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22. Our inspection of the various sub-areas composing what we have
described as the British sphere, has now brought us to the Persian Gulf—a
subject which—no doubt from its more exclusively Indian aspect and bearing—
has only been lightly touched upon by Sir M. Durand, but upon which it is
necessary that we should address Your Lordship at greater length.
23. The de jure position in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. is that of a sea open to the flag
of all nations, the northern shores and territorial waters of which are included
in the dominions of Persia, wdiile its western and southern coasts are partially
owned and partially claimed by Turkey, or arc in the occupation of Arab tiibcs,
who have entered into treaty relationships of varying character, constituting a
sort of veiled Protectorate, with Great Britain. The islands in the Gulf are
owned either by Persia, or by Arab Chiefs (in the case of Bahrein under British
protection ; but upon one of the Persian Islands, viz., Kishm, Great Britain pos
sesses a piece of land by virtue of an original grant from the Imam of Maskat,
to whom the island once belonged. Outside the entrance to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
but included in the same political system, are, on the northern shore of the
Arabian Sea, the coasts of Persian Baluchistan, along which the overland wires
of the Indo-European Telegraph Company run as far as Jask, where a reserve of
English territory exists under an agreement concluded in 1887 between the
British and Persian Governments, and where a detachment of Indian troops,
wdio had previously been stationed there between the years 1879 and 1887, was
replaced in January 1898 in consequence of the murder of a British telegraph
official and the disturbed state of Persian Baluchistan. A larger detachment
was at the same time despatched to Charbar, near the eastern limits of the
same province. On the southern and western coasts is the still independent
kingdom or Sultanate of Oman (Maskat).
24. The de facto position upon the waters and on the shores of the Persian
Gulf reflects a more positive British predominance than the preceding paragraph
might indicate. In the early years of the present century, the slave trade was
rampant in the Gulf, and the vessels of the Indian Marine uere engaged
in a long and arduous struggle with the Arab pirates who infested its southern
coasts. This conflict which was conducted entirely by British agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. and
means, without any help from the Persian Government, resulted in the establish
ment of treaty relations with the great majority of the Arab Chiefs, under
which they bound themselves to observe perpetual peace and to refer all
disputes to the British Resident at Bushire. The pax Britamnica, which has
ever since, with rare exceptions, been maintained, is the issue of these arrange
ments and is the exclusive work of this country. Of similar origin were the
soundings Measurements of the depth of a body of water. of the channels and the surveys of the shores of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
which the navigators of all nations owe to the labours of a long line of naval
officers of the Indian service. Meanwhile, British trade has acquired almost a
monopoly of the foreign commerce of the Gulf ports. Indian Bunias from
Shikarpur and other parts of Sind have settled in considerable numbers at
Lingah, Bunder Abbas, Bushire and Bahrein. They frequently farm the
customs. The foreign imports and exports pass through their hands. These are
for the most part conveyed to and from the Gulf in British ships, more than one
Anglo-Indian Company (the ‘ British India ’, the ‘ Bombay and Persia’, and the
‘ Anglo-Arabian and Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ’) having maintained for years a merchant
steamer service between Karachi and Basrah, touching at the Gulf ports on the
way, wdiilst the rival ventures that have occasionally been attempted by foreign
nations have uniformly failed and have been withdrawn.
25. As the result of careful calculations of the trade returns of the three
years, 1895-96-97, which are the latest at our disposal, w r e have ascertained that
the total value of Imports and Exports in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (including the
Persian ports of Bunder Abbas, Lingah, Bushire, and Mohammerah; the Arab
ports on the opposite coast; and Bahrein) in that triennial period amounted to
£17,241,300 (at the rate of Rs. 15=£1). Of this total, Local trade accounted
for £5,124,000, and External trade for £12,117,300; while of the latter total
the trade with British possessions (including India) amounted to £9,709,500,