File 6/1912 Part 1 'Persia: Shiraz affairs; attack on Mr Smart; Swedish gendarmerie' [‎360r] (213/472)

Sir G. Barclay’s Telegram No. 739
24th December 1911.
Sir G. Barclay's Telegram No. 740
25th December 1911.
Sir G. Barclay’s Telegram No. 691, 14th
December 1911.
Sir G. Barclay’s Telegram No. 33, 11th
January 1912.
J he presentation of this ultimatum was followed
by anti- Russian disturbances at Resht, Enzeli, and
labreez. In the end the Persian Government
handed a note on the >?4th December to the Russian
Minister, accepting the Russian demands, and the
Medjhss was closed on the day following.
Major Stokes, whose appointment to the Persian
gendarmerie was strongly objected to by Russia,
had left 1 ehran on the 14th December. Mr. Shuster’s
departure from Tehran took place on the 11th
January 1912.
Ineidents near Shiraz, including 1
attacks on Mr. Smart.
Sir G. Barclay’s Telegram No. 486, 13th
October 1911.
SirG. Barclay’s Telegram No. 529, 30th
October 1911.
Sir. G. Barclay’s Telegram No. 718,19th
December 1911.
Sir G. Barclay’s Telegrams Nos. 741
and 743, 25th December 1911,
Sir G. Barclay’s Telegram No. 750, 26th
December 1911.
Sir G. Barclay’s Telegram No. 4, 1st
January 1912.
Sir G. Barclay’s Telegram No. 758, 27th
December 1911.
Sir G. Barclay’s Telegram No. 773
31st December 1911.
1 1 . To return to the position in the neighbour
hood of Shiraz.
On the 13th October 1911, Sir G. Barclay tele-
giaphed that an English lady, Miss Ross, while
trayeilmg with a caravan from Ispahan to Shiraz
had been beaten by Kushgeluis near Abadeh. On
the 30th October he reported that she had again
)een attacked after leaving Abadeh, her money and
some clothes being taken.
In the middle of December supplies were
obtainable for the Indian troops at Shiraz only
when recourse to force had been threatened, and
this was followed by a more serious incident, when
on the 2 1th December, a party going from Shiraz
to meet Mr. Smart, about to take up consular duty
at that place, were hred on by road-guards from
t le hills above Ivotar Dakhtar near Kazerun, with
the result that one sowar In the East India Company army and later Indian Army, an ordinary native cavalryman or mounted cavalryman. was killed and one
wounded. On the 2(3th December a second attack
was made while Major Birdwood was bringing
Mr. Smart into Kazerun, resulting in the death
of two followers, besides one missing, and the
wounding of Mr. omart himself, seven sowars, one
hospital assistant, and one follower.
In consequence of the serious situation thus
created preparation was made to land at Bushire,
J 1 ® ce ®? ar 3 r > bluejackets and marines and
“ 50 Indian infantry, in addition to the 50 men
aJieady at that place. In the result some 209 men
of the 79th Carnatic Infantry were put on shore, on
t le undeistanding that they were not to advance
inland.
u ,^ r 1 °.P ose( I . despatch of infantry
battalion and battery to Shiraz.
di t f o » n as to a punitive expe-
Sir G. Barclay’s telegram, No. 757, 28th
December 1911.
18. On the 28th December Sir G. Barclay tele
graphed his concurrence in the view of Mr. Knox
wdio was Acting Consul at Shiraz, that one battalion
of infantry and one battery of mountain guns
should reach Shiraz via Bunder Abbas and Liimah
before the tribes moved on to the roads in March
when there would be 1.5,000 armed tribesmen in
the Shiraz valley.
Otherwise Sir G. Barclay thought no course
would be safe but to close the Consulate and let
the British residents in Shiraz know that we could
not protect them, and that they would remain at
bniraz at their own risk.
Sir G. Barclay added that for a punitive expe
dition and the effective opening up of the Bushire-
Shiraz road a properly organised force of four