Page 210 - Records of Bahrain (3) (i)_Neat

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200 Records of Bahrain

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,tto took tlio unusual atop of rooognizing his eon Ilnmod aa liis hoir, in onlor to
.strongthon liis hands.
Considering those foots, and considering also tho tiino that ho lias boen In
oloso rotations with a British roprosontativo, both ho and his son Haraod soom
to mo to ho altogothor umblo to anprooiato oithor tholr obligations to tho
British Government which ,hos fatuorod thorn, or thoir own obligations to
thomsolvos as rulors.
Shoikh Esa, living ns ho docs ovor at Maharrng is rq weak, or so disin­
clined to bear tho somotimos inconvoniont responsibilities of a rulor, that his
|i roprosontativo in Manama, known as tho Hnznar Mastc r, has booomo noocssarily
A poworlcss individual, ovorawodJ^E^iirXji and t those whom ho employe
or protoots, and cannot keep "Manama inonlc?,
liis son and hoir Shoikh Hamod, who, I may montion, is by tho same
mothor as his cousin or half-brothor, Shoikh Ali and scorns to bo personally an
.overbearingly ignorant young man, bus apparontly no boltor approoiatiou of liis
prosont and prospootivo position than his fathor, aud doos not giro much
promise of boing a moro satisfnolory Chief.
20. 8hoikh Esa himsolf is full of yoara nnd I am not pronarod to say that
ho is personally or notivoly willing either that Manama should hcoomo lawless,
on that speoifio injustice should bo porpetrated, but ho is surrounded by ovil
advisors ($.<7., Mahomod Abdul Wahab, Vazicr 8horcidoh, nnd tho Manama
I Mullahs Jassim and Ahmod), ancTtlroroUlTn bo little doubt that on tho wholo ho
js a very unsatisfactory rulor, and that Hahroin, as it is now, doos tho British
CJovornmont no orodit as a prinoipality ovor whioh it hns for long oxoroiicd a
virtual protcotorato. In fact, I foar that tho Bovd-Mr, Zwomor was not
very far outsido tho mark whon he wrote fivo or six yoara ago, rogarding
Bahrein:—
“ Oppression, hlnokmail and bribery aro universal, and oxoopt in oom-
! morco and the sIuyo trado, English protection baa brought about
no roform8 in tho islaud.’’
21. Tho question now to bo praotically considorod is what further notion
! is to bo takon in tho presont caso. I can hardly forcsoo what tho decision of tho
Government of India will bo, and oan only therefore mako suggestions, rogard-,
ing probablo ovontunlitics.
If it is deoided that wo protect theso Persians (and I do not see that wo
oan well do othorwiso, for if wo failed to do 60 thoir only safe coureo would bo
to leavo tho island procipitatcly), then I fear that thero is no amioablo way
■
; out of tho difllculty ; wo shall have to cocrco tho Shoikh Esa.
If it is dotormined to tako that courso, to what oxtont is it to bo dono ? I )
think wo should gain little by doposing Shoikh Esa and putting up his son Ilamcd, j
for tho lattor is I fear too old now to bo moulded iu any way, and if loft to
himsolf will oortainly ho as unsatisfactory as his fathor. S
Short of proclaiming a_full_J3ritish Protoctorato whioh might porhaps. A
croato alarm at tbo prosent timo tho^nTynOTiirSo^voulinjo to soloot ono of the
sons of 8hoikh Esa’s deposed Undo, Mahommod-bin-Khalifa, of whom thoro ore
many living and somo said to bo promising. Tho donortmont of Esa and his
: sons and tho appointment of a son of Mahommod with a binding troaty with us
would bo a simple mattor, but again, suoh a stop may porhaps not suit tho
polioy of Government at this junoturo.
Tailing that, tho only alternative is to make tho best of Esa and to cooroo
him in f'.o present oaso by obliging him to carry out my torms or tho dooision
of Government in tho matter and to_pay 4, fino_in addition for his rofraotory *
behaviour. Wo might also throatontoroplaco dm by ono of Mahommcd*bin-
Kholifa’s descendants.
22. Captain Prideaux is of opinion, and thoro is I think somothing
in it, that tho Shoikh had perhaps bocomo alarmed at tho chango of
Agents at Bahroin, and had connoctcd it with a determination of tho Govern­
ment of Indio to tftkajjvor his Customs, and this has inolinod him to stand on
• Non.—The mother wee flret raerried 10 AH'* /ether, Sheikh Alined, ud bore bln AIL 8be WM tbeo dlroioerl
bj bin aud afterward* nerrled Sbeikb Eu, end bore ilenod,—P. Z. C.