"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٠‎٣‎٠] (١٧٨٢/١١٨٥)

1030
as far as Fao on his return voyage to Basrah, retained firmness enough
to concede nothing'; but he felt a greater need of support after the
insidious attempt just made to begnile him into surrendering his indepen
dence ; and on the 28th of May, through the commander of H, M. S.
" Sphinx/"' he approached the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf
with a request that the British Government would assume a permanent
protectorate over Kuwait as soon as possible. Meanwhile, it is certain,
he had also held communication with the Russian Consul-General
at Baghdad. The declaration of a British protectorate over Kuwait,
involving as it must large international questions and responsibility in
future for controlling the actions of the Shaikh, did not recommend
itself to His Majesty's Government; and at the end of June the proposal
was rejected. Overtures for British protection received from I bn-Rash id
about the same time were similarly repelled.
Incident at^ While the Shaikh of Kuwait's request was still under discussion the
arrangement attitude ol the l urks grew menacing. A considerable military force,
Britain and w kich the destination was at the time believed to be Kuwait, was
Turkey to assembling on the Euphrates; and the Sultan of Turkev, under the
maintain the . „ „ ^ . > ^ ^
ttaius quo innuence or the German and Russian Embassies at Constantinople,
—September^ WaS ur " In " the Whli of - Basral1 b y telegram to arrange for the
1^01. establishment at Kuwait, by pacific means, of a custom house and
telegraph office, as tangible proofs of Ottoman authority. To
meet these dangers the commander of the British gunboat " Perseus/'
then at Kuwait, was authorised under instructions from His
Majesty's Government to prevent, by force if necessary, the landing
of Turkish troops; and Colonel Kemball, the Political Eesident, who
visited Kuwait for the purpose, gave Shaikh Mubarak a qualified
assurance of support, conditional on his continuing to observe the Agree
ment of 1899. On the E4th of August 1901 the Turkish sloop-of-war
Zuhaf/ heavily laden with stores, entered Kuwait harbour, where the
"Perseus" was already lying; and the Turkish commander was
immediately warned by the commander of the " Perseus" of the
order against the landing of Turkish troops. On the 25th of August
the Turkish officer had an interview with the Shaikh, at whifch
he tried in vain to obtain from him an admission of Ottoman
sovereignty; he then left for Fao, threatening the Shaikh with future
punishment. Protests against the action of the "Perseus" were soon
received in London from the German and Turkish Ambassadors ; in that
presented by Turkey the British Agreement of 1899 was declared to be
invalid, as having been made with a Turkish official. The British reply