'General information on Persia for any future edition, 1895' [‎80v] (151/211)

64
Though the tribesmen are now beginning to taste their summer joys, no special
incidents of robbery or outrage have reached my ears, except that three days ago the
Dragoman of my Russian colleague, attended by a zaptieh and a cavass, who was
going to meet M. Griaznof at Igdir, on the latter’s return from a visit to Tiflis, was
robbed on the Abagha Mountains by a party of eight Kurds, and a horse belonging to
the Consul wounded : probably resistance was offered. No traveller should venture to
cross such a desert and ill-famed border district as Abagha in the summer months
without having taken adequate measures to insure his safety.
The robbcrv occurred" near a spot known as Shamayan Tash, which is situated
within the Persian border midway between the village of the Mudir of Abagha and
Bayazid town, for the direct road crosses and recrosses the frontier.
Once when I was making this journey in the month of August, the zaptiehs and
guides with my party, on the plea of danger, conducted us round the Adiamanzi and
Haideranli “ Yailas ” in safety, losing a day or more in time.
Two other outrages recently took place in Persia not far from the border. In the
one case a party of three Circassians from Yeuzgat had gone to buy mules in Persia ;
they were maltreated and plundered in broad daylight at the large village Bibik,
despite the remonstrances of the local Sheikh or Mollah. Value to the amount of
£ T. 2,000 is said to have been taken from them, but, fortunately, no blood was spilt,
as at first believed. As representations have been made to the Porte, and pressure
put upon the Urumiah authorities, it is expected that complete restoration will soon
be made.
The other affair, of which I have scant information, is the robbery of a Russian
courier of mail-bags and considerable value. The Erivan Government at once
addressed such strong remonstrances to Temir Khan, of Maku, that the robber Agha,
at the head of some 200 clansmen, I believe, made off for the wild and difficult
heights of Mount Ararat, and has been there followed and surrounded in force by the
Maku Governor; probably there will next be complications with the Bayazid Govern
ment.
In Gevar Caza, I hear a serious encounter took place between outlaws and the
gendarmerie. Dervish Bey, the Bashkaleh “ Tabour-Aghassi,” a capable and energetic
officer, whose services have just been rewarded with a decoration, came upon a band of
robbers, and the infamous Abdurrahman, of Gevar Plain, was killed with, perhaps,
four or five of his companions. Special attention has lately been paid to the proper
patrolling of the Persian frontier cazas.
Melik Artin, an Armenian of Uran’s village, in Garchigan, was murdered
atrociously by Kurds of Murad Bey a fortnight ago. I believe the crime came to pass
through an incident of settlement of Kurds on land belonging to or claimed by the
village. On the 17th instant I mentioned to the Vali that the murderers had
not yet been taken, and his Excellency at once gave fresh telegraphic instructions for
the pursuit.
I have, &c.
(Signed) GEORGE POLLARD DEVEY.
No. 60.
Consul Jugo to Sir W. White.—(Received at the Foreign Office, August 7.)
Sir, Aleppo, July 9, 1891.
I HAVE the honour to report to your Excellency that for some months past had
blood has existed at Aintab between the lower orders of Moslems and Armenians
arising out of petty assaults and quarrels, culminating about eighteen days ago in a
conflict between them in which two Armenians were w*ounded. The friends of the
latter, having, as they assert, vainly endeavoured to move the authorities to arrest the
culprits, entered by force a Moslem house, arrested them, and delivered them over to
the authorities.
This proceeding only made matters worse, and exasperated the Moslems to a
degree that the Chief of the Aleppo Gendarmerie was dispatched to Aintab with a
force of zaptiehs, and numerous arrests were made of both Moslems and Armenians,
and matters seem now to have calmed down. The Armenians, however, complain that
the authorities seek to give a political complexion to these events, and in consequence
harass and imprison them without cause.