Page 186 - DILMUN NO 19

riitsh Colonial ocuments and its use in istorical esearch

II COOI OCUE

١ UE ١ IOIC EEC

.r Essa min ٦

resented in a orkshop at the ocieyt under the aboe title by .r Essa
min, resident, ahrain istoircal and rchaeological ocieyt etracts from
a paper)

he nglolrabian agreements in the histoyr of the Gluf tates are
considered impotrant resources for any histoircal researcher. owee,r one
must be careful in dealing with these documents especially if we beliee that
an agreement is an outcome of bilateral or more than one paytr negotiations
usually in a peaceful time or following a conflict or a.r

he majoriyt of nglolrabian agreements since 120 fall in the last ytpe as
though it is signed by the Gulf trbal and Emirates rulers. ut ١ can say that
from legal point of iew they were enforced by the naal presence in the
shores and the power entrusted by lndia Goernment to the ritish esident
or gent.

o 120, General treaty of suppressing piracy and slae traffic bewteem
Great ritain and the rab tribes in the Gulf was in fact aimed at dissoling
the coastal rab's pact with ahabi ower in the peninsula and their alliance
against ultan of uscat

second eample is agreement of 22nd ecember 16 bewteen Great
ritain and ahrian.

ln this agreement irtain enforce its imperial uniyt against ideas and calls for
free trade at home and pressure from liberals and radicals for abandoning the
empire, he conseraties and conetred liberals were adocaitng prefer­
ences and union against the competing foreign power with a plan in epand­
ing and uniting hte empire. his agreement should be looked at this contet
and not to be read without the background eents in Great irtian itself.

٠r. Essa min FC١ resident ahrain istoircal and rchoelgolacl icoeyt