Page 145 - Gulf Precis (1-B)_Neat

339
and the general inhabitants of the country are devoted to my wishes; In short
Hon’ble Sir, I have now attained the dosirablo object of those politic and
prudential measures which have invariably ohuracterised my public conduct
as British Resident at Bussora ; The honor, the credit, the respectability, and
the influence, are completely and firmly established, and the Nation and the
Hon’ble Company, now in unequivocal enjoyment of all the advantages
derivable from the possession of this valuable subordinate ; Advantages which
I flatter myself, I shall bo enabled to preserve to them, by the future countenance
and support of Government; I have the honor very respectfully to inform you
that the Basha has been forced by the recent predatory incursions of the
Wahaboe Arabs, which have extended even to the Banks of the Euphrates and
the vicinity of Hella ou that River, which Town is within 50 Milos of Bagdad
to determine to march a large Army in the commencement of the ensuing
"Winter into the Territories of the Wahabee Shaik, and to attempt the reduction
of the Town of Draceah his capital, and the destruction of her power and
Government—This warfare necessarily renders the passage of Travellers across
the Desert extremely dangerous and precarious, but I encourage a hope that
the Messengers employed by me, between Bussora and Aleppo, will continue
to experience the beneficial effects of the attachment to me of the different
Arab Tribes who inhabit the Desert which has so long given security to the
conveyance through it of the national correspondence between Europe and
India.
CCLIX.
The Resident at Bushire to
the Governor of Bombay.
Hon’ble Sir,
I beg leave to intimate to Your Hon’ble Board that I have great reason intercourse between
to suspect the French employed in the Arab vessel that made from Muscat to Mauritius,
the Gulph and Bengal which I myself know to amount to the number of 7
or 8 in one ship frequently communicate intelligence from Muscat to the
Mauritus respecting the departure of English vessels from and to the
Gulph with such other information as they may be supposed to collect. At
the same time I have not a doubt in my own miud that this conduct on their
part is encouraged if not promoted by the Arabs and proprietors of these
vessels as obviously beneficial to them as long as they are allowed to do it
with impunity.
Two sons of mine who were in the Lanai and who were both wounded
when she was taken got a passage from the Mauritius in a French vessel to
some part of Madagascar where the Dows from Muscat and the Persian Gulph
constantly go for slaves and small rafters and inform me that an Arab from
the same vessel embarked with them in the Dow they cause from thence to
Muscat in and that they learnt from him during the passage that he had
regularly been employed to his great advantage to aud from Muscat by the
French to obtain intelligence and forward their correspondence.
Apprehending it my duty to apprize your Hon’ble Board of the above
information I have acted accordingly and shall with your permission presume
the same conduct in similar circumstances.
I have, etc.,
(Sd.) N. H. SMITH.
Bushire, 23rd July 1798,