'File No. II/9 Foreign Dept Memoranda of Information re. affairs in Persian Gulf, Maskat & Arabian Shore of the Persian Gulf. Nov '07 - Dec '08.' [‎47v] (96/132)

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Cox suggested, he ascertained by His Majesty’s
Government in London, the simplest way
being for the firm to take such a percentage
on the sale price of the oxide delivered on
board, as would cover their working expenses
and give them a reasonable margin of profit.
As regards the claims of Esa-bin-Abdul Latif
and Nejef-bin-Ali against Hassan Samaiyeh,
Major Cox’ primary object in advising
that they should enter suits against Hassan
was to obtain possession of Hassan’s account
books before they were manipulated. Eut
before the reply of Government on that
point was received, Mr. Brown had returned to
Lingah and commenced sedulously preparing
the accounts. Esa-bimAbdul Latif, an un
sophisticated person, was not capable of: going
to Bushire and prosecuting the suit against
Hassan who would be strongly supported and
advised by Mr. Brown, and besides he was
unable to afford to employ the expensive
services of a Barrister from Bombay. As it
would weaken our position to allow the parties
to institute the suits and fail ignominiously,
Major Cox was inclined to think that it
would be wiser to defer suing Hassan until
after the present dispute was disposed of.
Esa and Nejef might ask Hassan in a friendly
way to give them a statement of the accounts,
and then if they were not satisfied with them
they could move the Consulate again. On the
7th July, the Secretary of State for India
enquired, at the instance of the Foreign
Office, for the information of the German
Embassy, whether the local representative of
Messrs. Wonckhaus had already been informed
by Major Cox that all oxide mined might
be exported and whether the German Consul
at Bushire had also been similarly informed.
A reply in the affirmative was sent to the
Secretary of State on the 13th July. On the
23rd July, the Secretary of State was informed
by despatch that the Government of India
proposed to inform Major Cox in reply to his
letter of the 8th June, a copy of which was
forwarded for the consideration of His Majesty’s
Government—
(i) that the arrangement which he sug
gested for the renewal of mining operations
after the hot weather was approved;
(ii) that negotiations with Messrs. Strick
or other firms for the undertaking of a contract
for the management of the mining and sales
on behalf of the Sheikh of Shargah must be
postponed until the questions at issue between
the British and German Governments had
been settled;
(iii) that in the circumstances now
explained, it would be desirable to defer for