Page 327 - Records of Bahrain (3) (i)_Neat

British influence and foreign interests, 1904-1906 317

Confidential.

No. 2041, dated Busliirc, the 1st (received 10th) September 1906.
From—MAJOR P. Z. Cox, C.I.E., Political Resident in the Persian Gulf,
To—Sir Louis Dane, K.C.I.E., C.S.I., Secretary to the Government of India
in the Foreign Department, Simla.
I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of Foreign Department letter
No. 3363-E.B., dated 14th August, regarding the administration of the Customs
at Bahrein, and beg to attach copies of the informal letter which I addressed
(1) Major Co* to sheikh Em, dated 14th to Sheikh Esa on the subject and of his
August 1906. reply. I thought it might confuse him if
Augu»1^1906!' EsA t0 M"*or Cox' dalcd a3rd I went into the details of the figures in
(3) Captain Prideau*to Major Co*, dated 94th writing, and I therefore asked Captain
Augun 1906. Prideaux to offer to explain them to him
personally when delivering my letter.
2. The Sheikh's reply is much what I feared it would be; a friendly but j
.absolute refusal to entertain my proposals. *
I cannot think of any further possibility in the way of friendly overture
on our part, and it remains for the Government of India to decide, on the facts
before them, what line they will now pursue. 1 agree with Captain Pridcaux
in thinking that if it is considered inexpedient to assume management of
Sheikh Esa’s Customs before January 1908, when the present larm falls in, it
would be belter for us to inform the Sheikh forthwith that, with the proviso
that we could not permit any lease to a foreign agency, we propose to leave
him to his own shortsighted devices, and that he is therefore at liberty, if he
chooses, to resell the larm to the Bania contractors; this, in our opinion, being
a preferable alternative to his attempting to manage the Customs collection by
his own untrained retainers.
3. There is one point which I may briefly allude to in conclusion. As Captain
Prideaux mentions in his note of 18th June, there is no doubt that Messrs. Gray
Paul and Company, or for that matter Herr Wonckhaus's firm, would be glad
enough to acquire the farm if-they., could. Captain Prideaux deprecates this
contingency on'the ground"that if either ot the European firms obtain.the lease,.
Jic..be]ievcs that there would be continual effort on its part toTnjure the other and
its clients. I am'not'sure that l agree with him in principle.
Messrs. Gray Paul and Company area British firm of repute and would I
think keep their competitive amenities within reasonable limits, and for the rest
it becomes merely a question of.our supporting a British firm and British trade
against a German firm and the inroads of German trade. Anything that we can
legitimately do to further our interests seems to be desirable.
In the present instance, however, Sheikh Esa is the difficulty and I fear it
is extremely unlikely that he would entertain an offer from Messrs. Gray Paul, at
present at all events.

Purport of a letter, dated 14th August igo6,from Major P. Z. Cox, C.I.E., to
Sheikh Esa bin Ali Al Khali fall, Bahrein.
After compliments—1 trust that you and your family have remained in the
best of health during my absence in India.
I write you this informal letter to let you know that since my return to
Bushirc 1 have received and studied the several annual reports of our representa­
tives in the different posts under this Residency both in Persia and on the Arab
side, regarding the progress of trade and events in the countries in which they