Coll 28/10 ‘Persia. Diaries; Meshed Consular Jany 1931 – May 1940. Khorassan Political 1934 – May 1940. Khorassan Fortnightly Reports’ [‎119r] (240/1301)

The small-pox epidemic is still severe and. 12
deaths are reported from this cause*
31. The daughter of ahaukat ul milk w^s married on
February 12th. yhaulat ul milk himself was not able to
he present owing, it is said, to the fact that the Shah
would not give him permission to visit the Kainat.
32. inference para 8.
The house and shop of rseant aingh have now been
opened under the orders of the Court. The articles
found in the shop are said to have been worth some 4000
rials of which 75> have been misappropriated hy the
subordinate officials of the Court.
33. It is reported from hirjand that two her Deris from
the neighbourhood of Turoat-i-Jam v/ho are beign deported
to India were taken in custody through hirjand on kehy.
16th. They were not allowed to 1>alk to anyone and
further details could not therefore be obtained.
Khorasan .
34. The extraordinary weather at the close of the month
has entirely disorganised local communications. heavy
rain on the 25th kehruary turned later to snow and was
followed by a cold spell such as has not been known for
several years so late in the year. un the n^ight of
the 27th the thermometer in -leshed registered 28 degrees
of frost. The roads to Tehran and i^ahiaan were both
closed, and the new confidential assistant at Meshed
with his family who should have arrived on the 26th
February did not get through until March 4th v having
spent 6 nights on tne road from hirjand. dad it not
been ror tne fact that the Governor General was marooned
for 3 days at Qain on his way to dirjand and that the
u.O.C., Meshed was to meet him there, this road on which
several hundred labourers were employed could not have
been reopened for several ^re days.
35. Trade with the u.c.G.K. being in abeyance, the
sugar required for hhorasan over and above that which is
produced locally has to be obtained elsewhere* no
few»r than 8U0 tons of loaf sugar (probably Javanese)
were imported via -Bandar Abbas during the month of Bah man
The cost of transport alone was 95C rials per ton. (Befee
para 11.)
36. as a result of the rejection of a large quantity
of Khorasan Koork (goat and camel hair) recently shipped
to Germany, efforts to improve its quality are now being
made by the German firm of Undutsch(?) and Coy. which has
sent one Herr G. Semper to teach local merchr.nts how to
clean and prepare it. Herr semper expects to be in
meshed for about 2 years*
&ILIXAftY AFfAlBS .
£7. The usual parades were held to celebrate the
Coup d•jiitat on February 22nd. in Meshed considerable
comment was aroused by the disciplinary efforts of the
new G.O.C. In former years officers were allowed to
sit in comfort with distinguished visitors (among whose
number foreign consular officers and the staff of the
American Mission are no longer included). T&is year
they were kept standing on parade at the daluting base
throughout the whole proceedings which took place on
a bitterly cold afternoon. The Governor General was
noticeably absent on tour and the salute was therefore
taken by the farmandar.
38. Beference paxa 15.
The lorry drivers* claims have now been settled.
59. four road guards who had deserted into British
territory some time §go, returned and reported themselves
at Lutak road-guard post early in February 1939, it is