Page 293 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

AND TITE MASKAT POLITICAL AGENCY FOR TIIE YEAR 1907 1000.
109
The daily attendance of sick persons avorngrd 52. 'Jhc charge of tlio dispen­
sary wns held by Assistant Surgeon Paudur Rahman from 1st April to 8tIt
August 1907, when ho proceeded to India on transfer handing over charge to
Assistant Surgeon Dadiiuastor.
Marine.
Thostcamcrs of tho British India Company (fast and slow mails alternately)
called weekly, but on eight occasions the fast mails proceeded to Basrah without
calling at Koweit necessitating local arrangements to convey outward mail
to Fno and bring in the inward mails from that placo. These frequent
failures have caused much inconvenience to the public and to the Political
Agent himself.
The local agent of the British Tndia Company has been permitted by the
Sheikh to hoist a flagstaff on his house on which he shows a light on
Wednesday evenings. A similar light is shown by the Political Agent and
these lights prove of some slight assistance to the fa>t mails entering the port.
Two steamers of other companies visited this port during the year. First
S. S. Waltham (owners Messrs. V. T. Thompson & Co., Sunderland, and)
chartered by an Arab firm in Basrah, and second S. S. Nasri of the Bombay
and Persian S. N. Company. The former vessel took away a cargo of 550 tons
wheat for London and the Naari brought a cargo of 50 eases petroleum for
the Sheikh’s motor car and 15 packages other merchandise. The latter Com­
pany have, it is said, arranged to send their vessels once a month to this port
at prosent and thereafter bi-weekly. Haji Abdul Karim Bchbani of the house
of Marafi, of Persian extraction, lias been appointed agent.
The lighter S. S. John O. Scott of the latter Cdnjany also called at
this port from Basrah with a cargo of 3,0( 0 bags Basrah ri< e.
Pearl Fisheries.
The Ceylon pearl fishery b<ing too small no Arab divers were required
from Koweit this sou son. And before the news was received from Ceylon,
the Sheikh had issued orders prohibiting Koweit divers fiom going to the
Ceylon pearl fisheries on the plea that they did not gain much by going there
and that, when they went, they returned from Ceylon weakened from disease
and therefore could not work at their own fisheries at Bahrein.
Piracy.
The particulars of a savage and revolting act of piracy committed on a
Koweit dhow were communicated, at the instance of Sheikh Mubarak, to the
Political Resident, Persian Gulf, by this Agency. The culprits were known
as the Awlad-i-Eumaidi and were “ wanted ” for several other atrocities.
They were captured on the Persian coast by His Majesty’s ships and brought
to Koweit for final identification and eventually taken to Sheikh Khazal of
Mohammerah, by whom they were interned for life. Much gratification waa
expressed in Koweit at the capture of these notorious offenders.
Flagstaff.
The new flagstaff supplied by the Marine Department was erected in
January and the old one that was on the Agency house cut down. Some
distaste was shown by the Arabs and especially by the inhabitants of the
houses adjoining the Agency, but Sheikh Mubarak was whole-heartedly in our
favour and was ready with offers of assistance of every kind.
Relations between the Sheikh and the Political Agent.
With the tightening of the bonds between the Sheikh and the British
Government, a marked and most satisfactory improvement lia9 taken place
in the relations between the Sheikh and the British representative. Eveu in
past years, if allowance was made for the dilficultios of Sheikh Mubarak’s posi­
tion, there was always a decided balance in our favour and it was permissible
to conclude that Sheikh Mubarak was at least far more attached to the British