Page 196 - Records of Bahrain (4) (i)_Neat

104 Records of Bahrain
CONFIDENTIAL.

No. 022-S. ol 1020, dated Bushiro, tlio 10th (received 17th) Novembor 1023.
From—Tho IIon'dlb Likut.-Col. A. P. Tnevoit, C.S.I., C.I.E., Political Resident
in tho Persian Gulf.
Bahrain Reforms.
In continuation of tho correspondence ending with my despatch
No. 602-S. of 27th October 1023, I have tho honour to submit the following
report on my visit to the Bahrain Islands from tho 1st to tho 0th November
1023, and on the subject of the reforms recently initiated there.
On my arrival on tho lst#Novombor, I learnt from the Political Agent
that my replies to the petitions forwarded with my above mentioned letter
•had produced a good effect and that the agitation, which was being got up
on tho occasion of the change of Residents in the hope that some chango of
policy might result therefrom, had at first died down, but had temporarily
revived when the malcontents heard of my approaching visit; lie added that
he had heard that another petition was being got up by these people. Major
Daly also informed me that when told of my arrival Shaikh Isa had hummed
and hawed a good deal about paying the usual visit on board^ the
“ Lawrence ” and had eventually stated that lie would call on me “ to­
morrow **. Of course lie had no information that I was going to stay more
than one day and his attitude was not very polite. So I thought it advis­
able to write to Ilis Excellency and say that while I would be very pleased
to receive a friendly visit from him I could not receive him to discuss poli­
tical matters, pointing out that a visit of the first mentioned order would
more properly have been made on board the " Lawrence ” on my arrival
in accordance with the "usual practice. After I had got to the Agency a
message from the Shaikh was received saying that he proposed to call on
me at the Agency the next day. This message had crossed my letter and I
thought that this might veryTikely affect the question, so I merely sent a
message in reply in the sense of that letter. Another petition from the Sunni
malcontents couched in the usual impertinent style of Abdul Waliab Zayani
had also been sent on board the " Lawrence " after I had landed, before tho
receipt by the Shaikh of my letter. This letter showed the Shaikh and the
malcontents that my visit was not made with a view to re-opening the ciucs-
tion of reforms, and, the upshot of it was that Shaikh Isa said no more about
calling and did not do so.
Shaikh Ilamad accompanied by one of his sons paid the usual official
visit of welcome on board the “ Lawrence ” and on his departure received
a salute of 5 guns. Immediately after this I landed and proceeded to the
Agency.
Shortly after my arrival Shaikh Hamad paid a private visit to impress
on me the necessity for very early action in regard to his request on the
lines indicated in my telegram No. 9C0 of 20th October 1923. I told him
that tho matter had been referred to Government and that I hoped to receive
instructions in the course of that day or the next. I may as well observe here
that as no instructions were received by the morning of 2nd November I
sent a clear line telegram, No. B.-l, asking that I might be given them
before the afternoon of tho 3rd November. On the morning of 3rd Novem­
ber however “ atmospherics ” were so bad that no wireless messages could
be sent or received either by the Wireless Telegraph station or R. I. M. S.
“ Lawrence ”. I therefore determined to stay at Bahrain another day,
but on seeing the Commander of the " Lawrence ” that officer informed me
that it would not be safe to do so as lie had only sufficient oil for one extra
dav left and that if a shamal came on (as appeared likely) he might not have
sufficient to get back to Bushiro and thence on to Abaclan. He suggested
that, if I could not leave that afternoon, the only thing to bo done was for
the ship to proceed to Abadan and oil and come back on the 0th or 7th, and
to this I agreed. It was not at first intended that the " Lawrence ” should
go to Busnirc en route, but the officer in charge of the wireless station in­
formed tho Commander that there wore more than 400 messages waiting for
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