Page 277 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

FOR TM5 YEAR 1013. 135
Coast carrying with her R5,500 which the Towash had on board. Yusuf bin
Husain supported liis cousin till daylight on the 23rd when they were picked
up by a passing pearl-boat and taken to Jubail. Saif bin Zaid died 2 hours
later from the effects of his wounds and exhaustion and Y usuf bin Husain
returned to Kuwait on tho 28th with nows of tho crim.j. His ^tajesty’s ships
-wore warned by telegraph and tho Shaikh sent a “ boo n '* to tbo Pirate Coast
to collect all available information about tho “balla.u" and the culprits.
Hen were also sont to Lingah and Maskat and one of these recognized the 4
pirates boarding the mail steamer at Lingah as passengers. They were arrested
and sent to Kuwait in chargo of an employd of the Lingah Vice-Consulate.
The Political Agent hold an enquiry into the caso and handed over tho pirates
to Shaikh Jabir for safe custody pending instructions from Government as to
their disposal. Three of them were eventually shot, on tho 1st October, and the
fourth man who first confessed and was later instrumental in tho recovery of
the looted property was granted a free pardon.
When the British India Steam Navigation Company introduced a new
sul . time-table for their Porsian Gulf slow
mail steamers at the beginning of tho year,
a fortnightly call on the outward voyage only was provided for Kuwait but, on
representations being made, tho Company was induced to provide a weekly
service on the outward and a fortnightly call on the inward voyage. The
weeks in which these steamer's do not connect with the fast mail service the
Agency Launch exchanges the mails at Pao, but the Company now pay the
cost of coal and stores so expended. This service meets the requirements of the
port aud has worked satisfactorily throughout the year. Only one of their fast
steamers called at Kuwait with mails in September.
Very few steamers of the Arab Steamers, Limited, have called at Kuwait
duriug 1913, tho majorily of them having been engaged ia the Hijaz pilgrim
traffic.
The S. S. “ Naderi ”Jof the Bombay and Persia Steam Navigation Com­
pany called with cargo in March.
Other British steamers which called at Kuwait in 1913 are the :—S. S.
“ Bahristan,” “ Westminster ”, “ Bengcove ”, “ Merton Hall ”, “ Lotus ” and
“ Raithwaite Hall The second two with 10,000 and ^,500 cases of kerosine
oil respectively and tho last two with cargo for the Ci Merton Hall.”
Shaikh Nasir bin Shain-ut-Tuwar arrived from Bahrain on the 6th Febru­
ary to obtain the Shaikh’s permission to
Foreigner* and Traveller*.
settle at Kasr-as-Subaih. As the Shaikh
was away at Mohammcrah at the time he remained with Shaikh Jabir. He
left for Katr by native boat on the 8th March, Shaikh Jabir having told him
that nothing could be done for him in the absence of his father. The Shaikhs
were warned that Nasir’s residence in Kuwait or Kasr-as-Subaih was considered
undesirable and he has not again visited Kuwait.
No other foreigners called at Kuwait during the year under review.
Captain Currie, Marine Superintendent of the Bunnah Oil Company,
visited Kuwait from Mohammerah on the 9th July in order to select a site for
a bulk-oil loading depflt for the Ajiglo-Persian Oil ^ Company. He returned
on the 10th having found no suitable place in the vicinity Kuwait
Mr. Gilder, travelling agent of Messrs. John Minnett, Limited, Engineers
of Bombay, arrived on the 27th November. He interviewed the Shaikh on the
28th but could secure no orders for his firm and left for Basrah on the 11th
December.
The Political agent left on a tour in the desert on the 8th March to the
south of Kuwait; he reached As-Safa
Tour* and Viiit* of Brituli Official*.
wells on the 14th and (Jl-Gara wells on
the 16th. After leaving Ul-Gara wells he marched South-West through the
8uman and Dahana districts and onwards to Gaiyiya wells and Majma town
which he reached on the 24th. He spent a day there with Abdullah bin As­
kar, the Amir of the place who was most friendly and hospitable, the political
Agent having met him before in the desert ana also in Kuwait. Majma is
a small town of perhaps 6,000 inhabitants with large date gardens around it