'Persia. No 1 (1909). Correspondence respecting the affairs of Persia, December 1906 to November 1908' [‎100v] (184/236)

proceedings were exaggerated. The answer is that in no other part of the town, not
even in the vicinity of the Medjliss and the mosque, have any measures been taken in
any way resembling those in force around His Majesty’s Legation, and that the state of
affairs has been the common talk of the town and the Legation the centre of attraction
for curious sightseers.
No doubt the Shah has been nervously anxious to prevent the recurrence of “ bast ”
in large numbers at the Legation, as in 1906, and no doubt also his apprehensions have
been quickened by the reports brought him of our alleged endeavours to induce the
bazaar people to seek asylum with us. My own impression is that the first measures
on the evening of the 24th were taken without reflecting that a serious affront was
being offered to a foreign Legation.
It would have been perfectly simple to have prevented anything in the nature of
a rush of refugees from the bazaar without placing a single soldier within sight of the
Legation, or in a manner to which we could not have taken exception. I pointed this
out to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the 26th ultimo, and he promised to try to
induce the Shah to adopt less offensive measures, but his efforts seem to have achieved
only the partial success of obtaining an altered disposition of the troops on the
28th and 29th June,
I haye, &c.
(Signed) CHARLES M. MARLING.
Inclosure in No. 214.
Memorandum by Major Stokes respecting the Guards round His Majesty s Legation at
Tehran, June 24 to June 80, 1908.
June 24.—At about 7 p.m. some sixteen mounted Persian troops, under a Persian
officer, came and took up a position directly in front of the main gate of the Legation
and within 10 yards of it. ^ They were posted in single rank at intervals of about
3 yards. It happened that sixteen Persian soldiers, who had a few minutes before been
turned out of the Legation for having been implicated in the looting on the previous
day, were standing near the gate about to move off. These men the Persian officer also
took command of, and posted them in front of the gate and within 2 or 3 yards of it.
Mr. Churchill and Mr. Smart, who were just then starting for Gulahek, remonstrated
with the officer, who, in reply, remarked that the Shah had the right to punish evil
doers. He, however, moved his men—still in the same formation —to a distance of
about 30 yards from the Legation gate. The detachment of soldiers moved away from
in front of the gate, but lined up along the wall of the Legation immediately north of
the gate. Mr. Churchill, on arrival at Gulahek, reported the above facts to Mr. Marling.
Later, other posts of soldiers and gendarmes were established on the other three sides
of the Legation in such a way as to prevent free access to it. No person was allowed
to leave the Legation or to approach it without being molested. Mr. Hawkins, of the
Imperial Bank of Persia, who was temporarily occupying the house of the Charge
d’Affaires in the Legation, had his carriage stopped when approaching the gate.
Persians who came to the Legation on the most innocent business were at once
seized and taken oft when they left it. The following incident occurred at the
gate of the Legation .’ An acquaintance of our gholams—the son of a merchant at
Constantinople at whose house our gholams iised to put up when they conveyed
despatches there came to the Legation gate, spoke to a gholam, and then walked
away. Befoie he had gone 10 yards he was seized by the head jiohceman of this
quarter and hustled into a carriage, to be taken off as a prisoner, the policeman
remarking, “ So you meant to go into the British Legation, did you ?” ’ The man tried
to escape by getting out of the carriage, and a struggle ensued, whereupon a passing
soldier at once fired at him. He wounded him, but also wounded the policeman, who
died two days later of his wounds. The merchant’s son was taken off to prison, but was
subsequently released in compliance with the demands of His Majesty’s Government.
Legation servants who left the Legation were also molested by soldiers, and were only
allowed to pa.ss when gholams went to their rescue. Three of these servants who were
seated dunking tea at a tea-house opposite the gate were suddenly threatened by
soldiers with rifles, whereupon they fled into the Legation.
June 25. The above state of things continued during tins day. "When MT 1 . Gye
and Mr. Churchill arrived at 1 p.m. to interview the Minister for Foreign Affairs there
were eight men within sight of the main gate of the Legation—four at the gate
itself, within 2 yards of the walls, three at the guard-house opposite, and one who