Page 268 - Records of Bahrain (4) (ii)_Neat

570 Records of Bahrain

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4, The point to remember now is thut ijhalkh loa,
the Ruler, was not bad Matured at heart, but although
obotinute in rejecting all advice from the Political A^onti
an derogatory to hio pooition au on independent ruler, he
wao cany-going and hud a ntrong dialike for lnlorforing
with the actionn of mentors of hin family even whon thono

took tho form of grooo tyranny. The family «— tho Al
Khalifa — wore unoducatod unvugou with a veneer of town
manners. The outlook of niiuikh loa and hin family wao ao
io denoribed in parugraph 2(h) ubovo. how (Uialkh llamad
io extremely amiuble, with a oonutitutlonal disincllnatlon
to take otrong mououroo on uny nubjoct. It von uo a Judge',
hie inclination iu to qoquit an obvioup'orlmlnul and him-
oelf to pay a fino imposed. Such a man — except in the
fact thut lie iw younger and huu uocn changed taking place
around Mr *».nd thut ho io, in consequence, leoo conoerva-
tive — io not to bo differentiated from hio fatlior.
Juot aw hin father permitted oppreonion but did not aotlvelj

oppreou, uo would Riunad aot. With the oxooption of Shaikh 1
Khalid, all the old oppreoooro arc ntill alive und willing
to reeume their former wuyo if not reprouued. nhulkh
Hamad would oertuinly not ropreno tliom if deprivod of active
British support and diroction. To thio day hio woakneos
in any matter connected with the Al Khalifa ie patliotio.
In ordinary mattorn aloo, in opite of the presence in
Bahrain of a British udvlser, he truckles to any show of &0
force. In May of thio year ho reversed a decision lie had
made the previous day regarding the amount of udvunoe to
divers because a mob of two hundred unarmed men made a

clamour'in his Hujlis. It io oertuinly bettor that ohuikh
Hamad should govern and make mistakeo than that we should ,
govern and oukc none, but a man of his type, who will not
•.
incur tho odium of governing, must have un adviser,
the European Adviser were removod, JJhaikh Jlurnad would:
surely fall under the influence of oome intriguing Byrio*./
or

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