Page 55 - Records of Bahrain (3) (i)_Neat

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British interests and influence, 1898-1904
8. As regards ilio cognisanco of tho British authorities,! have alrcac y
shown Hint our attitude was distinctly one of disapproval, and I would, in sup­
port of this, quote n letter, No. 401, dated 11th July 1800, from the 1?irsfc
Assistant Resident to. Messrs. Pracis Times, who had applied for a letter of
* recommendation to the authorities at Bahrein, with a view to starting a trade
\p >** depth, there. In this latter, Mr. Ducat, the Pirst Assistant, writes that ho
1 would givo the letter of recommendation "on receiving an nssuranco from you ||
that you .donot proposo to inuiorfe. or
9. It is certain that tho British Kcsidoncy in no way encouraged fu nis to
on^ngo in a traffic, tho great public danger of which is obvious; but, on tho
contrary, did what it could (o discourage it, short of prohibiting British firms
from engaging in tho trade. To luvvedono this, as long as the Persian Govcin*
ment allowed thoir own regulations to bo evaded, would liavo injurod British
trado to no purpose, and would certainly have called forth protests which it
would have been difficult to reply to, as long as tho' subjects of other nations
could import arms and ammunition and tho Persian Government allowed its
regulations to ho evaded with impunity.
10. As regnr:ls our sharo in tho confiscation of tho arms, it seems necessary
to report that tho seizures, which took placo oarly in December, wero carried out
by a Persian official, tho Malck-ut-Tujar. The British Vice-Consul accompany­
ing him merely to giy&fl/Jicid.sanctionj!j.o . cntix.ol.tlic Persians to tho
premises df'BFitisli firms who had arms, and to soo that nothing olso was
touched. Registers were prepared and kept by tho Vice-Consul, and evorythiug
uoccssary was douo to protect tlioao concerned.
11, Tho arms confiscated from British firms liavo boon sout to Toll ran,
and there will, I presume, be some sort of onquiry there by tho Persian Gov­
ernment, who should, 1 think, bo called on to stato officially their grouuds for
tho moasure, and tho reasons for its justification. They arc in a much better
position than wo aro to roply to tho various points put forward by Mossrs.
Pracis Times. When a decision of tho Persian Courts has bcon received, wo
l will ho ablo to judgo if Messrs. Pracis Times and other import ers aro entitled to
jtlic oxerciso of our good offices with tho Persian Government, in rogard to tho
arms and ammunition soized at Bush ire iu December 1897. These consign­
ments bad in some instances already passed through the Customs House at
Bushirc, and paid duty.
12. (13) Tho seizure of tho cargo of arms in Muscat waters from tho
'* Baluchistan on tho 24th January 1898 was a direct consequence of tho
seizures at Bush ire in December 1897. It was clear that whatever may bo
put forward by importers and others as oxcuso for the evasion of the Persian
regulations, on tho ground of tho non-enforcement of their own regulations by
the Persian Government, prior to December 1897, no doubt ns to tho intentions
of Government oxisted after the seizures in Doccmber, and tho importers could
expect nothing olso but confiscation of their property if they continued fobring
arms to Bushiro or otlior Persian ports. It would, therefore, apparently have
been safer for those concerned if they hadikept back tho arms consigned for
Bushiro in tho “ Baluchistan. ” This would, however, have involved °a heavy
loss, and as no prohibition oxisted at Muscat, it was thought confiscation could
be avoided by changing the destination to that placo. This arrangement was
nearly successful, and there is no doubt that, if tho " Baluchistan ” had not
been scizod when sho was, she would have landed tho arms at Muscat, from
which they would gradually havo found thoir way to their original destina­
tions.
„ 13- T]'is was prevented by ilio agreement signed by His Iligbnoss tho
Sultan of Muscat on tho 13th January, under tho conditions oC which the
"Baluchistan” was soized, and tho anus sho contained wore handed over for
safe custody to tho Consul,
A territorial Court convened by tho Sultan lias since rnlod that tho scizuro
wasilawful, inasmuch ns the arms woro originally intended for Bushiro. whoro
thoir importation is lllogal under tho laws of Persia, with whoso Government
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