"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٩‎٩‎٥] (١٧٨٢/١١٥٠)

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at Qatif. About 1880 Ganga Ram Tikam Das & Company, one of
the leading Hindu firms in Bahrain, made an effort to improve their
position by establishing a strong agency in charge of Hindus at Qatif ;
and their example was followed by another Indian house.
Ultimately, however, in consequence of the exactions of the customs
contractors and of obstacles thrown in their way by the port officials at
the instigation of local merchants, the trade of the Hindus began to
decline. Merchandise exported to India was liable to a duty of 1 per
cent, only ; but the duty was collected at the time of shipment at a rate
of 8 per cent., the amount leviable on goods exported to Persia, and in
practice the rebate of 7 per cent,, legally recoverable on proof of arrival of
the consignments in India, was seldom or never obtained from the con
tractors. The excess duty thus recovered from the Indian traders in three
seasons was estimated, at the end of 1894, at Ks. 19,500 ; but the refund
obtained in consequence of representations by the British Government
amounted to Rs. 5,012 only. The other principal difficulties from which the
Hindus suffered were intentional delays in weighment of their goods by
the customs authorities, detention of their vessels for unreasonable periods
in quarantine, executive orders which made it impossible for them to obtain
animals for transport, and failure of the Turkish authorities to assist them
in the recovery of debts. Political disorders and lawlessness eventually
increased the difficulties of the situation; and, after the serious outrage
committed in 1895 on one of the agents of Messrs. Ganga Ram Tikam
Das & Co., the Hindus gradually withdrew from Qatif altogether.
Their business, by 1897, had fallen to a half or even one-third of its
former amount; and what remained was conducted on disadvantageous
terms through local Muhammad an agents.
With characteristic pertinacity, however, the British Indian traders
of Bahrain clung to the idea of re-establishing their position at Qatif ;
and in 1901 they offered to contribute Hs. 1,200 a year for 5 years
towards the pay of a British consular representative at Qatif, should one
be appointed. In November 1903, on the occasion of Lord Curzon's
visit to Bahrain, they renewed their request for consular protection in
Hasa j and they subsequently offered to guarantee a contribution cf
Rs. 2,000 a year. The necessity for some action was clear, inasmuch as
the sum wrongly recovered as customs duty at Qatif from British Indian
merchants amounted, in the year 1903 alone, to not less than Rs. 2-5,000.
Representations were accordingly made to the Turkish Government on
the subject of these exactions, and a promise was obtained from the Wall
of Basrah that they should be discontinued, and that items already levied
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