"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٨‎١‎٧] (١٧٨٢/٩٧٢)

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interference on the mainland ; but it was not apparently necessary for
no visible results followed from the n&w combination. In 1877 there
were complaints, as described in the l^story of Bahrain, that Shaikh
'Isa still maintained undesirably close relations with Zubarah ; but
enquiry showed that he was not, in fact,, doing more than was required
to keep the Na im upon his side and to prevent their joining the Bani
Hajir.
In September 1878, a S related in the history of Hasa, a heinous Dealruotioa
piracy, accompanied by the murder of four persons, was committed by the of z «barah!
inhabitants of Zubarah upon a passing boat; and Colonel Ross, the 1878 '
Political Resident, was directed by the Government of India to demand
of the Turkish authorites that the place should be punished, and to offer
British naval assistance for the purpose. These instructions he executed
by starting on the 32nd of October in person for Basrah, where he had
a not unsatisfactory meeting with the Wali, 'Abdullah Pasha. In the
meantime, or immediately afterwards, Zubarah, of which the inhabi
tants had made themselves obnoxious to all their neighbours by raids
and piracies, was attacked by a large force under Shaikh Jaeim of
Dohah and Nasir-bin-Mubarak, Colonel Ross, on becoming aware of
this new complication, at once proceeded from Bushehr to Bahrain, where
he arrived on the 17th of November in H.M.S. " Teazer/' H.MS
" Arab " being already anchored there. Shaikh 'Isa came on board
and earnestly besought that some action should be taken in favour of the
Na'im; but the Resident's reply was a refusal, at which he appeared
greatly dissatisfied. On the 18th of November Colonel Ross landed
at Zubarah from the f 'Teazer " and visited the camp of Shaikh Jasim,
pitched about half a mile from the square fort of Murair, in which
the Na im, to the number of about 500 souls, were besieged ; the
village of Zubarah proper was already completely in ruins/ and
it was said that some boats had been burnt. The force with Shaikh
Jasim appeared to number about 2,000 armed men ; and, in con
sequence of the disparity in numbers between the attackers and the
attacked, there had been no actual fighting. On his return to Bahrain
Colonel Ross found a telegram from his acquaintance, the Wali of Basrah,
to the Qaim-Maqam of Qatif, in which the latter was directed to send the
gunboat " Iskanderia >} immediately to Zubarah in order to prevent any
attempt by the besieging force to invade Bahrain ; and this order he
at once forwarded to its destination. The Na'im besieged in Murair sur
rendered, on unfavourable terms, not long after Colonel Ross's departure,
and Zubarah as a populated place ceased to exist; the inhabitants,
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