'File 14/115 VII Annex (B 9) Abu Musa oxide: collected background material on the case' [‎295r] (616/1904)

J
WonokhauB acquired an absolute monopoly of the output for four
y@arR and a proforcntial right to renew at tho end of it.
r?). tm O'^Kmi.iUi ui^uad mn this step
I'AJDE BY ISA to Ti-IK SSHAZKIi flUT tKE OOliTMCT FaH plSHVlllf Oi 4 '
iiEo oxm . :( AW vim ' > ^tkha; , uxs sA^svivXi.
It wan both his intoreoto and those of loa bin Abdul batif
which fornod the "ootenoible ground" for Sheikh Sagar's action.
(See also item 7 of British Memorandum). Tho Sheikh gave his
own reaoons for withdrawing the concession; they were, that
Hasan had given a monopoly which he had no authority to do and
had thus mads it evident to the Sheikh that his own rights over
Abu Jiusa sight be endangered by the continuance of the ccnoeo-
eion in such unsafe hands. He in fact realised that Haoan was
acting in a way calculated to prejudice Ms Interests, and in
his laterlotter of 26th March to Hasan (Annex ir. of Mrst German
J
emorandun) in reply to Hasan*a protests, he explained himself
in
further. He said he had concurred/the original concession be
cause all the narties were British subjects and thus every one
concerned was under his own control or that of the Uritish Go
vernment; but he objected to the adaission into the concern of
the subjects of a foreign power over when he would have no
fjyt,-
control. He feared that Raines micht go out of his possessions
and it in clear that the apprehension was not altogether an
©rapty one, for in their letter to the Sheikh dated 15th October
1907 Messrs. WonckhatJ® wrote *We have paid to them (Hasan etc)
very considerable advances x x x and wo consider that the
oxide lying on the sea-shore is our propert y and that the rdnee
and the conoosBton are security for the said advances". Again,
when Messrn. Sonckhaus• enploye, Brown, attempted to land at
Abu Musa on- SHnd October 1907 with Haji Ali Tashankar and a
nunber of en fro-' hingah, and wrb prevented by the resolute
attitude of the Sheikh's guards, ho was reported by Lieutenant
Gabriel to have had with his a German flag which he intended
to erect at the Oxide nine or over the accumulated nineral.
Lastly