Page 109 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

7
REVIEW BY THE POLITICAL RESIDENT IN THE PER81AN GULP.
possibility of another attack by tribesmen upon Maskat; but happily nothing
of this sort occurred.
In the matter of external politics there is little to record, as the slow pro­
gress of the final settlement in the French Flag case has still made it undesirable
to pursue the several other important Maskat questions briefly mentioned last
year. The said settlement will doubtless take shape in the near future, but it
'would hardly have been believed when it was decided in the spring of 1903 to
submit the question forthwith to the arbitration of the Hague Tribunal, that
four and possibly five years would elapse before the final solution was arrived at.
The Arms Traffic continues year by year to flourish with increasing viru­
lence and defies all efforts to cope with it, on lines at present possible. The
question has already been touched upon in connection with the Mekran Coast
Report, and as soon as the conclusions of the Anglo-Russian Agreement and the
French Flag negociations are respectively assured it will no doubt be subjected
to fresh examination by His Majesty’s Government.
Meanwhile there is little more to be done locally than has been possible in the
past, unfortunately, with little or no success.
It is satisfactoiy to find a decrease this year in the numbers of slaves who
have applied for manumission at the Maskat Agency, but experience of the past,
and of the rest. Gulf littoral north of Maskat territoiy makes it unsafe to share fully
the Political Agent’s sanguine belief that the African trade to Oman has ceased
to exist, or that there is any great diminution in the export of enslaved Mekranis
from the Persian shore.
VIII.—TRUCIAL OMAN.
The affairs of the Trucial Coast Chiefs and their future are problems of yearly
increasing difficulty. Unlike the Shaikhs of Mahommerah and Koweit, and
I may almost say of Bahrein, who seem able to a considerable extent to adapt
their ideas to the changing requirements of advancing time and civilisation, the
Chiefs of the old “ pirate” coast appear to feel privileged both to stand still in
spite of the spread of civilisation around them, and to remain, like pampered
children, immune from any obligation t-o make return to the parent government
for the benevolent maintenance of their principalities and independent status
for close on a century.
Apart from the more serious questions, referred to in this yearns report,
such as those regarding their national flag, or the institution of a post-office,
even a simple request made to them by the Residency Agent with foil explana-
nations for their family pedigrees, for inclusion in the Government gazetteer,
was resented as a dangerous innovation and the information refused him. It
was not until the Resident on a subsequent visit to the coast, showed the Chiefs
that he had already got most of the information without their assistance,
and only needed to verify it, that they were brought to realise the unreasonable­
ness of their attitude and to give the required details.
For the last year or two owing to the undesirability of raising inconvenient
issues, it has been necessary to pursue a very cautious policy with these Trucial
Chiefs and to humour their primitive weaknesses, but should the political
horizon of the Persian Gulf clear sufficiently to render such a course unobjectionable
there are several matters in regard to which they badly need to be shown the error
of their ways.
It is interesting to record that a handsomely bound copy of their treaty
engagements with the British Government, prefaced by Lord Curzon’s speech
to the Shaikhs in Darbar during his viceregal visit to Shargah in November 1903 i
in which the history of our relations with them is clearly set forth, was presented
to each Shaikh during the year; a useful measure which will leave them Etfcir
excuse for the non-acquaintance with details of treaty engagements cf which
they are frequently inclined to give evidence.

nr_Bahrein.
Bahrein has had
hand the Political Agent hiT g^du^l^^aWi^h^lT^d