PERSIA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 22, 19 February 1909, Page 4

PERSIA.

FIGHTING AT ISPAHAN. The t'ersian correspondent of the London Times, writing on -Ith January, states -.- Ispahan i» gaining an importance second only to that of Tabriz. The fol.lowing is an aecou'nt of what has taken place-.—After the bombardment of the Mejlis*. the Shah appointed ikbal ed Dowlch, a notorious member of the Court clique, as Governor, with full powers to deal severely with the mal'coulents. The Governor left at the end , -of July with two regiments of fool sol•dicrs, who looted all the way to Is- | kalian, and it has since been ascertained ' that their extortions amounted to upwards of .C' 25,000. The more the people •groaned the more were the Governor's •powers increased, unlit recently the priests, obeying the orders of the Ncjef I'lcma, preached constitutional doctrines and recommended the non-pay-ment of taxes to the Shah's Government. The bazaars were closed, and the people approached thoßritisk Consulate. Refuge being there refused, hundreds flocked to the Russiaai Consulate, the rest massing in the central mosque. Bagh Shah ordered a bombardment of the mosque last Friday, and the bombardment and fighting began, on Saturday, several being "killed ou both sides. The soldiers soon .left off fighting, and. indulged in whole■sale looting for the rest of the day. The, Bakhtiaris, who recently denounced the Shah, espoused the Constitution, and sided with the citizens against the Governor, who, noticing signs of danger, sought refuge at the British Consulate, with his whole staff. The numbers of the Bakhtiaris, meanwhile, hourly increased. They killed many soldiers and pursued the rest, the majority of whom have since joined the Governor at the Consulate. The Governor's palace was entirely looted and destroyed to-day. •Zarghani-cs-Sultaneli, son of the chief of the Bakhtiaris, was declared Governor until the arrival of Samsem, the chief, at the head of a thousand horsemen to-night. Ain-eiH)o\vleU has seized iT.UOU tomans, the property of the imperial ■Bank, this being the third illegal seizure within two months. January 5. Samsem -es - Sultaneh, chief of the Bakhtiaris. has arrived and occupied Ispahan. ' The. Shah's soldiery have entirely dispersed. The town, is quieter, and 'the behaviour of the Bakhtiaris is excellent. The Shah refused to recognise, the Governorship of Samsem, and offered the position to two local dignitaries, who naturally declined in the present circumstances. It is feared that | the reckless methods of the Government will create grave complications in Ceuhtral Fcrsia. The- rumors of a Russian loasi to Persia are traceable to the movement of a Persian official, Ala-ul-Mulk, who arrived in St. (Petersburg on loth December, ostensibly in order to present the Shah's condolences to the Tsar ou the death of the. Grand Duke. Alexis, and who. after an audience at Tsarskoye Selo, left on Hist December for Berlin or Vienna, ft is not improbable that ho is entrusted with a secret mission to raise monn" in one or other of these eapitak lie certainly received no money here.