"دليل الخليج. الجزء الأول. المواد التاريخية والسياسية. ملخص عن التوسع التركي على السواحل العربية للخليج العربي وشؤون الأحساء والقطيف" [‎٣‎٨] (١٦٠/٥٠)

88
146. The following instructions were sent to Colonel Herbert:—
" Do not discuss question with Pasha. Should he refer to it, say jou have been informpd
matter has been referred to Constantinople, and in your opinion it would be best for Pasha
to await orders thence.
" Report by telegraph anything you may ascertain regarding Pasha's instruetiona"
147. Under cover of his letter No. f |, dated 13th January 1872, Colonel
Pelly enclosed the translated purport of Midhut Pasha's reply to the Bahrein
Chief. It was as follows :—
Dated ^ ^ amzaa 1898 reciered at Bushire on 4th January 1872.
4th December I87I.
Tramlated purport of a letter from His ExOKtiiBWCT Midhttt Pasha , Governor-General of EraV tnd Nejd, and Com
mander-in-Chief of the 6th Division of the Army, to Shhik Eg axt bin-Am , Chief of Bahrein.
I received, while at Lahsa, your letter dated Ramzan, written at a time when the most
respected AriE Bey, Chief of the Coasts under the jurisdiction of the Government of Busreh
and that of the Peninsula of Arabia, visited Bahrein with several of the vessels of the Sultan's
Government, explaining the circumstances attending the murder of the messenger, and have
noted what you have therein set forth.
" The importance of this subject demands a clear explanation, and renders it
necessary that I should send you an explicit reply to your statements and the details connected
therewith.
" This murdered messenger, who was of the tribe of the Beni Hajjir and a dependent o^
the Turkish Government, had been engaged by the Commander-in-Chief in Nejd Nafid
Pasha, and was especially deputed to convey official letters to the Kayem Mukam of Gvvuttur,
Jassem-bin-Sani. He was proceeding in a boat, but from stress of weather approached'
the island of Bahrein, where he was seized, his letters taken from him and himself
killed.
" In your letter after acknowledging the fact of the occurrence of the murder, you men
tion the reasons for the perpetration of this act to be—
" Firstly, that two years ago, Nassir-bin-Mobarek attacked Bahrein and killed your father
and that he had with him the Beni Hajjir tribe.
" Secondly, you allege that the messenger aforesaid, on his arrival at Bahrein, three
months previous, declared he was one of the Beni Hajjir who accompanied Nassir-bin-^.'obarek
to Bahrein, and was one of those who killed vour father, and that the people on the south
end of the island on ascertaining this killed him in accordance with the custom of the
Bedouins.
Taking it for granted that when Nassir-bin-Mobarek went to Bahrein he accompanied
those people who ventured to commit the acts in which the Beni Hajjir were implicated, and
taking it for granted also that the murdered messensrer was also among the tribe it is im
possible for one to conceive that the messenger proceeding on service should assert' that he
was at such a time with the tribe who committed the hostile acts, and was one of the murderers
or confess to what may cause retaliatory measures against himself. This is sufficient to show'
the falsity of the statement.
" Apart from the above consideration we must hear in mind that this messenger was
entrusted with documents from one governmental authority to another, and allowing that
Bahrein was not a part of the Turkish dominions, and that the people of that island were
not under Turkish junsdiction or dependents of that Government, and that this man
was really a murderer : so long as he was a dependent of the Government and the bearer of
important documents it would have been in the first place necessary to permit him to convev his
letters^ to their destination, and afterwards to communicate with the Turkish Government
authorities in regard to the accused, and punishment demanded, when, in accordance with the
requirements of justice, the accused, if convicted, would have received due punishment But
if without any just cause this person is murdered in the manner stated, and afterwards it is
explained that he was with the tribe who came to Bahrein and committed outraovs plunder
and murder, such a proceeding is in the highest degree absurd, contrary to justice and a
deviation from the right course. '
" For example, if one or more of the people of Bahrein who frequent the coasts of Bu«reh
Kowait, Katif, Ojair,.and Gwuttur be murdered by the Arabs of those parts, and explanation
be required, it were to be said that the person or persons murdered were of a tribe who at
certain time visited and plundered such a place, and were related to those who murdered our
messenger, and such like excuses made, I would like to know whether such pleas would b
accepted.
" If both parties concerned are dependents of one and the same Government, the party who
ventures to commit such an act will be considered as a murderer, and would be required to
undergo punishment, or, even supposing one of the parties to be a foreigner, would not this