File 1508/1905 Pt 1 'Bahrain: situation; disurbances (1904-1905); Sheikh Ali's surrender; Question of Administration Reforms (Customs etc)' [‎86r] (176/531)

No. 119, dated Bahrein, the 4th (received 14th) March 1905.
From-— Major P. Z. Cox., Officiating 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. ,
Officiating Secretary to the tiovernmeut of India in the Foreign Depart
ment.
In continuation of the correspondence ending with Foreign Department
telegram No. 744-E. B., dated 18th February, to my address, I have the honour
to submit, for the information of the Government of^India, a report regarding
the measures since taken at Bahrein.
2. I arrived at Bahrein on the evening of 23rd February in H. M. S-
Redbreast^ which had been placed at my disposal by the Senior Naval
Officer in lieu of the Lawrence recently deputed to assist the operations of the
Gazetteer party on the southern coast of Oman. At Bahrein there were
already EL. M. S. Sphinx, which had been on duty there for some days as
guard-ship, and H. M. S. Fox under the command of Captain J. B. Eustace,
Senior Naval Officer, which had preceded me from Bushire.
In order to save daylight I did not wait for the Sheikh’s usual visit on
hoard hut landed at once and asked him to pay his visit at the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. the
following morning.
Captain Prideaux, Assistant Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , had kept him informed as
far as possible of my movements and had advised him, for the more expedi
tious transaction of business, to take up his residence at Manama during my
stay, but this he had not arranged to do, and when I arrived he was himself
residing at Muharrug as usual, while his son Sheikh Earned, with his zenana,
was absent at his country-house some miles outside the town. Sheikh Esa,
however, came over to call upon me in the morning as requested, accompanied
only by his young grandson Khalifa, an apparently nice boy of 14 or 15 years,
whom the Chief almost invariably has in his company. The Senior Naval
Officer and Captain Prideaux were present at the interview and the usual
formalities were exchanged. As soon as these were concluded I informed the
Sheikh that I had come over to make an important communication to him on
behalf of Government and requested him to be present at the same hour next
morning to receive it.
He expressed his willingness to do so, and as he had already been informed
by Captain Prideaux, at the time of the settlement of the German case, that
had the orders of Government been received in time, Sheikh Ali would not
have been allowed to return, I thought it as well to warn him before leaving
that the departure of his nephew from Bahrein was an item of the decision of
Government in regard to the recent cases, and that he had better cause him to
make preparations for early departure. I also told him that his son Hamed’s
proper j)lace was beside his father, and that I hoped that he would be forthwith
summoned from his suburban residence.
3. The Chief arrived up to time next morning, accompanied by his son
Abdulla and the grandson before mentioned and was received with suitable
honours at the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. . His eldest son Hamed was still absent, but was
expected.
With me were the Senior Naval Officer, Captain Prideaux, Assistant
Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Cammander Bowman of H. M. S. Sphinx, and Lieutenant
Gabriel, now at Bahrein on Gazetteer duty.
The ultimatum of Government was duly presented to the Chief in the
detailed form, of which a translation forms Enclosure No. 1 of this report.
The only special remark which the terms of it seem to call for is in reference
to Demand No. 1, to which I added the names of the four persons who had before
been flogged and expelled in connection with the German case, but who had
since been allowed by Sheikh Esa to reappear in Manama.
Having mastered the details of the ultimatum as now presented to him, the
Sheikh proceeded to press persistently and to advance every possible pretext
for an extension of the time, namely, 24 hours, given for compliance, and an
analysis of his protestations made it evident that it was especially in connection