"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٢‎٥‎٥] (١٧٨٢/٣٩٨)

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be obviously, and apart even from'reasons of finance, it would be {sic) voi r
desirable that they should be under one and the same superintendence.
6tl).—-Which might become a colony, or rather the inoculation, with an atom of
civilized life, m the body of barbarism along the Arab coast, tending to expel
that diseased barbarism by the wholesome, healthful and slow, but natural,
means of introduced civilization. I think you would find such means more'
permanent, and in the long run more successful, both towards suppressing
piracy and slavery, than you will even find ships of war or menaces, etc., and
visits of state from your Resident.
7th. Which shall be as secure as practicable from political difficulties.
Sth. Which may afford us an indisputable title to the ground we occupy,
9th.—Which may be sufficiently healthy, possess good water, and means of supply.
10th.—Which may afford calm and sufficient anchorage.
Uth.—Which, in the event of war, should ,show us with :the key of the Gulf in
our hands.
My opinion is, that|some point near Cape Mussnndoom, under the Sultanate of our ally
of Muscat, is the spot which all considerations 4 indicate as that which should be our port,
our political Residence, our Central Telegraph station, our main Gulf Coal Depot, our
anti-slavery station, and onrjfulcrum of general influence over the Gulf, over the Pirate
Coast, over Western Mekran, and over the Muscat coast, climate being sufficiently
favourable.
Lieutenant Stiffe, I.N., just arrived at Bushire, assures me that such a point is find-
able just west of Mussundoom ; that a few weeks ago, when on telegraphic duty, he
visited a headland called, I think, Ras Sheikh, which slopes up in tongue-like shape to
the height of 1,000 feet, with good water and some cultivable ground at its base, with
ample and land-locked anchorage, leading to a narrow neck of land some 400 yards wide,
on the other side of which is a second inlet looking east of Mussundoom.
I consider such a position, if sufficiently healthy, would be the best possible for your
Gulf and Muscat Residency, and the Political business of both might thenca be more
efficiently managed than either can be separately from Bushire and Muscat. At all
events, in the present conjuncture of your Persian Gulf affairs, it would be well, I think,
for Government to go to some little trouble and expense to test accurately the climates
around Cape Mussundoom during the approaching hot season. And I am sure I am
ready to aid personally in the experiment.
Finally, if the plan now pointed afc be adopted, I should consider we did not lose
much at Bushire, commercially, and when the Gulf and Tigris line shall be fully deve
loped Bushire should not drain much trade beyond the arrondissement of Shiraz,
Politically, it forms part of the charge of Her Majesty's Mission at Tehran, and I do
not think that,Government in the least gains much by having the Residency in the
town of Bushire, where there is little of real importance to transact, and where sub
ordinates gossip and have likings and dislikings, and these come to injure the Govern
ment business in the long run.
The Residency at Bushire might be sold or disposed of, as Government please. All
that would be lost would be some little personal conveniences to the Resident and his
establishment, and the possibility of retreat to the neighbouring hills.
The immediate gains are, I think, obvious on reading the scheme, map in hand
What the future gains might be would become manifest should a crisis ever occur in our
Red Sea line of communications.