"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٥‎٢‎٩] (١٧٨٢/١٦٨٤)

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1529
In August 1904, H. M. S. u Merlin " was sent to patrol the Shatt-
el-'Arab, and about the same time an effort was made by the British
Government to induce the Turkish and Persian authorities to co-operate
in a serious manner for the purpose of tracing and arresting local pirates.
The Shaikh of Muhammareh, whose posts and patrols were on the whole
more effectively maintained than those of the"V\ ali of Basrah, was willing
to act with the Turks, and suggested that he should be authorised to
arrest bad characters on either bank of the river. The Porte also showed
a disposition to enter into some arrangement. But the Persian Govern
ment declined to commit themselves to anything in the nature of an
extradition treaty with Turkey, and the British proposals fell to the
ground.
The natural sequel of deficient co -operation was the renewal of
trouble immediately on the departure of H. M. S. ''Sphinx" from the
river at the beginning of January 1905. On the 11th of that month an
ordinary piracy was committed on a Kuwait boat in the Shatt-el-
; Arab; and at the beginning of March a more serious attack took place
on a Bahrain boat not far from Basrah, accompanied by the murder of
the captain, who was a subject of the Shaikh of Kuwait. Theie were
also one or two minor cases. A lull followed, which appeared to be
partly due to the settlement by the Shaikh of Muhammareh of some
1,500 ; Idan tribesmen on wastelands in the neighbourhood of Qasbe .
After 1898, the year in which the British Government first took a
share in policing the Shatt-el-'Arab during the date season, the river ana
its approaches were fairly safe during the busy months; but pnacies
continued to occur at uncertain intervals, some of them attended b}
loss of life, without a single one of the perpetrators being brought to
justice or any compensation obtained for material losses. _ Indian vesse s
under the British flag were particularly exposed to violence y sma
gangs, as their crews, besides being timorous, were generally unaime .
Nevertheless there was an increase in the number of Indian craft calling
at Basrah, which was attributable , in part, to the increased security ot
the river during the date season.
Failure of a
British
attempt to
promote co
operation
between the
Turkish and
Persian
authorities,
1904.
I! 11
of ikS.
Relations of Turkish 'Iraq with European foreign powers
other than Britain, 1876-1905.
The onlv European power besides Britain represented at Baghdad
at the beginning of the period was the French Kepubhc. Very .mport-