PERSIA ins 



of 1912 Kashgais and Bakhtiari closed the roads from Ispahan to the Gulf, and the 

 British Foreign Secretary when questioned on the matter took the view that only a 

 military occupation of the country such as Britain was not prepared to undertake 

 would bring relief. In default of any official explanation regarding the jettisoning of 

 the original plan for policing under British officers, it must be assumed that the intention 

 of the Foreign Office now was to strengthen the hands of the new Regent in his endeav- 

 ours to bring the extremist party to reason. But the year 1912 closed with a still more 

 serious example of general internal insecurity. On December nth, grave news was 



received from Teheran that a small shooting party, consisting of two British 

 murder. officers, accompanied by 26 Indian sowars, had been attacked by tribesmen 



near Shiraz and that one of the officers, Captain A. B. Eckford, of the jgth 

 Central India Horse, had been killed. The attack was made by about 300 of the Boer- 

 ahmadis tribesmen, and the raid appears to have been made for plunder, as some of the 

 regimental mules were carried off, also a whole caravan of merchandise proceeding to 

 Bushire. On December i3th, a strong British note was presented to the Persian 

 Government by the British Minister, pointing out the serious nature of the crime, 

 and asking for the severe punishment of the tribesmen. An answer was received, 

 admitting the seriousness of the offence and promising full reparation. 



To return however to the situation at Teheran in 1910. The British ultimatum of 

 October had convinced the Mejliss that a loan must be raised at once. Only seven 



weeks after its presentation a short interval as things go in Persia a 

 Teheran. & plan was discussed in open session, and the necessity of some form of foreign 



control was properly emphasised. The year which had opened not un- 

 hopefully thus closed in gloom and confusion. But 1911 brought some improvement, 

 possibly because rumours of the ex-Shah's intended return stirred the government to 

 action. In its opening days Persia applied to the Swedish Government for officers to 

 organise a gendarmerie. This force was originally intended for the province of Pars, 

 but the project was quickly amended to cover the whole country. The Great Powers 

 proved agreeable. The Swedes consented, and three officers who were later joined by 

 seventeen colleagues arrived in August 1911. Their work has done something to 

 mitigate the dangers of a deplorable situation. In January also application was made 

 for five American financial advisers. On February 9th, the Regent reached Teheran. 

 It was March before he took the matter before the Mejliss, but in the interval he had 

 prepared the way for the statesmanlike speech he then delivered. He told the House 

 that the future rested with the Deputies. They must organise themselves into two 

 quite definite parties, must indicate their choice of a Prime Minister, and must accord 

 him proper support. The advice was duly accepted, the Regent's efforts to appease 

 anti-Russian feeling appeared successful, and a Cabinet headed by Sipahdar again as- 

 sumed office after receiving full promises in advance from the Mejliss. Russia did what 

 she could to give the new government a chance. The debt to the Banque d'Escompte 

 was consolidated, and tiie Russian force withdrawn from Kasvin. Applicaticn was then 

 made to the Imperial Bank for advance on a loan, and on May 8th the contract was 

 signed, after Nationalist protest. The nominal sum was 1,250,000, but debt had to be 

 repaid, and only a little over 400,000 was actually netted. 



Four days later the Americans reached Teheran. The American Mission was 

 headed by Mr. Morgan Shuster, who had had experience of Customs work in Cuba and 



the Philippines. He held the appointment of Treasurer-General, and dur- 

 Afr. Shuster ing the greater part of his stay in Teheran had the services of three Amen- 

 ta office. can assistants. . His contract was for three years, but he resigned after 



eight months. Mr. Shuster was capable and keen, and his arrangements 

 for the collection of revenue were probably sound. Unfortunately he cherished ideas 

 about the political regeneration of the country which brought him into conflict with the 

 Great Powers, and he forgot that it was really to their agitation that he owed his ap- 

 pointment at all. He considered himself the servant of the Persian people, a view 

 which in practice involved co-operation with the Nationalists. In this way he drew 



