Page 99 - Gulf Precis (V)_Neat

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what had happened. They lmd landed, as a mattor of fact, in disregard of the
quarantine placed ngainst arrivals from foreign ports. As regards these pro­
ceedings Coloncl Mo»do in his letter No. 69, dated 7th May 1899, made
the fQllowing observations :—
“ The entiro responsibility for what they did rosts with me. I foresaw that some attempt
to 6top them would be made on the ground of quarantine, and aftsr a consultation with Cap­
tain Hore, I. M. S. who is in charge of the quarantine arrangements here, and the
Commander of the Lawrence, decided that any protost made against their lauding on the
ground of thore being quarantine ngainst the Lawrence should ho disregarded.
I arrived at this decision for the following reasons: on two similar previous occasions
Captain C. Bakor, the Senior Naval Officer in tho Persian Gulf, successfully resisted an at­
tempt by Turkish Agouts to prevent his landing on the ground of quarantine, though his
ship, the Aphinx, was not from an effected port and, as regards tho official at Koweit, Cap­
tain Baker had reported that ho considered he was not a regular quarantine officer, but a
spy. Beyond this reference to quarantine at Koweit by Captain Baker, no intimation had
ever reached me that any arrangements existod at tho pheo, and I did nob think that Captain
Baker’s views were in support of a contention that it did.
Turkey having joined tho Vonice Convention is, of course, guided by tho general rules
formulated in 1897, under which healthy ships would not have to bo put into quarantine, if
their last port is a healthy one, as Bahrein undoubtedly is, no case of plaguo haviug occurred
thcro. 1 considored, therefore, that any attempt by local officials to provont our landing
would be coutrary to tho rules of tho Venice Convention, and would not bo supported by tho
Sanitary Board at Constantinople.
There was nothing in the condition of Bushiro, or in that of the Lawrence, to mako mo
hesitate about landing on the ground that we might convey disease to Koweit, aud there was
nothing to show me that regular quarautino existed, as no signals were hoisted and no ono
came off to examine the ship. From Captain Baker’s report referred to, the person represent­
ing quarantine arrangements at Koweit is not a regular official and this is borne out by the
statoment of Mr. Gaskin, who describos him as an ordinary Arab. In short, I came
to tho conclusion before communicating with the shore that no effective or regular
quarantine existed at Koweit, and then even if it did, there was nothing in the rules of
the Venice Convention to prevent our communicating with the shore, either from the state
of the port from which we had last come, or of the Laxorence. Such being the case, I felt
I ought not to allow auy frivolous objections to stand in the way of my carrying out the orders
1 had received.
It is, I think, quite clear from tho reports of the officers who landed, that no force whatever
was employed, and I trust that under the circumstances mentioned, their proceedings, as well
as my own, may bo approved.
It may perhaps not be out of place to express a hope that, if the Turks are allowed to main­
tain quarantine at Koweit, steps may he takon to prevont their employing it as a means to to
prevent our communicating with the Sheikh. 1 gather that quarantine arrangements at
Koweit under tho Sanitary Board at Constantinople will in no way imply that the Turks have
any sort of jurisdiction or rights at Koweit, and that the independence of Koweit will not be
allowed to he prejudiced by such arrangements. It will, however, bo necessary to see that
this is clearly understood, and that the Turkish officials are made to adhere strictly to the re­
gulations drawn up by tho Venice Convention.”
75. The proceedings of Colonel Meade
Fccrctt £., February 1001, Nos. 123*125.
were approved by the Government of
India and Her Majesty’s Government.
IX—(1) Threatened attack on Koweit by the Turks- (2) Defence of
Koweit, February—March, 1899.
76. On the 2nd February 1899 Colonel Meade telegraphed that the Turks
had 2 months previously tried to charter a
No. G20of Sccrot E., March 1899, No*. 681*691.
steamer to convey a considerable force to
Koweit, but that the project bad failed for want of sufficient money. They had
now gradually increased their forces at Basrah. Colonel Meade foared that
they would mako an attompt against Kowoit again, and therefore asked for the
presence of a strong naval forco with instructions to forbid an attack on Koweit. No. 623.
77. Intheoircumstanoos Ilis Excolloncy the Viceroy asked the Secretary of
State by telegram whothor he might authorize naval force in tho Persian Gulf
iu theovent of such an attack. The Socrotary of Stato answored in tho affirma­
tive, and asked that a roport might be called for from the Naval Officor