Page 550 - PERSIAN 4 1899_1905

8 ADMINISTRATION REPORT ON THE PERSIAN GULP POLITICAL
promulgated by him offering a reward of rupeos 10,000 for the capture of
Shoikh Ali. This closed the incident, and roports which have beon received
towards the end of the year make it appear probablo that Sheikh Ah will before
long surrender himself.
In view of the enhanced status of the British representative, the Bahrein
Agency has now been furnished with a Military Guard of 24 Native Infantry
under a Native Officer.
Sheikh Esa’s second son, Sheikh Mahomed ,and his Yazior, Abdur Rahman,
proceeded on the Mecca pilgrimage during the year, and in the course of their
travels paid a short visit to Cairo from Suez, where they were the guests of
His Highness the Khedive. They spoke in most grateful terms of the kindness
shown to them by His Excellency lord Cromer.
V.—FI Hasra The roads between Katif and El Bassa have as usual been unsafe, and
and SI Katif.
several cases of plundered caravans have been reported.
The Turkish Government havo leased tho Ojair and El Bassa Customs for
572,000 piastres and those at Katif for 470,100 piastres, to the former lessee
for one year, this being an increase of 10 per cent, on last year’s lease.
VI.—Koweit Captain S. G. Knox, Indian Array, assumed charge of the duties of
and Nojd.
Political Agent at Koweit on the 6th August, when the Agency was first
established, and remained up to the end of the year.
The past twelve months have been a somewhat critical period in the
amphitheatre of Ncjd politics, in which the Wahabi leader and the “Amir of
Nejd ” have continued to play the lending parts.
In*his report for 1903-1904 Colonel Kemball mentioned that Ibn Saood
had considerably strengthened his position during the preceding year, and
towards the close of it had gained a victory of some importance over
lbn Rashid’s forces on the borders of the Kaseem district.
This success he soon followed up, and in April 1904 placed to his credit
another signal victory over an ally of Ibn Rashid’s near Aneyza. Continuing
his forward movement he then proceeded to attack Boreida, of which he gained
possession with little difficulty in the month of June, in spite of assistance
rendered to Ibn Rashid by a considerable force of Turkish troops from the
Baghdad Vilayet.
According to the reports received at the time the victorious Wahabi
treated the conquered garrison of Boreida with no little magnanimity, which
however was probably prompted by bis inability to feed prisoners. He allowed
them all to depart in peace and rejoin Ibn Rashid, merely depriving them of
their arms. A month later a further action was reported at Thibiyeh, 15 miles
beyond Boreida, in which Turkish troops were again engaged and were said to
have suffered heavily. Many were taken prisoners and several of their field
pieces captured.
Abdur Rahman-bin-Saood is believed to have received yeoman help at this
time from Sheikh Jasim-bin-Thani of El Katr, who supplied him liberally
with the. sinews of war; and in October hpwb was received and subsequently
corroborated by eye witnesses who trickled into Koweit, that, the Wahabi had
gained a still further victory, and this time had completely broken up Ibn
Rashid’s force, notwithstanding that the latter was reported to have been
assisted by a force of 2,500 Turkish soldiers with six field guns. A quantity of
tents and other loot taken from the Turks in this encounter, which shortly
afterwards arrived in Koweit, afforded corroborative evidence of the truth of
the above report, as did also some Turkish refugee or captive soldiers, who told
harrowing tales of the sufferings and privations which they had undergone and
of the ravages of disease within their ranks.
Meanwhile at the end of 1904, apparently at the suggestion of the newly
appointed Wall of Bussorah, who now seemed to realise that his Government
had staked their money on the wrong horse, the Sublime Porte decided upon a
complete change of policy, the basis of which was the abandonment of
Ibn Rashid and the conciliation of the victorious Wahabi.
To this end His Excellency the Wali, with the permission no doubt of his
august master, proceeded to make an offer to Abdur Raliman-bin-Sacoa,