Page 63 - Records of Bahrain (3) (i)_Neat

British interests and influence, 1898-1904 53

7th of May 1S?0 Lord Hartington addressed the Foreign Offico with a
view to tho Persian Government boiug requested to do all in their power
to prevent exportation of war material from Persia into Afghanistan.
Mr. Thomson, on tho 12th of May 1880, informed Lord Granvillo that
tho Persian Government lmd issued peremptory orders accordingly. In
July 1881 tho Persian Government
• See Foreign Ollico Loiter to India OHico
of 13th August 1831. took a step forward.* It notified to
the British and other foreign Go­
vernments that tho trado in arms with Persian ports was prohibited.
This order, as observed by Mr. Justice Bigham, was, in course of. time,
suffered to remain a 44 nominal prohibitionand, from tho ovidcnco
before him in tho suit of Fracis Times & Co. v. Tho Sea Insurance
Company, tho Judgo was led te tho conclusion that Messrs. Fracis
Times 44 know, as the fact was, that it was never acted upon.” But
this inference was based on the slender evidcuco produced in Court,
and it is therefore necessary to advert to certain facts which have a
material bearing upon tho plea of ignorance put forward in tho
“ Statement ” under consideration. From Sir M. Durand's telegram,
dated 10th June 1898, to the Foreign Office, it appears that, on 13tli
Juno 1881, due notice of tho Prohibition of 1880 was given to British
merchants in Bushire. It is, however, moro material to tho issue to
sec what occurred in moro recent years, when Messrs. Fraois Times
engaged actively in the trado. In 1891 tho Governor of Bushire was
ordered to confiscate all importations, and to carry out the prohibition
with strictness. In tho samo year His Highness the Sultan of Maskat
formally prohibited tho import of arms into Gwadur, whence a caravan
route led into British Baluchistan. Thus by tho year 1891 common
action was being taken by the Government of India, tho Government
of Persia, aud tho Government of Maskat. Two years later Messrs. W. J.
Towoll & Co., of Maskat, complained to the British authorities of the
stoppago at Bushire of 13 cases of rifles and four cases of ammunition
belonging to them, alleged to bo intended for Maskat. Interference on
their behalf was, however, refused by tho Consular authorities, and tho
arms were duly confiscated. On tho 8th of April 1895 tho Sadr-i-Azam
addressed Sir M. Durand in theso terms:—44 According to tho roports
“ received from tho ports in the Persian Gulf fire-arms are imported
“ from time to time as 4 merchandize ’ into tho interior of tho country
44 through tho ports. When any officials of tho Persian Government got
44 to know of tho fact, tho owners pretend that the arms are destined for
44 the district of Oman. In order to prevent this pretext it is necessary
44 that an order should bo issued to the effect that all fire-arms intended
44 for Oman should be imported direct by sea without entering the
44 ports of tho Persian Gulf.” The Persian Minister added that44 fire-arms
44 found in the ports shall be confiscated by order of tho Persian
44 Government.” It was after this ronowal of activity on the part of
the Persian Government that Messrs. Fracis Times turnod. their attention,
as already shown in paragraph 3 of this letter, to tho establishment of
a depOt on tho island of Bahrein. That tho prohibition of tho Persian
Government was well known to tho trado, and that its consoquonccs
were feared, is ovident from Messrs. Liviugstono, Muir, & Co. o com-
munication to tho Consul-Gonoral
t Encloauro to Sir M. Durnnd's lettor,
No. 77, doted 1st Juno 1898. at Bushire, dated 30th October
1806,f in rospeot to certain rifles
carried by tho 44 Zulu,’ m which it is clearly statod that a contract was
entored into .44 to tako all consoquouccs of seizure ” at Bushire. Tho *
reply given to Mossrs. Fracis Times when they appliod for an intro­
duction to tho Sheikh of Bahrein must bo read in connection with theso
foots. In 1896 a special provontivo officer, Ibrahim Khan, was
appointed by tho Persian Government, aud he held his offioo till
November 1807. He was succeeded after a brief interval by the Malek-
ut-Tujnr, who, on the 1st December 1897, informed tho British Consul
Geooral at Busluro that ho had boon ordcrod to seize arms illicitly
8.30. jj *