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There were 12 boats anchored in tho creek when I visited the place, which
suteof tndp. Jiad, Ja,lul;v disembarked their cirgoes. A
Turkish brig of war lies ofl tho IfalYnr’s
canal, with tho avowed object of preventing tho boats which enter tho Sbat-el-
Arab ladon with Indian goods, from turning into that channel, but tho
obstruction is easily evaded. 'Jlie boats bound for Molmmmorah now either Bail
up the Bamisliir river, instead of tho Shat or if they draw too much water to
admit of their passing tho bar at tho mouth of tho former river, they land llioir
cargoes on tho island of Abadan, a few miles below the mouth of tho llallar
canal, and then passing the Turkish gunrdship empty, they anchor oH Moliam-
merali and briug their goods across by land.
Mohammerab has tlirivcu being a free port, and it lias owed this advantage
Hitherto. freo ,»ort. to the uncertainty of its dependency. If
Probability of tins advnntngo ou tho aottic- Turkish authority were acknowledged, the
meat of ibo iliipuLu ut i»re««ul |.cmliug. import duties Would of COUfSO b0 put
at once on a par with those of Bussornb. . If, on the othor hand, tho power of
Persia wore suflieicntly established to disregard conciliation, I imagine that an
attempt would bo made to institute a tarilV similar to that in operation at
Bushire and Bunder Abbas. Mohnmmerah would in either event assuredly de­
cline, for in Arab estimation it has no natural advantages that I am aware of
superior to those of Bussorah. Sheikh Jaabir no doubt is sensible of this, and
bis anxiety for tho prosperity of bis town is thus equally interested with his
own personal ambition in protraoting a settlement of the question. Bis pre­
dominant feeling, however, at present is hostility to Sheikh Thamir, and his
family, and as blood has now been shed between them, it will be in vain, I think,
to look for permanency in any arrangement that shall make Mohammerab sub­
ordinate to Cbaab, or even shall include the two divisions of the tribe under the
same Government.
I have only to observe in conclusion that there aro present independent of
the island of Abadan 12 places inhabited by tho Cbaab north of tho HafVar
canal, which are in dispute between Persia and Turkey, of these, Mohammerab
and lloozan belong to Sheikh Jaabir and are at present dependent upon Persia
that power however deriving no pecuniary benefit from them at all commen­
surate with tho value of her protection Boojidee and Kootal Nawasir pay their
revenues to the Bawa Arabs, who consider themselves subjects of the Persian
crown, either as depeudents upon Dezful upon Howeizah or upon Eellakiak.
And Tamar El Jadeed, Khoraeisah, Shakkoora, Nabr Toossoof, Darband,
El Khagin and El Haffar are under the immediate surveillance of the Chief
of Koot-el-Sheikb, acting as tho deputy of the Sheikh of Eellahiah, and aro
subject to tho payment of 300 tons of dates yearly for land rent to the Govern­
ment of Bussorah.
"With the exception of occasional {presents from Sheikh Jaabir, tho Persian
crown derives no revenue whatever either iu money in kind, or iu military
attendance from any of these disputed lands, and it can therefore bo of little
consequence lo her, that tho line of frontier which I have tracod in a previous
paragraph, while it secures to her, Koot-el-Sheikli on tho southern, and Mo-
hammerah and Bafl’ar on the northern side of the canal, restores to Turkey all
the other lands both in the island of Abadan and on tho banks of tho Shat*el-
Arab above Baflar, which are cultivated by the Cbaab.
Baghdad Residency; (Sd.) H. RAWLINSON,
The 6th January 184-1.} Political Agent, Turkish Arabia.

U. C, Frew, bin 1a —No. S0C0 P. D.-2.305.-30.—H. C. 0.