File 1855/1904 Pt 9 'Koweit:- Relations with Turkey. Sheikhs claim to Bubiyan, Warba & Umkasr' [‎224r] (49/228)

[Confidential,]
No. 2119, dated Bushire, the 7th (received 20th) July 1908.
From—CAPTAiN A. P. Trevor, I. A., First Assistant Resident, in charge current
duties,
To—S. H. Butler, Esq,, C.I.E., Secretary to the Government of India in the
Foreign Department, Simla.
With reference to the correspondence ending with this office letter No. aoao,
dated the 30th June 1908, regarding the rights of the Sheikhs of Koweit over the
islands of Warba and Bubiyan and their neighbourhood, I have the honour to
No. 347, dated the 29 th June .908. forward for the information of the Govern.
ment of India, the marginally-noted letter
from the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Koweit.
No. 347, dated Koweit, the 29th June 1908.
From— MAJOR S. G. Knox, I.A., Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Koweit,
To— MAJOR P. Z. Cox, C.I.E., 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. , Bushire.
In continuation of my confidential letter No. 295, dated the 9th June 1908,
on the subject of the ownership of Warba island, I have the honour to forward,
herewith, copies, with translations, of the correspondence that has lately passed*
between myself and Sheikh Mubarak on this subject, in -which Sheikh Mubarak
shows that he no longer attaches importance to the question, while we neglect,
as he imagines, his interests at Fao.
2. From later enquiries as to Ahmed bin Rizq who is alleged to have dug
the wells and built a fort at Umm Gasar, I find that such evidence as I have been
able to obtain will make it extremely difficult to prove the man in question to be
anything but a Turkish subject. He appears to have been a native of Nejd and
to have led a wandering life, eventually retiring from business as a pearl merchant
to Girdilan close to Basrah. Another Ahmed bin Rizq, deceased, has a grandson
living, also named Ahmed, a fellah Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour. of Sheikh Mubarak’s at Fao but who served
in the Turkish army. It is not an easy matter to get certain evidence on these
points but should further definte information be obtained by me, it will at once be
forwarded and no effort will be spared to procure it.
Translation of letter No. dated 2yd June lgo8, from Major Knox, Political
Agent, Koweit, to Sheikh Mubarak-us-Subah, ruler of Koweit.
After Compliments. —Formerly we asked your honour that you should send
to us two or three papers of the proofs that were with ths Awazim who have
fishing rights in Bubiyan ; likewise, the statement of the evidence of the
Adsani and you promised mein your letter dated 14th Jamadi-ul-Awwal= 14th
June 1908, that you would send them to us and up till now we see nothing.
Please God that you will send them to us, for I have sent to the Government the
information which I have obtained in that affair and have promised them that
I would complete it!with the evidence of the Adsani aforesaid. Usual ending.
(Reply.)
Translation of a letter from Sheikh Mubarak-us-Subah, ruler of Koweit, dated
the 25th Jamadi-ul-Awwal, to Major Knox, Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Koweit.
After Compliments. —I received your letter dated the 24th Jamadi-uI-Awwal
1326-H., and what you have mentioned was made known. We have asked
’Ubaid-al-Gharaba.
There are no papers with them according to the statement of ’Ubaid-aU
Gharaba but their enjoyment of hundreds of years suffices and the Kazi, at the