"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٩‎٢‎٠] (١٧٨٢/١٠٧٥)

920
considered Bahrain to be independent; and that they must continue to
maintain their direct treaty relations with the Shaikh : as, however, the
Shah did not return to the subject, this reply was not delivered by
Mr. Nicolson. The whole of this incident was attributed, at the time,
to Russian suggestion.
Persian in- In 1887, in connection with the losses sustained by some Persian
garcUo eu l ) j ec ts in disturbances at Dohah in Qatar, the Shah of Persia enquired
Charge d J Affaires at Tehran whether any assistance could
action, be given by the British authorities in obtaining reparation, and a hope
1887-88. wa g apparently held out to His Majesty that, after the British claims for
compensation at the same place had been satisfied, the good offices desired
would be afforded. In the following year, however, partly in connection
with the same affair and partly, it would seem, in connection with some
general scheme for extending Persian influence in the Gulf, an independent
and rather underhand line of action was adopted by the Persian Government,
whose proceedings, on this occasion also, were thought to have been inspired
by Russia. The principal agents employed were the Malik-ut-Tujjar,
Governor of the Gulf Ports, and Haji Ahmad Khan, a Persian General;
and Bahrain, as well as Qiatar and Trucial 'Oman, was included in the sphere
of their operations. T he active proceedings of these emissaries were prac
tically confined to Qatar and Trucial 'Oman, in the histories of which
regions they are described; but it afterwards became known, partlv
through the disclosures of the Malik-ut-Tujjar, whom the Persian Gov
ernment presently removed from his post, and partly from copies of Persian
official telegrams which were obtained at Tehran, that the Amin-us-
Sultan had sanctioned a scheme proposed by Haji Ahmad Khan for the
seizure of Bahrain by Shaikh Jasim of Dohah, who had seemingly under
taken to put the Persians in possession of the Shaikhdom. In these intri
gues there were symptoms of concerted action between Persian and Turkish
fficials, but it was not believed that there could be any serious co-opera
tion between the two Governments, whose interests on the Arab coast
must necessarily be antagonistic.
In February 1888, while the principality was thought to he in danger
from these mtngues, the Political Resident, Colonel Ross, caused two
vent t T 1 War t016 Stati0ne<l 0ff Bahrai " with ^'-tions to pre-
' pll' any h0Stile atteml ' t t0 la " d ^ Arabs
lid th R T ° 0 L emment 0f India ' ^ approved of his action.
Lent of t b f 1 ft at TehrSn t0 ^ Persian Govern-
but ' as the AnJn-us-Sultan on being questioned disavowed all