Page 26 - Records of Bahrain (3) (ii)_Neat

442 Records of Bahrain

No. 2$2, datJdSuihift, the jand January (received 3rd February) 1913,
From-LlEt/TENANT-COLONiiL Sir Percy Cox, fcc.I.E., C.S.I., Political
Resident in the Persian Gulf,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department.
In continuation of the correspondence ending with this Residency letter
No. 1930, dated 29th July 1911, I have the honour to forward, for the information
of the Government of India, a copy of a
No. 14-330, dated 34th January 1913.
. despatch which I have addressed to His
Majesty s Minister, regarding the desirability of obtaining recognition from the
Persian Government of our protective rights ovor Bahrain and our title to protect
Bahrain subjects in Persia.

Prdcis.
No. 14-220, dated Bushirc, the 22nd January 1913.
From—LieuTENANT.COLONEL P. Z. Cox, K.C.I.E., C.S.I., Political Resident in
the Persian Gulf and His Majesty's Consul-General for Fares, etc.,
To—His Excellency Sir Walter B. Townlby, K.C.M.G., His Britannic
Majesty’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Tehran.
In my telegram No. 37-115, dated January 9th, I had the honour to suggest,*
Addressed to Hit Majesty's Foreign Office, amongst other desiderata, the preliminary
Govelnme'ofof indl”ly ’ Mln,J,cr' Tohran' and settlement of which by the Persian Govern-
' .................. ment was desirable, the abandonment by
the latter of its empty claims to sovereignty over Bahrain, and the recognition of
our. protective rights in regard thereto, and our title to protect Bahrain subjects
in Persia.
It will be remembered that His Majesty’s Foreign Office intimated in 1909
Poreign Office, to His Majesty's Minister, Tehran, that it was intended to raise the question
No. 17, dated 10th February 1909. again when an opportunity presented itself.
2. The subject of Persian claims to Bahrain and the attitude adopted by
the Persian Government in the matter of the protection of Bahrainis in Persia,
is doubtless familiar to Your Excellency, and it will be sufficient for me, before
mentioning such local developments as have occurred since the matter was last
under discussion, to refer to the correspondence ending with Sir G. Barclay's
despatch No. 116, dated 4th June 1909, to His Majesty's Foreign Office.
3. During 1910 an arrangement was come to with the Shaikh of Moham-
Vidt enclosure to His Maj.it,1. Mini.tar's del* merah. feEard t0 the protection 0(
patch No. 335. dated 33rd December 1910, to His Bahrain which has fulfilled its object, in
Majesty's Foreign office. so far n0 furthcr question in this regard
has arisen since then in Arabistan, where, so recently as June 1912, the interven­
tion of His Majesty's Consul, in regard to a Bahrain subject, has been accepted,
apparently without demur, by the Provincial Director of Customs at Mohammerah.
• This departmental recognition has also
dency dospstch No. 76-2888, dated 4th November been accorded, though With SOtlie liesita-
,9,a* tion, at Lingah.*
4. In Bahrain itself, the element of petty difficulty and intrigue arising out
of the lingering fiction regarding Persia’s claim to the Islands, though for the
time dormant, still survives. It will be remembered that in July igiof His
Majesty's Foreign Office agreed to the
f Legation, to Resident, telegram No. 163, dated
17th July 1910. expulsion from Bahrain by the Shaikh
of a certain Persian merchant Abdul Nabi, who had been constructively treating
Bahrain as a Persian port by issuing internal coastal tezkarah passes to Persians
proceeding from Bahrain to Persian norts. When, however, authority was
received for this man’s expulsion several circumstances combined to make it
necessary to suspend action for the time; firstly, the Shaikh now proved un­
willing to act against Abdul Nabi, and secondly, it was discovered that the British
Indian Director of Bahrain Customs had innocently, in the absence of Abdul
Nabi, signed some passes to the same effect, without understanding the bearing
of them.
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