Page 486 - Truncal States to UAE_Neat

Nolas In Chapter Eight

Dhabi, Zayid bin Khallfah in September 1860 for an attack on the Qatari
coast. See Aitchison, Treaties, vol. XI, 1933 edn pp. 254f. In the latter
case, the rest was remitted after the first instalment was paid.
40 Text of the agreement printed in Lorimer, Histor., pp. 704f.
41 This matter became a preoccupation of the Residency Agent and the
Resident to the extent of taking at times priority over fair judgement, as
for instance in the case when ’Abdul Rahman bin Muhammad al
Shamisi of Hlrah occupied without obvious justification the fort of the
Ruler of 'Ajman in June 1920. The first reaction of the Resident was to
severely punish 'Abdul Rahman, who had substantial interests in the
pearling industry. Later on, however, the Resident adopted the Resi­
dency Agent’s view, arguing that the considerable claims which British
and foreign, in particular Persian, subjects had on 'Abdul Rahman
could never be met by the latter, if he were deprived of the means to earn
enough money to pay back these debts. If he were to seek refuge with a
tribe of the hinterland, the British subjects would also lose their chance
of recovering the money. Thus, upon the news of 'Abdul Rahman
returning to Hlrah and of the approach of a joint Sharjah/'Ajman force
appearing at Hlrah, the Resident ordered a man-of-war to pass by, and
on 8 January 1921 Captain Pearson on HMSTriad effected an agreement
between 'Abdul Rahman and the Shaikh of Sharjah. The former was
allowed to reside unmolested in Hlrah. See IOR, R/15/1/268 'Ajman
Affairs 1922-1930.
42 Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, were in similar treaty relationship with
Britain, while the Sultan of Muscat and Oman had for economic,
political and strategic advantages to either side become very much more
dependent on the consent of the British Government of India even for
day-to-day matters such as the levy of export taxes.
43 For details see Wilson, Persian Gulf, pp. 237ff.
44 In 1891 two Frenchmen visited the coast who were suspected of
wanting to negotiate some privileges, possibly the lease of land for an
agency; see Lorimer, Histor., p. 738. They had some shortlived success in
Umm al Qaiwain.
45 Aitchison, Treaties, vol. XI, 1933 edn and Lorimer, Histor., pp. 738ff,
with the text of the agreement on p. 786.
46 Identical or similar agreements were concluded with Oman, Bahrain
and Kuwait and also with the states on the south western coast of
Arabia (the so-called Protectorate Treaties of 1888 and after) and with a
number of tribal states along the North West Frontier of India.
47 The proposal to make Oman (or at least Muscat) and the shaikhdoms
proper protectorates, was repeatedly discussed in Parliament in London
during 1902; it was eventually abandoned because it was convincingly
argued that this would imply an unnecessary effort to control the
hinterland. Instead, the Trucial States, Kuwait, Bahrain. Oman, Qatar

460