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No. 170.]

PERSIA.

No. 912.

Mr. Pratt to Mr. Bayard.

[Extract.]

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,

Teheran, January 10, 1888. (Received February 23.) SIR: In my last dispatch, No. 169, Diplomatic Series, of the 9th instant, I had the honor to announce to you the appointment of his excellency Emin é Soultan to the post of minister of finance, of the interior, and of the court, and to mention that at a special interview he had expressed to me, in even stronger terms than the moukhber ed-daouleh (minister of mines and telegraphs), the desire to see the establishment here of American commercial and industrial enterprises.

In order that you may form your own opinion as to the importance of the interview in question, I beg now to report that on the occasion referred to, his excellency the Emin é Soultan began by stating that Persia, with her immense natural resources, had neither the requisite means nor the scientific ability necessary for effecting their development, and then, after explaining how those whom she had called from Europe to aid in the accomplishment of the work had merely sought their own advantage without doing anything in return either for the benefit of the country or the people, he proceeded to compliment the Government of the United States and the nation on having so nobly taken the lead in the march of civilization, and closed by saying that the Shah and his Government now looked to my friendly efforts and to the sincere desire that they believed I entertained for the advancement of Persia, to initiate a move which would result in bringing about more intimate commercial relations between the two countries and open the way to Persia's industrial regeneration through American agency.

I have, etc.,

No. 913.

E. SPENCER Pratt.

No. 185.1

Mr. Pratt to Mr. Bayard.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,

Teheran, February 6, 1888. (Received March 12.) SIR: On the 3d instant, in my dispatch No. 184, diplomatic series, transmitted by English foreign office courier, I had the honor to inclose you at the request of the Shah's minister, his excellency the Emin é Soultan, a specimen of native gold-bearing quartz, upon the value of which His Majesty desired to obtain the opinion of United States Government experts,

His excellency the Emin é Soultan, minister of finance, of the interior and of the court, has now requested me, at the Shah's instance, to ask if you could not recommend to this Government (or advise it how to proceed to secure the services of) two first-class American mining engineers and geologists of practical experience, with two competent assistants each, for the purpose of making explorations and opening mines throughout the mineral region of the Empire.

The Shah's Government would also like to know if the Government of the United States could inform it as to the salaries it would be expected to pay such employés, and also if it would be possible to engage in the said capacity any in the American Government's employ whose services our Government could conveniently dispense with.

I am, etc.,

No. 914.

E. SPENCER PRATT.

No. 237.J

Mr. Pratt to Mr. Bayard.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,
Teheran, May 27, 1888.

(Received July 7.) SIR Referring to my dispatch No. 236, diplomatic series, of the 23d instant, I have the honor to report that I have received from the minister for foreign affairs an official copy of the Imperial firman, issued by his majesty the Shah, guarantying the protection of life and property to his subjects throughout the Empire, a translation of which document, with that of the note of the foreign office accompanying it,* I herewith respectfully submit for your consideration with the request, since such the minister has given me to understand is the Shah's special desire in the premises, that the Department cause the said decree to be published throughout the United States.

I am, etc.,

E. SPENCER PRATT.

[Inclosure in No. 237-Translation.]

Firman of his Imperial Majesty the Shah.

Being by the will of Almighty God at the head of justice in my country, and by His will the lives and property of this people having been intrusted to my keeping. I have deemed it my duty in praise of the God all-powerful, and in recognition of His munificence, to hinder those who would lay hands upon this trust to me confided, and to do all that lies within my power in order that my subjects may be secured in the enjoyment of life and property, so that tranquilly and in peace they may engage in a pursuits tending in the direction of civilization and acquirement of fortune.

This firman is proclaimed to the whole of Persia in order that all the people may know that the present edict accords to them the protection of life and property with full liberty to dispose of what is theirs, and the right to acquire wealth, to form com panies, to establish manufactures, to make roads, and indeed to do all things tending to promote civilization and their own and the public welfare.

To see these ends accomplished will cause me great personal satisfaction.

Also arr

I ready to do you justice, and stand myself as guarantor for the security of your IL

terests.

No one in Persia shall have the right to lay hands upon you, to confiscate what is yours, nor to punish you without recourse to the divine or common law of the land Dated 14 Ramazan, 1305, A. H. (26 May, 1888, A. D.)

*Not printed herewith,

No. 252.]

No. 915.

Mr. Pratt to Mr. Bayard.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,

Teheran, June 23, 1888. (Received August 1.) SIR: I have the honor to report that I have just been informed by his excellency the Emin é Soultan, minister of the palace, that his excellency Hadji Hossein Kouli Khan Motamed-el Vésaré, the newly appointed envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary from Persia to the United States, expects to leave here with his suite for Washingtou in about seventeen days, via Constantinople, Paris, Havre, and New York, and that it is the Shah's special desire that I request my Government, on being notified by cable of the envoy's departure from Havre, to arrange to send one of its steamers to meet the packet bearing him, so that he may be taken into port on a ship of the United States and receive a salute from the forts on entering.

Considering that His Majesty has on each occasion sent forward a special deputy with escort to meet American ministers arriving in Persia, and shown them in addition all military honors, I trust that there will be no difficulty in the way of extending in return the courtesy requested in the present instance.

I am, etc.,

No. 916.

E. SPENCER PRATT.

No. 254.]

Mr. Pratt to Mr. Bayard.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Teheran, July 3, 1888. (Received August 13.) SIR: Referring to my No. 252, diplomatic series, of the 23d ultimo, I have the honor to report that I have now received from the minister for foreign affairs the official announcement of the appointment of his excellency Hadji Hossein Kouli Khan, Motamed-el-Vésaré, as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary from Persia to the United States, a copy of which announcement, with translation and copy of my official note in response, is herewith respectfully submitted for your consideration.

