Page 14 - Records of Bahrain (4) (ii)_Neat

316 Records of Bahrain
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Sub-Enclosure to Serial No. 7.
Copy ok a letter from the Advisor to the Government Bahrain, to the
Political Agent Bahrain, No. 934-Con., dated the 20th Siianval 1346.
!• I have the honour to inform you of the following facta and request that you
will please make them known to the Hon’blc the Political Resident who would per­
haps give a ruling on the questions in point which have not been specifically raised
before.
2. The Hon’blc the Political Resident informed II. E. Shaikh Hamad that the
Government of India were prepared to sanction tho return of the Dowasir to Bahrain
on the condition that they accepted certain terms. If they agreed to these terms
their property consisting of houses in Manama and Budaiya, dato gardens and
“ Doulabs ” wero to be returned to them.
3. Their property had been returned to them. Tho houses which had been
sold by the State, were bought back and compensation was paid to tho buyers in
account of repairs executed by them during their term of residence ; the leases of all
the gardens which had been let by the State during the three years absence of the
Dowasir from Balirain, have been transferred back to the original owners. This
has cost the State Rs. 40.000.
4. But the Dowasir Shaikhs now demand that the State should return to them
all the rents which accrued from the gardens, during the three years, amounting to
Rs. (54,000. They evidently consider that the permission granted them to return,
and the restoration of their property by the State, wipes out any idea that they
deserve punishment for their former behaviour. They insist that the restoration of
their property must also include the repayment of the three years rents. Un­
fortunately they have persuaded Shaikh Hamad to agree with their views.
5. At the time of their intended departure, they were warned that if they
persisted in going, their property would be confiscated, and their Bahraini divers
would be freed from any obligations or debts to their Dowasir Nakhudas. They
understood the terms and tlicy went. The State released the divers giving
each man a certificate signed by the Shaikh and the Political Agent cancelling his
debts and allowing him to dive for whomsoever lie wished. The State sold oft’ the
houses and let the gardens. The ownership of the property presumably reverted
to the State.
0. Although the Dowasir suffered a certain amount of oppression from the
Ruler of Nejd during their stay on tho mainland they now adopt the attitude of
being strongly supported by Ibn Saud. Shaikh Hamad is at all times exceedingly
anxious to stand well in the eyes of lbn Saud . This fact and the continuous pester­
ing of the Dowasir Shaikhs has contributed mainly to his attitude on the subject.
Also lie thinks that if the rents arc not paid to them the Dowasir will always feel
sore on the subject considering themselves rightly entitled to them. He feels
that because the original confiscation was made in his name (an action which lie only
took after considerable persuasion) it is incumbent on him to return the money
and as no mention was made of the rents in the term oii which the Dowasirs return,
he supposes that the return of the rents is taken for granted.
7. In my opinion, being as Financial Advisor, responsible for the finances to
the State, this large outlay from the already overburdened revenues of the State in
order to buy the good will of the Dowasir is not justifiable, unless it is the intention
of the Government that all measure that were previously taken against the Dowa­
sir by the Government arc to be completely wiped out, except of course their three
years’ exile which is past, in which case I venture to suggest that a wrong impres-
sion will be given, the impression that the Government havo now decided that they
acted wrongly in punishing the tribe in the way that it did.
8. You kindly said that you would support me in an endeavour to prevent large
payments. My own position here is difficult and were it generally known that I
was the deciding factor in preventing this payment, it would be decidedly more
dillioult. I therefore ask that a definite ruling should be given on these two points.
1. Whether the rents paid for the three years into tho State funds by tenants
on the confiscated estates must be handed back to the Dowasir.

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