Page 94 - Gulf Precis (V)_Neat

18
49. As regards tlio Russian intrigues in the Persian Gulf, to which Colonel
Loch referred in his last mentioned report,
Fro. No. 100 of tho hit cited ProccoJing*.
the Secretary of State enquired, on 7th
February 1898, whether His Excellency the Viceroy had any confirmation of
tho suspected Russian designs on Koweit.
Pro. No. 101 of tho last cited Prococdingi.
The Viceroy replied on 9th February in
tho negative, but added : “ Colonel Meade reports that a M. Adamoff, who
accompanied two Russian doctors ostensibly on plague duty last yoar, visited
Baghdad in August after touring about tho Gulf. Adam off is not a Doctor.
k. w. No.2 of secret e., May isos, No*. The report roferrod to was a- domi-ofliciai
78'103, letter of Colonel Meade, dated 10th Jan­
uary 1898. The two Doctors were—one Mare and the other Oust. They said that
they had been deputed to study plague by their Government. There wero
however, no signs of auy plague in the Porssian Gulf at tho time.
50. Jasim soon again embroiled himself in a Koweit affair with tho
Turks. In March 1S98, Sheikh Mubarak of
Secret E., Noroinhor 1898, Noi. 616*523.
Koweit led an attack against the Howair
tribe of Bedouins, who were under the protection of Jasim bin Thani and, after
defeating them, captured a large number of cattle. This was resented very
much by Jasim and bis Arabs, and as they suspected that Sheikh Mubarak
had acted under Turkish support, they had a quarrel with the Turkish soldiers
in Katar. A free fight then ensued between the Arabs and the soldiers, and
it wa9 even said that the Turkish garrison was attacked by Jasim. This affair
only resulted to an increase of Turkish soldiers in their posts in Ilasa and Katar.

VII.—(1) Proposed Protectorate over Koweit (2)Agreement with the
Sheikh of Koweit, December 1898—May 1899.
51. From the correspondence noted above, it will bo seen that late in 1897 and
early in 1898 there was disquieting nows from tho Persian Gulf of movements
of Turkish troops near Basrah, of an alleged Russian mission to Baghdad and of
an intention on the part of Russia to acquire a coaling station on the Persian
Gulf, possibly Koweit. These reports induced the India Office to ask the
Foreign Office (11th February 1898)
Frtci* in Secret E., March 1901, No*. 67*68.
whether they ivere in possession of any
information as to designs of Foreign powers which might make it desirable to
modify the policy of non-intervention in Koweit. To this letter no reply was
received till the 5th December 1898. In the interval tho Government of India
■were furnished with a note of Mr. (now’ Sir) William Lce-Warner, dated 23rd
June 1898, printed as Appendix C to this Precis and Mr. (now Lord) Curzon had
been inquiring into the subject, but officially the question had been allowed to
rest; and nothing had occurred to bring it again into prominonce uutil receipt of
Sir N. O’Conor’s despatch of the first November 1898, which onclosed a
Consular Report to the effect that the Vali of Basrah, by sanction of the Porte,
had appointed a commission to settle the quarrels betweon Sheikh Mubarak and
his nephews. The India Office then addressed a letter to tho Foreign Office
(dated 23rd November lb9d) drawing attention to tho issues raised in the letter
of the 11th February. The Foreign Office in reply expressed their readiness to
support the Government of India by diplomatic action, should that Govern­
ment consider that a protectorate over Koweit might be asserted and under­
taken by it on its sole responsibility without difficulty or inconvenient extension
of police duties in the Gulf. It was added: “ It docs not appear that there is
any foundation in fact for a Turkish claim of sovereignty or control over the
district.*1
52. The following telegram was then despatched by tho Secretary of State
to the Government of India on 24th December 1898 ;—
Foreign Oflioe would approve of protectorate on tho understanding that responsi­
bilities for its assertion and mnintenance and for control devolved on the Government of India
and if you thiuk that it could bo undertaken without difficulty or inconvenient extension o
duty of polico devolving on your Government in tho Gulf 1 like should to know tho opinion o
the Government of India with special reference to present 6tute of affairs at Kowei an^
to the measures you oould take to mako protectorate effeotive relying on Ilor Majesty fl uovern-
ment for support at Constantinople diploinatioully.”