File 522/1922 Pt 3 'Bahrein: Persian claim to sovereignty' [‎469v] (946/1291)

2 . The ex-Sheikh Isa, still nominally sheikh, appealed to th» \r
his deposition, and through his solicitors despatched a caveat to rm VlC€ro y against
that he was not bound by the acts of his sons P An appeal to ttua ™^^"?
by Persia forwarding an appeal by Sheikh Isa or one of his * ^ atl0Ils
of the Persian protest in 1809 would, I think place uh in a diffinnli .° n the lines
I do not consider this a very likely event now owinV to our h! L P ° Sl 10n - ^
Sheikh Isa, it does not seem to be Lund politics to“fave so importsnt latl0DS Wlth
chance; there are many other combinations to consider, suchLs Sheikh*^ ^
himself changing his view with regard to us; interference by Ibn Saudw^®^
religious appeal; indeed, any of the possible derangements which can ol i^
matters depend upon the personal element alone. CCUr w ^ ere
3. In studying the question of the development of our position in Pok •
its present condition many other matters arise, such as the still existing daiT l f
Persia, and m the past those of Muscat, the Wahabis, the Egyptians ind D th! T ?
all of which afiect the validity of the Persian demands. d “ T ks ’
oidei to prevent one despatch being too unwieldv 1 havp fnnnri ii
to divide the subject into two despatches, the first dealing with the subjects mentioned
in the above paragraph, t.e., the international aspect, the second dealing witli
facts which led to our taking so intimate a part in the internal administration of £
islands and with the degree to which that interference has now reached
ine first despatch is bound to be a long one. When I that th^ * *
1859 SgLTsO^lSSea^dlSL 0 '! 18 ! 7 ^ 1783 ; 180 , 3 ’ 1811 ’ 18 ^ 0 ’ 1822 > 1838 ^
occur it will be it i ’ W ® many °, th , er dates of almost e q ual important*
kent iin whiebe Vi^r peri ? <1 ' s . co vered during which constant activity was
incident which T nZ b P ° Sed ° f t feW P ^ es ' and of which activity every
to be formed h 1 q ^ 30 lmportant bea^ng on the decisions and the opinions
last PM ™t hlS p eSpatch i’ the r,’ l w ? n deal with the histor y of the sheikhdom for the
Gulf and th»%. , 0Wln g how Bahrein became involved in our policy in the Persian
*he aCtS Wh , lch Persla bases its claim to the island, a claim which
of jurisdiction to P th^ d place U . 8h ^ 18 8 Century and a half si,lce she has had an f i 0 ™
Ia actuallt y both the Wahabis and the Sultan of Muscat have had far more
dirdnmo t in SS1( ^? • e ls . ar !^ 8 ’ an< ^ Ihe claim of Persia has been kept alive by purely
whirh tho cu ^ ltl0 ] ls ^c^^nts which have occurred through the difficulties in
indpnpnrLvn 61 • ^, a h re i n have found themselves, either in preserving their
TVio i. C - e ’ ° r mee . tm g activities of rival pretenders to the sheikhdom.
pnmmiff£» C °t ersia n °f intrinsically stand the test of examination by a
committee of the League of Nations.
whip^ v € P ur P ose us it is necessary to go back to the year 1782, at
npp • i •, • a 1 was unquestionably in possession of the Persians, who had first
urmi^pnfi 1 In j h^ey expelled the Portuguese. How long they held it has
hv^-v.o n ^ f ^ eterm ined. but in 1718 the islands were taken for a short time
pnntr n v .uate. In the middle of the 18th century the Howalah Arabs
tl p ;i archi Pelago, but in 1753 the Persians definitely occupied
^ -i f an p‘ s ;, .^ey were once for all driven out by the Arabs, led by the
sheikhs of the Etab tribe, who still hold Bahrein to-day.
" . len i 1 ^ 18 S f lf ^ a ^ an y tinie that the Persians held the Bahrein Islands, the
. piession needs explanation. Until as recently as 1854 Bushire, from whence the
came, was held by an Arab sheikh under Persian sovereignty, and to this
wk 16 ^ rs . 1 1 an ls ^ an ^ s .°f the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. are occupied by Arabs and Arab sheikhs,
o are similarly Persian subjects. These are the men who supplied thd ships and
tiie crews which acted for the Persians in Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. history, the Persians have
never been seamen.
tUo ^'a Thu Ai. n h^’.llaiirein was held by the Arab Sheikh Nasir of Bushire, under
ic orders of the Persian Government, then settled at Shiraz. The garrison when
attacked by the Arabs from the southern mainland, was commanded by Sheikh
Vf 011 ’ aad after a sie g e of two months’ duration, the latter capitulated on the
tt 11 tae g a y ri son were permitted to return to Bushire. ,
TTfoKW I 1 u ef0rW c ard ’ ^ archl Pelago was ruled by the A1 Khalifeh section of the
w^r.i nb f’ n f f Ct whl ? h ^ ave umbra ge to the Jatahmieh section of the tribe, who
w kjy ^ Q atar oa tbe mainland, whence the Utah had come, and who, for f
years to follow supplied claimants or joined in with other claimants for the attacks
on the ruling sheikhs.