'File No. II/12 Foreign Dept Memoranda of Information re: affairs in Persia and Arabian shore of the Persian Gulf. Jan '09 --' [‎38r] (75/178)

April to the effect that, if the tufangchis did
not leave the town, men and guns would be
landed to clear them out. As no reply was
received, Major Cox, with the approval of
His Majesty’s Legation, landed 100 men from
His Majesty’s S. S. Fox> after issuing a pro
clamation that the step was being taken for
the protection of British subjects and other
foreigners. Most of the Tangistanis left the
town, but Saiyid Murtaza retained about two
or three hundred tufangchis, whose presence
kept the town in a state of trepidation.
In consequence of reports that the Darya
Begi was setting out for Bushire in the
interests of the Shah, Major Cox informed the
Legation that it would be inadvisable to utilise
our forces to expel all tufangchis, as this course
would result in the restoration of the Shah’s
authority by the Darya Begi and w T ould impair
the Nationalists* trust in our neutrality. He
thought it preferable to have the Darya
Begi’s progress stopped from Tehran. The
Nationalists and Loyalists both considered that
security could only be restored by the expul
sion of the Saiyid, which they could not do un
aided, and Major Cox enquired whether assist
ance should be afforded, especially in view of
the Russian Consul-General’s concurrence in
the need for expeditious action. Sir G. Barclay,
however, was unable, without the sanction of
His Majesty’s Government, to authorise the
use of blue-jackets to expel the Saiyid, unless
foreign lives were in danger, as we should be
placed in the position of deciding on whom
the government should fall, since no satisfac
tory authority existed to take up the task of
government. The Saiyid should, he thought, be
warned that force would be employed against
him in the event of an attack on foreigners.
On the 16th April, the Government of India
sanctioned a proposal made by Major Cox
to bring up a detachment of 50 Native Infan
try with a British officer to relieve the blue
jackets landed from the Fox, but, in view of
the opinion of Sir G. Barclay that such a step
might be liable to misinterpretation, the pro
posal was not carried into effect.
The customs question was temporarily
solved by the landing of the men from H. M.
8. Fox. The customs receipts had been
paid to the joint account of three Persian
merchants in trust until the 8th April, when
Saiyid Murtaza forcibly appropriated them,
thus obtaining possession of the whole
customs income from the 23rd March,
amounting to about 20,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. . A body
of 50 men was, however, placed at the Custom
House and the Saiyid was thus prevented
from further appropriations, the customs
receipts being kept under guard at the
Custom House in the possession of Belgian
officials till a satisfactory arrangement was
arrived at with the Nationalists in regard to