Page 325 - Records of Bahrain (2) (i)_Neat

316 Records of Bahrain

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to regard Mahomed, bio Khalifa as permanently ex­
cluded from all participation in the affairs of Bahrein,
and ns having no claim to that territory; he also
promised to deliver up his brother to the Resident in
the event of his returning; and he surrendered tho
Bahrein war craft, of which those belonging to Maho­
med bin Khalifa were at once destroyed. Having thus
atoned for his offence and given suitable assurances for
future good conduct, Ali bin Khalifa was permitted to
continue in power. In the course of the following week
the principal Chief of Guttur bound himself in like
manner by a solomn declaration to keep the peace, and
to have no dealings with Mahomed bin Khalifa, whilst
the Chief of Aboothabcc, without striking a blow, also
sued for pardon and submitted to the imposition of a fine
of twenty-five thousand dollars. In October we learnt
that Mahomed bin Khalifa had arrived at Bahrein and
had tendered his sword and scat to Ali bin Khalifa.
Eventually we consented to his residing at his former capi­
tal on condition that his brother, the reigning Chief,
was responsible for his conduct.

15. When the news of what had occurred at
Bahrein reached the Shah’s Government, exception was
Corrrepomlciico enclosed with tal(CO to OUT prOCCCdingS Oil tllO
No. 17, dnlr«l Jmnmry 12th,
18G!», to Secretory of Stnto. ground that the island had been,
and was at the time of our intervention, dependent on
Persia. The only ground for such an assertion consists,
as we have shown, in the allegiance which, under fear of
foreign invasion from other quarters, was on various
occasions nominally volunteered, but never really paid
to Persia by Bahrein. The. same overtures have been
repeatedly made by the Chiefs of Bahrein to the Wnlia-
bccs, to Turkey, to Muscat, to the British Government,
and, indeed, to. any power from whom they hoped for
the moment by such means to purchase help in their diffi­
culties. Each and all of these powers could, with greater
show of reason than Persia, claim sovereignty over Ba
rein. The real status of the island, and the only one wine i
we have recognized or admitted in nil our dealings
with the
in the Persian Gulf and our negotiations
Chiefs, is that ,of an independent State. In
therefore, to the remonstrances of the Shah s ,0
vermnent, we referred, through the British Min«d(,r”
Toheran, to a correspondence that took place bch'c