"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٣‎٥‎٥] (١٧٨٢/٤٩٨)

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no intention of doing them justice. Ultimately, on the 25th February
1905, the Shaikh was presented with|an ultimatum, made effective by the
presence of three British vessels of war, which required him to arrange
for the infliction of certain punishments, the payment of certain compen-
sation, and, among other matters, the surrender of J Ali, for deportation by
ihe British authorities. The Shaikh complied on the following day with
most of the conditions ; but J Ali, whether with or without the Shaikh's
connivance, had escaped to the mainland and was consequently not
suirendered, Ihe submission made by the Shaikh being regarded as
sufficient, however, the incident was declared closed and official relations
ictmned to a normal footing. A few months later 'Ali voluntarilv came
in and was removed to Bombay for a term of years.
After this crisis the relations of the Shaikh with the British Govern
ment, though his internal administration remained in many respects un
satisfactory, were very much better than .they had been; and trade expand
ed m an extraordinary manner, attaining in 1905-06 the unheard of value
of £3,000,000 sterling.
An Assistant Political Agent, a European officer, was appointed to
Bahrain in 1900, and in 1904 a Political Agent was substituted as the
British representative.
Among foreign powers having relations with or interests in Bahrain,
Turkey must — on account of her proximity, traditions, and claims to
ownership - be given the first place. In 1900 Bedouins massacred on the
mainland a member of the Bahrain ruling family and a number of persons
who accompanied him. As the offenders were nominal Turkish subjects,
the Shaikh of Bahrain's demands for satisfaction were ressed by the
British Government on the attention of the Porte; but it soon became
evident that the local Turkish authorities in Hasa could or would do no
thing against the guilty Arab tribe to enforce a settlement; and eventually
the case dropped. The Turkish Government, by way of reminding the
British Government of their own pretensions to sovereignty over Bahrain,
raa,de frequent requests for information concerning the crisis between the
Shaikh and Britain in 1904-05, and in the end it was intimated to them
that discussion of the subject could not be continued by His Majesty's
Government.
The Persian Government, while they concurred in the steps taken by
the British authorities in Bahrain to obtain redress for their subjects
injured in 1904-05, and even expressed gratitude, soon afterwards renewed
their claims to possession of Bahrain. Arguments on the subject con-;
tinued until after the close of the period at Tehran, where the pretensions
32 A
P«rBia and
Bahrain.