'File 14/115 VII Annex (B 9) Abu Musa oxide: collected background material on the case' [‎165v] (341/1904)

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The German Government enquire why, under P- &
the arrangement of 1884, the revenue of Sir Abu
Nuair was given to Salim to increase his pension,
and not that of Abu Musa, which would have
been more convenient, as he resided in the island.
The suggestion is that the revenue of Abu Musa
already belonged to Salim as owner. The answer
is that it would have been useless to give Salim
the revenue of Abu Musa, because at that time
the island produced no revenue at all. This is
shown by an extract from a letter written on the
14th October, 1880, to the British agent by 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. agent, who, speaking of Abu Musa,
says : " Its water has altogether become salt, and
the trees have died away. He (the Sheikh of
Shargah, then Sheikh Salim) "does not get
anything from the place, not even a 4 gaz'' (a
small copper coin).
It is now proposed to consider the fresh evidence
adduced by the German Government in support
of the contention that Sheikh Salim is the owner
of Abu Musa.
It is asserted that Salim has always exercised P- 9 -
the right to wreckage on Abu Musa."
His Majesty's Government are not concerned to
enquire whether the statement made is adequately
supported by the citation of two cases in which pp. 9, 35,
such a right has been claimed, because, even
assuming the statement to be correct, it furnishes
no evidence whatever of the ownership of Salim.
The right to wreckage, or jetsam and flotsam, is
exercised.in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. by the inhabitants
of the place where the wreckage is cast up, and if
the ruling chief comes to hear of it he is entitled
to a share, which he exacts or not as he sees fit.
In the case of Abu Musa the right to wreckage
was exercised not by Salim alone, but by him in
conjunction with the other inhabitants of the
island, so that any argument in favour of Salim's
ownership, based on the right to wreckage, would
be an equally good argument in favour of the
ownership of all the inhabitants. In support of
this statement the following documents are-
adduced :—
Letter dated the 17th May, 1894, from 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. agent, Shargah, to the Political Resi
dent in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , relating to the stranding
of a Bahrein boat on Abu Musa (Appendix 1).
Replies to above, 22nd June, 1894 (Appendix 2),