"ملف رقم: E/3. قطر - الشيوخ جاسم و أحمد آل ثاني ووفاة الشيخ جاسم في ١٩١٣" [ظ‎‎٤‎٤] (٣٩٤/١٠٠)

The second alternative seems to me to have the most to recommend it.
We could argue that while never admitting Turkish rights in Al Katr we have
not actively opposed the presence of a t few Turkish officials^ on the Coast
because we hoped that their presence there might be of some assistance to us in
the suppression of piracy and maintenance of the maritime peace, but that it is*
an unfortunate fact that the result has been just the contrary.
The notorious pirate Ahmed-bin-Selman still flourishes unchecked, and as
the Porte has proved itself impotent or indisposed to take any effective steps to
put down this lawlessness, we feel that we have no other alternative than to
revive the whole question of the status of Katr, and now intimate that unless
the Porte is prepared to retire from the Katr Coast and leave us a free hand io
take measures for the complete suppression of piracy in that region, we propose
to reeard the Arab tribes as entirely independent and to place a post and a Native
Agent on the Katr peninsula in order to be in a better position to control the
lawlessness which now exists there, and there only in the Persian Gulf.
6. Both suggestions contained in the Political Agent s third alternative
course seem to be based on a fallacious estimate and conception of the spirit in
which the Turks regard our policy in the north of the Gulf and on the Arabian
peninsula generally. Indeed a complete re -incarnation of the Sublime Porte
would seem to be a necessary preliminary to their willing acceptance of such a
scheme.
7. The Political Agent has however formed the views which he expresses,
after diligent research and a deliberate consideration of the subject, and though
I crather that His Majesty's Government has of late been somewhat surfeited
wfth difficult problems connected with our relations with the Ottoman J^ern-
ment and will be loth to entertain new ones, it seems advisable that 1 should
submit Captain Prideaux's suggestions without delay to the Government ot India
for such consideration or action as they may on their merits be held to require.
Confidential, No. 208, dated ,
From— C aptain F. B. prideaux, Political Agent, Bahrein,
To—The Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire.
With reference to your office endorsement No. 436, dated the 22nd March
loo^ under which you forwarded to me a copy of a telegram, dated the 28th
February iqo S , from His Majesty's Secretary of State or India to H.s Excel ency
the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, on the subject of the status of the
Katr Peninsula, 1 have the honour to submit the following remarns m the
hope that they may not be too late to be taken into consideration when the ques
tion of our policy in this region is examined by the Imperial Defence Committee.
2 Durine the last few months 1 have been much engaged upon investiga
tions connected with the portions of the Persian Gulf Gazetteer with which my
office is concerned, and 1 have consequently had opportunities of seeing many
of the old Residency files connected with the history of Katr and the
Khalifa family. My examination of the records, however, is still very incom-
nlete and 1 have not unfortunately yet been given an opportunity of reading the
correspondence which led up to the Government ot India s decision communi
cated to Colonel Ross in I 874 or 1875 (Government of India Proceedings. Poli
tical \ February 1875, No. 303) to the effect that the Chief of Bahreit.
had nVpossessions on the mainland of Katr, and his rights there were of a very
uncertain character."
a. Were it not for the outbreak of plague in Bahrein and the inconveniences
and delavs imposed by the Quarantine regulations, I would have betore tins
time solicited your permission to pay a short visit to Buahire with the object of
diving further into your records. Such a course is at present, however, impossi
ble Therefore, while soliciting indulgence if any of my present statemen s
conclusions are found to be inaccurate or misleading when my more deta ed
account of the history of Katr is completed, 1 am now enclosing a M e m . ora ^
dum of Katr Chronological Events which I hope will be found to be su ® cien ^
lucid and connected as to permit of His Majesty's Government coming to some
definite decision as to our future policy in this legion.