Page 151 - Gulf Precis (V)_Neat

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unaided, and no arrnngomcrts have been made, as far as we are aware, in res­
pect of any portion of the railway from Konia, totlio Persian Gulf for securing
the condition whereby His Majesty’s Governmont contemplated that equality
of treatment should bo secured for British capital.
“4. During his rccont tour in the Gulf the Viceroy personally visited the
Khor Abdulla, in company with the Naval Commander-in-Chief on the East
Indies Station, and the result of the inspection was to confirm the view which
wo previously entertained of the importance of the Khor and of the superiority
of its shores, for the purposo of a railway terminus, over any of the sites in tho
immediato neighbourhood of Koweit which have previously claimed attention.
On hoard tho Lawrence their Excellencies passed up tho channel to the
anchorago below tho junction of Khor Zoheir with Khor Um Kasr, and
except at tho eastern end of Warba Island, where, there is a bar with a depth
of two fathoms for a short distance, a dopth of four and-a-half fathoms was
obtained throughout. The anchorage is some tbreo miles from Um Kasr post,
and tho bonks of the channel are sufficiently high to provide a firm and
convenient landing place. To tho south of the "Warba Island lies the largo
sheet of water with plenty of depth and room for an anchorage, to which Bear-
Admiral Willes refers in paragraph 50 of his letter No. 209—1171, dated bth
December 1103, to tho Secretary to the Admiralty, of which wo enclose a copy.
“ Owing to the length of the channel and its capacity for easy land or
submarine defences, a port in either of these localities would bo absolutely safe
from any attack, from the seaward.
“We have already intimated in our Secret despatch No. 16, dated the
21st January 1904, that the remarks of tho Naval Coramander-in-Chief in
paragraph 61 of of this letter were written under a misapprehension, and do not
accurately represent the political position. It is not necessary here, therefore to
take them into acoount.
“ 6. In our Secret despatch No. 27* (Frontier), dated the 4th February 1904,
we have mentioned the probable antago­
• Sco precis of Turkish Arabian affairs.
nism of German interests to our own in
this quarter and the attitude which, in our opinion, should be adopted towards
the designs of other nations in Turkish Arabia, and we consider that no time
should be lost in endeavouring to retrieve so far as may still be possible the posi­
tion which we have so seriously endangered by acquiescence in these encroach­
ments. So far as concerns Um Kasr and the neighbouring mainland, the claims
of the Sheikh of Koweit do not appear to have been strong. But whatever
may have been their validity, it would he difficult, and we would not now
propose to try, to induce the Turks to abandon the occupation -which for the
past year they have been permitted to maintain. The case of Bubiyan Island
we regard as entirely different. Here wo consider that the Sheikh has c'aims
which can be sustained alike with better reason, with greater prospect of success,
and owing to its insular position, with smaller risk of subsequent embarrassment
t No. 42, dated lb* 28th February 11)02. to ourselves. In February 1902 our
.
(Copy sent under cover of tho Foreign Secretary’s Political Resident in tlio Persian Gulf
letter No. 12-M., dated tbo 20th March 1002.)
reported! that Sheikh Mubarak had ad­
dressed to him a written communication in which he advanced his claim to
the island, and asserted that the Avazem tribo, who are his subjeots, had lived
there since the occupation of Koweit for seven months during the summer of
each year, and bad established fishing enclosures on the island. Colonel
Kemball regarded tho pretention as valid, and a like view appears to have been
held by His Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador at Constantinople, who a few days
i sir Nkboia. O’Conor to the Mnrqu.ii "i Lan*. later telegraphed! to the Marquess of
down#, No.33. dated Uio :6th March 1902. Lansdowne that tho Consul at Basrah
considered the Sheikh’s claim to the island to be good Sir Nicolas O*Conor,
j Sir Nicholas O'Conor to tho Marques* of Lana* hOWCVCr, CXprCS8Cd§ tho Opinion that tllCrQ
do«no. No. 30. dated tho nth March i9oa. was no object in raising a conflict about
Bubiyan Island whilo leaving the Turks in possession of Um Kasr. Had the
•Ambassador then been in possession of tho information which is now available,
wo believe that he would not have entertained this view. With the shores of
the mainland and of Bubiyan 1 sland in the possession of a single Power, the
anchorages below Um Kasr and at Warba Island can at any timo be converted