"دليل الخليج. الجزء الأول. المواد التاريخية والسياسية. ملخص عن شؤون قطر، ١٨٧٣-١٩٠٤." [ظ‎‎١‎٤] (٩٢/٢٨)

18
but promised to forward them when found. It seemed to Colonel Ross probable
that the Sheikh of Odeid, feariag aa attack from Abuthabi, might have
had recourse to the Turkish authorities, and that the letters referred to by the
Chief of Abuthabi might have been the result.
62. The Government of India approved Colonel Ross' proceedings, and
decided to await a further report in regard to the written . of Protec
tion alleged to have been made by the Turks to the Sheikh of Odeid.
63. On 20th March 1875, Colonel Ross recurred to the subject of these
letters to the Chief of Abuthabi. Zaid
Political a ., May 1876, No. 844. declared that he could not find the letters ;
their purport, however, was that be should abstain from interference with
Odeid. Colonel Ross also sent translations of letters which had^ passed between
the Sheikh of Odeid and himself, on the subject of the Sheikh s apprehensions
of being attacked by Abuthabi. It appeared that the Sheikh possessed both a
Turkish flag and the Arab Trucial flag.
History of Odoid 1870—1878. and that he used the one or the other as
occasion required.
6i. In 1873-77, various piracies were perpetrated from Odeid territory.
To Secretary of .tate. No. 78 p., dated loth Maj and the tribe of Boni Hajir were at first
1877, (political a , may 1877, no. soi}. supposed to have been the offenders. In
the course of inquiring into these outrages, it was ascertained by Captain
Guthrie, of the May JPrere, that the Sheikh of Odeid paid an annual tribute to
the amount of 40 or 50 dollars to the Turks through the chief of El Bidaa.
Nevertheless, during the whole of Captain Guthrie's visit the Sheikh continued
to fly the Arab Trucial flag and not the Turkish flag. Two or three years pre
viously four Turks had come to Odeid by steamer and settled terms, but had
never remained there any time.
65. Subsequently, it appeared that the piracies under investigation had
been perpetrated by the Al Morra, and not by the Beni Haiir ; that the Sheikh
of Odeid was not implicated, but that he was too weak to prevent his ports being
made use of. Captain Prideaux, who was then acting as Resident in Colonel
Ross' absence, wrote :—
,f Althouffli the previous accounts of these outrages were exagorerated, there is sufficient
evidence to show that since the relaxation of British vigilance upon the Guttur (El-Katarj coast,
consequent on the assumption of authority in that quarter by the Porte, the wild and lawless
tribes of the mainland have more frequent opportunities than formerly of indulging their pira
tical propensities. I do not tbink the Chief of Odeid can justly be held accountable for these
specific acts of violence ; but it is quite clear that he is unable to restrain the Bedouin tribes
who find in his ports a convenient shelter from reprisals and punishment. The Agent on the
Arab Coast, whom 1 have summoned to Bashire, will endeavour to effect a reconciliation be
tween the Chief of Abuthabi and Odeid ; but if his efforts should prove unsuccessful, it might
be worthy of consideration whether the authority of the British Government should not be
exercised in restoring the former Chiet to his leifiliimate position at Odeid, and coercing, if
necessary, the seceders from his tribe. No acts of piracy are ever reported from the districts
rulnd by the Chiefs under treaty obligations to us ; and it seems anomalous that the civilizing
policy of Government should be neutralized by an even 1 : which, as I have shown in my memo-
Accompaniment to letter No. 211, dated 16th randu'n on Odeid, is not a novel occurrence. Al-
September 1876. ' though the Chief is said to have a Turkish flag in
his possession, it would be scarcely probable that the Porte would advance any pretensions to
Odeid, which, until the last few years, was indisputably an integral portion of Abuthabi
territory/'
" The Government of India concurred in this view, and empowered the Resident to use his beet
endeavours to promote a reunion between thecolo-
Poreign Department No. 974 P., dated yth May nists at Odeid and the main body of the Beni-
Yas tribe of Abuthabi,and further authorized him
" to afford assistance, if necessary, to the Trucial Chief of Abuthabi in coercing the seceders."
^ .w, ^ ™ I n reporting the papers to the
Despatch No. 78 P., dated 10th May 1877. 0 ^ ^
Secretary of State, the Government of
India wrote as follows : —
" * 3. From the present letter from the Officiating Political Resident, and from the pre
vious correspondence on the subject, the following facts appear to be established
"'(1.) That the acts of piracy complained of were committed by members of the Al
Morra tribe, a tribe nominally dependent on the Turkish Government.
" ' (2 ) That the pirates proceeded on their expedition from ports belonging to the Chief
of Odeid.