"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٩‎٠‎٦] (١٧٨٢/١٠٦١)

906
Bahrain trading vessel, • but they were prevented by the British ships
from approaching the islands. Meanwhile H. M. 8. " Nimble " and
H. M. S. " Magpie " arrived off Bahrain, and it was decided that one ship
of the Royal Navy should be retained there until the danger was over.
The Government of India also suggested to Her Majesty's Government
that the Porte should be requested to control such of the restless tribes
men as were subject to its authority. Debarred from action at sea, the
Bani Hajir turned against Zubarah on the Qatar coast, a village and fort
of the N a'im, who were close allies of the Shaikh of Bahrain; but the
small summer garrison of Zubarah held out gallantly until relieved by their
fellow tribesmen, who suddenly returned in strength from Bahrain and
the ])earl banks and inflicted a severe defeat upon the assailants. It
was reported that Barrak-bin-'A rair, the tribal Mutasarrif who ruled
Hasa under the Turks at this time, had encouraged the disturbances ;
but Colonel Ross, the Resident in the Persian Gulf, was instructed to
avoid addressing any local Turkish authority on the subject, and rather to
concentrate his attention on the protection of British interests and the
observance of British treaty obligations in Bahrain. Probably in conse
quence of representations made at Constantinople, the Turkish gunboat
" 1 skanderieh " soon after paid a visit to the coast of Qatar to enquire
into the tribal movements. Not long afterwards, the redoubted Nasir-bin-
MubaraK left Hasa and appeared on the coast of Qatar, whence he wrote
to Colonel Ross begging that he might not be prevented bv the British
Government from obtaining his just rights in Bahrain; but he was
informed in replv that any attempt at aggression on his part would meet
with active opposition from the British Government. At this stage of
matters the Shaikh of Bahrain sought leave from the Resident to rein
force his Na im allies at Zubarah, whom he considered to be in great
danger, and the desired permission was granted on condition of his
lestricting himself to purely defensive arrangements. Bv the Govern
ment of India, who in 1873 * had adopted the view that the Shaikh of
Bahrain had no possessions on the mainland of Qatar and that his rights
there were of a very uncertain character, the action of the Resident was
* la 1871 the Government of Bombay requested Colonel Pelly to report on the
question of sovereignty over Qatar, but Colonel Pelly a 8 keJ permission to defer doing so
as there was a probability of the Turks withdrawing from Has.. In 1873 Colonel Ross
reported f that the whole coast of Qatar had fallen under Turkish influence, and he was
instructed by the Government of India to restrain the Shaikh of Bahrain from inter
ference on the mainland on account of the doubtful character of his alleged rights
ana influence.
i Vide page 815 ante.