"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٧‎٩‎٧] (١٧٨٢/٩٥٢)

797
(i<£)
1831-:-<2
1828 the Besi^eut had an interview with Shaikh ; Abdullah, at which
he impressed on him the necessity of doing his utmost to arrest the
offenders. At length in September 1828 'Obaid-bin-Mahanna, issuing
from some unknown haunt with a number of Manasir associates,
resumed his piratical practices in the neighbourhood of Bushehr ; but,
having landed at Ziyarat on the Persian coast and aroused suspicion there
by his enquiries as to the destination of a small Baghlah which was there
at anchor, he was taken prisoner by the inhabitants after a desperate
resistance. From Ziyarat "'Obaid was brought to the British Resident at
Bushehr, who, after his identity had been satisfactorily established, handed
him over to Shaikh 'Abdur Rasul to answer for his depredations on
Bushehr boats and murders of Bushehr subjects ; but 'Obaid cheated the
gallows by escaping from custody during the storm of Bushehr by Timur
Mirza in November 1828. On their return from Ziyarat to the Arabian
coast, the crew of ^Obaid^s boat, as mentioned in the history of Trucial
■"Oman, plundered four vessels belonging to ^Asalu.
In 1831, apparently so near to Bushehr as Halileh, a piracy of an
ordinary character was committed on a Kangun fishing boat by an
individual named Hasum, whose home was at Fuwairat in Qatar; the
criminal was not traced, however, until the following year. It was after
wards ascertained that, on leaving Halileh, Hasum had crossed the Gulf
to ^Oqair, where he attempted to surprise a boat belonging to Bahrain ;
but the crew were on their guard and took him prisoner along with
eight of his companions. After having been detained for some days
"
at "Oqair the prisoners had managed to escape to Hu wail ah in Qatar,
and here the boat taken by them at Halileh was subsequently recovered.
After the punishment of the Bani Yas for piracy in 1835^ a num- 1836.
ber of the tribe emigrated* westwards to Khor-al-'Odaid, partly to escape
paying their share of the fines imposed by the British Government,
and partly in order that they might be able to continue their piratical
mode of life. They were countenanced by the inhabitants of the eastern
coast of Qatar, who not only made no effort to restrain their depre
dations, but even supplied them with water and other necessaries ; and
it was consequently resolved to send a naval force to demonstrate the
accessibility of those waters to British vessels and to remind the people of
Qatar of their responsibilities. The cruise, which was made by two
sloops of war and a schooner, was a complete success : it resulted in an
undertaking, imposed on the headmen of Dohah, Wakrah and 'Odaid,
to seize the boats of the pirates or otherwise to. pay a fine ; in the capture
of some of the dependants of Jasim-bin-Jabir, Raqra^i, the chief
• See also page 766 ante.