Page 374 - Gulf Precis (III)_Neat

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76
him a present of two horses. In return the Sheikh rocoivcd a sword and a
firman from the Sadr-i-Azam, at the recommendation of the Darya Begi, in
recognition of the Sheikh’s services and merits. The firman was read by the
Sheikh at a Darbar. The Chief of Abu Thabi also adopted a green flag in
place of an Arab flag he used to fly.
202. Colonel Kemball having called upon the Chief to explain his pro­
ceedings, the latter stated that the cause of the recent intercourse between him
and the Darya Begi was the high-handed proceedings of the Governor, when he
captured Lingah, towards some Arabs of Abu Thabi, by which they had been
defrauded of a large sum of money due to them by a Persian, and the Sheikh’s
desire to gain the protection of the Persian authorities.
203. The green flag was apparently adopted in order to distinguish the
Abu Thabi boats from those of other Arabs and to secure their being interfered
with by the Persian authorities. There was little douht, however, that the
Darya Begi’s ulterior motive on the matter was to detach the Chief, Abu
Thabi, from the other Trucial Chiefs in connection with the recent events at
Lingah, and as the action of the Persian Government had created a feeling
of unrest among the other Trucial Chiefs, Colonel Kemball suggested to the
Chargd d’Alfairos at Teheran that it might be as well to inform the Persian
Government that in view of our existing relations with the Trucial Chiefs, any
interference on the part of the Persian authorities in tho affairs of these
Chiefs was likqly to give rise to complications which it would be advisable to
avoid (Resident’s letter, dated 7th July 1900).
204. In connection with the green flag adopted by the Chief of Abu
Thabi, attention was drawn as to the flag
Secret E., April 1901, Nos. 91*98.
used by tho other Trucial Chiefs, and it
was found that the flag prescribed by the Treaty of 1820 was rarely used.
Colonel Kemball proposed to issue a circular letter to all the Trucial Chiefs
informing them that they should not, in future, use any other flag than that
prescribed for them by the Treaty of 1820. The Government of India approved
of this proposal (No. 323-E.A., dated 25th February 1901).
206. In October 1901 Colonel Kemball reported that the Chief of Abu
Thabi had, after some pressure being
Secret E., November 1901, Nos. 66*67.
brought to bear upon him, abandoned the
use of the new flag.
206. No further report was received from the Gulf as to the use of the
Trucial flag, until Major Cox reported
Secret E., July 1906. Noe. 284*985.
in May 1905, that the Trucial flag was
conspicuous by its absence and proposed with a view to the adoption of the
treaty flag that—
Eight flags, white pierced red, tho breadth of
white in border being equal to breadth of red, (a) each Trucial Chief should
site 12* x 9'. be furnished gratis with
Eight flage, white pierced rod, the breadth of patterns of the flag as shown
white in border being equal to breadth of red.
size 6'x4|\ in the margin;
(6) the future issue of flags be made on payment; and
(c) the supply of the required number of flags be obtained by annual
indents on the Bombay Arsenal.
207. These proposals were approved by the Government of India and the
necessary orders passed for the supply of the flags required (Na 2338-E.B.,
dated 17th June 1905).

[Publisher’s note: the original edition has pp. 77-86 blank.]