'Military Report on South-West Persia, Including the Provinces of Khuzistan (Arabistan), Luristan, and Part of Fars' [‎2] (25/466)

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Besides the above (inteDded for presents and to be carried by the party) j
a small stock of presents and medicines was laid in [see page 112),
I received from the firm of Messrs. Mackinnon, Mackenzie and Company }
Bombay, Agents of the above mentioned Steamship Company, the greatest
courtesy; not only did they arrange for money remittances, but they also
gave me letters of introduction to their various agents in the Gulf, letters
which were of the utmost service, as they were the means of procuring for
me others to the Ilkhani The paramount chief of certain tribes in south west Iran. and Ilbegi of the Bakhtiarjs whose friendship for
Mr, Mackenzie is of long standing—-
Karachi was reached on the 7tli March 1884 ;
Muscat „ „ 11th March 1884;
Bandar Abbas „ v 12th March 1884 ;
Lino-a ?> l^th March 1884;
Bahrein „ » 14th March 1884;
Bushire >> 15th March 1884;
short delays being made at each port or roadstead to ship and discharge
cargo. The steamer anchoring at Bushire for 24 hours enabled all necessary
business to be transacted.
Basra, on the right bank of the Shatfc-al-Arab, a Turkish town, a few
miles above Muhammerah, was reached on the 18th March after undergoing
the one day's quarantine imposed by the Turkish authorities as a means of
extorting fees.
I remained at Basra till the 22nd March, making final preparations for
the land journey from Muhammerah to Kum.
From the firm of Messrs. Gray, Mackenzie and Company, barats or
money orders were obtained on well-known merchants at Shustar, Dizful,
Burujird and Isfahan, as well as letters to them to furnish me with otber^
on Sultanabad, Kum, and Gulpaigan,
Muhammerah to Kum (635 miles),
On the 23rd March Mr. Bobertson, Acting Consul at Basra, accompanied
,, , ^ me to Muhammerah in the steam yacht belonging
Munammeran to Anwaz. . ^ ^ ^ r , . r ^ mv
to the firm of Gray, Mackenzie and Company, my
hosts, and introduced me to Shaikh Mizal, the Chief of the Ka'b Arabs, and
from him I obtained the services of a mounted guide as far as Wais, on the
Karun river above Ahwaz, the limit of his jurisdiction.
Shaikh Mizal. Shaikh Mizal is a middle aged man of fine figure but
sad countenance. He has no children and may not feel
altogether secure in his position (see page 178) ; his elder brother, Muhammad,
who lives at Isfahan, intrigues against him, and the difficulty of collecting the
annual tribute is considerable; his darbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). is conducted with great decorum and
ceremony. The aba and kaba are here worn together with an ample puggene.
I had heard that a short time previously to my arrival some Frencn
commercial and military travellers had been displaying considerable activity
in the vicinity of the mouth of this, to us, most important river, the Karun,
and had been denied a safe conduct; and I had been informed that ^
was useless to apply for it, the Shaikh being unable to guamntee a safe passag 6
through the territory over which he exercises a patriarchal authority. Sham