Page 25 - The Persian Gulf Historical Summaries (1907-1953) Vol IV_Neat

10
Imporial Defence, and their decision was con-
vcyed to the Government of India in a despatch
dated the 10th May, 1003. It was to the effect
that the hoisting of flags was open to the
objection that it would not confer upon this
country any special rights in the pluces selected,
unless it were accompanied by a speciGc pro­
clamation of protectorate or annexation. On the
other hand, an open assertion of British claims
♦o those plaeos might excite the jealousy of
other Powers, and givo rise to political com­
plications. IDs Majesty’s Government preferred
to udhero to the alternative method of making it
clear that they would not tolerate the occupation
by any foreign Power of any port or territory in
the Persian Gulf, and, in this connection, atten­
tion was directed to Lord Lansdownc's declaration,
made in the House of Lords on the 5th May,
1903, that “ wo should regard the establishment
of a naval base or of a fortified port in the Persiau
Gulf by any other Power as a very great menace
to British interests, and we should certainly
resist it with all the means at our disposal.” In
these circumstances, ilis Majesty’s Government
had arrived at the conclusion that the flagstafl's
on Sheep Island aud the Maklab Isthmus should
bo abandoned, while, in view of the result of
Mr. Lorimer’s recent inquiries, which tended to
confirm the claim of the Sultan of Muscat to
sovereignty over the territory in question, the
Government of India were requested to furnish
their views as to the. maintenance of the flagstaff
on Telegraph Islaud, which had been the site of
the original cable station.
The Government of India replied in their
despatch of tho 2Gth September, 1907, that the
flugstatt might conceivably he useful in certain
circumstances, having regard to the Germau
desire for an increase of influence in the Gulf,
and for a telegraph line to the cast; and as
neither tho Sultan of Muscat nor any foreign
Power had ever taken exeeptiou to its existence,
it seemed very improbable that any inter­
national complications would arise from its
maintenance in the future. Tho Government of
India had already given it as their opiuion that
the erection of the flagstaff could not be regarded
as contravening, in any way, the provisions of
the Trcuty of 1862, which hinds both England
and France not to trench on the independence of
the Sultan of Muscat; and, in these circum-