Page 259 - Records of Bahrain (4) (ii)_Neat

Bahrain reforms, 1929 561
Pugo 14, i
the
vnte the acquaintance of^Arabs personally " the remark huo grout- !
nr foroo now, when double the number of Judicial oaooo aro dealt
i/i tii. I personal ly oonoldor that I should spend hours dally in
the oooicty of the Shaikhs and important Arabs, and so do more » !

to vrin their confidonoe than penning tlio nimblest Judgmonto would
achiove, and I trust that the propooalo which I shall presently
put forward will roooivo sympathetic consideration.

26. It must be rotneraborod that if we will not assert our-
moIvob in liahroin, others will, and the ground is steadily pre­
pared for Bin Bund by his powerful and assiduous ugent| should
ho succood in his present coinp^ogn in Nojd we may oxpoot un imme­
diate resumption of his ponctrution hero, u penetration which
v/ould find ample scopo if Uojdis and Ilasawis affairs were handed
back to the Bahrein Government. It must bo remembered that Bin
Band has un almost mesmeric offoot on Shaikh Hnmnd, and it io ny
constant four th t in octtlng Bin Baud up as an all-Arabian oon-.
queror wo shall havo provided oursolves with another Roza Shah to

clip our wings, uud havo cut a rod for our baoko without reoeiring
any substantial return.
27. It lias been suggested that in ordor to bring the Shaikh*e
rule into the foreground a oouncil should be appointed. This
would probably bo of value if Shaikh Hamad were allowed to trans­
fer real power to it and to rule eio a ruler udvisod by his minis­

ters. 3huikh Hamad would be delighted by ouoh an arrangement,
and on the doath of Shaikh lea it might be given a trial. The
council oould be composed of Shaikh Salmon and Shaikh Abdullah
and the Advioor. Shaikh Salmon*s claim as heir 1s obvious, and
Shaikh Abdullah apart from his ability soorao to have turned over
a new loaf and should be worth a trial. 1 W0 okould
wait until Shaikh Isa dies, for the State already supports ono
Shaikh in idlenooo, and to support two gonorationo at a cost of
^ lakho would cause unfavourable comment. If Shaikh Hamad
'•■oro made Proswident of this oounoil,nothing would be gained as
his- aversion to any form of work would make him avoid its doll-
borationo, and tho division of authority that would enoue would

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