Page 68 - The Persian Gulf Historical Summaries (1907-1953) Vol IV_Neat

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Lord Lansdownc subsequently said to Count 1901.
Motternicli that it was necessary to l)car in mind To Sir F. Lnacolloa,
tiiat wlicro minor Eastern States were concerned ?c°ptember 28,
it was not unusual to find that they owed a lu0,«
divided allegiance to more than one Power.
The German Memorandum states that Kowcit
has an importance for Germany merely as the
proposed terminus of tho Bagdad Railway, and
gives au undertaking that tho Manager of tho
Railway Company will he instructed to come to
an understanding with tho British Government
when tho time for purchasing land for a railway
terminus and a landing-place at Kowcit shall
have come. Count Mettcrnich afterwards con- To Sir F. Lnacollca,
firmed this assurance in conversation with Lord No. 337,
October 16,1901.
Lansdowne, adding that tho railway might he
made five years or fifty years hence, or not at all,
hut that when it was mado it was important for
Germany to find a peaceful condition of things
in that part of the Gulf.
In consequence of a threatened attack by tho Admiralty,
Emir of Nejd and Turkish troops upon Kowcit, {yoi°.ulbcr 31,
tho Commander of His Majesty’s ship “Pomono,”
at the request of the Sheikh, landed guns for
the fort at Johara, and made arrangements 1902.
for the defence of the town. Instructions were To Admiralty,
given to him to desist from these preparations January 1902*
a9 soon as Koweit was no longer threatened.
Representations on the subject were mado by
the Turkish Ambassador, who demanded tho Authopoulo Pasha,
re-embarkation of the guns aud the restoration Juuuary 9i 1902*
of tho status quo. He was informed, in reply, To Anthopoulo
that HiR Majesty’s Government considered their l,a*sl,:l«
,. , January 15,1902.
proceedings to bo justified so long as danger of
attack existed; and subsequently ho was told To Authopoulo
that the guns hod been re-embarked. 25, l9M-
Early in 1902 the Turks departed from their
engagements to maintain tho status quo, and
occupied posts at Um Kasr and Ltus-al-Geit,
the latter on Bubiyan Island, which is a place
of strategic importance, as commanding tho
approaches to tho Khor Abdulla. The Sheikh
of Koweit regarded this as a disturbance of the
status quo, and put forward claims oF territorial
jurisdiction to both places; and British war-ships Admiralty,
wore ordered to Koweit in January. January 1, 1902.
Tho Government of India took a very serious
view of the Turkish action which, it was surmised,
was inspired by Germany. They pointed out
that with the shores of the mainland and of
Bubiyan Island in the hands of a single Power,