Page 144 - Records of Bahrain (1) (ii)_Neat

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502 Records oj Bahrain

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Bahrain; and Uub refusal was repeated by the British Resident on n
visit to Qais in May 18*11. Tho technical ground of objection was the
violation which suoli hostilities would iuvolvo of tho Restrictive Lino
established in 1880. It i6 possible that the estrangement between the
British authorities and Shaikh 'Abdullah reacted unfavourably upon the
position of tho latter in his own Sheikhdom; and it may have oven con-
duccd to the troubles that now began.

In 1840, on tho retirement of the Egyptians from ITasa, the inhabi* breach
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tants of that province, or some of them, sent one Mushrif to Bahrain Shaikh
to propose to Mubuiumad-bin-Khalifah-bin-Salinan, grand-nephew of tho
principal Shaikh of Bahrain, that he should himself assumo the Govern- graudn©pl-*
ment of Ilasa and protect tho people from Khalid, tho usurping Amir of
tho Wahhabis. Objections entertained by Shaikh 'Abdullah to this 1810 181-'-
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proposul led to n violent difference of: opinion between Shaikh Muham­
mad and him6olf, which was temporarily smoothed over by a hollow
reconciliation; but a littlo later, after offering his services to tho
British Government and soliciting their assistance against his grand­
uncle, Shaikh Muhammad left Bahrain for Qatar, where ho ingratiated
himself with tho inhabitants and set on foot a vexations opposition to
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his aged relation. Tho eons of Shaikh 'Abdullah, also, had now provided
themselves with retinues of 100 to 300 desperadoes each, and openly
i defied their father's authority ; anarchy and confusion had overspread

tho whole Sheikhdom ; and the t-rado of Bahrain quickly deoliiied to littlo
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more than a half of what it had been only a few years before. In 181-2-,
when Khalid, the ex-Amir of the Wahhabis, paid a visit to Qatar and
Bahrain, Shaikh 'Abdullah and Shaikh Muhammad had apparently
exchanged places, for the former was then at Khor Ilassan on the
: i mainland and tho latter in Bahrain. uliiou
Suoli was tho position of affairs when an open conflict was suddenly |hiukl^
precipitated by an attempt on the part of Shaikh Muhammad to provent
tho marriage of a young girl, belonging to Muharraq town, with Ahmad, »AbJ«llah,
a eon of Shaikh 'Abdullah. The old chief camo over from Qatar to 18 *
arrange a settlement; but, having failed iu his endeavours, be took up
the cause of his son. Both factions then began to enlist fighting men,
chiefly Bedouins who poured ovor from tho mainland in the hopo
of plunder. Muharraq
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force cablcd Shaikh 'Abdullah to blockade effectually the ha.,
. bl.ofllAr In(lccisivo skirmishes followed, in which Di'a.'j,
Of Shaikh Muhammad, was killed upon the one side, ...id
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