File 619/1907 Pt 3 'Arms Traffic:- Koweit Trade.' [‎67v] (139/720)

No. C. 51, dated Kuwait, the 31st July 1911 (Confidential).
From— -Captain W. H. I. Shakespear, Politieal Agent, Kuwait,
To—The Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Bushire.
In reply to your letter No. 1756, dated the 11th July 1911, I have the
Shait-h M° i 8 "'’?" 4 th f r fon « w!n S report after consultation and discussion with
Shaikh Mubarak regarding the measures necessary to safeguard the arms for
feirabKandT ° f WWCh PermiS8i0n be aocorded > reaching ut
2 . When I informed the Shaikh of the numbers given in narauranh 9
of your letter, he said he would prefer to substitute Gras rifles and ammunition
for the Magazine arms and ammunition there mentioned, bavin-' found that
these weapons are liable to less deterioration in the hands of his ninnle T
replied that I thought there would be no objection to this course so lon- as the
figures remained the same, and to this the Shaikh assented. ° “
3. After discussing possible safeguards the Shaikh said that all his arms
were marked with his own “ wasm ” (family-mark) stamped into the metai of
the barrel, and it would be convenient if this could be continued as all oast and
futuie arms would then heir the same mark. The mark is a blnnf anl i, j
with a dot, thus'T'. The Shaikh agreed with my Lggesln tLt it armrb^rSf
is rnaik weie found at- sea in the hands of persons who could not sat MV
Majesty s ships-ot-war that they held them under the ShaikhV authority ^thev
should be liable to seizure as stolen property, and conversely those without
mai vs being ipso facto not the Shaikh’s property were therefore eon ha i
and equally liable to seizure. The marking can be done easily enou-h in
Kuwait as the Shaikh possesses the necessary stamps, and the weapon shown o
me was quite adequately marked. The Shaikh further said that he maintain
ed lists ot his own arms showing how they were distributed at present and was
prepared to furnish me with a copy of this existing list; he also undertake
that when new arms are received that they shall oe forthwith stamped = a
any issue made from them shall be intimated to this Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. witHetails of
number and to whom issued; also that the return of arms to s llt r
instance, at the termination of the pearlins sea«o-rt and t st(lle ( as >
holder to another shall he notified to S SnT This 0 ^ 000 ^ “l '' 0111 °n?
this Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. to maintain a more or less ctSte re-iter of the iH •
arms in Kuwait, and a fair check of tl.eir T[ r it L l tl<>n ° f
will meet with approval, for I am unableriug^t any ter Uth^d
“shikh.^ ° f bd “ S f ° r P- spontanao^S*
4 ' the “»«« i» more
difficult. The return of a proportion of the empty cases to which 3 ^ 3Ilor j
[
, . 1 ^ auuosr, impossible. The ShqihB
me he is prepared to furmsh details of issues and return as in the case of arm!
for unfired ammunition, but fired cases are generally dronned or thrn!! * • ’
the excitement of a raid, or display of “ powder-nlav ” I n „n wi away la
the remainder is problematical. He avers that ife himself is very ° £
the matter of cartridges, issuing them 30 and 40 only at a lime ‘ a nd’ Z r
that a second issue shall not be made to a man without ademinin ^ 1 , nslst ! n 3
of expenditure. Beyond continued stringency of issue and the ml • C fP Ianatl0 “
a register of those issues as described aho^ /regilTl havl no nth ‘“r 006 ° f
to suggest. The return of even a sm-ill nrnnnvcLn r n ° °^ er sa leguard
he almost as dilficult for the Shaikh to enforce as it would b“ or’ufto T° U k d
apart from producing an undesirable impression that a harassing ini - r k ’
was being inaugurated. A considerable amount of the exnlndhnm “ qUISltl ° U
n.t.on, specially of '450 Martini-Henry cartridges is bv wav 1/ 111 a “ mu -
Bedouin who come into Kuwait to pay their respect’s to the Shaikh. Pre8e ' t0
b■ I regret X cannot suggest anv meti-od whiel, ..-m. 1,1 «•
checks but I venture to think that the system described Jill foraiTa toT^m 0
idea of the distribution of arms in Kuwait or of thdr ^0^ thence!
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