"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٩‎٣‎٩] (١٧٨٢/١٠٩٤)

r of
| for in Majoi^
'ai;U collect^
v.:: 5
939
arrange matters was suggested; but it was considered desirable to
postpone the proceedings until an improvement, then contemplated^
in the status of the British political representative in Bahrain had
been effected. Meanwhile, as subsequent events showed, the authority
of the Shaikh in Manamah, which he seldom or never visited, had fallen
so low that there was little or no check on the disorderly doings of
Mli^s retainers, many of whom were professional negro bullies.
On the 5i9th of September an attempt was made by some of "'Ali^s
men, under the Sukhrah system, to impress a cooly in the employment of
the German merchant Mr. Wonckhaus ; the premises of the firm were
entered; and an assault was committed on a European assistant, a
Mr. Bahnson, as well as on native members of the establishment. 'Ali
himself was present and did nothing to prevent what occurred.
On the evening of the 14th of November a second act of lawlessness
on a more serious scale was committed. An accidental quarrel having
arisen between a negro retainer of "'Ali and a Persian servant of Haji
^Abdun Nabi, the chief Persian merchant at Manamah, the opportunity
was seized by 'Ali's bodyguard to commence an attack on all the Per
sians at hand. A cry was raised of "Kill the Mughals"; and Jasim, one
of the leading Sunni Mullas of Bahrain, having sent the worshippers at
his mosque to join in the affair, it developed into a regular anti-Shi'ah riot
and ended by the Persians taking refuge in their houses. Only sticks
were used, but the father and brother of 'Abdun Nabi were dangerously
wounded, and seven other Persians were injured, but less seriously.
Captain Prideaux, the new Political Agent in Bahrain, who had been
trying without success to arrange a compromise in the case of Mr.
Bahnson now interviewed the Shaikh in regard to the riot; but the
Shaikh, on the ground that the Persians were Muhammadans, declined
to admit his interference and expressed an intention of having the
case tried by the local Shara^ courts, from which, composed as they
were of Sunnis, no justice for the Persians was to be expected.
Eventually it was arranged between Captain Prideaux and the Shaikh
that the orders of the Resident, who was then on tour in a remote part of
the Gulf, should be awaited. For several days the Persians kept their
shops closed and 'Ali's men continued to behave arrogantly in the streets,
for the Shaikh was afraid of his nephew and totally unable to control
him; but confidence was partially restored by the arrival of H.M.S.
" Redbreast " at Bahrain on the 27th of November.
Meanwhile the German complainant had placed his case in the hands
of the German Consul at Bushehr, who wrote direct to Shaikh ^Isa,
Outrage on
Messrs.
Wonckhaus
& Co., 29th
September
1904.
Attack Upon
Persians,
14th Novem
ber 1904.