Page 49 - Gulf Precis(VIII)_Neat

PART II—CHAPTER XI.
31
and holding itself fortified within its own Indus Frontier. But I fear that with
States, as with individuals, it requires almost superhuman wisdom and strength
of will to stand permanently isolated and alone. An individual, indeed, may,
perhaps, succeed, having the requisite staff within himself; but the life of a State
involves a succession of Rulers, and if he who succeed lack those qualities upon
which was based the policy of his predecessor, there is risk that the State will
have to regain by force or convulsion the status to which it would otherwise have
naturally grown.

No. 104, dated 19th June 1869.
From—Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis Pelly, c.s.i,, Her Britannic Majesty’s
Political Resident in the Persian Gulf,
To—C. GONNE, Esq., Secretary to Government of Bombay.
I hope it may be agreeable to the Right Hon’ble the Governor in Council to
Vidt my Report No. HI. dated 251b September learn that the settlement made last autumn,
1868. under instructions from His Excellency,
of the affairs of Bahrein, continues to work well, and peacefully to consolidate
the rule of the present Chief, Sheik Alee bin Khalifa.
2. Letters received from Bahrein and Gutter show that the tribes of both these
Vidt my Report No. 75. dated 12th April 1869. heretofore hostile tracts are in friendly
Vide extract from the le»t-r of the Chief of relations, and trust to prosecuting their
Bahrein to mj address, appended.
lucrative pearl fisheries in a quiet and
undisturbed manner.
3. Government are aware that when steamers were first started in the Gulf
a move was made towards embracing Bahrein within the sphere of their civilizing
operation. But the ex-Chief, Mahomed bin Khalifa, stood obstinately aloof. It
is pleasant, therefore, to report that two steam companies have now been invited
by the present Chief to trade with Bahrein. One of these companies has just
landed there considerable cargo out of the Steamer Kotna, and the courteous
invitation to the other (the Mail) Company is now appended in translated purport.
4. In like manner my recent two visits to the Arab Coast give me reason to
believe that the Chiefs of Rasoolkhymch, Ejman, Ommelgavain, and Shargah
understand that they cannot with impunity act by sea, and that they will remain
at peace and develop their divings and fisheries, if only we maintain that mari­
time surveillance, which they themselves admit, and even profess, to be necessary
in order to prevent one Chief stealing an advantage over his neighbour.
5. Sensible of the vast difference between the trade returns of the Gulf
regions and those of the populous provinces under the free Government of British
India, I hesitate to submit any formal report on the former. But at the same
time I gladly avail myself of an opportunity for incidentally recalling that, whereas
when l was appointed to this Residency, seven years ago, no mercantile streamers
traversed these waters, we have now passed through the grades of a six-weekly
steamer, a monthly steamer, a fortnightly steamer, and now of a regular fort­
nightly steamer, with an opposition Company playing irregularly, but with
..............................increasing rapidity ! I doubt not myself
Thera are at this moment two«te»mers in port 11 f ]• . t \ J
tn route to Bombay, each of about 1,003 tons gross tORt Small tCeuing Steamers trom the gen-
tonnage, and both aie Eoi..K away with full car- eral littoral to the main ports would pay,
20e*’ . and will soon be introduced. The impetus
given to this useful and progressive trade is, 1 think, due to the states manlike
foresight of Sir Bartle Frere.
6. During a cruise I made last month in the Gulf, I did not receive one single
complaint of the state of trade On the contrary, every merchant I spoke with
admitted that trade was thriving : this was particularly the case at the principal
ports of Bander Abbas, Lingah, and Bushire.
7. I doubt not myself that we are now only at the commencement of develop­
ment; and that if trade be not unreasonably interfered with by the Native Govern­
ments it must largely increase. The areas of Persia, Arabia, and Mekran, etc.,
to be drained, are vast, and, though triflingly poor per square mile, might, if but
half exploited, concentrate a good sea-borne trade in one basin like the Gulf.