File 345/1908 Pt 2 'Mohammerah: situation. Sheikh's dispute with the Vali of Basra. decoration for Sheikh. renewed assurances to Sheikh.' [‎154r] (312/566)

In the meanwhile I received orders to proceed to Basrah to con r er with
Mr. Crow with a view to a settlement on the lines of Foreign Office Telegram
No. 165, (received Tehran, May 26th), z.£., “ Sheikh to promise to give up
Turkish criminals and not foment disturbances. Wall to express regret for injury
to Sheikh’s family and assure him that, if he keeps his promises, his tribes and
property will not be molested ”,
The Sheikh was quite ready to do his share on these lines, though he does
not admit that he has sheltered Turkish criminals nor habitually fomented dis
turbances in the past. The Wali, however, was at some pains to make it perfect
ly clear that he would not accept Mr. Crow’s intervention in the matter, and that
he would not apologise in any way.
This being the case, and the Wali being on his way back to Basrah, the
Sheikh saw at once that, to delay his reply until the question of the Wali offering
an expression of regret had been disposed of, would be injudicious. Pending
receipt of the approval of His Majesty’s Government to his proposed reply to
the Wali, he asked the Turks to send men to take over 4 criminals for whom they
had applied. These men reached Basrah, as intended by the Sheikh, two days
before the arrival of the Wali, thus avoiding any slight to the Acting Wall, who
had taken part in the preliminary negotiations for their surrender.
On 2nd June, 2 days after the return of the Wali, I was informed by Colonel
Cox, in his telegram of 30th May, to the effect that the Sheikh’s proposed reply
was approved, and I at once told the Sheikh to send it off.
On the 4th June he accordingly sent Haji Rais, his righthand man, to
Basrah with the reply, (a copy of which is appended to my letter forwarded here
with) The Wali received Haji Rais politely and seemed not dissatisfied with
the Sheikh’s reply, to which he sent a polite answer. His protestations of
friendship and his expression of hope that the Sheikh would let “ bygones be
bygones” were unfortunately considerably discounted by several occurrences
which took place whilst Haji Rais was in Basrah as the guest of the Wall.
In the first place, a law suit in which one Mustafa, a servant of Mirza Hamza,
the Sheikh’s Basrah Agent, was concerned was revived and warrants issued for
the man’s arrest, regardless of the fact that, during the negotiations between
Haji Rais and the Acting Wali, the latter had obtained the withdrawal of the case
and had promised that no more should be heard of it. Haji Rais was informed
by the Wali, in reply to his protest, that the latter knew nothing of the Acting
Wall’s action in the matter, and, in any case, could not intervene in judicial
questions. Haji Rais, however, understands that the Wall himself requested
that the case should be re-opened.
Secondly, for the third time since the troubles between the Sheikh and the
Wali began, the Sheikh’s houses on the Ashar Creek were partly pulled down,
in spite of the fact that they did not project into the roadway, and that their
frontage had been some time back formally approved by the Wall. When re
presentations were made to the Wali on this subject, he said on each occasion
that it was a mistake on the part of a subordinate official and that he would issue
orders to prevent its recurrence. But it is remarkable that such mistakes should
not have been made in the case of other persons’ houses. Haji ais urt er
tells me that he has definite information that the Wali instigated these acts.
Lastly, whilst Haji Rais was in Basrah an official of the Courts of Justice
with a band of soldiers raided the empty house of the Sheikh’s Basrah Agent
and forcibly distrained his carriages and some other possessions, on the ground
that a summons for debt had been issued against him by Government for pay
ment of /300 but had been disregarded. The Wali denied all know edge of the
matter and ordered the return of the goods distrained But Adbul Wahab al
Kartass has told Haji Rais that the case was started by the Wall himsHf in
revenge for Mirza Hamza’s attitude in regard to the Sheikh s house property in
Basrah and that the Wali personally interested himself in obtaining a judgment
against'Mirza Hamza; the latter states, however, that no summons ever reached
him.
The cumulative effect of these incidents has been to convince the Sheikh
that the present Wali is hopelessly unreliable, if not actually treacherous, and