File 345/1908 Pt 2 'Mohammerah: situation. Sheikh's dispute with the Vali of Basra. decoration for Sheikh. renewed assurances to Sheikh.' [‎113v] (231/566)

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to exercise sovereign territorial rights in the Shatt-el-Arab, which they regard as
the territorial waters of the Ottoman Empire, to which Persian vessels have
access only by virtue of the special clause in the Treaty of Erzeroum.
7. I hope to see the Sheikh shortly, and shall urge on him the necessity of f
accepting the settlement, unsatisfactory though it may be, and of endeavouring
to cultivate cordial relations with the Turks afresh. In the words of Mr. Crow,
he must modernize his ideas with regard to them, and realize that the change of
rdgime, in Turkey, has brought about radical changes to which he must accom
modate himself.
I trust that the Turks on their part will not again be^ so precipitate in their
action should they have any cause of complaint, real or imaginary, against him.
Copies of foregoing, with enclosures, to His Majesty’s Minister, Tehran.
Copy of foregoing to His Majesty’s Consul, Basrah.
Basrah;
May 7 , igio.
No. 25.
Sir,
Your Excellency’s telegram of May 3rd reached me on May 4th, and I at once
sent word to Basrah to the Mutassarif of Hassa, Saad Bey, who is acting in
the absence of the Vali at Amara, that I wished to see him. He received me in
the morning of May 5th, and I reported the result to Your Excellency in my tele
gram No. 21. I said His Majesty’s Government regretted the action of the Vali,
and feared it might lead to serious frontier questions, and open up other compli
cations, that I had been instructed to help them make peace, and that peace must
be made, as His Majesty’s Government attached great importance to it. Our
_ , mutual friendship with both parties was of
old standing, and the bheikh governed his
own country well in comparison to the rest of Persia; we had important interests
there, and did not want him weakened in Arabistan. I said I was sure it was
possible to arrange for policing the country better, and I thought the Vali was
rather “ vif,” and should have given us an opportunity to intervene before pro
ceeding to extremities. The Acting Vali said I was not ignorant of their diffi
culties with the Sheikh, and he mentioned his habit of conniving at, or instigating,
disorder in the Vilayet, and then secreting the criminals. I said I was well aware
of them after seven years residence in the country, but the policy of His Majesty’s
Government was to keep the two parties on good terms in the general interest,
and in our own, in view of future commercial developments in Arabistan, and to
weaken the Sheikh there would be detrimental to us. I impressed on him the
absolute necessity of settling the dispute with the Sheikh in a friendly way,
either directly or through me, and he said he preferred to have us in it, as, it the
Sheikh did not keep quiet after this, Turkey would have grounds of complaints
against us. I said l would ask if influence could be brought to bear on the
Sheikh to restrain him, and he replied that something of that sort would have to be
done. I did not use the threat of reconsideration of the frontier, or of an appeal
from the Sheikh to our assurances, as he seemed inclined to bend to gentler
arguments, and I preferred to have something in hand incase the Vali should
prove obstinate. Saad Bey promised to do his best and to tell the Vali tne
question was important, and that we were not merely bluffing, and I generally gave
him to understand that there was considerably more behind, which 1 did not wish
to worry him with as long as he realised what was wanted. He said he quite
understood, and had followed oui Gulf policy for some years while at Cairo. I
think he said he was there for many years. I suggested Haji Reiss as an inter
mediary as Mirza Hamza was not, I knew, & persona grata with the Vali.