Page 119 - Records of Bahrain (3) (i)_Neat

British interests and influence, 1898-1904 109

Now, it is a woll-lcnown fact that scarcoly any market for tlio sale of arms
exists in Maskat at all. Tho Arabs in tlio interior cannot afford rifles, and
practically tlio only purchasers in tho placo aro traders from tho Persian Coast,
who como horo and purchaso a few rifles for tho purpose of smuggling them
across to Porsia in siiall dhows, as opportunity oilers. But if wo oxamino tho
facts of this particular caso, thero is a very littlo reason for doubt as to the
actual object of Messrs. Malcolm & Co. in desiring to land their arms, &c.,
at Maskat.
On tho 7tli Dccombor 1897, tho Persian Government began to enforco its
ordor prohibiting tho importation of arms into Persia, by soizing all tho arms
found for salo in Busbiro.
On tlio 10th Doccmbor, Messrs. Stride & Co., Agonts of tho Anglo-Arabian
Porsian Steam Ship Company, of which tho “Baluchistan” is one, received tho
following tologram from Hollis, Gunmakors, Birmingham :—“ Malcolm cables
as follows: You must arrange ‘ Baluchistan/ All the goods must bo landed at
Maskat. Please instruct Captain.”
On* tho 18th Docotnbor, Messrs. Malcolm & Co. wrote to Messrs. W. J.
Towoll & Co., Agonts, Anglo-Arabian Porsian Steam Ship Company, Maskat,
asking them to have all cases of arms and ammunition shipped to them per S.S.
“Baluchistan,” whether manifested for Maskat ~ Bushire, to be entirely
landed at Maskat. The abovo communications sent immediately after tho
soizuro of tho arms at Bushire prove most conclusively that tho alteration, or
rather tho decision of petitioners to exorcise their right of option to land their
arms at Maskat instead of taking thorn on to Bushire, was not duo to any
exigoncios of trado, but simply and sololy in consequence of tho seizure of
arms at Bushire by the Persian Government on tho 7th December 1897.
Tho petitioners had long been engaged in an illegal but highly lucrative
traffic, which, owing to tho supiuonoss and corruption of the Porsian local authori­
ties at Busbiro, had hitherto been carried on without lot or hindrance : but they
woro evidently fully alive to tho fact that this impunity might at any timo
ccaso, and thoy exorcised sufficiont forethought so to arrange matters that, if at
any timo tho Porsian Government determined to talco moasuros to provont tho
evasion of its laws, thoy might circumvent that Govornmout by lauding their
arms at Maskat, until an opportunity offered of parting with them to Porsian-
doalors thoro.
Messrs. Malcolm & Co. have boon givon every opportunity of proving that
the arms in question wero not intended for Porsia; but thoy have, in my opinion,
failed altogether to do so, and, in face of tho overwhelming ovidcnco to tho
contrary, I caunot 6oe my way ,to exorcising my good officos with tho Sultan
.with a viow to securing their rolcnso.

Maskat ;
(Sd.)
0. G. P. Pagan,
The 4ith November 1898. } Her Britannia Majesty's Consul.

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