The Department will, I hope, approve of my course in this matter. I am, etc.,

E. SPENCER PRATT.

[Inclosure 1 in No. 254.-Translation.]

Khavam ed-Douleh to Mr. Pratt.

MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
Teheran, 21 Schatan (2 July, 1888).

SIR: I have the honor to inform you that in order to fulfill the requirements of the friendship and good relations existing between our two great nations, and in accordauce with what had been agreed to in the premises, his excellency Hadji Hossein Kouli Khan, Motamed-el-Vésaré, has been appointed, by order of His Imperial Majesty the Shab, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary near the Government of the United States, and directed to proceed to Washington with his letters of credence.

H. Ex. 1, pt. 1——86

His Majesty's envoy has been given the necessary instructions in order to maintain the good relations which unite our two countries, and it is assumed that the minister of your Government will aid him in the fulfillment of this mission.

Accept, etc.,

[Inclosure 2 in No. 254.]

Mr. Pratt to Khavam ed-Douleh.

KHAVAM ED-DOULEII.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,
Teheran, July 3, 1888.

EXCELLENCY: I have the honor to acknowledge your official note of the 21 Schatan (2d July, 1888), apprising me of the appointment on the part of His Impe rial Majesty the Shah of his excellency Hadji Hossein Kouli Khan, Motamed-el-Vésare as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary from Persia to the United States This announcement, which I shall forthwith transmit to Washington, will, I am sure, prove most gratifying to my Government and be received by it as evidence of the genuine friendship entertained by His Imperial Majesty for the United States and of His Majesty's sincere desire to firmly cement the amicable relations which have happily so long existed between the Persian and American Governments.

I have, etc.,

No. 917.

E. SPENCER PRATT.

No. 275.]

Mr. Pratt to Mr. Bayard.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,

Teheran, August 28, 1888. (Received October 3.)

SIR: I have the honor to report that I received this morning from the British minister here a note transmitting the transcript of a telegram he had received yesterday from Mr. Abbott, Her Britannic Majesty's consul-general at Tabriz.

Inclosed I beg respectfully to submit copies both of the note and of the telegram in question.

By the latter, you will observe it is apprehended that the Turkish Kurds intend crossing the borders and inaking a descent upon Tiary and Tehoman for the alleged purpose of massacreing the Christian inhabitants.

Fearing lest some of our missionaries might chance to be in one or the other of the above localities, I at once had Rev. S. Lawrence Ward, of this mission station, telegraph, at my expense, to the mission station at Oroomiah (the one nearest the Kurdish frontiers), urging if any Americans contemplated visiting the threatened region that they be deterred from so doing, and that such as were already there be warned forthwith to depart.

After this I called at the English legation and learned from Sir Henry Drummond Wolff that he had communicated the substance of the report from Tabriz to his excellency the Emin é-Soultan, and also telegraphed the British ambassador at Constantinople to so represent the case to the Sublime Porte as to cause it to directly exert its authority over the tributary Kurds and restrain them from committing the contemplated act of aggression.

I do not anticipate any immediate danger to our citizens, but will cable you should the situation become critical and the necessity arise of resorting to special measures for their protection.

I have, etc.,

E. SPENCER PRATT.

[Inclosure 1 in No. 275.]

Sir H. Drummond Wolff to Mr. Pratt.

MY DEAR MR. PRATT: I have thought you would like to have a copy of a telegram received yesterday from Her Majesty's consul-general at Tabriz.

I communicated its contents to the Emin é Soultan and to the embassy at Constantinople.

Yours, very sincerely,

H. DRUMMOND Wolff.

[Inclosure 2 in No. 275.-Telegram.]

Mr. Abbott to Sir H. Drummond Wolff.

Just received telegram from Canon Maclean, Oroomiah, that Kurds around Kochannes in Turkey have formed a plan to massacre Christians at Tiary and Tehoman. He requests me to take immediate steps for their protection. Rev. Browne, one of our clergy, is at Kochanues.

No. 282.]

No. 918.

Mr. Pratt to Mr. Bayard.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,

Teheran, September 12, 1888. (Received October 20.) SIR: I have the honor, in referring to my dispatches Nos. 275, diplomatic series, and 277, diplomatic series, of the 28th August, 1888, and 1st September, 1888, respectively, concerning the alleged Kurdish attack upon the Nestorian Christians on the West Persian frontiers, to herewith submit for your consideration the copy of a letter addressed by Rev. Mr. F. G. Coan at Kochannes to Rev. Dr. J. H. Shedd at Oroomiah, and forwarded by the latter to Rev. S. Lawrence Ward, in this city, who gave it into my hands.

In this connection I beg to state that the "Mar Shimoon" mentioned in Mr. Coan's letter is the Nestorian patriarch, and that the Maleks are elders of the tribes. ·

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MY DEAR DR. SHEDD: Tuesday, August 21, a. m., we came on here to Kochannes. We had heard rumors of trouble down in Tiary, but here got full particulars, and they are sad and terrible. Their import is such that I send Benjamin down immediately as a special messenger to you with the following particulars:

A band of Koords came up by stealth on to the Asheetha zozance pasture lands. Here were only women with the flocks. They took off 12,000 sheep, outraged and killed all the women, cutting one woman to pieces, and killing, besides, a small child. This is more than man can stand, and so the Tiary people went to see what could be done and found that the Koords, certain of revenge for such an attack, were combining in numerous numbers to completely destroy Tiary. Tkhoma has been warned and Tkhoma with the Apies-Arai Koords are now united with the Tiary people for the defense of their homes. It looks like a gigantic thing, as thousands and thou

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