"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٠‎٢‎٥] (١٧٨٢/١١٨٠)

1025
Basrah and other Turkish ports which had hitherto passed altogether
free. On the 2nd of September a Turkish harbom-master, with five
soldiers, arrived to take charge of the port of Kuwait; but the Shaikh
declined to receive him, and he was obliged to return to Basrah the next
day ; instructions, however, reached Basrah from Constantinople that
the matter should not be dropped. Next it was reported that the
Turks intended to establish a customs house at Kuwait and to connect
Fao with Qatif by a telegraph through Kuwait, and that the Turkish
military authorities were demanding forcible action against Kuwait.
In consequence of these indications of a forward Turkish policy a
warning was in September 1899 conveyed to the Porte by the British
Ambassador at Constantinople under the instructions of Her Majesty's
Government: it was to the effect that the British Government, while
they entertained no designs on Kuwait, had friendly relations with the
Shaikh; and that, if any attempt were made to establish Turkish
authority or customs control at Kuwait without previous agreement with
er Majesty's Government, a very inconvenient and disagreeable
question would be raised. The Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs
m reply gave assurances that the reception of a harbour-master
y Shaikh WOuld not be P^^ed any further; that there was
no intention of establishing an Ottoman custom house at Kuwait; and
t at no military expedition against Kuwait was contemplated, for
though operations had been proposed by the Wali, the Sultan had withheld
his sanction. Later it was represented to the British Ambassador that
his language had greatly disturbed the Sultan, who regarded it as indi-
cative of a desire on the part of the British Government to interfere
wi urkish liberty of action in Turkish territorv; but Sir N. O'Conor
while avoiding the direct i BS ue-that of' the dependence of
Kuwait on Tnrkey-reiterated the warning already given; and the
matter was dropped for a time. The Wali of Basrah also was cautioned
Kwalt the l0Cal Bntieh COnSUl ' n0t t0 ^ h06tile aCti0n ag ' ainf *
In the following month, October 1899, it was ascertained that
shaikh Mubarak bad undoubtedly applied through the Shaikh of
Mubam march to be taken under the protection of Persia; but this move,
w icb the Shaikh took no pains to conceal, was perhaps contrived by him
merely to test the degree of interest taken by the British Government in
Kuwait. His advances were rejected by the Shah.
Meanwhile Mubarak had taken precautions, by means of intrigues
at Basrah, to counteract the more dangerous results of bis uncompromis-
74
Warning
by the Bri
tish Govern
ment to tha
Porte, Sep
tember 1899.
Dalliance of
the Shaikh
with Persiu,
October
1899.
Change of
Wali at
U^srah, 18t9.
11
1