File 522/1922 Pt 4 'Persian Gulf: Bahrein: Internal' [‎180v] (365/616)

proved to be entirely retrograding and his actions show that he is altogether
ignorant of the British Policy towards the Arabs. We bore patiently his going
astray beyond the lawful barriers and preferred not troubUg you with the matter
and hoped that he himself would see his way to what is right. But it was in
vain for he continued persistently his policy injurious and caluminous for Britain, f
and lastly five months ago he and Col. Knox who harbours old malice towards
Bahrein and its Government in a spirit far from veracity and uproots the pillars
of our confidence and that of the people in His Majesty’s government if we did
not know that she won’t allow them both to continue this interference.
Thus we could no longer connive at things and pacify the spirit of
the tribes and promised them that we would inform you the details of what has
passed which we state as follows :—
The actions perpetrated by Major Daly are :—Formation of Police of
strangers and handing over of the offices of the Municipality to an alien in an
Arabian country. We rose and protested and sent petitions after petitions toSaikh
Isa which petitions (Major Daly) he presented to him and we received no reply
to our protest. In the month of Ramzan there occurred a small quarrel between
an alien and an Najdi. The Police Officer and the Municipal Officer were influ
enced with their communal prejudice and ordered the aliens to fire. The duty
of police is to set apart the quarrelling parties and to set up an inquiry. But
the communal prejudice prevailed and the police instead of doing their duty
undetook transforming a small quarrel into a bloody revolt and this proved
what we had expected and had told Shaikh Isa too. Three days after this
Col. Knox arrived in the British Man-of-war and we expected good from
him and reversion from the injurious diplomacy. But he simply amazed us by
his demanding from Saikh abdication of his throne. That was a strange matter.
Is this the result of the friendliness of Britain ? So we did not agree as well
as our Shaikh Isa won’t. Then we assembled and resolved but the Colonel and
the Major ignored our existence altogether and began to threaten us with
punishment and the man-of-'war started throwing on our country search light at
night warning us of danger should we not agree to this disgrace of ours, and within
two days got over Shaikh Hamad by frightening and threatening him that he
should administer the Government instead of his father and wrote to Shaikh Isa
his deposition. Then the Major went to the Customs House, took possession
of its revenue and deposited them in an alien Bank and then he encroached
upon the Native Courts of law, did away with them and started only one Court
where should be submitted all complaints and petitions irrespective of
being long causes or criminal or summary suits and put himself with Shaikh
Hamad in this Court thereby did away with the Native Government. He did
all this without even taking us into consideration as if we were not from tins