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File 1508/1905 Pt 1 'Bahrain: situation; disurbances (1904-1905); Sheikh Ali's surrender; Question of Administration Reforms (Customs etc)' [‎86v] (177/531)

The record is made up of 1 volume (260 folios). It was created in Nov 1904-Aug 1914. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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2
with the deportation of Sheikh Ali that he was so anxious to gain time. In
view, however, of the fact that he had already had tw o months in which to ponder
over my previous demands and his own position, and that the foundation of
his present attempts to procrastinate could hardly be anything else than the
hope of ultimately evading our demands, his successive entreaties for six, five,
four, three or even two days were not acceded to, and as soon as he had been
furnished with a copy of the ultimatum the meeting was adjourned until the
following morning.
I would draw attention here to the fact that throughout my previous visit
and up to now the contingency of his being impotent to produce either Sheikh
Ali or the other men wanted had never been suggested or allowed by the
Sheikh. On the contrary he had always sought to preserve the polite fiction
that they were entirely under his control.
4. Shortly after noon Sheikh Abdulla returned to the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. and informed
Captain Prideaux that having been ordered by his father, on leaving our
presence, to send another summons to his brother and uncle, and also to warn
Sheikh Ali to present himself before the Chief at Muharrug, he had in due
course proceeded to Sheikh All’s house and from the latter’s response he feared
that he was likely to abscond during the night. He was directed to inform
his father at once and to warn him to take immediate steps to ensure his
nephew’s presence in the morning as arranged.
At 3-30 p.m. Sheikh Esa himself came over aeain from Muharrug, accom
panied by a Dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. full of armed followers. He came straight to the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
and informed me that Sheikh Ali evidently intended to abscond, if he had not
already done so, and that he had therefore brought some armed men for the
purpose of arresting him, but that to this end he would be glad of the moral
support of some representative of the British Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. or of a few sepoys Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank. from
the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. guard. How far he was now acting in good faith it was difficult
to say, neither was there time to ascertain, but it seemed to me that if we now
refused to co-operate with him he might afterwards plead that if he had been
given the slight assistance asked for he would have been able to comply with
this item of the ultimatum. Accordingly it was decided that Captain Prideaux
and Lieutenant Gabriel should accompany the Sheikh’s men, with a dozen
sepoys Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank. from the Infantry Detachment, but that they should remain in the
back ground and only give assistance in case it was actually required. At the
same time the Senior Naval Officer was asked by signal to co-perate from the
harbour and he did so by sending two armed boats to lie off the shore opposite
Sheikh All’s house. The Chief’s son, Abdulla, was in charge of the former’s
men and it was left to him to enter the house and endeavour to induce Sheikh
Ali to give himself up. In the interval Sheikh Esa himself remained in my
company at the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , and we were now joined by his brother Sheikh
Khalid, of Buffa, and his son Sheikh Hamed.
It soon transpired, however, that Ali had escaped earlier in the day, im*
mediatelyjon receiving Sheikh Abdulla’s message, (or warning ?), and accordingly
Sheikh Khalid left shortly afterwards ostensibly furnished with peremptory
instructions from the Chief to scour the island during the night in search of
his fugitive nephew.
It would probably have been possible to have prevented Sheikh All’s
escape by putting Bluejackets ashore in the morning and surrounding his
house, but that 'would have been a more or less hostile act .which it did not
seem that we were justified in taking before the expiry of the 24 hours
allowed for compliance with the terms of the ultimatum.
5. This period expired at 9 a.m. the following morning, February
£6th, and on that day Sheikh Esa arrived at the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. half an hour before
the time, accompanied by his sons Hamed and Abdulla.
He intimated that he had brought with him the 2,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. demanded
as compensation for the Persians, and also the draft notification in connection
with the application of the right of “ Sukhra (This was subsequently
amended and provisionally approved by me and issued in the form shown in
Enclosure No. 2). He added that the 50 men whom he had been called upon to
furnish as a Bazaar guard would be produced for inspection at any time that

About this item

Content

The volume contains correspondence relating to disturbances in Bahrain and the consequent discussion over administrative changes. The correspondence is mostly between the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , the Foreign Office, and the Government of India. Further correspondence, included as enclosures, is from the following:

The disturbances centred around attacks on a German man and several Persians by Shaikh Isa's nephew, Ali bin Ahmed, and his followers in late 1904. The papers within the volume cover several matters related to these attacks:

  • the investigation into the details of the attacks;
  • the discussion over what to do about Ali bin Ahmed and his eventual exile;
  • British naval operations to enforce order;
  • Turkish claims that Shaikh Isa believes himself to be a Turkish subject;
  • the discussion over increased administrative intervention in Bahrain, specifically control of customs.
Extent and format
1 volume (260 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

The subject 1508 (Bahrain) consists of three volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/81-83. The volumes are divided into five parts, with parts 1 and 2 comprising one volume each, and parts 3, 4, and 5 comprising the third volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 262; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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File 1508/1905 Pt 1 'Bahrain: situation; disurbances (1904-1905); Sheikh Ali's surrender; Question of Administration Reforms (Customs etc)' [‎86v] (177/531), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/81, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100027013012.0x0000b2> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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