Coll 30/33 'Persian Gulf, Trucial Coast. Policy of H.M.G. List of Trucial Sheikhs' [‎310r] (619/818)

111
so it was in a British India steamer or some other means of
transport lacking that dignity with which his visits were
i orrnerly associated* is Colonel Barrett mentioned in one of his
despatches* the last Re silent * s name who is knov/n to these
people is that of "Cotf us”.
r . ^o revert now to t he' ii-mediate issue. Although, as explained
above, tor some time past there has been some hesitancy as to
one exac b taci?Lities to be demanded it has alivag^s been realised
that a very suitable place-if not necessarily the most suitable
i oul ■. 1 - - r n ha ima h and greater e p has is h s c on se (^uen tlv
oeen laid upon taciiities there than elsewhere and the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India.
-vgent in almost every letter he has addressed to me during the
past six months has stressed the fact that Ras-al-Kh&imah is
regardeo. popularly as a test case. He reiterated this view to me
personally last Rebtuary and it will be seen that he has given
x resh expression to it in the letter of which a translation is
enclosed and he is convinced that, if we enforce our will at this
place, opposition elsewhere will speedily cease. I see no reason
to doubt the correctness of this view. The Royal Air Rorce- as
men tinned in my despatch reierred to above-propose to place a-n
iron barge at Rr s-a 1-rhaimah next month to replace the existing
dnow ir which petrol is stored: I expect to be on the "’racial
Coast nyself when the b rge arrives, and during -y las' visit I
informed the Snsikh th t it would probably be ccmir • scon. If f'-iz
is iollowed by the placing of a petrol tank on Yt s Island I trust
we shall at length have inserted the thin edge of a wedge which
- ..ill ultim tely oo^ain for us the f acilites which we require. I
nope therefore tfm.t approval will he given to the latter measure.
* These actions will go some way towards showing the ^rucial
Snaiahs ttui-i/ we intend to have our own way in the end, but this
might, I think, be further exphasised. I do not eonsider it necess
ary to send any Immediate reply to the Shaikh of Dibai’s letter,
_s I shall oe leaving for the 'rucial Coast myself on tour on
5th I ay in the "Pa trie:: Stewart". But if the views adumbrated above
are