File 619/1907 Pt 3 'Arms Traffic:- Koweit Trade.' [‎350r] (704/720)

Enclosure No. 1.
Telegram, No. 108 , dated the 28 th April 1900 .
From—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. ,
To—The Foreign Secretary, Simla.
Please refer to Bahrein arms case. Sheikh evidently does not intend holding
enquiry as to whether arms were seized owing to the infringement of the conces
sion. He now withdraws from this contention and maintains that arms were
seized at the instance of Agha Muhammad Rahim, who is now dead and has
no representative at Bahrein. Sheikh wishes to restore the arms to Eracis. I
have reported officially to you by post, and I would suggest that orders may
issue to me by telegraph on receipt of my letter.
Enclosure No. 2.
No. Ill, dated Bushire, the 29 th April 1900 .
From— Captain C. A. Kemball, Offg. 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. ,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department.
I have the honour to invite a reference to the correspondence on the
subject of the enquiry by the Sheikh of Bahrein into the matter of the confisca
tion at Bahrein of the arms and ammunition belonging to Messrs. Eracis Times.
2 . Mr. Eracis, a representative of the firm, is now at Bahrein, awaiting
this enquiry, hut it is evident from recent reports addressed to me by Mr.
Gaskin, the Assistant to the Resident at Bahrein, that the Chief has no inten
tion of holding any enquiry as to whether the concession granted by him for
the importation of arms into Bahrein had been infringed. He now withdraws
this contention, and maintains that the arms were seized at the instance of
Agha Muhammad Rahim, who is now dead, and has, he says, no representative
at" Bahrein who could proceed with the case, and he wishes to restore the arms
to Messrs. Eracis Times. He has informed Air. Eracis, through the Assistant
Resident, that he is at liberty to leave Bahrein whenever he may wish to do so.
It, however, appears from Mr. Gaskin’s latest report, dated 22nd instant, that
Air Eracis has now requested the Chief of Bahrein to hold an enquiry regarding
the alleged theft of arms from the godown of the firm prior to the seizure, and
that the Chief has consented to do so.
3 . I would solicit the orders of the Government of India regarding the
advisabilitv of allowing the Chief of Bahrein to restore the arms to Alessrs.
Eracis Times. Her Alajesty’s Government having adopted the view that the
Sheikh of Bahrein “ as a Sovereign Ruler so far as his internal administration
is concerned” was authorised to seize the arms, I do not see how he can be
prevented from restoring them should he wish to do so. It does not seem to
me to be clear what was the real motive which the Chief had when he ordered
the sequestration of the arms, and at any rate, as a Sovereign Chief, he had just
as much right to seize the arms at the request of a merchant trading at
Bahrein, as°because the terms of the concession, which he had granted, were
alleged to have been broken.
It will be seen that Colonel Aleade, in the concluding paragraph of his
memorandum on the subject, forwarded with his letter No. 69, dated 21st
November 1898, to your address, made the suggestion that the arms should be
delivered over to the firm on certain conditions, and so far as I can see there is
no objection to this course being taken. On grounds of public policy, it would
seem that we have the right to insist that the Chief, if he surrenders the arms,
should see that they are taken out of his territory and similarly, the coast of
Persia being closed to the trade in arms, we have the right to insist that the
arms, if surrendered to Messrs. Eracis Times, should be taken by them out of
the Gulf.