'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOL. III. PART II: L to Z' [‎313v] (631/988)

Sill-SHI
933
himself into the same predominant position, as a tribal Chief, as that held
by the Shaikh of Muhammareh and the Bakhtiari Khans in their respective
limits.
By the middle of July hostilities had broken out between the Nizam's
adherents in Shiraz and those of the Qawam headed by his wife and only son.
During August and September contingents of Ghshqais and Arab and
Baharlu tribesmen began to arrive in support of their separate factions
and by the middle of September some 1,200 Qashqals were engaged in con
tinual desultory fighting entrenched in the commercial quarter of the town
against an equal number of Arabs outside.
The Nizam had been dismissed in July, but did not finally leave the
town till October 4th, when the Saulat-ud-Dauleh withdrew his forces
prior to moving into winter quarters.
The casualties sustained by the rival factions during these three months'
hostilities are estimated by reliable authorities at not less than 460 killed
and many more wounded. Not only was great damage to property com
mitted but tribal enmities have been aroused, which will be remembered a
generation or more, while the prestige of the Central Government has
received a blow from which it will be difficult to recover.
Until April the condition of the Bushire-Shiraz road was fairly satisfactory
though occasionally closed by the Nizam's operations at Kamarij. Fre
quent robberies, however, occurred between Shiraz and Ispahan.
During the summer, the situation momentarily improved, but by October
the Bushire-Shiraz road was again completely closed, and on the Shiraz-
Ispahan road robberies on a large scale were of frequent occurrence.
On October 12th a large caravan with over £2,000 of British goods was
robbed near Abadeh by Kuhgalu tribesmen and Miss Boss, medical practi
tioner, maltreated. ^ ,
A few days later a body of 300 Persian soldiers was attacked near
Yazdikhast, losing 10 killed and 20 wounded.
On October 30th Miss Ross, when attempting to continue her journey to
Shiraz, was again attacked, stripped and maltreated. She was ultimately
brought in from Abadeh by a squadron of the 39th Central India Horse,
who had been sent to escort her.
Owing to the appointment of the Nizam-us-Saltaneh and tlm announce
ment of Persia's intention to establish an effective Road Gendarmerie
under Swedish officers, a further respite had been allowed to the Persian
Government regarding the formation of a local force serving under British
officers for the policing of the Bushire-Shiraz-lsfahan route, as foreshadowed
in the British note of October 1910. .
The recent constant robberies on the road, however, led to a reconsidera
tion of the outlook. On October 10th the Persian Government were
informed that owing to the insecurity at Shiraz and elsewhere, His Majesty s
Government were compelled to strengthen the Consular Guards at Shiraz,
Isfahan and Hushire. The Persian Government were, however, assured
that the Consular escorts would only be utilised for the protection of British
lives and property and the Consulates at Bushire, Shiraz and Isfahan, and
that, if the Persian Government could devise a scheme for the effective
protection of the trade routes, the troops would not patio 1 the roads.