Page 460 - Records of Bahrain (6)_Neat

448 Records oj Bahrain

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thelr precursors have done, then thoro r>ooua to bo
little fear of trouble, In any case it la bettor to
take tho rick then to prejudice the settlement ao for
ycachod.

18. You will remember that X woe inclined to hold
back from waking those efforts when tho Shaikh of
Bahrain seemed to bo trying, in effect, to force our
' hand by imposing an embargo on th« use by Petroleum
Concescions Limited of their pier at bitruh. Your
Excellency was however of the opinion thut on effort
should bo made and tho embargo was in fact lifted before
It really was made. Whether Shaikh Salman will con-
sldor that it’s buccqoc so far is due to his action
against Petroleum Concessions Limited and v/ill use
Similar tactics to further other demands in future,
remains to be seen.
'19. It 1s too early to declare thut tho Zubnrah affair
has boon settled. Una may porhupn hope, however, that
the tihalkh of Bahrain will remain for a time content
with the concussions he lias achieved, that his people
In Zubarah will not clash with tho Qataris, and that
. he will not ultimately raise, in an insoluble form at
any rate, questions of proprietary rights, jurisdiction
and sovereignty in the area. However inuoh those are
• kept in the background when it Is politic to do so, it
Would bo u delusion to imagine that, in those days of
'/oil’and of consequent frontier definition, our Shaikhs
are not fully conscious of them, Thin was made very
pleur to wo when I told the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi of the
settlement so far reached and ho enquired us to who was
now sovoroign over Zubarehj when I mentioned tho subject
to Colonel Gulloway, who had much experience of dealing
with it, he made a characteristically cassendra-liko and
vague judgement* to the effect that It was doubtful
whether any good would arise from "letting the Bahrainis
go back to Zubarah". It is clear enough at any rate
that a source of potential trouble exists where Arabs,
the subjcctu of one iJbaikh rub shoulders on land with
those of (mother with no defined frontier nor strong
administration dividing them. Tho risk is there however
In any settlement.
£0. 1 would like to conclude by convoying to Your
Excellency my sense of appreciation of tho great help
given by Mr. V/llton, the Political Officer, Dohu, und
by Saleh ul Want' in bringing about such settlement ae has
boon achioved so far. Without such help it would huve
boon impossible.

I liave the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient servant,

Cgd 6-J. PtXtKf.

Political Agent.