'Collection of journals and reports received from Captain the Hon G C Napier, Bengal Staff Corps, on special duty in Persia, 1874. Includes revised index. London: HMSO, 1876' [‎24v] (52/409)

36
Regiment of
Kasveen.
Khan of Kelat.
Turkomans.
Bad policy of
present Go
vernment.
Prestige.
unwholesome. I noticed that in spite of a swift current, the
gravel bed was covered with a coating of green weed by which
the water was slightly colored, possibly it may derive from this
some injurious qualities. The remains of a covered water-course
constructed by Nadir is still visible outside the Arghoonshah gate.
It carried the water of a spring, five or six miles distant, into the
village Arghoonshah. Like all other of his works, of which traces
remain on the plateau, it was built solidly and well, and meant to
last. From the gateway the road led, under the walls of a small
round fort showing a couple of guns, through the village of
Arghoonshah, and down a green fertile valley with a good stretch
of rice cultivation, to the Khan’s house in the village of Geo
Gunbuz. An old red sandstone tower fluted with half columns of
the same stone, and handsomely decorated with carvings in blind
arches, well executed, built by Nadir for his descendants, has been
repaired by the Khan and contains his family.
3(M September. Kelat .—The Chief of Kelat came in to-day
from the Atak where he had been detained by a slight brush with
some Turkomans from whom his men had taken two prisoners;
one of these was a Kelat man who had deserted to the enemy, and
served them as a guide. His fate was sealed. The chief is a fine
looking old man, quite above the average of his countrymen,
intelligent, and with a rare thirst for knowledge. He has taught
himself to read English, French, and Russian, and is exceedingly
well informed in geography and the history of his own and the
neighbouring countries, and well up in contemporary events in
India, Afghanistan, and Khiva. He evinced a preference, I believe
most sincere,_ for, England and English policy, and mode of
Government in the East. Knowing both our system and that of
the Russians in the long annexed provinces of the Caucasus, his
ciiticisms and comparisons were worthy of attention. Refernn 0,
to the Turkomans, he said that the question had been taken in
hand by the Hissam-u-Sultanah, who had perceived at once the
opening given to Persia by the preparations for the attack on
Khiva, and the pressure on the tribes from the Caspian ; but at the
very time that he had succeeded in establishing friendly relations
he was xemoved, and his successor allowed one newly-planted
colony to be attacked and destroyed by the Khan of Deregez, and
later a Turkoman caravan from Merve, to be plundered within a
lew miles fiom Mashad. This had irritated the tribes to such an
extent that he looked upon any connection or alliance with Persia
as hopeless for some time to come. The Tekkahs of Merve looked
to Afghanistan for help in the event of need, believing that they
wouid by an alliance with them, come also under English protection.
The Khan was, I soon saw, under the impression, a very general
one at Mashad, that I was charged to make some overtures to the
Merves on the partof Government, and, when questioned, admitted
as much. This notion, of course, 1 disabused him of.
1 he immense efforts made and the large sums of money spent
not many years ago, with the view of establishing an influence
m Herat, have left alasting impression in this part of the country,