File 1749/1921 ‘Persian Gulf:- Residency news summaries 1921-25’ [‎172v] (359/494)

Rams—In December last the two brothers Muhammad and Salim, after they
had been 4 months in detention, escaped from Shargah and got back to Rams
(vide Summary for the month of August 1921). There they appear to have applied
to Shaikh Saleh of Dibba who gave them some Shihuh tribesmen and they seized
Rams, the Shaikh of Ras-el-Khaimeh having in accordance with the terms of the
truce only a few men there, and desultory fighting had been going on ever since.
On the 20th February 1922 the Resident in R. I. M. S. <c Lawrence ” accom
panied by H. M. S. “ Cyclamen ” visited Ras-el-Khaimeh with a view to trying to
make some arrangement. It was found that the two brothers and the Shihuh
occupied the whole village and that nd one from Ras-el-Khaimeh could land at
Rams. It was therefore arranged that H. M. S. £t Cyclamen ” should proceed to
Bakhah and try and get Shaikh Ahmed to act as intermediary. This he agreed
to do, and he was landed at Rams on the afternoon of the 21st. Lhfortunately
a very stiff shamal got up almost immediately afterwards, and both ships were
forced to leave the coast. The Resident not being able to afford the time to delay
on the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. was forced to return to Bushire leaving the negotiations in the
hands of Commander Brandon of H. M. S. “ Cyclamen. ’ The latter returned to
Rams on the 25th February, and after numerous and lengthy conferences both
separately and collectively with the two brothers, Muhammad and Salim, the Shaikh
of Shargah and the Shaikh of Ras-el-Khaimeh a satisfactory settlement was reached.
The terms accepted by either side were then put in writing by the 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. Agent
and signed in the presence of the Commander. The main points were that Muham
mad was recognized as Wali of Rams provided that he agreed to sever all connection
with the Shihuh, Muhammad swore allegiance to the Shaikh of Ras-el-Khaimeh and
agreed to pay Rs. 1,000 annually to Shaikh Sultan, Shaikh Sultan to erect a fort
commanding Rams creek, cost of erection and upkeep being borne by Shaikh Sultan.
An undertaking was given that all prisoners taken during the fighting were to be
returned. Finally, Shaikh Ahmed undertook to restrain his own Shihuh and use his
influence with the others in favour of peace. Shaikh Ahmed then left with Salim
for Rams to clear out the Shihuh, and make the settlement known amongst the
tribe. Muhammad landed at Ras-el-Khaimeh with the Shaikh. Next news was
received by H. M. S. “ Cyclamenthat everything had gone peacefully, and that
Shaikh Sultan had been given a good reception by the people of Rams.
The most obvious disadvantage of this agreement is that Shaikh Saleh of Dibba
could not be brought into it, but Shaikh Ahmed promised to inform him of the
agreement and urge him to respect it. H. M. S. “ Cyclamen ” will also visit Dibba
shortly and try and get his adherence more formally if possible. Shaikh Ahmed
of Bakhah throughout these negotiations has rendered most valuable assistance.
Bahrain.
On the night of the 8th February a representative from the Bahraini population
came to the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. and stated that one of their number had been arrested and
dragged backwards, tied to a donkey from his village some miles out, to Manameh.
He states that several thousands of his community had collected in Manameh and
intended to come to the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. the following day to demand British protection.
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. in the course of a long conversation which lasted till past mid
night was able to convince him that such a course was unwise and unreasonable
and that if they had any justifiable complaints, it was their course to lay them before
the Bahrain Government in an orderly manner.
He then asked whether they would be supported in such demands, to which it
was replied that it was purely a matter for themselves and the Bahrain Government.
He was asked to warn his community of the risks they would run and the undesirabi
lity of taking any action which might lead to disturbances. 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.
the following day prevailed on one or two gentlemen of influence to use their powers
to quiet the Bahrainis as much as possible. On the 9th morning all was quiet, but
on the evening of the 9th the Shaikhs foolishly sent the arrested individual under
guard to Manameh and were making enquiries from which it appeared that they
were going to persecute the individual on a frivolous charge. The Bahrainis rose
and released the man by force; beating the Fidawi in charge. They then shut all
their shops by way of protest and appeared to be adopting a menacing attitude.