"ملف رقم II/٩ مذكرات معلومات من إدارة الخارجية بخصوص شؤون الخليج الفارسي ومسقط والساحل العربي من الخليج الفارسي. نوفمبر "٠٧ - ديسمبر "٠٨" [ظ‎‎٢‎٦] (١٣٢/٥٤)

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and the agreement, nnder which he personally
took a commercial share in the undertaking,
was for so long as the mines were workable and
in lease, and nothing limited his right as
Sheikh to cancel the lease at will.
The Sheikh’s reasons for cancelling the
lease were good. In the first place, the grant
of a monopoly to a foreigner was not contem
plated in the lease ; the Sheikh had received a
general warning from the Political Resident
not to grant trade monopolies without consult
ing him, and a special warning was given
in December 1904) by the Residency Agent
at Shargah, against dealing with Messrs.
Wonckhaus without reference to the Resident.
Secondly, the monopoly had been given
by Hassan Samaiyeh without the consent of
Esa-bin-Abdul Latif, a partner, who accord
ingly complained to the Sheikh of being
ignored. The Germans claimed that Esa had
really known and approved of the grant of the
contract; but this was not borne out by the
documents forwarded. On the 1st June 1906,
a deed of contract between Ilassan Samaiyeh
and the German firm was executed. Under
this deed a monopoly of purchase for four
years was given to the German firm, and a
preference for a new contract on the expiry
of the old one. Hassan, in reporting the
agreement on the 11th June 1906 to Esa’s
father, Abdul Latif, Residency Agent, Shargah,
concealed the existence of a monopoly and
preferential right to renew. It was significant
that this letter had been omitted from the
German case. In replying on the 14th June,
Abdul Lath requested Hassan to refrain from
making leases or deeds of contract with the
German.
On 26th June, Mr. Malcolm, who bad en
gagements with the concessionaires, asked
Hassan for a copy of the agreement, and en
quired whether similar contracts could be
entered into with oilier European firms. In
replying on the 13th July, Hassan evaded both
points; and in a letter, dated the 14th October
1906, to Mr. Malcolm, he refused to send a
copy of the agreement, and said that the
German had directed that the transaction should
be kept secret. He was finally persuaded to
give a copy to the Residency Agent, Lingah,
at the end of October 1906; but it w as not
till the 16th December 1906 that he sent a
copy to Abdul Latif. On receipt of this docu
ment Abdul Latif wrote on the* 23rd January
1907, saying that his son, Esa, did not agree
to the contract and desired its nullification;
and on the 20th February Esa himself wrote
to Sheikh Sagar asking for the cancellation of
the contract. In a letter to Abdul Latif,
dated the 8th March 1907, Hassan asserted that
he had communicated details of the agreement
to Abdul Latif at the time of its execution,