Page 357 - Records of Bahrain (1) (i)_Neat

The war with Muscat, 1828-1829 345

Political Dept No 00 of 1029
To
William Newnham Esq.
Chief Secry to the Govt.
Bombay.
Sir
I have the honor in continuation of my dispatch No 54 dated 6
July last in this department to communicate to you for the
information of the Honble the Governor in Council my subsequent
proceedings connected with negotiations for Peace between His
Highness the Imam of Muscat and the Chief of Bahrein with their
allies in which I regret to say that I have not been successful.
2. With a view to show distinctly the efforts which have been made
to bring about so desirable an object I transmit the accompanying
documents and shall proceed to make.the following observations on
them.

3. No 1 is a letter from the Chief of Bahrein in reply to a
communication made for a second time by me, that both parties should
return to the relations in which they stood before the war. It will
be perceived that all such proposals are somewhat scornfully
rejected.
4. No 2 is my answer maintaining the same sentiments I had
expressed at the commencement of the negotiation.
5. No 3 is a letter from me to H.H. the Imam communicating the
substance of the answer received from the Bahrein Chief and my wish
that H.H. should not consider what I had done in this affair as an
impediment to his opening negotiations through any other means
nearer or for any other description of terms better suited to his
interests.
6. No 4 is a letter from H.H. the Imam alluding to No 5 which had
been previously transmitted by a confidential Agent by name Haj ie
Abdool Ameer, who arrived here on the 23rd ultim. This last letter
it will be observed contains three proposals, some one of which H.H.
seems to hope might be obtained for him but which my prior
correspondence with the Chief of Bahrain will have shown to be out
of the question. The proposals are in substance, first that the
Chief of Bahrain should continue to pay the former tribute or
secondly he should pay the expenses of the expedition sent last year
to attack him but which failed. These expenses have been reckoned
by the Imam at 70,000 German Crowns or lastly that both sides should
give up interfering with traders but if the Imam had the power to
attack Bahrein he should do so if he chose or vice versa if the
Bahrein Chief was so inclined. That is to say either might be at
peace when convenient or attack the other when he might not be
expected. It will be seen from the note of my conference with the
Imam's Agent what I thought of these proposals.
7. No 6 is a note of what passed when Hajie Abdool Ameer opened
his mission to me and assuring that the grounds on which my further
mediation was interposed rested distinctly on the wishes and
interests of H.H. the Imam and not alone by any means on the desire
of the British Government for peace, although that desire may remain
extremely strong from a thorough conviction and experience of the
evils likely to rise out of the continuance of the war. To put this
matter in the clearest light, I requested that Hajie Abdool Ameer
would write a letter in the tone of No 7 stating that it was H.H.
the Imam's wish and interest that proposals to mediate a peace
should be made by me to the Chief of Bahrein on the terms set forth
in No 8 viz First "There shall be peace between the two parties with
their several allies and no claims for money on either side."