"الخليج العربي - الولاية القضائية التركية على طول الساحل العربي (الجزء الرابع)" [‎٦] (١٦/٦)

6
taiuly be held directly and personally responsible for all losses and
injuries to British subjects. I trust you will give this com
munication your great attention, as it is written under orders from
the Government.”
The Mirza arrived at El Bidaa in the latter part
of June, and found the banians in an excessive
state of alarm, and “ like fowls in front of foxes.”
All his efforts to bring Sheikh Jasim info a
more reasonable frame of mind were fruitless. The
Sheikh professed the most friendly sentiments
towards the Resident and the British Government,
but insisted upon the removal of the banians, upon
the ground that (1) they interfered with his own
trading operations; (2) they put him to expenses
for their protection, for which they refused to pay ;
and (3) they misconducted themselves generally.
The accusations brought against them were re
ported by the MTrza to be “ all libels, mere
excuses to avoid the necessity of saying the
banians were not wanted merely because they were
traders.
Early in July Jasim issued a notification to the
effect that his son Khalifah was Chief, to whom all
claims and complaints were to be preferred, and
whose orders were to be obeyed.
Khalifah immediately made pecuniary demands
upon the banians, and, payment being refused,
closed their shops by force, under orders from
Jasim.
He appears to have been encouraged to take this
course by the impunity which had attended similar
proceedings in 1881, and also by reports which
reached him from his Bombay Agent, who arrived
at El Bidaa at this time, as to what was going on in
Egypt. This man is stated to have said:—
“ The Egyptians have killed four Ambassadors of foreign Go
vernments T of the number, there were the Ambassadors of France
and England, and now 80,000 men have collected together, wanting
to fight foreign Governments, the reason being they do not want
their subjects to be in their country. And you, Oh Jasim ! if you
do not see it expedient that the banians should remain in your
country, their is no compulsion on you.”
On the 20th July Her Majesty’s ship “ Woodlark ”
arrived at El Bidoa.* At that time the banians
were surrounded in their houses by Beni Hazir
guards, who prevented any communication between
them and the town’s people, and kept them in lear
of their lives. In these circumstances, and as
Sheikh Jasim, at a final interview with Mirza Abul
Kasim, continued to insist on their removal from
the country, they decided to go under protest.
They were "permitted to ship their goods in native
dhows, the “ Woodlark ” remaining off the port
meanwhile, and left the place on the 22nd July. ^
Mirza Abul Kasim also left in the “ Woodlark ”
on the same date. His treatment by the Sheikh had
been discourteous, and threats of violence were used
towards him.
In writing to the Residency Agent at Bahrein,
Jasim accused the Mirza of having acting unjustly,
and represented the departure of the banians as a
yoluntary act on their part. These statements were
# From Persian Gulf, No. 29, dated 24th
August 1882.