File 948/1909 'Persia: Situation in the South; Condition of the Roads. Attack on Mr Bill. Road Guard Scheme.' [‎17v] (39/744)

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who would of course suffer by this arrangement, are apparently not considered.
It is true that, in view of the moribund state of the northern postal service, the
public, who mostly send their northern letters ma Bushire, probably contem
plate Azizullah’s proposal with complete indifference.
With reference to the negotiations between the Persian Grovemment and
the Nasr-ed-Dowleh regarding the Ispahan road (see News of 10th December
last), the Persian Government suddenly telegraphed to Nasr-ed-Dowleh that he
was responsible for that road. He replied, m astonishment, that he had
received no answer to his conditions and had consequently taken no steps m the
matter. The Persian Government fatuously replied by curtly reaffirming his
responsibility. Kawam then telegraphed asking the Persian Government
whether they were mad and what arrangements they had made regarding JN asr-
ed-Dowleh’s conditions. The Persian Government replied that the necessary
arrangements would be made after the arrival of the Governor-General,
Inshallah, “ but this does not relieve Nasr-ed-Dowleh of responsibility for the
road now.” Nasr-ed-Dowleh continues to protest that he has nothing to do
with the road.
The Ispahan road still in same forlorn state—no post from the north for
over a fortnight. The Kazeroun road is normal. Sowlet continues to exact his
1,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. a month from the muleteers. One of his agents here telegraphed
to him that he had better telegraph to Tehran and deny the report that he was
still levying tolls. Sowlet will no doubt have no objection to telegraphing
another lie.
Shiraz :
21st January 1911.
1
W. A. SMART.
Enclosure 2.
Shiraz News.
In last week’s news I forgot to report the murder on 15th January of two
.Jewish pedlars by sarbaz. Eight sarbaz and a woman, their common mistress,
have been arrested and the murderers are apparently among them, but hitherto
the investigation has failed in singling out the guilty. The motive of the
murder was robbery. The Jews brought the corpses to the Consulate and
deposited them in front of my bedroom window, whence they were removed
after considerable persuasion. I made private representations on the subject to
the local authorities.
More heavy snow. The Kazeroun road has been blocked. The posts both
ways have been hung up for over a week. Mr. Knox with the reliefs of the
Shiraz detachment and Consular escort is held up at Kazeroun.
' An accumulation of 6 posts from the north arrived here on 22nd January,
with letters from Ispahan dated 22nd December and letters from Tehran dated
6th December. As a result of my complaints about the northern postal service,
the Postmaster called on me this morning to make his apologia. He
read me telegraphic correspondence with the Minister of Posts, showing that the
Postmaster had strongly represented the deplorable state of the Shiraz-Ispahan
service and urged, as the only means of its resuscitation, the acceptance of the
Postal Contractor’s terms, i.e., that the Persian Government should give satis
factory An East India Company trading post. guarantees that compensation will be immediately paid for every horse
hereafter robbed. Asadullah Mirza, entirely ignoring the main question, replied
perhaps facetiously, that as the Governor-General “ has arrived ” at the seat of
his Government with ample forces, the Postmaster had no further excuse for
irregularities in the postal service !
The kasid question is getting serious on the northern road. No kasid does
the journey more than once: after enduring the hardships of a journey on foot
through the snow and amidst dangers from brigands, the kasids decline to
return. Thus, only from time to time is somebody found, often quite from out’
side the administration to take the bags. Then he hangs himself on to caravans
proceeding with special guards and generally takes three weeks between Shiraz
and Abadeh.
m