Page 297 - Records of Bahrain (3) (i)_Neat

British influence anil foreign interests, 1904-1906 287

ENCLOSURES.

Enclosure No. 1.
Kynocli, Limited, to India Office.
Lion Works, Witton, Birmingham,
Sir, Id-til November 1903.
Wo havo the honour to submit for your consideration a petition,
in the original and translated, from the reigning Prince at Bahrain,
which wo havo received from our agents for transmission to you.
The Prince is a friciid of the English, and supports us in preference
to foreign competitors, and in these days wo have great •difficulties in
counteracting the influence of foreign diplomacy on commercial matters,
but we know nothing personally of the matters the Prince refers to.
We could, however, obtain from our agents any further information
you may desire.
We have, &c.,
Eor Kynocli, Limited,
Eiiank Huxuam,
The Under Secretary of State Secretary and Manager.
for India.

Annex.
Petition from the Sheikh of Bahrein.
(Translated from the Arabic.)
I lay open my complaint hereby to the gracious British Imperial
Government’s compassion.'
About, six years ago I was in perfect quietness, pleased with your
representatives’ usages, disposing myself of the things of the. principality
without any interference, and all tho natives were pleased with mo and
my treating them.
Merely between your State (whoso power God savo!)and mo thcro
was two agreements, dated 19th Muharram 129S (corresponding to the
22nd December .1880) and Id-.tli Shabnn 1309 (corresponding to tho
13th March 1892), by which I bad bound myself not to enter into
negotiations nor mnlco treaties of any sort with any State or Government
other than tho British without the consent of tho said British
Government, aud to refuse permission to any other Government than
the British to establish diplomatic or consular agencies or coaliug depots
in my territory, unloss with tho consout of the British Government.
But, as to tho homo matters, I was a ruler as the Bahrain rulers my
predecessors without difference, except that the British Government
had here a representative under whoso jurisdiction your subjects was
lain. But that agent was a Mussulman, knowing the exigences of tho
religion of tho principality people and all tho Mussulmans, between
whom and him the relations wore oxtremely easy.
But, these six years ago, my tranquillity changed in trouble, aud. I
boeamo grieved with the vexatious of your representatives, aud thoir
lowcriug my situation without motivo from mo.
1. At first, your representatives obliged mo to intordict tho s\le of
arm t ** *mi#1 I became doprived of this advantage, I only, among the Arabs*
Chiefs; for it is a free Irado elsowhorc on all tho Arabian coast.
S. 30. A 2