"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٣‎٨‎١] (١٧٨٢/٥٢٤)

381
among 12 British Consulates, the Indian infantvy guards at various
consular and telegraph stations in the Gulf were mamtomed.
British official undertakings of a general or commercial character
in the Persian Gulf, 1899-1905-
British
Some marine surveys of which the objects were naval rather than Marine ^
commercial have already been mentioned ; but others of a more ordinary the p er8 . ian
character were undertaken also. The principal points in the Gulf at Gulf,
which it was sought to increase the conveniences for merchant shipping
were Bushchr, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the mouth of the Shatt-al- Aia .
The survey of the southern approach to Basidn, already alluded to under
another head, was in part commercial in its object. . i Bashehr
A resurvey of Bushehr harbour was recommended by the Political harbour.
Resident in the Persian Gulf in 1902, chiefly for the purpose of ascertain
ing whether large vessels could not he brought into the inner harbour
(Khor Dairah) and the necessity of coaling at a distance of seven mi es
from land obviated. In September 1903 Persia consented to the proposed
resurvey on condition that a Persian representative should be admitted to
watch the proceedings, and that any marks which might be required on
shore should be erected by employes of the Persian Government. In Sep
tember 1904,, before the operations had commenced, the Persian Govern
ment were seized with sudden apprehensions and enquired whether t ey
were expected to contribute to the eost of the work. They reccvcd a
reassuring reply ; but in the following month they intimated that, what
ever the result of the investigations might be, they would neither arrange
to deepen the Bushehr harbour themselves nor permit it to be deepened by
the Government of India. The Uoyal Indian Marine surveying vesse
"Investigator," Commander Heming, was selected for the duty; she le t
Bombay in October 1904 and finished her work at Bushehr on the 22n
November. The soundings showed that the configuration o e '
had changed very little since 1857, and that, while the deepening o
inner anchorage and the approach to it from seawards for sh.ps of heavy
draught would be of little use so long as the bar of the Shatt-al- Arab
continued to regulate the size of vessels employed in the Persian Gul
the dredging of a channel for vessels of moderate size rom
anchorage to the wharves on Khor Snltani would be an "ageous and
probably not a difficult operation. The portion of t e mr our
Por Dairah and Khor Sultani was surveyed in greater detail than the