Mr. Hardy to Mr. Hay.
Teheran, Persia, February 28, 1899.
Sir: I have the honor to report that the indemnity of 200 tomans claimed in behalf of Mihran Bagdasarian, for arrest and imprisonment in violation of treaty provision, has been paid by his excellency Emir Nizam, governor of Azabaijan, to Mr. Cecil Wood, Her Britannic Majesty’s consul-general at Tabriz, and that this incident is now satisfactorily closed.
Until it was proved that Mr. Bagdasarian was formerly a Turkish subject the foreign office contested this claim on the ground that the Persian Government did not recognize the change of nationality of a native Persian unless such change had received the sanction of the Shah.
It being shown that Mr. Bagdasarian was before naturalization a Turkish subject, this contention was abandoned, and the order to pay the indemnity claimed was sent to the Emir Nizam. The latter is a Persian of the old school, of undoubted ability and authority, practically independent of the central government. He has opposed in every possible way the execution of the order. Being informed recently by Mr. Wood that, as a last resort, Mr. Bagdasarian was being induced under pressure to accept a much smaller compensation, I insisted that the full amount of the claim be paid to Mr. Wood himself. I inclose herewith a copy of a letter from Hohrannes Khan, under secretary in the foreign office, announcing the final payment of the full amount of the claim to Consul-General Wood.
I have, etc.,