"ملف 19/175 البحرين - تجارة اللؤلؤ" [و‎‎٣‎٤] (٨٣/٦٦)

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^.nc 1 I had asked the '-dviser to send as many of the Indian Police
over there as could be spared, together with Ca tain Parke,
so that if any disorders as occurred three years ago should
happen it would be possible to nip them in the bud. The
foreign divers number in all several thousand men, many of them
being little better than savages, particularly the Omanis and
Fuscatis.
4. There was a considerable amount of excitement
in a nam on the I5th, end 3ani as am Jews did their best to
create a panic by closing their shops and hustling their gear
aw: y to their houses. A deputation of Jews came round to see
me in great alarm, and I told them that there was no cause for
u-
■ T h e kept wel 1 in touch with the situation and as far
as I could see there was no jus^tlicatior^any aixiai. excitement,
out the incident shows what t]$ results of mass suggestion in
a small place can be.
5. Since nothing had occurred by the I7th I hoped
that the divers had made up their minds to take what they were
given, but with complete unanimity they forged an entirely new
v /eapon; none of then would go out , ; m dive at all. The
Shaikh sent for Belgrave and talked so foolishly that I thought
it better to take a hand and I asked higi to come and see me.
T T e came in on the 20th, and Abdullah and Salman were also pre-
, *
sent. He talked very foolishly about the poor divers and
the necessity of being generous to them. I told him that he
was directly responsible for this years troubles by his unneces
sary weakness last year, and asked him if he was going to pay
the divers since the merchants had no money. He was, I regret
a state of obstinate funk, and could not be brought
to see that if the Government again altered their proclamation
f-s soon as it was put up, simply because divers refused tto
. o out, they were storing up trouble for the future.
6. brullah, ho lives in ah: ra - , was _ ■rehensive
about the swarms of v/ild men who were hanging round it, and
therevwere only two courses open to us. One was for me to