ملف ٣٤٤٣\ ١٩١٤ الجزء ٣ "الحرب الألمانية: أفغانستان وبلاد فارس؛ العملاء الألمان؛ القوات البريطانية في شرق بلاد فارس" [و‎‎١‎٠‎٤] (٣٤٥/٢١٨)

CONFIDENTIAL.
Meshed Diary No. 1, for the week
ending January 1st, 1916.
I
Persian officials.—Aitei waiting for some time to see whether I would nav
the first call, Zahir-ui-Islam, the new Mutawalli Bashi, visited me on December
29th.
Secret, TheMmister for Foreign Affairs has telegraphed to the Acting Karguzar
and ordered him to warn those who have formed a “ Committee of Defence ” at
Meshed to desist from their folly. As a matter of fact this “ Committee of
Defence ” is formed of a few of those calling themselves democrats. They talk
occasionally of striking a blow for “ the people ” but their discussions nearly always
end in the decision that it will be best to wait and see what happens. J
Persian affairs. —I hear that, at the instance of the maternal uncles of the late
Nusrat-ul-Mulk, Shaukat-ud-Daulah, who shot him, has been summoned to Tehran.
The Governor-General is, however, endeavouring to obtain sanction to the local
settlement of this lucrative case. A local paper complains that Shaukat-ud-
Daulah is treated more like a guest than a prisoner in the ark.
Shuja-ud-Daulah, Governor of Kuchan, has sent to the Central Government
a telegram on behalf of his tribe, the Zafaranlu Kurds, approving of the improve
ment of relations between the Persian Government on the one side and the British
and Bussian Governments on the other. I suggested to my colleague, who should
have considerable influence over Shuja-ud-Daulah, that it would be well to
persuade him to send such a telegram.
I have a list of the members of the “ Committee of Defence ” here. Their
meetings have not been very successful, for the question of subscriptions has scared
away most of those who would otherwise have been prepared to support them with
their tongues.
Russian affairs. —M. and Madame Bomanovsky from Birjand arrived in
Meshed on December 21st and left on December 27th. They were my guests during
their stay.
See Diary No. 52 of 1915. The Karguzar has protested to my colleague against
the arrest of the ten Austrian fugitives at Kuchan, but was told that they had been
arrested under the orders of the Governor-General cf Bussian Turkistan lest they
should be supplied with arms and sent to join gangs of German brigands in Persia.
The Karguzar afterwards called on me and as I suspected that he might broach the
subject I anticipated him by expressing regret that I had not lately been able
to serve the Persian Government by arresting Austrian fugitives on their way to
join rebels against that Government. This naturally closed the subject. The
Karguzar had no better fortune in his protest to my colleague against the seizure
of rifles by the Bussian troops. The Persians, apparently with some idea of
frightening the Bussians, are spreading a rumour that 1,000 men from Pars are
coming to recover the rifles taken some time ago from Shirazi pilgrim traders.
Miscellaneous. —The house of Bechlich, the Austrian dentist, was burnt on
Christmas Day and nearly all his property wa.s destroyed. The fire was accidental.
Persian and German Intrigues. —A Jew has been imprisoned and fined by the
Bussian Agent at Daragaz on a charge of harbouring Austrian fugitives. The
Bussian Agent, with the help of Biza Khan, brother of the late Mirza Masud Khan,
has also arrested some Austrian fugitives.
News from Turbat-i-Haidari. —Shahzada Hashim Mirza, a member of the
Majlis, arrived in Turbat-i-Haidari on December 23rd from Mahvilat. . This man
is a democrat. He and the mullas and mujtahids of Turbat met the Bussian Consul
at a dinner given by Agha Sadr.
There is scarcity of wheat in Turbat and the price is rising. The Governor
has again requested that wheat may be sold to the people from the Government
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