File 3208/1908 Pt 2 ‘Persian Gulf: Fuwairat piracy case’ [‎4r] (5/60)

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No. 1877, dated Bushire, the i8th (received 26th) August 1912.
From— Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Cox, K.C.I.E., C.S.I., Political Resi
dent in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
To The Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry McMahon, G.C.V.O.,
K C.I.E., C.S.I., Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign
Department, Simla.
In amplification of my telegram No. 8^3, dated 17th August, I have the
No. 417, dated 3rd August 1912. honour to forward copies _ of letters from
No. 421! dated the 5th August 1912. 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. , Bahrein, on receipt of
which I addressed the abovementioned telegram to Government.
2. In the absence of certainty as to the present attitude of Government in
regard to the position on the Qatar promontory, the action taken by Captain
Lorimer in addressing Shaikh Jasim bin Thani seems suitable and innocuous.
2. I may mention that the headman of Fuwaira^Nasir bin Shahin, is the
man referred to in Foreign Department letter No. 2889-E.B. of 31st August
1908, and connected correspondence.
No. 417, dated Bahrein, the 3rd August 1912.
From— CAPTAIN D. L. R Lorimer, I. A., 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. , Bahrein,
To—L ieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Cox, K.C.LE., C.S.I., 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. .
I have the honour to forward enclosed a statement made to me by one
Muhammad Musa bin Ismail and a copy of a letter which I am addressing to
Shaikh Jasim bin Muhammad bin Thani of Qatar.
2. These documents sufficiently explain the facts of the case, but the
following additional remarks may be added
The plaintiff’s precise nationality is a matter of some doubt. He possesses
a sort of passport in Arabic, mentioning the names of himself and his ship,
purporting to be issued by one Sultan ( Uthman Mahmud Yusuf, and dated 8th
Rajab 1325. The document is however neither signed nor sealed. It appears
to state that the vessel at some time sailed from Bundar ’Alula, but the
plaintiff has failed to make me understand exactly where this place may be.^ It
is probably the place of that name shown in the maps near Cape Gardafui in
Italian (?) Somaliland. The document further bears in red ink in English
Sambuk Dabus ” and “ Register of Haloola
In any case the man is a foreigner and as such entitled to our protection.
3. Nasir bin Shahin-ut-Tuwar, who is for all practical purposes accused of
robbery and using criminal force, is the notorius Qatar debtor. ^ In 1911, he was
induced to come over to Bahrein, and was kept in detention in the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. tor
several months while he came to terms with his Bahrein creditors vide corres
pondence ending with your letter to me, No. lyH* dated 7th July l 9 j 1 '
settlement arrived at was far from statisfactory, but Nasir probably bears us a
grudge all the same.
4. As regards the sambuk, the plaintiff states that it is badly damaged ;
that the bottom was stove in, and that it is beyond the hope of repair. ^ It is a
little hard to believe that its repair is beyond the resources of the Bahrein boat-
builders. The assertion may be due to the plaintiff’s strong antipathy to trusting
himself again in Qatar. The Bahrein boat-builders would no doubt share the
same feeling, unless their safety was guaranteed by us.
As the plaintiff says that the sambuk was estimated as worth $7,000,
the question is perhaps worth some consideration. It may be mentioned that an
entry by the Assistant Port Officer, Bombay, dated 3rd November 1906, on the
ship’s paper, gives the tonnage as 1 tons.