Page 229 - Gulf Precis(II)_Neat

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Part VI — Chap. XLIV.] 207
against tho British Government whoso officers aro empowered to defend Bahrein against
fits invasion till the plcasuro of Her Majesty’s Government shall bo made known to them.
After this declaration tho Admiral must exercise his discretion as to tho most expedient
method to bo adopted for tho defence of Bahrein.
6. Thero is no otlior part of tho corrcspondonco rcceivod with your despatch of tho 1st
instant that requires immediate notice.
0. Ilis Lordship requests that tho Hon'blo the Governor will, as ho proposos, forward
hisdcspatches to tho Admiral by ITcr Majesty’s ship Volage, and that ho will avail himself
of the best and earliest opportunities of transmitting copies of this correspondence for tho
information of tho Honorable the Secret Committee and of Her Majesty's Consul in
Egypt.
I havo the honor to bo,
Sia,
Your most obedient, humble servant,
A. F. MADDOCK,
Offg. Secretary to Government, of India
with the Governor-General.

Simla;
The ISth April 1839.
(Ill) PROGRESS OF EGYPTIAN INFLUENCE ON TIIE GULF TRIRES AND BRITISH
ATTEMPTS TO FORM CONFEDERACY AGAINST THE EGYPTIAN POWER.
389. In June 1839 Captain Honneli visited Bahroin and the several ports
on the Pirate Coast, and his report on the extent of the influence gained by
T01.65-IOS1 Of 1839, p.498. the Egyptian Commanders and agents,
the measures taken to counteract it
and tho state of the tribes, is so very interesting that it deserves to he
read carefully and is therefore printed below :—
H. C. Steamer Hugh Lindsay, off Basel Khymah, 4th Jaly 1839. Secret Department.
Sir,
In enclosing for the information of the Hon’ble the Governor in Council, tho accompany­
ing translation of a letter from Mollah Houssein the British Agent at Shargah, received
at Karrak on the 24th ultimo, I have the honor to state, that having no reason to doubt the
correctness of this report, it appeared to me evident, that unless instant and decided measures
of counteraction were adopted, the influence and authority of Khorshid Pasha would be speedily
extended over the province of Oman. 1 there-
For translation of letter from Agent at Shargah foro determined to avail myself of the oppor-
"'J';;, pr°3r‘"0/ np tunity afforded by the H. C. Steamer Hug/.
Lindsay touching in the Arabian coast on her
way to Muscat for tho July overland mail, to visit some of the principal ports in that quarter
with the view of taking such steps as the urgency of the case might seem to call for. I had
the less hesitation in undertaking this object, as the state of affairs in Persia appeared
sufficiently tranquil to allow of my absence without detriment to the publio service.
2. On the evening of the 26th ultimo I embarked in the Hugh Lindsay and arrived at Bah­
rein on the afternoon of the 28th. Bern)1 desirous
Bahrein.
of learning more precisely the real sentiments
entertained by Shaik Abdoollah ben Ahmed, the chief of that bland, with reference to Khorshid
Pasha’s proceedings, and also ascertaining as far as possible the actual motives which had in­
duced him, contrary to every expectation, so readily to acknowledge the supremacy of Mohamed
Ally, by consenting to pay him an annual tribute, I lost no time in requesting that I might
be favored with an interview. The Shaik having agreed to meet me at the Aeeut’s house
in Munama, I Landed early the next morning, and was shortly after joined by him attended only
by his Wuzeer Hajee Boo Sbab. After the usual compliments, and some preliminary conver­
sation upon tho 6tate of Syria, and the present hostile attitude maintained on the Aleppo
Frontier by the Egyptian and Turkish Armies, all those present withdrew, excepting the old
Chief and his Wuzeer, myself and Arahio Moonshee. I then informed tho Shaik that I had
taken advantage of the steamer touching at Bahrein, partly in order to renew the porsonul
acquaintance which had commenced between ua so many years before, and partly to obtain
a more full explanation from him touching the motives which had led him to submit SO
unexpectedly to Khorshid Pa6ha, that I had felt much concerned to learn from his reply
to the lettrr I had 6ont to him by the Government vessel, the insufficient grounds, as they
appeared to me, of his hasty proceeding j it was true, I said, that upwards of three months
bofnro 1 had deolined giving an opinion upon the point ho had then referred to me, regarding
the expediency or otherwise of his sending a member of his family to Lahsah to meet
Khorshid Pasha, because at that time, not having been made acquainted by the latter with his
views upon Bahrein, it appearod to me a matter of little consequence which way the Shaik