herat to return to Afghanistan.
Early in January, two strange Afghans
were brought to the Russian Consulate by a
Herati news-agent in the pay of the Russian
Consul-General. They remained all day in
private consultation with the Consul-General,
and only left late in the evening.
Two Russian postal sowars, carrying the
mail bag between Turbat-i-Jara and Pul-i-
Khatun, were attacked by robbers, who deprived
them of everything except the letters.
Turlat-i-Haidari .—Captain Winter has
selected the new route for the Indian post
from Herat to Meshed, via Karez and Turbat-i-
Haidari. It will not, however, be used until
the end of March, as the sowars have laid in
their winter supplies of fodder along the old
route.
Captain Smyth has paid a visit to the
scene of the attack on the Consulate mules (see
Journal for January), and made a full enquiry.
The Governor of Turbat-i-Haidari accompanied
him, and there is little doubt of the identity
of the robbers, who have not, however, yet been
punished.
A Customs officer, who had just returned
from the Afghan frontier, told Captain Winter
that the Persian Government were tired of
keeping up the quarantine cordon, and would
not pay the sowars any longer. They were
annoyed, he said, that the Russian hospital had
been closed during the cholera epidemic.