Page 252 - Records of Bahrain (4) (ii)_Neat

554 Records of Bahrain
Pag o. 7
exoellont work, and liao tho *na± oonfidenoo of the ptublic.
They refer oil oases involving poroonal law to tho appropriate

Qadhie for thoir opinion and return v honoe rocqrdo are kopt )
but diepooo of most orlminal onoeo thomoelvos. A fow criminal
i
oaooo whioh can be oettled by outhtuking are uloo referred to
:
the ^adhio in tho name way. It must bo romemberod however that!
Shaikh Salman would not paon any order adversely affecting a
peroon of position If it wero not for tho support of Mr 13elgravo
:
and would oortainly not give a oapital oentonce in any caoo with­
out it. A wholo hoartod roturn to the Sharu*a ie impossible,
(a) booauoo moot of tho orirnoe of violenoo would bo J2X Sunnie
arid against Shiaho, honoe on tho oaoe being reforrod to the Sun­

ni Qadhl they would eooapo soot free or with light punishment,
(b) booauoo tho tyadhio koop no rooordo, and ( o ) booauoo here
ao in Persia the v^adhio have loot aloioot all their prootigo in
tho laot fow yoare.
Civil oaooo particularly those involving the taking of aoiim
oounto are U8ually reforrod to tho Majlis el Urfi, an honorary
body of merchants who work quite satiofaotorily if their persona:
foelingo are not arouoed. hiving oqb.ee aro roforred to tho Sal
fall or diving court, to whioh I allude later.
It will be noon thut there io a vory largo meaouro of indi-

gonouo oontrtol, and I feel ouro that tho Government of India
could not favour a return to tho ohaoe of tho old regime whore
no State oourt oxieted, and nothing to tuko ito plaoo except
tho Shara'a • a reversion to whioh would bo as well advised as
to plaoo Ely onoo raoro under ito Biehop ) and the innumerable
oourto maintained by potty Shaikhllngo purely no a vehicle fob
their oppression.
14. A properly constituted Diving Court huo been a very
oucceoful feature of tho roforms# and it worko with fair .impar­
tiality exoopt where foreignero are involved. In a very big

cuoe recently I had to daputo the Kfatnr-Buhadur to watoh the pro-
oeodinge so flagrant was the bias shown* Ae a moult tho oourt
; ultimately decrcod in fuvour of the Poroiun merchant for some