Page 403 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

AND THE MASKAT POLITICAL AGENCY FOR THE YEAR 1000. 101

London, a monopoly of the sugar trade and to make Koweit an entrepot
for the sale of English sugar throughout the Persian Gulf. The Sheikh
declined to grant any monopoly but said that Mr. Guays was welcome to
trade in sugar and secure a monopoly for himself by selling it cheaper and
better than other people.
The friendship between Koweit and Mohammerah has been flourishing sheikh
greatly this year. Sheikh Khazal attended the marriage of the Sheikh’s
youngest son in the month of May and Sheikh Mubarak has paid frequent Mohammcraii.
visits during the nine months to his friend at Failiya; the last and longest
visit took place during October and November and lasted over two months.
Special and valuable assistance was afforded during this period to Sheikh
Khazal by Sheikh Mubarak in reducing the Hawaiza tribesmen to submission.
Their efforts are said to have been completely successful.
The Turkish authorities have given Sheikh Mubarak little trouble this sheikh
year. There was a talk at the close of last year about the breaking of a bund
by Turkish soldiers. The Political Agent visited the spot in July. No with the
settlement has yet been arrived at but little has been heard of friction between
the Sheikh and Turkish officials on this account since the Political Agent’s
visit.
The only other event that was likely to endanger good relations between
Koweit and the Turks was the attempt, made in the close of September, by
the sons of the deposed Sheikh of Zubair, Abdullah-bin-Brahim-ar-Rashid,
to seize the Sheikhdom of Zubair. This plot was undoubtedly hatched in
Koweit and it is said that it received the countenance of the Sheikh’s sons,
Jabir and Salim. It failed completely and Sheikh Mubarak recently com­
plained to the Political Agent that his good friend, Sa’adun, had made
Sheikh Mubarak’s conduct in this affair the subject of a time-serving
complaint to the Turkish authorities. “ As a matter of fact,” said Sheikh
Mubarak with apparent candour, “ I strongly advised the conspirators not to
move until they held in their possession a document signed by the leading
men of Zubair to the effect that the population of Zubair desired them as
Sheikhs of Zubair.” There is no reason to suppose that Sheikh Mubarak’s
version of his conduct in the affair is incorrect.
Sheikh Mubarak has made extensive purchases of date gardens during
the year in Turkish territory and, as this report is being drafted, it has
become known and confirmed to the Political Agent by the Sheikh himself
that he has just bought from Ahmad-az-Zahair, a large property known as
Fadhagiya, an island property on the right bank of the Shat-el-Arab, ad­
joining the property known as Dawasir, for the sum of about T£60,000.
These extensive purchases of river property in Turkish territory go far to
prove that Turkish encroachments cannot really be very serious or dreaded
by Sheikh Mubarak.
At one time during the nine month's, viz., in the months of July and sheikh
August, relations between the Sheikh and the Political Agent were decidedly . h
strained and very unsatisfactory. The trouble arose over the case of the theVXcii
fight on board the S. S. Waroonga between Persian soldiers and KoweitAs<ot
subjects, when the Sheikh took umbrage at the tone of the letters addressed
to him by the Political Agent asking that severe notice be taken of the offences
unjustifiably committed by Koweit subjects.
Quarantine, which will be noticed later, was also a sore subject.
Lately, however, and especially since the long absence of Sheikh Mubarak
at Failiya, matters have changed and relations appear to be now on as
friendly a footing and as thoroughly satisfactory as they have ever been.
The Political Agent’s relations with Jabir and the other members of the
Subah family have been quite friendly and remained so throughout and in
spite of the cloud that came between the Sheikh and the Political Agent.
i The notable social event of the year was the marriage of Sheikh Muba- sheikh
rak s youngest son, Ilamud, to the daughter of his nephew Subah-bin-
Muhammad-bin-Subah. At the same time, Sheikh Mubarak’s daughter was
given in marriage to Subah-bin-Muhammad-bin-Subah. These two marriages