Page 36 - Records of Bahrain (3) (i)_Neat

26 Records of Bahrain

Enclosure No. 3.
No. 45, doled Bushirc, tho 25th July 1898.
Prom—The Political Resident in tho|Persian Gulf,
To—Tho Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department.
I„ consequence of receipt of nows.of.Turkish gun-boats proceeding to
»AaersutJtaJKi
way to
A™1, [or tlio jurormati.il .[ U» O.v.romo,,
of India, copy of a lottov I liavo received from lmu, reporting on lus visit to
those places.

Dated ou Board II.M.S. " Sphinx,w Bushirc, tho *1 th July 1898.
From—Commander C. J. Bakf.ii, Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf Division,
To—Tho Political Resident in tho Persian Gulf.
I liavo the honour to roport, for your information, the result of my rccont
visit to El-Bida (Gutta) mado on your requisition and owing to a represent­
ation mado by mo to you that it might bo advisablo to obtain authentic inform­
ation as to recent and prosont affairs at that place. I mention hero that no
course of proccduro to bo employed by mo was intimated by you, and all I
bad to guido mo was that contained in Government of India lottcr No. 328-E.
of 13th Fobruary I891-.
>
2. On arrival I found tho Turkish gun vessel “ Scdd-cl-Bahr ” in harbour.
This to a great oxtenfc complicated matters, for, of course, no mattor whoro a
man-of-war of a friondly nation is found, tho ordinary custom of tho sorvico
obtains.
* ... .. i
„ . 3. In this instanco it was apparent that hor duty was to protect tho
„nrnsnn of luvkish soldiers landed in tho fort, which flow tho Turkish (lag;
' ,lUi ac?°™aJ1C0 W1^1 tho context of tho abovc-moiitioncd lottcr, I had to
o oio ler individual or national duty so far as it concerned the town of El-
'lurkishT ™ f ° Sam° ^mo rcc0omsc her in her oITicial capacity as a

4. I quito anticipated, and my anticipations proved correct, that sho would
on den you r to prevent mo from communicating with tho shore, by attempting
to impose quarantine on tho ship. Tho officor of tho guard from tho "Scdd-ol-
Babr would not como on board, and intimated that wo must undergo quarau-
uio. My instructions to my Lioutonant on returning this visit wore that,
unless repelled, ho was to board hor and inform hor Captain from mo that wo
nacl not come from any infected port, and I regretted that I was unablo to
accopt lus authority in respect of quarantine. Tho Lioutonant thou informed
Jum that it was my present inloution to communicate with tho shoro, ho still
protested that ho had orders from his Government to provout any lauding.
«rr iu accordance with tho regulations on tho subject, paid my
nlmnf u1Slt 10 hl?.' Qnd 1 l,lainly told him that I hoped ho would sajr no more
T i ^aranlino, as I could not listen to it. When I thou mentioned that
lm I® fd,i l.° 8Q!? lfc waa dangerous owing to tho lawlessness of tho Arabs,
o did not bring tho Turkish soldiers into tho subject; I replied that I know
rmon r.VVu ?n0UgJ1’ nofc 10 bo in Ul° slightest degree afraid of any cons*

- urjwso of showing hiinsolf, and lo gain all llio information possible).