"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٨‎١‎١] (١٧٨٢/٩٦٦)

811
might bring; about a difficulty with the Turks, ordered that a verbal
assurance onlv should be obtained. This was done ; and the renewal
of his treaty obligations to abstain from war at sea and to refer
his diseputs with his neighbours to the British Resident appeared for
a time to have a restraining- effect upon the unruly Shaikh.
In October 1881 Shaikh Jasim began to harass the British Indian ExpuUion of
traders at Dohah, whose operations in pearls interfered with his own ; and tl ! a dert5
whose ix)sition he was therefore determined to render untenable ; but a trona Dohah
1 1 . , and action ot
visit of M.M.S. " Woodlark " to the port resulted ma temporary settle- the British
ment of the difficulty. Eventually, however, in 1882, Jasim forcibly ^™ nt '
closed the shops of the Indians and expelled them from the place, giving
false reasons for his action. In May 1882 a Residency Agent was sent
to him with a letter to warn him that he would be held lesponsible foi
loss caused to British subjects ; but he was obdurate. In November
1832 a coniidential Agent of the Residency visited Dohah in H.M.b.
" Woodlark " to require compensation for the traders ; and again the
demand was disregarded. At length, in December 1882, authoiity
having been first obtained from Her Majesty's Government, Colonel
Ross, the Resident, proceeded in person to Dohah with H.M.S.
" Woodlark" and H. M.S. "Arab" and insisted, on pain of instant
hostilities, that the Shaikh should apologise to the British Government,
pay compensation to the Indian traders, and grant the latter permission
to return to Dohah. "With these conditions Jasim found himself obliged
to comply ; and the indemnity recovered, amounting to Rs. 8,000, was
paid over to the Indians, who had meanwhile taken refuge in Bahrain,
No sooner did the Porte become aware of the direct recovery Protest by
of damages from their so-called Qaim-Maqam by means of a British
naval demonstration at Dohah than they protested to the British Briush pro-
Ambassador at Constantinople, and the question was referred to Her ^
Majesty's Government ; Shaikh Jasim, it appeared, had represented the
affair in strong colours to the Turkish authorities, and had threatened
to resign the Qaim -Maqamship unless the Rs. 8,000 recovered from him
were refunded. The British Ambassador was at first directed to avoid, if
possible, discussion of the subject ; but, if it were not possible, he was
to state distinctly that the British Government could uot admit that
Turkey possessed any sovereign rights on the Qatar coast. Eventually,
the matter still being pressed. Lord Granville on the 7th o£ May 1888
informed the Turkish Ambassador in London, in writing, " that
the claims of the Porte to rights of sovereignty over the Qatar coast
had never been admitted by Her Majesty's Government." Exception