'Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol I. Historical. Part II. J G Lorimer. 1915' [‎2548] (1065/1262)

2548
Plague
disturbances
at Busliehr,
1899.
Partial
substitution
of surveil
lance for
detention,
but not
maintained,
1899.
General
results to
1903.
The small outbreak of plague which occurred at Bushehr in May
1899 led to the deputation of Captain Rainier, I.M.S., from India for
the purpose of devising a scheme to prevent the spread of plague in and
from Bushehr. The activity of the,British medical officers in investigat
ing the epidemic at Bushehr and the expectation that drastic measures
would be applied gave rise to an ebullition of popular feeling which at
one moment threatened to become serious. The Darya Baigi, then
Governor of the Gulf Ports, at first gave assurances that all necessary
measures could and would be enforced ; but he subsequently modified his
tone and said that with the small garrison at his disposal nothing
could be done in face of the general opposition. On the 31st of July a
demonstration took place at Bushehr, in which the windows of the
Persian Telegraph Office were broken and stones were thrown at the
British Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. ; but the crowd consisted mostly of juveniles, and the
Mujtahids of the town voluntarily supplied escorts to protect Europeans
from annoyance. There were rumours, however, that requests for aid in
resisting plague precautions had been sent to the chief men of Dashtistan,
and the British Resident was given discretion by the British Minister at
Tehran to bring Indian troops to Bushehr, in case of necessity, from
Jashk and Chahbar. While the crisis lasted feeling ran high, and large
gatherings were held in some of the mosques ; but on the 3rd of August
the disturbance subsided, partly under threats from the Darya Begi who
had obtained some men from Angali, Shabankareh and Dashtistan ; and
on the 4th of August the bazaar, which had been closed, was re
opened. In October some of the ringleaders were bastinadoed at the
demand of Colonel Meade, the British Resident, and others were expelled
from the town. As plague had meanwhile died out at Bushehr and
did not subsequently reappear, the organisation of protective measures was
discontinued, and in February 1900 Captain Rainier returned to India.
In July 1899 the Government of India instructed Colonel Meade
that surveillance for a fixed period after arrival might, at Bushehr and
other Persian ports, be substituted for detention under observation in the
case of all classes of persons whose daily inspection could be assured,
and effect was given to the order by exempting first and second-class
passengers and their servants from detention; this form of differential
treatment, however, was badly received by the Persian Government, as it
appeared to them to favour Europeans, and it became necessary to revert
to wholesale detention without discrimination of status.
The arrangements at all Persian ports worked smoothly, if we except
the slight trouble at Bushehr in 1899, from 1897 to 1903 ; they were
inexpensive; and they effectually preserved the country from infec
tion. The cost to the Persian Government of the special staff and
contingencies at Muhammareh, Lingeh and Bandar ' Abbas was less than
£100 per mensem, and the expenditure in allowances and contingencies at
Bushehr and Jashk, which amounted to £20 a month, was borne by the
Government of India. The Persian Government were also represented in
the Gulf during part of this time by a physician of their own, whose real
function was to keep a watch upon the proceedings of the British sanitary
authorities at Bushehr and elsewhere. This individual was at first a
certain Zain-ul-^Abidm, appointed in 1899; but he was succeeded in 1900
linied to :
, until Ma;
in 1908, h
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