'Persia. No 2 (1909). Further correspondence respecting the affairs of Persia' [‎198r] (143/150)

of fidelity to that body. During the next week much money was collected, and this
divided the Assembly into several parties and made united action impossible. Both
Consulates received letters from the local Assembly, with a request that their subjects
should be warned not to join in the fray. It was also seriously intended to ask both
Consulates to withdraw from the city, in order to give the Assembly a free hand, the
fact being that their proximity to the ark and arsenal, and the certainty that they
would resent fighting in their vicinity, made for peace.
The new Governor-General still remains at Nishapur on his way to Meshed.
Turbat-i-Haidari.
Early in March Adal-ed-Dowleh was dismissed from the Governorship of Turbat.
On the night of the 14th March Yawar Asadulla at the head of 200 well-armed Baluchis
entered Turbat and took possession of the town, installing himself m the house of_ the
Governor. He killed the Deputy Governor, an old enemy of hkn The town remained
quiet and Salar Khan, who assumed the management of affairs from the Yawar,
published the following circular :—“ We are Constitutionalists and desire only the peace
and well-being of all. Foreigners and others are informed that life and property will be
respected. All are warned that nobody should leave their houses after sunset. A
censorship was established over the post and telegraph offices, but there was no
interference with British or Russian correspondence. The people appeared quite
satisfied with the turn events had taken.
Kerman*
On the 7th April His Majesty’s Consul telegraphed that the roads to Kerman the
Meshed road excepted, were in the hands of robbery the posts of five weeks were held
up and the prices of provisions bad risen greatly. On the 13th he telegraphed that
hungry crowds were rushing the bakers’ shops, bread was scarce and there was no
authority in the town. On the 16th he reported that Han Naib had been appointed
Kalantar of the town and had taken strong action with the result that the state of
the town was better.
Yezd.
Samsam-es-Sultaneh, Bakhtiari, has telegraphed to Nain that he has heard
that the town is in a disorderly state and advising the people to be quiet, otherwise he
Will have to send horsemen to restore order. The telegram ended with an inquiry as
to when it would be convenient for horsemen to come to collect the first instalment ol
npxt vear’s revenue, No answer was given to this telegram. , , •
By the end of March most of the Parsee villagers had returned to their
villacms but no attempt had been made to restore to them their property, on i he
contrary, it was stated that small parties of Mahommedans were still blackmai mg
them fhe le general state of the country round Yezd shows no improvement. The
Postal service is dislocated and no road is free from robbers. The ISam road, which
had been comparatively safe for some .time, has relapsed. into insecurity Europeans
in Yezd have at last been provided with guards, but it is doubtful if the lattei. y
remain long unless they get their pay more regularly than was the case with previous
detachments.
Kermanshah.
A serious disturbance took place on the 27th March. On the 25th, a Jew convert
to Christianity, by trade a stocking seller, beat bis apprentice, a young Seyyid. _ 1 e
boy returned home, ate bis dinner and slept well, but next morning, after am mg
Several times, be died. The hospital assistant attached to His Majesty s Consulate
attended the boy, and told the boy’s brother that, in bis opinion, there was no connection
Ween the boy’s death and the beating be had received Two Persian doctors also
attended the boy. The boy’s brother made no complaint, but the stocking seller vas
arrested and certain Seyyids, who are well-known bad characters forbade the burial of
the body which they required to carry round in order to inflame the people against the
Jews A message to His Majesty’s Consul that the Jewish quarter would probably be
looted unfortunately failed toreach him. The next day one of the Seyyids went to the
Governor and, under threat of creating a not demanded the instant execution of the