'Persian Gulf Gazetteer, Part I Historical and Political Materials, Précis of Turkish Expansion on the Arab Littoral of the Persian Gulf and Hasa and Katif [al-Qaṭīf] Affairs' [‎112] (129/164)

\vil], it appears to me, stop tKe British Government from pleading 1 those objections on any
future occasions. The admissions which have been made, However much they are to be
regretted, are perhaps still capable of being explained away, but once an arrangement has
been concluded which formally reco^nipes the Turkish claims, we shall not be able to wq
behind ifc. Again, while it is possible that serious considerations may influence the Porte
to accept the contemplated arrangement, it is also conceivable that they may after some dis
cussion and correspondence back out of it. They may take the ground that their sovereio-a
ri f• ^ Xten( ^. £ar be ? 0W E l-Hassa, and that they cannot consent to any understanding bv
whicli these rights will be abbreviated In this event the fact of our having endeavoured to
conclude the arrangement, whereby Turkish sovereignty on the El-Hassa coa^t was acknowled
ged, would place us in a worse position logically than that which we now occupy in conse-
qupnce of the language of passed communications. It would, for instance, augment the
diniculty now felt m sanctioning local visits for police purposes by British men-of-war.
With regard to the arrangement itself, I beg to suggest—
(1.) That its operation be confined—
" {a) to the El-Hassa coast and waters, and
" W to tIl0S ? Portions of that coast where Turkish authority may for the time
being actually and firmly established.
(2.) That pirate captured by British officers in pursurance of the provisions of the
arrangement bp dealt with under the orders of the Eesident at Baghdad or the
-ttesident at Bushire as may be most convenient.
r ®» ar( * ^ (6) the Foreign Office despatch proposes the recognition of Turkish
Fo ft rj " er r t t r Urk,Sl ; aUth0 . r ty i6 at the ^ ent ^6,.^ e tab shed
ior the words 'at the present t.me ' I p.-opose to substitute the words ' for the time beint '
JL n0 o ^VVohMetUtthe Turks may be ousted from the positions which tbey now
„„ • a °r 'f .^^.^.ntosrency should arise, we should be relieved from the obli-
futhoritv otST" k T , 0n any !;iTen P art of Ule C(,ast ' ^e moment Turkish
authority ceased to be actively and firmly established there.
Tf 'i, 8 ' Tlie exaet p0mt f 0 wIlioh , tlle El-Hassa coast extends is perhaps not certainly known
BriH-h offl Ver ' neCeSS , ary t' We ^ 0ald be fix in 0 ' ,rown '™its of that coast, so thai
British officers may know the territory which is understood by the British Government to be
comprehended in the arraufrement, The sea line of the El-Hassa coast has belnXcribed as
extending from the month of the Shat-ul-Arab to a point nearly opposite to the isknf of
S0Ut ^i 0 u at ' ' betweeu tbe 26 t h and 27th parallel of latitude. If this definition
rirr„ f. e i a - 00 erab e the Ve ^ coast "t ^te years been used by Z
pirates as their principal resort will be excluded from the operation of the arrangement Tn
_/ 31 - Ml - t Goshen observed that the main point of Mr. Plowden's memo-
n, as "'e^.^sed irioxpecliency of reoognisiog the sovereignty of the Turks
n orth of Odeid, and that he would so frame the action of Her Maiestv's
Government as to recognize these claims as little as possible. This however
Mr. Goschen satd. did not appear to be the policy to which expression wa^
• Political a., May 1880, No. 53. given in Lord Salisbury's despatch No 13*
f.as»' ^
upon t^^7% to'LTjniie t^nd would h ^ firml y established
regular and civilized administration/' ' g 866 ^ accom P a nied by
432. The question was then referred hy the Foreie-n OflBce for Tord
ISS^) 1 wrote .^^ )li:ilon * ^ ^ply, Sir Louis M.L in his lefter Sth"^
that the termJof Mr. Goschen? ^te^TOelr^ b 1 ^ tIie s , ub J 0ct ' 1 am directed to ^ate
tainedinLord Salisbury's despatch JNo 12 of thrsfh Janu^v l ^ ^ C0 ^
concurrent despatch No. 13, was the result of « !! f 11 anU8r ^ wlllc ^ as wel1 as the
with my letter of the 29th December 1879 correspondence with this office ending