Page 202 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

18 ADMINISTRATION REPORT of THE PERSIAN
GULF POLITICAL RESIDENCY
Shntt-ol-Arab, permission was naked to hand his captive subjects over to him to
be dealt, with. Sanction to this course Jnving been accorded, with tlio concur-
^DTvCi%0fd17C-Pt,rS1,ln <30VJ0r,;rT!01nt» the were taken to Molmmmernh in
li.JM.b. Sjp/unv. hn route tluther 11 is Majesty’s ship upon which the Resident
travelled called at ICoweit. and the pirates were confronted with Sheikh
Mubarak, who, as also his subject?, know them well, they having lived fora
time in Kuwait and having been expelled from there owing to their evil
reputations. The fcheikh of Mohammerali who was fully familiar with their
career of crime felt it impossible to resort to public execution for fear
of arousing the hostility of the Muhaisin tribe, hut expressed bis intention
of imprisoning thorn for life. Thoro the matter ended. This gang of pirates
was so well know*n all over the Gulf that their capture had a most beneficial
effect upon public opinion, and the incident became the chief topic of couversa-
tion in the colleo shops of the Gulf ports lor somo time afterwards.
Quarantine and Captain T. S. B. 'Williams, Residency Surgeon, supplies the following note
Health.
on the Quarantine Administration for the past. year.
Under oxisting conditions there arc three separate sanitary authorities
concerned with quarantine measures in the Gulf. Those are—
(1) Eersian.—The Persian Government controls all sanitary matters of
the Persian shores of the Gulf. There are sanitary stations at Mohammerah,
Uingah, Bunder Abbas and Jnsk, with a large lazaret at Bushire. The
medical officers who manage the Persian service are British, being lent to
Persia by the Government of India. The staff consists of the Residency
Surgeon, as Ghief Quarantine Ofhcer, with an officer of the l.M.S. as Assistant,
and six Assistant Surgeons.
(2) British.—The sanitary authorities at Maskat, Bahrein and Kowcit
are practically British, as all sanitary matters are carried out by British officials
under control of the Political Agents.
(3) Turkish.—The Turks have a large lazaret at Basiah in charge of two
medical officers who are subordinate to the International Board of Health in
Constantinople.
Epidemics, etc., during the year—Blague.—On the 21st April 1907 a very
severe epidemic of plague bioke out at Bahrein re."ulting in about 2,00u deaths
between the 21 st April and thehih June. As soon as the epidemic was declared,
stringent measures were taken to limit the outbreak. Quarantine was enforced
at all Gulf ports against Bahrein, and at Bahroin itself an inspection was made
of al 1 passengers before embarkat ion. On t he first rumours of the outbreak, large
numbers of the Persians inhabiting Bahrein fled carrying the pest with them.
Fortunately, with the exception of a few infected persons who landed at Dayir,
all the remaiuder were caught at the various quarantine stations and detained.
At the Bushire lazaret there were sixteen cases of plague among immigrants
with nine deaths ; at Lingah three cases with three deaths. The Governor of
the Gulf ports co-operated hearlily with the quarantine authorities* and no
vessels coming from the Bahrein side were allowed to land passengers or cargo
at intermediate ports without having first been to a quarantine station and
received pratique. In the case of Dayir the Khan refused to obey the orders
sent him, with the result that the epidemic gained some foot ng there.
Measures were at once taken, however, to isolate Dayir and the disease did not
spread.
It was reported that two cases occurred at Basrah on the 2nd of June.
There was, however, some doubt as to whether these were really plague.
Cholera.—There was no epidemic, in the Gulf during the year, but danger
threatened owing to the very severe outbreak in the Hcdjaz during the pilgri­
mage of 1907-1908. It was decided that all ships leaving J cddnli for the 1 onnan
Guff should be dealt wilh according to Article 150, Paris Convention, 1903.
Further it was ordered that all “ infected ” or “suspected ” ships should first of
all proceed to Bushire for the necessary disinfecting processes prior to »•
permitted to land pilgrims at the minor ports. Healthy ships not b*ylDS
the^rovisious of Article 150 applied at Jeddah were couutod as suspected.

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