"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٩‎٦‎٧] (١٧٨٢/١١٢٢)

967
in Najd, and that there w as no question of disturbing the peace at sea,
but only of transporting a force by water to a point on the coast from
which it could march into Najd. In May it was ascertained that Mid-hat
Pasha, who in 1870 had described Bahrain and its dependencies as
" countries of the Ottoman dominions, appertaining to the Qaim-Maqamliq
of Najd/' was aware of the pledges given by the Port; and he stated that
the commander of the expedition had received explicit instiuctions that ho
should on no account turn his eyes on Bahrain/ 5 Meanwhile the Shah
of Persia had enquired of the British representative at Tehran about
the intentions of the Turkish Government in respect of Bahrain,
and had been informed of the assurances given at Constantinople.
Considerable irritation at the interest shown by Great Britain in the
Turkish movements in Arabia was expressed by the Grand \ azir at
Constantinople ; and it became necessary to disabuse him of an impres
sion, which he appeared to entertain, that resistance by Arabs to
lawful authority of the Sultan of Turkey was encouraged by the British
Government.
The prospect of a disturbance of the peace of the Gulf, so unusual in BriUshpolicy
its nature, placed the Government of India in a difficult position; and the q u |£ in
narrowness of the legal or treaty basis on which the established connection
practice of interdicting all armed movements by sea rested now became Turkish
for the first time fully apparent. The question was one not of expedition,
hostilities between signatories of the Perpetual Treaty of Peace, but of a
possible war between signatories and non-signatories, for which that treaty
made no provision. The Resident in the Gulf, Colonel Pelly^ was soon
approached by Arab chiefs with indirect queries whether the British
Government would prevent the maritime tribes from proceeding to the
assistance of the Wahhabi Sa^ud, against the Turks ; and ba ud made an
explicit request in writing that either the Shaikh of Kuwait should be
prevented by the British Government from assisting the Turks or he
himself should be considered at liberty to take action by sea. On the ono
hand it was felt by the British authorities that to restrain the Arabs
would be to give indirect assistance to the Turkish expedition, on the
other that to let them loose might be to upset the political equilibrium
of the whole Gulf and at the same time to provide the Porte with an
excuse for conquering and annexing their countries. Lltimately, on the
30th of May 1871, the Resident was instructed to visit Bahrain and to
assure the Shaikh that, so long as he continued to observe hie
Convention of 1861 with Britain, the obligations of the British Govern-