"ملف ٣٤/٣ مصائد اللؤلؤ في الخليج العربي" [و‎‎٣‎١] (٧٨/٦١)

No. 4636, dated Bombay Castle, tbe 7th June 1912.
Prom—C. A. Kincaid, Esq., C.V.O., Secretary to the Government of Bombay,
Political Department,
To—-The Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department,
In continuation of my telegram, dated the 9th May 1912, I am directed
to forward, for disposal by the Government of India, a letter from Muhammad
bin Adul Wahab, Mishari, dated the 28th May 1912, relative to certain pearl
fishing operations which he desires to undertake at Lingah.
Dated Bombay, the 28th May 1912.
From— Muhammamd bin Abdul Wahab, Mishari,
To—The Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Political Department.
I beg to lay before you the following representation with the hope that it
will meet with your kind consideration. As we know the Persian Gulf and
the Oman Seas are open to all for pearl fishing, I have sent to my friend
Mr. Abdul Mohsin, Mishari, at Lingah on the ICith April from here, 2 divers, 2
linesmen, 2 pipemen and a cook with some divers’ apparatus such as are used
by divers in Australia and Rangoon and other parts. These men have given
us a written agreement that they would do the work of diving, etc., on our
account. On the 25th instant I received a letter from Mr. Abdul Mohsin,
Mishari, saying that he had made all preparations for starting work, but in the
meanwhile His Majesty’s British Consul at Lingah sent for Mr. Abdul Mohsin,
Mishari, and told him that he would not be allowed to fish for pearls, saying that
the rulers of the Oman and Persian Gulf Seas did not give permission to do so.
Thereupon Mr. Mishari requested the British Consul to permit him to fish at
Bahrain or Katar, to which the Consul was pleased to say that there was much
risk to life in these places at the hands of the native inhabitants who would
attack and kill our Indian subjects. Mr. Abdul Mohsin, Mishari, then said to
His Majesty’s British Consul that he did not think that the Governors of the
Oman and the Persian Gulf Seas would raise any objection to our fishing in
these seas and he did not know whether the British Consul had instructions to
prohibit our fishing. He therefore requested the Consul to write to him officially
in the matter. The British Consul declined to give any reply, saying that he
would only give a verbal reply and added that if he went for pearl fishing in
these seas and if anything went wrong both he and the gentleman that sent him
the divers’ apparatus would be held responsible.
Under the circumstances I beg to place the matter in your hands and to
request you to give necessary instructions to the British Consul at Lingah to
allow Mr. Abdul Mohsin to start the work of pearl fishing. In case we are not
to be given permission to fish for pearls, I beg you will be kind enough to let us
know so that I may call the men back. We have already incurred heavy
expenses up to now. We went in for all these expenses as we knew that the
Persian Gulf seas were quite open to all for pearl fishing. If we had known
that we would not be allowed to fish we would never have sent any men at such
a great expense.
I therefore, once more, beg you would be pleased to take necessary action
in the matter.