Page 644 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

62 ANNUAL REPORT OP THE PEE8IAN GULP POLITICAL RESIDENCY

No favourable opportunity was found of removing him till Shnikh 8au
mode his declaration of July 6th, 1918, that he would banish anyone acting
against the British Government in word or deed. On August 2(Hh U o maito^
was broached and on the 27th Shaikh Salim consented to send Yusuf-aU
Duwairi to Bombay, where he was to receive quarters and a subsistence
allowanco ; the next d vy, however, he endeavoured to beg him off oa vnriom,
pretexts and suggested among other things that ho bo sent to Bahrain or Hasa
or to Shaikh Ibrahim of Zubair to whom ho is said to be related on the female
side. The Civil Commissioner authorised the Political Agent to order the
8haikh to deport Yusuf-al-Duwairi if his advice were not accepted and telegra-
phed to the Shaikh advising him to comply with the Political Agent’s
" authoritative advice. ” The Shaikh was very unwilling to take action oven
aftor the reoeipt of the Civil Commissioner’s message but his advisers persuad­
ed him that resistance was useless and Yusuf-al-Duwairi left in the R. M, g
11 Palitana ” on August 29th.
The Kuwait pearling fleet returned from the banks during the first half
of October. There were only 328 boats
*ar u 9rJ' from Kuwait engaged in the fisheries in
1918 as against approximately 450, 500 and 600 in 1917, 1916 and 1915, respect­
ively. The decrease in the number of boats is said to be due to the usual crews
from Basrah and Nejd not arriving as they had more profitable employment
elsewhere. The takings were said to be only about three-fourths of what they
were in 1917.
An exceptionally good pearl, said to be about the size of a pigeon’s egg,
was got by Abdullah bin Yakut of Kuwait. It was sold to Hamad bin Ali
Zayaui of Bahvaiu for Rs. 1,10,000, who was subsequently offered Rs. l£ lakhs
for it by Shamian. of Kuwait but would not accept it. The pearl is said to be
worth Rs. 2,20,000.
Reports are still being received from different sources about the smuggl­
ing of arms and ammunition from Kuwait
Arai TndSt.
into Tangistan on the Persian coast.
Oa -ith October reliable news wa3 received hero that certain Tangistanis
sailed from here the. previous night with ammunition for Tangistan. On 26tb
November the Vice-Consul, Bushire, was informed by the Provincial Director of
Customs, Bushire, of a report received by the latter that 40 rifles and 50,000
cartridges from Kuwait were landed atDilvar (Tangistan) about the 20th Novem­
ber. Rewards have been offered here for the apprehension of arms smugglers,
houses have been searched by the Shaikh in company with the Political Agent
and the local Director of Customs is continually on the look-out, but up to
tho present it has been impossible to lay hands on any of the smugglers.
Revenue.—The Shaikh’s principal sources of revenue are :—
(1) Customs,
(2) Pearl-fishery.
(3) Private property.
Revenue derived from the Customs has suffered a great deal in the year
under review owing to the Blockade restrictions which were in force. To
compensate the Shaikh for this, the Government of India gave him a present
of Its. 3,00,000 and have foregone the loan o£ Rs. 1,87,500 which was given
him in 1915 for the erection of the Water Plant.
The Shaikh claims one diver'$ share in each Kuwait pearling boat.
The Shaikh owns several large date gardens at Fao and Basrah, which bring
him an annual revenue of about Rs. 7,00,000.
land around Kawait is rich and admirably suited to irrigation hut
is dependent on wells, of ;vhich there bt*
Irrigation.
not many, as a source of supply- If*1*
e ation is therefore confined to a few centres where water is found.
The area under cultivation is small due to the scarcity of water. The
principal cultivation centres are Jahw*a»
A friciltare.
Hawaiii, and a few villages along the
Qnsur coast. Wheat and barley are sown in the open desert in the raiD,