'Extracts from Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia by J G Lorimer CIE, Indian Civil Service' [‎21r] (46/180)

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would be required to confirm the results obtained. The project to which they
inclined was the establishment of a British naval and military station in a central
situation in the Gulf, which would enable them to exercise a more immediate
and commanding influence over its waters than could be wielded from either
Bushehr or Basrah. They anticipated that the island of Qishm, which with
Hanjam they believed to appertain to the ruler of Masqat, would be found to afford
every advantage for the execution of this scheme; that a port might be created
thereon which, by means of customs dues, could be rendered self-supporting, at
least in part; and even that the Political 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. at Bushehr, where a commercial
factory An East India Company trading post. had ceased to be required, might without detriment to British interests in
Persia be transferred to the new settlement. The project was referred to Sir W.
Grant Keir for an expression of his opinion; and in the meanwhile an effort was
made, through the British Envoy at Tehran, to obtain the concurrence of the
Persian Government, which it was felt would probably be withheld. One battalion
of native infantry was the military force which the Government intended to locate
permanently in the Gulf; but they were prepared if necessary to exceed this limit,
and at one time they even proposed the retention of one company or more of
European troops. An argument advanced in favour of the occupation of an island
was that a detachment in such a position would be less exposed to attack than
on the mainland, and that the proportion of the garrison immobilised for the
defence of the station would in consequence be smaller.
At the beginning of April 1820, after a personal visit to Qishm Island, Sir W. Recommen-
Grant Keir submitted his views. He deprecated the immediate removal of the j! ati ^ ls J? f
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. from Bushehr, as possibly involving the commercial ruin of that place; ^dr ^
and he suggested that, after the establishment of the new station, some time should 1 '
be allowed for trade to settle in its natural channels before any great modification
of the existing political arrangements was undertaken. The General regarded the
position of the garrison at Ras-al-Khaimah as perfectly secure; but a very serious
difficulty existed in regard to the water supply and scurvy and fever were prevalent,
and he consequently advised that the troops should be transferred to Qishm, which
he concurred with the Government of Bombay From c. 1668-1858, the East India Company’s administration in the city of Bombay [Mumbai] and western India. From 1858-1947, a subdivision of the British Raj. It was responsible for British relations with the Gulf and Red Sea regions. in thinking the most suitable place
in the neighbourhood for a cantonment.
These views having found acceptance, Captain Thompson, who, " having Evacuation
exerted himself most successfully in acquiring the confidence of the inhabitants," of R as -al-
had been placed in political and military charge of Ras-al-Khaimah with the fgthTuP
1st Battalion of the 2nd Native Infantry and 20 artillerymen under his orders, 1820. U>
was instructed, after procuring the consent of the Saiyid of Masqat, to remove his
force to the island of Qishm, destroying the defences of Ras-al-Khaimah before
> evacuating it, and handing the town over at his departure to Shaikh Sultan-bin-
Saqar of Sharjah, or to any other suitable chief. Saiyid Sa'id having readily
j signified, in writing, his consent to the occupation of Qishm, Captain Thompson
proceeded to negotiate with Sultan-bin-Saqar, promising him possession of Ras-
al-Khaimah on condition that he should agree to the detailed stipulations of which
the omission from the General Treaty of Peace had been regretted by the Bombay
Government; but to this condition the Shaikh would by no means agree, and he
further insisted that the defences of the place should not be destroyed before its
rendition. Captain Thompson, as the Shaikh remained obstinate and he himself
was not vested with discretion in the matter, first destroyed nearly every building
in Ras-al-Khaimah, these being all in a greater or less degree fortifications, and
then evacuated the place on the 18th of July. Two days later the troops
disembarked at Qishm town
The occupation of Qishm having given rise to difficulties with Persia, and the Temporary
climate of the island having proved extremely unhealthy, a scheme of maritime occupation
control was, about the end of 1821, adopted by the Government of Bombay From c. 1668-1858, the East India Company’s administration in the city of Bombay [Mumbai] and western India. From 1858-1947, a subdivision of the British Raj. It was responsible for British relations with the Gulf and Red Sea regions. on ^iiowe^bv
the advice of Mr. Meriton, Superintendent of Marine; this, it was hoped, would a system J
render superfluous the retention of a military force in the Gulf. It was decided purely
to maintain in all a squadron of six cruisers, of which three, based on the island maritime
of Qais, should cruise continually off the Arab forts from Rams to Dibai. On the control,
island of Qais, which was selected because the prevailing winds favoured rapid com
munication between it and the Pirate Coast, a small depot of stores, with gunboats,
should be established under the care of a Master Attendant and the protection of
a small sepoy Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank. guard. Of the remaining three cruisers, two were to be employed
in carrying despatches, in affording convoy, and in other miscellaneous duties
between Masqat and Basrah; and the third was to be used in maintaining
communication with Bombay. A year later, on the evacuation of Qishm being