ملف ٢٢٩٧/ ١٩١٩ "تقارير شهرية للمقيمية البريطانية في الخليج الفارسي. ١٩١٢-١٩٢٠." [ظ‎‎٣‎٧‎٩] (١٠٤٤/٧٦٣)

14
Eventually money was received by the Treasury, and His Majesty’s Consul
arranged a meeting between the Governor-General and the Financial Agent on the
4th March.
After some discussion friendly relations were re-established, and teims were
agreed upon by the two parties to which His Majesty’s Consul obtained their
signature. M. Lecoffre promised to pay 20,000 Tomans in cash at once, and 8,000
Tomans later, to clear up certain accounts, and to be responsible for the payment
of the Qarasuran, or Road Guards. The Amir promised to start on March 9th.
In spite of a fall of snow he kept his word.
439 (a) On the 5th March 1913, the Sarbaz (Persian soldiers) surrounded the
house of the Amin-i-Maliyah, Mirza Ibrahim Khan, and demanded their pay.
He shut himself up, but his son was caught in the street and bullied. The Sardar-i-
Nusrat’s son eventually came on the scene and dispersed the soldiers. M. Le
coffre came to His Majesty’s Consul early next morning in a state of great excite
ment, saying that _ the soldiers said that they had been instigated by the ;
Governor-General himself, and that he believed their word. He had spoken strong
ly to the Governor-General through the telephone and was not afraid of him, and
had complained to Tehran.
(b) The Governor-General called to say good-bye on the 7th instant. His
version of the story was that he had got his money and had placed a certain
amount of it at the disposal of the Sardar-i-Nusrat for the Sarbaz. The Sarbaz
had not all been informed of the fact at once, and being hungry and having been
repeatedly put off, went direct to Ibrahim Khan. He, the Governor, had punished
the principal offenders. His Majesty’s Consul is inclined to acquit the Governor-
General of personal responsibility as being too intelligent to embroil himself at
the present moment with M. Lecoffre.
There will always, however, be danger of friction, as long as Mirza Ibrahim
Khan remains m the office of the Maliyah. It is hoped that the present incident
is closed.
440. M. Lecoffre complains that the Governor-General is not giving him the
assistance he ought to. He asserts that counting on cash being received from
lehran, he and those under him are not exerting themselves to realise the drafts
which are given them on the revenues for the payment of the Sarbaz and other
charges As, however, some of these are believed to be drawn on Sirjan, Rafsin-
jan, an the Afshar, where the Governor-General’s authority is not complete,
it is not clear that the Governor-General is really at fault. It seems more probable
that according to his lights and his powers he has been doing his best.
441 (a). In the end of February, the Russian Consul wrote to the Governor-
General asking him what he proposed to do for Ali Muhammad. The Governor-
General rephed that Ah Muhammad should go to the Adliyah and have his case
settled by it m conjunction with the Idarah-i-Auqaf.
. Ref f ence P ara g ra P h 3 ? 8 - Tlie Russian Consul is believed to be in
difficulties about the case of Ah Muhammad. Rewrote to His Majesty’s Consul
aS ^^ a ^ ac .ti° n P a d been taken by the Persian authorities when the Parsis,
and later certain Persian, were admitted to bast and given flags by the British
Consulate. His Majesty s Consul rephed that persons had only been admitted
to bast when in danger of their lives, that protection had been granted to the Per
sians only against the enemies of the Persian Government, and not against its
administrators,^ and that bastis ” had been collected immediately beside the
Consulate and m no case had the protection of the British flag been granted to
them at a distance. The Persian authorities had not in the circumstances had
any ground for protesting As all of these conditions have been disregarded by
e Russian Consul, it is believed that this letter will not strengthen his defence.
r ^'^ ie Ru ® s ^ an . Consul also tried to get information as to action taken by
the Persian authorities from the Karguzar, who contended himself with saying Vf
verbally that the Persian Government in the cases mentioned had seen no cause '
for complaint.