Page 351 - Records of Bahrain (1) (i)_Neat

The war with Muscat, 1828-1829 339
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Pol Department No 71

To
William Newnham Esq
Chief Secretary to the Govt.
Bombay

Sir
I do myself the honor to lay before the Honblc the Governor In
Council the accompanying correspondence and papers, respecting
certain proceedings of the Fleet of Abdoollah bin Ahmed the Chief of
Bahrein during a late cruize which was avowedly undertaken against
the state of His Highness the Imam of Muscat.
2. These documents together with the notes I have made in their
margins and the following observations will I trust enable the
Honblc the Governor in Council to form a true judgement respecting
the nature of these disagreeable occurrences.
3. A vessel called "Durweish" the property of a person named Sued
Mahomed and belonging to a place called Mirbat which is situated on
the coast of Hydramant was at Bombay in the month of April or May
last and there took on board a cargo and passengers for various
places - intending it is said first to touch at Muskat, next to come
to Bushire, and then to proceed to Bahrein.
4. This vessel having left Bombay, fell in with the Bahrein Fleet
under the personal command of the chief of that place off Rasil Hud.
The fleet closed on the Mirbat vessel and hailing demanded from
whence she came, and that she should immediately lower her sail.
Whilst this was in the act of being done, two or three matchlocks
are said in the confusion, and fright, to have been discharged by
the Mirbat Boat and immediately she was boarded on all sides by the
Bahrein Fleet. About 12 of the crew of the vessel thus boarded were
put to death and 10 or 12 wounded - among the former was Sued
Mahomed himself the owner, The vessel being thus captured some of
the Chief of Bahrein's men were placed on board, and the whole fleet
proceeded to that part of the coast of Mlkran which is near the
entrance of the Persian Gulf.
5. Off a place called Kohe Mabarruk two ships belonging to the
Imam of Muscat appeared and commenced an action with the Bahrein
Fleet. About this time all the valuable articles of the cargo of
the Mirbat vessel were transhipped into those of Bahrein, and when
only a little rice in bulk remained a hole was knocked in her bottom
and she was sunk. The crew was landed on the coast of Mlkran. The
Bahrein Fleet having escaped from the ships of H.H. the Imam of
Muscat reached that Island on the 11th June.
6. I have mentioned these circumstances first in point of order
from their belonging to the most important occurrence, but it
likewise appears that the Bahrein Fleet fell in, also off Rasil Hud,
with an aweesy (or small vessel) said likewise to belong to Mirbat.
From this vessel a quantity of cotton, ghee, fish and drugs were
taken, but it was afterwards permitted to proceed on its voyage.
7. It is most material to observe that the Chief of Bahrein has
never "proclaimed or avowed" that a war existed between him and
Mirbat which he is bound to do, previous to proceeding to
hostilities by the General Treaty concluded by Sir William Kur Grant
with the Arabian States and to which Treaty the Chief of Bahrein
acceded by his own signature on the 20th February 1820.