Page 318 - Gulf Precis(II)_Neat

290 Part VII—Chap. LXXI.

CHAPTER EX AI.

GOVERNOR OF BUSHIRE, SHEIKH X VSIR.
(i) lie-appointment of Sheikh Xnsir as Governor of Uushirc, 1813.
582. In September 1815, Sheikh Nasir was appointed Governor of Bushire
and on his arrival thcro the Residont and the new Governor ox changed com-
plimontary visits (Colonel licnncll’s letter, dated 9tli Soptombor 1815). Thore
was every project of friendly relations between the Residency and the Persian
authorities at Bushire for the future.

(ii) Proceedings of Lieutenant Kemball relative to a dispute between Hajl Abdul
Mahomed, the Mulikul-Tujjar of Bushire, and Sheikh Husseiu Xasir,
uncle of Sheikh Xasir, 1SI9.
583. We have in our records an interesting despatch of Lieutenant
Kemball, Assistant Resident in the Porsian Gult' to Lieutenant-Colonel l?arrant,
Her Majesty's Chargd D’Affaires at Teheran, dated 15th May 1819, which
discloses tho feuds of rival factions at Bushire, in which the British Residency
had to play a part of intermediary. On tho 10th May 1819 Hajee Abdul
Mahomed, Mulik-ul-Tujjar, sent a verbal communication to Lieutenant
Kemball (then in charge of the Residency in the absence of Colonel
Henncll on tour in the Gult) to the effect that owing to the intrigues of Sheikh
Hussoin Nasir (the uncle of Sheikh Nasir, Governor of Bushire, then at
Shirazj who was endeavouring to organize a strong party against him, he
considered his lifo in imminent danger, and ho therefore earnestly entreated
Lieutenant Kemball cither to givo him a temporary asylum at the Resi­
dency in order to assure him a safe and unmolested retirement from the
town, or to interpose his influence to check the proceedings of Sheikh Hussoin
and .rescue him from the danger with which he was threatened. Lieutenant
Kemball had already understood from various sources that Sheikh Hussein
Nasir professing to have received a letter from his nephew convoying com­
plaints of double dealing towards him by Haji Abdul Mahomed, had publicly
made use of expressions most injurious to the latter accompanied with ill
disguised threats calculated to give rise to serious alarm in his breast which was
indeed manifested by his calling around him most of the principal merchants
of the place, who remaiued in his bouse night and day pending the adjustment
of the quarrel. Sheikh Husseiu Nasir had succeeded in gaining over Sheikh
Hussein Saleh, the Acting Governor of the town, and the main grounds of
their dissatisfaction were stated to be that the Mulik-ul-Tujjar while prefer­
ring friendly services to Sbeikh Nasir was in fact secretly exerting himself
to create distrust and to poison tho mind of the Prince Governor towards him
with a view to diminish his chance of being restored to the Government of
Bushire.
684. Sensible of the difficulty of interfering however indirectly in an
affair so purely local without necessarily mixing himself up with matters in
which he had no concern, Lieutenant Kemball had to consider how far he
should be justified in entertaining the appeal of Haji Abdul Mahomed.
Although the brother of an influential merchant of Calcutta, who*e Agent
he was known to be and whose passport entitling him to British Consular
protection under the hand of the Secretary to the Government of India, ho
produoed—as the Mulik-ul-Tujjar of a Persian Port, Lieutenant Kemball
could not of course recognize any direct right in him to British protection.
Tiie strongest animosity had existed for a number of years between _ the
parties now at issue, who only lately had appeared very much in the position
of principals opposed to eaoh other on tho proceedings connected with the
attack upon tho late Sheikh Yusuf ben Saggar in the summer of 1846, and
there was sufficient reason to suppose that Sheikh Hussein, though acting

17 G2 1. D.