"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٢‎٨‎٤] (١٧٨٢/٤٢٧)

284
Salutes and
flags, 1879-
1882.
service in the Persian Gulf were inefiicient. Thus in July 1883, when a
British vessel was wrecked in the south coast of Arabia and it was desired
to send a ship of war to her assistance, neither of the two vessels then in
the Persian Gulf could be despatched on this duty because both were in
capable of steaming against the south-west monsoon.
In 1879 the naval regodations in regard to the firing of salutes by
vessels in the Persian Gulf were changed ; this was in consequence, partly,
of a general international reduction of saluting which had taken place on
the introduction of rifled artillery, and partly of a want of uniformity in
practice which had prevailed in the Persian Gulf. About the same time
the question of the flying of flags by political officers when cruising on
board men-of-war was also brought under discussion. It seems to have
been decided in the first instance, after consideration by the departments
concerned, that naval salutes in honour of British political officers and of
native rulers or authorities should be practically abolished, but that the
flying of the Viceroy of Indians flag by political officers holding res
ponsible positions should be permitted to continue. The East India sta
tion standing orders of 1882 show, however, that the general restrictions
on saluting were ultimately relaxed in favour of certain native chiefs in
the Persian Gulf.
In 1883 the Shales scheme for the creation of a Persian navy was
revived, after having been dormant for many years, and a beginning was
made by ordering two small vessels from Germany.
Maritime security in the Persian Gulf, 1880-84.
Piracies off
the coast of
Hasa.
Disorder at sea in the neighbourhood of the Hasa coast, which had
become a serious problem during the last period, was unabated: and it was
clear that no co-operation in repressing it was to be looked for by the
British on the part of the Turkish authorities. One of the latter, the
Wi ali of Baghdad, whose seat was distant hundreds of miles from the (lis*
turbed waters, finally took refuge in a denial of the fact that piracy existed.
An effort was then made to secure the adherence of the Porte to arrange
ments under which action by British vessels in Turkish territorial waters
would be regularised ; but the negotiations were barren of result, finally
in 1881 the British Government, finding no alternative, absolved their naval
commanders in the Persian Gulf from the obligation of respecting the
three mile limit upon the Turkish coast in their operations for the suppression