Coll 30/5(3) 'Bahrein [sic] Residency Monthly Letter - Summary of Events' [‎63r] (125/253)

Persian G-ulf Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. ,
Bahrain.
Confidential .
5th January, 19^9.
(v/M)
Jfi Jt 1
‘"T 6200
Dear Burrows,
The following is a summary of
Gulf for the month of December.
GENERA L■
Tours .
I returned to Bahrain from Muscat on the ^th Decem
ber and left in H.M.S. Wild Goose for Kuwait on the 12th De
cember accompanied by my wife and daughter. I exchanged calls
vith^ the Shaikh and had one long business talk with him and I
received calls from the local notables and. leading British and
American business men. We were taken round the Kuwait Oil Com
pany's camp and port and the oil fields and my wife visited
the American Mission Hospital. There was the usual round of
parties including three Arab meals. We returned to Bahrain by
air on the 18th December. On the 28th December I paid a visit
to Hr. Max ihornburgh on the is],and of Umm as Saba* an which
was presented to him by the late Shaikh Hamad. He has built
hi. self quite a nice house there where he lives quite simply,
and nothin the more than orien'eal splendour which the American
journalists would, have one believe. His latest scheme is to
tap artesian water in the shoals north of the main Bahrain is-
-i-pnd, pump it up to the high ground at Rlfa.a and then distri
bute it over certain large areas of fertile land which are at
present uncultivated owing to lack of water. To obtain the
funds for this measure, he proposes that the royalty payable
by tne Bahrain Petroleum Company should be increased by 100
or 150 per cent which explains why he 1s not very popular with
the Company.
Gulf Islands .
X The Persians after keeping silent for a number of
years are taking interest again in certain of the Gulf islands,
xhey have made an approach regarding Tamb, which we regard
as belonging to Has al Khalmah, and Abu Musa, which we regard
as belonging to Sharjah, through diplomatic channels, and have
coyered the ^ right beacon on Farsi island, with the words
x ersian soil 1 ' and put up a brass plate on the island with the
same inscription. We have hitherto treated, this island as bel
onging to Kuwait, but Saudi Arabia has also claimed it. So
far as is known, the Persians have not previously claimed it
in spite of its name.
Civil Aviation .
Instructions have been receved regarding the new
v ir a £ reements which are to be negotiated with the
naikhs of Kuwait and Sharjah. The existing Kuwait agreement
nas actually lapsed, but the Shaikh has agreed that it should
be regarded as remaining in force unofficially until a new
agreement can be negotiated. He has been approached by Trans
worlo. Air Lines for permission for their service from Cairo
to Bombay to call at Kuweit instead of Basra, but has not
commited himself. He is very anxious for improved air ccmmu-
B.A.B. Burrows, Esq.,
-/nications with
- w j x_j o M • j
Foreign Office, LONDON.