'A Précis of the Relations of the British Government with the Tribes and Shaikhs of 'Arabistan By Lieutenant A T Wilson, Acting Consul for Arabistan' [‎25v] (55/143)

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an assurance that the British Government would protect Mohammerah against
naval attack by a foreign power, whatever pretext for intervention might be
alleged, and also so long as the Shaikh remained faithful to the Shah and
acted in accordance with our advice, we should continue to give our good-
offices and support. The text of the letter in which this assurance was con
veyed is produced as Appendix 6 to this Volume. They are still in force, not
being superseded by later assurances. This letter and the personal assurances
of HajI Rais who returned to Mohammerah in January 1903 convinced
Shaikh Khaz’al that his interests were not in immediate danger, and the
question of Mohammerah Customs gave no serious trouble till the outbreak of
constitutional troubles in 1909. The letter of assurance which Sir A. Hard-
inge sent to Shaikh Khaz’al was show r n to Haji Rais before its despatch and
he tried to induce the Minister to substitute “ protect the Shaikh of Moham
merah ‘ against ’ foreign attack ” for the words “ protect Mohammerah
against foreign attack.” Sir A. Hardinge in reply pointed out that their
promise was to the ruler of Mohammerah in his official capacity and that he
was not authorised to give a personal guarantee. He might for instance be
deposed by his Arabs.
The history of the next few years has no direct bearing on the question
of assurances and for details of this period reference is invited to Mr. J. G.
Lorimer’s forthcoming Gazetteer of Persia, Vol. I. The supplementary assur
ances given to the Shaikh in December 1903 in reference to the attempts of
the Persian Government to repudiate the terms of the arrangement whereby
the Customs had been established at Mohammerah, have been referred to
in Chapter V.
British interests steadily grew in importance and Mohammerah began
to make its influence as a port for Central Persia felt, thanks to the Ahwaz-
Ispahan Road.
Irrigation schemes on the Karun proposed by a Dutch Engineer,
Mr. \ an Roggen, at one time seemed likely to lead to some definite results but
eventually nothing was done. A detailed description of the various schemes
and the attitude of the Sheikh and of the British Government to them is
given in Chapter X.
In March 1904, the Russian Consul-General from Bushire, M. Passek,
paid a visit to Mohammerah and invested the Shaikh with the Russian Order
of the First Class of St. Stanislaus. The farman which accompanied this
decoration recited the Shaikh’s enlightened policy and his wisdom in permit
ting the establishment of the Imperial Customs as the reasons for granting it.
It wat not until the autumn of 1907 that a further formal presentment
of the desire of the Shaikh, as well as of the Bakhtiari Khans, for closer rela
tions with His Majesty’s Government was made to His Majesty’s Minister by
the 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. . After careful consideration, it
was decided to be undesirable to give the Bakhtiari Khans any assurances
beyond a general expression of sympathy, and even when giving this it was
found necessary to authorise His Majesty’s Consul at Ahwaz to couple it
with warning to the Khans that unless thev adopted a more amenable attitude
to British interests the sympathies of His Majesty’s Government would be
alienated. In the case of the Shaikh of Mohammerah, however, the general
assurances given to him in 1903 by Sir A. Hardinge were repeated and ex
tended to his successors, and it was further pointed out that His Majesty’s
Government have agreed to respect the independence and integrity of Persia
which involves the maintenance of the status quo in that country, and in
cluded the continuance of his present status of autonomy : external aggression
on lum, therefore, would constitute an infringement of Persian integrity
which is recognised by the Anglo-Russian Convention ‘
These assurances were conveyed to the Shaikh by the 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.
follows ._ Sian f m a let,ter > dated 1st December 1908, which ran as
ani in 1 l. ec ^ e( _f° r< m e3 t on behalf of His Majesty’s Government the assurances given
u + Y ? - + i E ?f e en i Cy \ n Ji le ¥. ter of His Ma j est y’ s Minister, Sir A. Hardinge,
t V ll : h 1 D f ecember + 190 - , wblcb . is in y° ur possession, and the terms of which
J^T+ tt Z 01 - ^ r* int erview (on the 7th January): and I am then to
add that His Majesty s Government have engaged to respect the independence