Page 252 - Arabian Gulf Intellegence

210 MUSK AT.

hostilities against Bahrein, provided its chief maintained a like conduct
towards him) on the ruins of Wukra, a town which had been a short
time previously abandoned by the A1 Boo Eymcn, partly from their
dread of the enmity of Shaikh Abdoolla bin Ahmed,—to whom they had
never paid perfect allegiance, and with whom they had been generally
on bad terms,—and partly from its possessing only an open roadstead,
which afforded little shelter to their vessels.
Deprived, however, of the looked for support of the Jmaum,-who,
for reasons unknown, most unexpectedly declined acting upon his pro­
mises, and, moreover, refused to send his relative Hillal bin Mahomed
to Aboothabee, to assist the A1 Ali in quitting that place, as had
been arranged,—he subsequently found himself under the necessity
of leaving the Beniyas port, in opposition to the inclinations of its
Chief, Khaleefabin Shakboot, who, no longer restrained by the influence
of His Highness, would most likely instigate the Chief of Bahrein to
join in harassing, if not openly attacking, the A1 Ali in their new
location of Wukra. Under these circumstances, he determined to settle
with his tribe upon the island of Ges or Kenn, off the Persian Coast,
to which no objection was offered by the British Resident, that location
having the advantage of being situated without the restrictive war limit,
and therefore secure from attack or molestation by either the Chiefs of
Bahrein or Aboothabee; it being, on the other hand, fully under­
stood that himself and followers would be equally precluded from
committing any aggressions upon the territories of those chiefs. He
was furnished with a letter to the Beniyas Chief, and every proper
influence was exerted, to obtain the departure of his tribe without
hindrance.
The violent death, in December 1839, through the agency of Baulcir
Khan, the Tungistan Chief, of Aga Jumal, de jure Governor of Bushire,
who (so His Highness asserted), after residing under his protection a
long period, had proceeded to Tehran, and made the arrangements
regarding the government of Bushire as his Agent, and under his
guarantee ; or rather (as it was subsequently ascertained) for the purpose
of negotiating a marriage between him and one of the relatives of the
king, was by His Highness looked upon as a personal insult and injury to
himself. He therefore contemplated adopting one of two measures, the
first to send up his fleet to that port, and, landing some 5,000 Arabs,
completely destroy it; the second, to make a reference to the Shah o
Persia regarding the affair, and suspend any ulterior proceedings unti
it could be seen what punishment His Majesty inflicted upon t e
murderers. This latter course was, at the advice of the Resi ent,
adopted, and His Persian Majesty, in reply, promised to exact severe
retribution for the murder.

j