Page 319 - Gulf Precis (V)_Neat
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                467.  With a view to the suppression and prevention of such piracies, Major
                                          Talbot, Political Resident in the Persian
                       Ibid, No. 207-
                                           Gulf, in a letter to Colonel Mocklor pro­
            posed to obtain the consent of the Ottoman Government to the action of our
            cruisers within the Katif waters, either in combination toith, or independently
            of, its own vessels.
                468.  This suggestion was supported by Colonel Mockler, but Her Majesty’s
                                          Government deemed it inadvisable to act
             Secret E. May 1892, No*. 108-116, (No. 110).
                                          upon it, and the following wero the instinc-
            tions which the Foreign Office addressed to Sir Clare Ford in their Despatch
            of March 1892 :—
               " I have received Mr. Fane’s despatch No. 68, of the 25th February 1892, forwarding a
            despatch addressed to him by tho Acting Consul-General at Baghdad on tho subject of piracy
            in the Turkish waters of tho Persian Gulf.
               Tho view of Her Majesty’s Government in regard to the action to be taken by the Com­
            manders of Her Majesty's steamships in cases of tho kind reported by Colonel Mockler,  are  I
            contained in Earl Granville’s despatch to the Earl of Dufferin, No. 515, of 22nd July 1381,   :
            to which 1 have to refer Your Excclloucy.
               In consequenco of the failure of the Porte to protect British and general commerce in the
            Persian Gulf, and its refusal to make any special arrangements with Her Majesty’s Govern­
            ment by whioh Her Majesty’s steamships should be permitted to pursue pirates within Turkish
            waters in places where the Sultan’s authority was nut well established, new instructions were
            at that timo issued to British Naval officers. They were authorized in future, when necessary*
            to take 6uch measures as th*y thought fit for the protection of British commerce and shipping
            without reference to tho Sultan’s claims to territorial jurisdiction.
               The attitude of Her Majesty’s Government in this matter should be explained to Colonel   I
            Mockler, and he should be infonned that they do not consider it advisable to invite the co-opera­
            tion of the Turkish authorities as suggested by Colonel Talbot, in his despatch of 31st December
            189V’
                                            459. These views wero duly communi­
             External A, June 1892, No*. 122-180.
                                          cated to Colonel Mockler.
                460. We had again to face the question of suppression of piracies in tho
            Turkish waters oa 1892. The piracies noted in tho list below were reported:—




             No.    Date of occurrence.  Particular* of the occurreoco.  Biuabzi.         i
                                                                                          !



                 1st May       • ••  A boat belonging to Hasan-bin-Hasan
                                   of Bahrun proceeding to Katif put
                                   into Darcin and plundered of 90
                                   Krs. by 3 Bedouins.
             %• •  21st May       2 Katif Shoots were seized at Ramus  Mahhoraed-bi n-A b d u
                                   by 30 Beni Ilajirs, under Salim   Wahab roscued the
                                   bin-Yatiinah.             boats.
             • ••  6th June       25 Beni Hajirs seized a buggalaw  A Turkis war boat sent
                                   at Katif and plundered a boat of   in pursuit, but return­
                                   Mansur-bin-Juma of Katif of cargo   ed, as the pirates
                                   gear, etc., 11s. 1,300 in cash.  escaped.
                 September        A party of Beni Hajir boarded a  Turkish troops were
             Ml
                                   Persian boat from Hasinch, which   scut in pursuit, and
                                   was breached at Katif. They killed   10 robbers captured,
                                   tho Nacnda, wounded two of the   but none of the boats
                                   orow and carriod oil 700 dollars.  recovered.

                                 * Sco paragraph* 431 and 435 supra.
                 [C907FD]                                             FF
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