Coll 28/95 ‘Persia. Relations with H.M.G. Private claims against H.M.G.: case of the S.S. “Kara Deniz”.’ [‎102r] (203/691)

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Such documents as the Legation possessed in these two cases are said to be
missing. Seemingly, therefore, unless and until precise documentary evidence in
regard to these and other Naib Hussein robbery claims is forthcoming from
Lynch’s or the insurance company concerned it will be difficult to maLe any
headway with them.
Claim No. 13a. —This also is a Naib Hussein robbery case preferred by
Messrs. Roditi, of Manchester (a firm which has now dissolved partnership).
They claimed £668 12s. 7d. for sixty-one packages of goods looted, consisting of
cottons and woollens. These goods had been insured by them, but only for invoice
value (the insurance company is not mentioned), and the actual claim of the firm
is much less, since they say that of the total of £668 12s. 7d. part would have to
be refunded to the underwriters. The documents relating to these goods had
been sold by Messrs. Roditi to the Imperial Bank of Persia, and they attached a
number of paid cheques showing that they repaid to that bank the greater part
of the amount claimed. There is, however, no statutory declaration or other
precise documentary evidence concerning the robbery, and it rather looks as if
the claim merges into the larger Lynch claims mentioned above, concerning which
we are still in want of precise details and the insurance company claims (if any)
still awaited.
Claim No. 14.—Miss Ross claimed 633 krans for assault and highway
robbery in the Ears district in 1911. A previous similar claim by the same lady
had been paid by the Persian Government ex gratia, but as regards this second
claim we have nothing but statements and the fact that it was duly preferred
by our Legation against the Persian Government on the 30th October, 1911.
Claim No. 17.—Mr. G. Meriton, an employee of the Indo-European
Telegraph Department, in charge of their Meshed line, was in December 1912,
while travelling with his Gholams, driver and labourers, violently attacked by a
band of Turcomans, who killed some of them and pillaged everything.
Mr. Meriton claimed 5,199-45 krans for his personal losses and 5,450 krans for
the outrage. The full claim, however, was for 22,311-35 krans, and formed at
the time the subject of direct correspondence between the Indo-European
Telegraph Department and the Persian Government. But there is nothing to
show what resulted from that correspondence. The evidence consists of a letter
from the director of the Indo-European Telegraph Department to the Persian
Government enclosing Mr. Meriton’s report of the occurrence.
Article 3 of the recent agreement with Persia of the 17th February, 1932,
regarding the withdrawal of the Indo-European Telegraph Department from
Persia, says : “ the high contracting parties mutually agree to cancel all debts
and claims existing between them in relation to telegraph matters.” It might,
therefore, be presumed that, unless the claim was previously settled, as it may
well have been (for the Indo-European Telegraph Department settled many
claims out of their Terminal Rate and Traffic Account), the major part, if not
the whole, of the claim of Mr. Meriton and his party founded on the incident of
1912 may probably have disappeared in view of this stipulation.
Claim No. 20.—The Persian Transport Company claimed 5,666-65 krans for
damage done to five of their guest-houses on the Tehran-Kum Road by Bakhtiari
and Shahsevend tribesmen during 1911. The evidence consists of a detailed list
of articles looted with their assessed values, and the amount was claimed from
the Persian Government by our Legation on the 3rd April, 1912.
Claim No. 23.—This is an underwriter’s claim preferred through
Messrs. Penning and Shepard (74 Cornhill and Lloyds’), and the names
Messrs. Hogg and Heath (33 Cornhill) were given as adjusters. It relates to a
payment of £140 65 . bd. for a highway robbery of goods on the 17th March, 1912,
on the Tehran-Isfahan Road, of which Messrs. Penning and Shepard were
notified by Lynch’s, who asked that the amount should be credited to their account.
Certain original documents were furnished to this office by Messrs. Penning and
Shepard, and copies were made of these and sent to our Legation, the originals
being returned to that firm. The claim was preferred to the Persian Government
by our Legation on the 13th January, 1914. The names of the firms mentioned
cannot be traced in the London Directory, 1933, but it is possible that Lloyds’
may have information about them, and in any case Messrs. Lynch should have
record of the event.
Claim No. 75.—Mira Jan, described as a British Indian subject, claimed
300 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , or compensation in kind, for the loss of six camels shot on the