Rebellion of Mohammad Yaqub Khan [‎235r] (159/174)

BOKHARA NEWS—POLITICAL.
201
1869. 1
J 4
“ (4) At the Ed-ool-zuka the King shewed much favour to Jehandar Shah, declared his
sister to be his principal wife, and wrote to him saying < you should maintain yourself in a manner
suitable to my reduced circumstances. During the last four years I have lost the following
rich and fertile tracts on the banks of the river Zarafehan viz. } —\ Samarkund o Klimnnrl q
Nau, 4 Ghuluk-andaz, 5 Sanat, 6 Oratippa, 7 Y^m, 8 Zamin, 9 Jizzik, 10 Yangi-Koor«han
11 Kokepaya, and 12 Karatippa, all on the further side of the Samarkund range of hills and
13 Orghat, 14 Panjakhisht, 15 Sangizar, 16 Aramtau, 17 Fam, 18 Farghal, 19 Kishtoot
20 Maghyan, 21 Muchan, all on the hither side of the Samarkund range of hills. I now retain
only, 1 Bokhara, 2 Karshee, 3 Karakool, 4 Ghoogar, 5 Sherabad, 6 Charjooi, 7 Bittak, 8 Nara-
Zum, 9 Karmina, 10 Koolab, 11 Hissar, and 12 Bash Hissar. You should abandon the idea
of returning to Budakhshan and accept Karshee for your residence.
“ (5.) About the same time there was a general report that the Governor of Samarkund,
under orders from his Government, had told the King that the Kussian authorities would not
advance any claims upon Bokhara for 14 years.
“ And there certainly seems reason for thinking that about this time (winter of 1869-70) the
annual tribute was remitted by the Russians.
cc When F. B. was in Bokhara territory he found the general impression in Samarkund to be
that the remission was due to the intercesssion of the Sultan of Turkey (possibly, F. B.
thought, communicated through Suleman Effendi (envoy of the Sooltan), as well as the result
of the Bokhara Prince to St. Petersburg. And it was reported too in Samavkund that that city
was to be restored to the King of Bokhara. When this report was made known (F. B. says), the
principal Kazi and many other principal men in Sumarkund went together to the
Governor Abramoff to remonstrate against the design of making over the city to the Russians,
begging that if the design was put in execution, they might be assigned dwellings in Tashkund.
Abramoff laughed and said the report was not true, but had been disseminated by Bokhara
merchants at Orenburg.
“ When subsequently to this, in October 1869, General Kaufmann came over to Samarkund,
the Kazi presented two petitions from the inhabitants expressing their perfect satisfaction with
the Russian rule, and begging that their misguided opposition at first might not be visited on
them, and that the protection of the ‘ White Monarch’ might not be withdrawn from. The
petitions were read out, when presented in durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). , and the Bokhara and Kokund Vakeels
who were present remained silent. The petitions were sent on to St. Petersburg.— \_F. B.’s
letter of\$th March 1870. ]
Possibly this is the visit of General Kaufmann, to which Milintine alluded when
he told Sir A. Buchanan (25th February 1870) that Kaufmann had gone to Samarkund
and invited the Ameer of Bokhara to meet him there, in the hope that some means of restoring
the town might have been devised; but that the Ameer did not come, and General Kaufmann had
left Samarkund without anything being arranged.— [Enclosure in Mr. Kaye’s letter of lltb
March 1870. ]
“ ( 6 .) Sultan Khojah, to whom the Bokhara envoy to India had made over the Viceroy’s
presents, told Ibrahim that the King was much pleased with those presents, was most anxious
to enter'into relations of friendship with the British Government, and had, in fact, arranged for
the despatch of an envoy to Peshawur for this purpose; but, fearing the displeasure of his
subjects, abstained from doing so. Sultan Khojah also told Ibrahim that he subsequently fell
under the suspicion of the King owing to a letter addressed to him from the British agent at
Cabul enquiring, categorically, regarding the taxation imposed in Bokhara upon goods im
ported from India and other points regarding the trade of the country generally having fallen
into his hands.
“ (7 ) Ibrahim found that goods from India were taxed on the border before entering
Samarkand territory-piece goods and tea 3 annas a kuddak of one pound If exported to
Taskkund orKhokund, an extra duty of 5 Tillas per load of indigo and 10 Tillas for piece goods
ton is levied The people generally thought that this heavy rate could not continue, and
thatTf it did it would put a stop to the trade of India ; but they did not anticipate the ent.re
disappearance of Indian goods, as the English piece goods were much superior to those winch
came P from Russia. The Cabul and Peshawur merchants in Bokhara cud not regard the
Peshawur fair as a success, and intended to see how the fair prospered on the nexfc oc C asi 0 „ before
venturing their goods again. They complained of the absence of English goods at the fair, and
indeed of the paucity of Indian goods as well.
“(81 Ibrahim gave an inconsistent account of the feelings of the Samarkundees to
^ 7 • „ n(Tf > 7 } ie said they were at present satisfied, and that the Russians
the Russians ; m one two classes eadng and going to places of amusement together ;
nuxe iee ) wi i P 1’ ^ people of Samarkund frequently complained that they
^ ’ g^p^d b/t Russians* mo- - than the people of*Tashkund, Ju-k, & c., and
he repeated this statement m page 28.
*