Page 148 - Records of Bahrain (1) (ii)_Neat

506 Records oj Bahrain

871

pain of destruction of tlio house, its inmates, ami all that it
contained, the instant surrender of these obnoxious refugees ; whereupon
the Agent, losing courage, caused them to be thrown from the roof, and
they were cut to pieces almost before they had reached the ground. The
unwarrantable and impolitic behaviour of the Agout oil this occasiou
was punished with imuicdiato dismissal, and the countenance of the
British Government was finally withdrawn from the Shaikh, on whom,
however, it was uot considered necessary, in the circumstances, to make
auy express dcniaud for reparation.
In March 1840, after the landing of Shaikh Muhammad's partisans 1^'HT®
ou Bahrain Island, an order was promulgated by Shaikh 'Abdullah, imrboc,
then at Muharraq, that no vessel should anchor near Maiuimab town. fg*/^
This regulation haviug been brolion by a Ghunchaii which was entitled to
use the British Hag, and which carried a packet and storeB addressed to the
British Commodore at BubkIu, two boats manned by Bedouin mercenaries
were sent with an order to tho Nakhuda to move over to Mubarraq ;
but these unreliable and daugcrou6 messengers, on rcachiug the vessel,
hoarded her, plundered tho cargo, including the British packet and stores,
and hauled down aud tore to pieces the British Hag. On behalf of
tho Shuikh, who douied haying ordered or in auy way countenanced this
outiage, it was urged that the Ghunchuh had uot shown her colours on
entering tho harbour ; that her use of them was suspected to be a mere
ruso ; and that the licet of ' lsa-bin-Tarif and Bashir-bin-ltabmah was
at the time momentarily expected. A British war vessel was immediately
despatched to Bahrain to make full enquiries ; but, before any result had
been reached, tho expulsion of Shaikh 'Abdullah by his rival rondcrcd
further uctiou useless,
About the same time as the last affair, but possibly before it, a Cborak
boat under tho Persian Hag, iuto which goods from Bombay consigned to
Hindu meichauts in Bahrain, bud just been transhipped, was pluudcicd
iu the harbour of Mauumah by Baui llfijiriuid Sululah Arabs subject-
to the authority of Shaikh 'Abdullah. The hostilities in Bahrain
pievculed immediate attention being given to this ca60, and on tho.
first accession of Shaikh Muhammad to power it was considered iucxpo
dient to press the claim upon him too strongly ; but iu February of
the following year (1844), on tho matter being brought to his
uotice, ho submitted without demur to tho British domand for
compensation.