File 3208/1908 Pt 4 ‘Persian Gulf: acts of piracy by Ahmed bin Selman near Katif [Turkish discourtesy to commander of HMS “Lapwing” at Katif]’ [‎111r] (217/358)

5 - Before leaving the subject of the pirates I should state that the Kaima- i
kam himself was the first to refer to the slave, Salim bin Mubarak, saying that
the man had been released from jail and was at my disposal on my giving a
receipt in writing for him, and adding that he quite concurred in the opinion I
had expressed as to the man’s innocence. Salim was thereupon forthwith pro*
duced, and he was subsequently given a passage to Bahrein in H. M. S.
“ Sphipx ” and a paper of freedom under the General Act of the Brussels Con
vention by Commander Bowman, to protect him from any claims of the Beni
Hajir or others in future.
6. The other subjects which I discussed with the Kaimakam were the
claims of the Bunniahs against the Katif Customs Farmers and the cases of
certain Turkish and Bahrein subjects, who after incurring commercial liabilities
with British subjects in Bahrein had absconded to Katif and whose return for
the trial of their cases by the Commercial Mejlis of Bahrein I desired.
7 In the first of these matters, as reported separately in my letter No. 324*
dated the 20th September 1905, nothing was effected owing to the absence of the
Head of the Customs Firm from Katif; in the other cases it was settled that I
should apply in writing for the extradition of each absconder separately with the
details of the claims against them, but as the Kaimakam and his two companions
asserted emphatically that no special extradition arrangements existed between
Bahrein and Katif, such as exist between Bahrein and the independent Arab
ports in the Gulf I do not think that any Turkish subjects will be extradited
without pressure from Basrah and I am very doubtful even as to whether any
Bahreinis will be returned. In the course of our conversation on this subject,
the Turkish Interpreter, who was one of the Senior Military Officers in the Port,
enquired why the 200 deserters from the Turkish Army now settled in Bahrein
were never given up, and I replied that I have never heard of their extradition
having been applied for. On the subject of the absconded merchants I shall
report again later when the replies of the Kaimakam to my applications have
been received.
On several occasions during our interview Captain Bowman and I noticed
the surprisingly frank references made by the Kaimakam to the suzerainty of Great
Britain over Bahrein, and I am therefore hopeful that my letters to Nejib Bey
will at least not be ignored, as has hitherto been my experience in my corre
spondence with the Turkish officials of Hasa and Katif. The Kaimakam’s civility
may possibly be partly due to the fact of his being a native of Diarbekr, where I 1
understand half the population is Christian, and to his long official service of 37
years during which' he has doubtless met many British Consular officers.
8. At 2 P.M we were entertained to a very substantial lunch, at the con
clusion of which we would have been glad to have been left to ourselves for a
few hours, but on my suggesting that the Governor must have plenty of other
work to attend to, and saying that we would gladly excuse him from keeping us
company any longer, His Excellency replied that if he had any work to do, he
would preferably attend to it at midnight rather than part from us before our
boat came in, so that we were perforce compelled to keep up a desultory con
versation with the old gentleman and the various subordinate officials who con
tinually came to and fro, until 6-30 P.M. ! At 4 P.M. we suggested a walk through
the town, but the proposal was not well received, and as I did not wish that attention
should be drawn to the fact that I was neither a regular Consular officer nor the
possessor of a passport to enter Turkey, we at once let the matter drop. In the
future, however, if no Consular officer is appointed to Hasa and I am expected
periodically to visit Katif I think that some special arrangement should be made i
under which I may be permitted to move freely in and around the town and even
to spend some weeks there annually, specially during the date purchasing season ; 1
without such an arrangement it is quite impossible for our traders to obtain fair
play from the two leading Mohammedan merchants, who if they could settle
their private feud would be practically autocrats of the oasis.
9. On taking our leave we were accompanied to the end of the landing
stage by the Kaimakam and the whole assembly of officials as well as the guard
of honour. We did not reach the ship until 9 P.M. as the tide and wind were