Page 152 - Records of Bahrain (1) (ii)_Neat

510 Records of Bahrain

875

Meanwhile the position ol! Slmilcli ' Abdullah's soiih at Dammam, HoJ«ci:=
D.mnri^-
(•ho last remaining foothold of the family ii\ Arabia, had become pre­
l»Y 111!
carious. In December 18'Ji3 the Wahhfibi Amir offered his bcrviecK to Wal.lil
M»rcl« I
the contending Shaikhs for the purpose of arranging a reconciliation
between them ; but his overtures were rejected by the ox-chief. Faisal-
bin-Turki thou declared war against Shaikh 'Abdullah and began to
collect troops, partly for an investment of Dammam by land to supple­
ment blockade by sea, and partly for the punishment of some of
the Bedouin tribes in the neighbourhood who had hitherto kept tho
Dnuuufun garrison, commanded by Mubarak, Nasir, and another son of
Shaikh 'Abdullah, supplied with provisions. Two boats with commis­
sariat and military stores for the defenders oL Dainumm, despatched by
Shaikh Jubir of Kuwait, were captured by tho licet of Shaikh Muhammad-
bin-Kbalifah at Dohat Bulbul, whence it had been intended to send the
cargoes by camel to Dammam ; but the incident, which might otherwise
have led to a conllict between Shaikh Jfdiir and the dc facto Shaikh of
Bahrain, was adjusted by the friendly intervention of tho British author -
ilics. In March 1814 the garrison of Dammam, being reduced to gieat
straits for supplies, proposed a capitulation j but their terms were not
accepted by the "Wahhabi Amir. Shaikh ’Abdullah, on becoming aware
of the critical position of allairs, crossed from Busliehr to the Arabian
side of tho Gulf and attempted to throw supplies into Dammam, but
failed, the boat which ho sent being captured by the blockading squadion.
A little later the Dammam garrison surrendered to the Wahhabis
on condition that their lives should be spared and that they should be
allowed to carry away their personal property, and the fort of Dammam
was occupied in the name of Puisal-bin-Turki, who thereafter showee
little interest in the quarrols of the Al Khalifah Shaikhs. The result must
have boon disappointing to Bashir-biu-llalmmli, to whom Shaikh JUuham
mad had promised, us a reward lor his sorvieos against Shaikh 'A J u a »
tho restoration of his paternal possessi
0116.
During tho absence of theex-Shaikh at Busliehr, a Datil, described as
belonging to Bahrain but owned apparently by Bashir-biu-Rabmab oi one
of his family, was unwarrantably seized on the Persian coast, aud therefore
on the prohibited sido of tho Restrictive Line, by Shaikh 'Abdulla ‘ s’
dependents at Naband. A remonstrance having been addressed by •
Resilient to the cx-Shaikb, tho latter wrote to the chief local authority
Nubnnd asking him to rcstoro the Datil to the but, while this ..
owners;
message was in course of transmission by a British vessel, a change
authorities took place at Naband, and tho release of tho Batil was ro us ^
by tho new govornor. A lengthy correspondence onoued and r<x ico
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