Page 60 - Records of Bahrain (3) (i)_Neat

50 Records of Bahrain

ludia Oflicc,
Loudou, 12tli August 180S.

Sucre l,
No. 20.

To His Excellency The Right Honourable The Governor
General of India in Council.

My Loni),
Arms /raffle in 0tc Persian Gulf. I have received and considered your Excel­
lency’s Letter in tho Porcign Department, No. 103,
Secret, dated tho 7th of July last, aud I enclose
--------- -for your information a copy of a let tor* on. tho
subject of tho trndo in arms with tho Persian Gulf
• Dated Dili August 1 -398. which has been addressed from this Office to the
Porcign Offico.
2. I desire to bo informed as to tho position of
the British Agent at Bahrein, his duties, aud his
powers. I shall await the result of the legal pro­
ceedings instituted by tho Agent ogaiust Messrs.
Pracis Times, aud I trust that tho inquiry will
throw full light upon the action of Agha Mahomed
llahim in obtaining the monopoly for himsolf, and
then handing it on to tho firm mentioned. I
presumo that lie was uot awaro of tho letter
written in July 1896 by Mr. Ducat, and that tho
Residency had no knowlcdgo that its agent was
assisting Messrs. Pracis Times in a traffic which
the first Assistant Resident had requested them not
to engago iu. If an opportunity presonts itself of
examining tho large stock of arms which liavo been
seized by tho Sheikh, I should wish to know what
proportion of them are of foreign manufacture, and
to be furnished with full particulars regarding the
character of theso arms and ammunition.

3. Your Excclloncy will bo able to gather from
the enclosed letter addressed to the Poreign Offico
the various points upon which fuller information
is needed in regard to the nature of the arms traffic
in the Gulf, and as to the knowlcdgo of those
engaged iu it respecting the prohibitions imposed
upon it by the Persian Government, and I apjjcnd
—a copy of the report, published in the “ Times ” news­
paper, of the Judgment delivered by Mr. Justico
—Bigham, as well as a copy of a statement presented
to the Houso of Commons by the Birmingham gun
(In origiual.)
manufacturers upon which I desire to recoivo any
observations which your Excclloncy^ Govornmout
or the Political officors in tho Gulf may wish to
record.

I have the honour to bo,
My Lord,
Your Lordship’s most obedient humble Servant,
(Signed) Gkouge Hamilton.