"تقارير إدارية ١٩٠٥-١٩١٠" [ظ‎‎١‎٤‎٤] (٦١٦/٢٩٣)

00 'administration report of the persian gulf political residency]
An estimate given to the Political Airent by a knowledgeable Babraini of
the total outturn of dates in the three districts is as follows:—
Hasa 2,000,000 tons, Katif 533,000 tons and Bahrain 234,000. Bahrain
as the Trade Returns show^ is never able to produce the quantity of dates
required for its own consumption.
P ublic H ealth.
The islands of Bahrain were very healthy except for the period, 19th April
to 4th July, when a severe outbreak of plague raged visiting almost every town
village and hamlet.
It is estimated that 3,121 seizures occurred from this disease with 1 889
deaths. The latter included 16 Hindus, 2 Bobras, 2 Jews and about 200
Persians; 2 Mubammadan sepoys of the Agency Infantry Guard succumbed as
well as 1 refugee slave who was sheltering in the Agency.
Several of the Political Agent's servants recovered from slight attacks*
Casualties also occurred amongst the servants of all other Europeans in the
place (Messrs. Gray Paul & Co., Messrs. E. Wonckhaus & Co. and the
American Mission).
When the disease first appeared the Mission Hospital had a few doses of
anti-plague serum, with which the Europeans and a few domestics were
promptly inoculated ; and after an unfortunate and rather unaccountable delav
an additional stock was received in the Agency dispensary from the Parel
Laboratory. Altogether, 137 persons were inoculated by Dr. Thorns of the
Mission, and 155 by Assistant Surgeon Monani of the Victoria Memorial
Hospital, attached to the Agency. A fair number of the more intelligent and
educated members of the commercial community, who were personally known
to the Political Agent, allowed themselves to be thus protected without any
untoward results, as did also two sons of the Chief, and if a bigger stock of
serum had been available when the epidemic was at its height, with seventy
deaths a day, no doubt a much larger number of people would have submitted
to the operation. The poorer classes resorted generally to flighty there being
scarcely a Persian cooly left in the town of Manama during the hot weather
and autumn of 1907, while the Shia Baharanis went over to Katif in consider
able numbers at the same time. The cause of the outbreak has unfortunately
remained in obscurity, as no steamer can be charged with having imported the
infection from India. There is some reason for suspecting that the germs may
have now ineradicably lodged in the islands themselves, and that the alternate
years during which we are free from outbreaks may be due to the small
number of rats which survive each epidemic.
As the years 1904,1906 and 1908 have been healthy years, the advent of
the spring of 1909 is being awaited with considerable anxiety, and it is prob
able that many Hindus will absent themselves from the islands during the
period of danger.
The health of the mainland districts seems to have been good throughout
the year.
B ahrain.
Political.—"Ihe relations of the Political Agent with the Chief and his
family have been cordial throughoufcxthe year, though the magisterial and judicial
officials of Manama and Muharraq (Bazar Masters and Kazis) who come in con
tact with foreigners enjoying British protection, continue to require constant and
strict supervision to restrain them from indulging in petty acts of tyranny and
undue interference. It is satisfactory to report that in all cases of this nature
brought to the notice of Sheikh Esa the promptest satisfaction, as demanded,
has been accorded.
A typical example of the lax method of governing the local tribes in vogue
with the Sheikh occurred in June 1907, when the crews of two pearling boats,
one manned by A1 bu Ealasa tribesmen, resident in Hadd, and the other by
Dowasir of Budaiya', came into conflict over the question of priority in the
matter of watering from the fresh-water spring on the Khor Easht reef, north
west of Manama Harbour, with the result that one man on each side was shot