"الشيخ علي بن أحمد" [و‎‎٤] (٦٣٠/٧)

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No. 278, dated Bushire, the 17th (received) 27th) June 1905.
From—M ajcr P. Z. Cox, C.I.E., Offg. Political Resident in the Persian Gulf,
To—S. M. Fraser, Esq., C.l.E, Secretary to the Government of India in the
Foreign Department.
I have the honour to forward, for the information of the Government of India,
No. 173, dated adth Ma, .905. a .T 1 ^ "j 3 communication, with enclosure,
addressed to me by the Political Agent
at Bahrein on the subject of the Institution of Slavery as it exists within Sheikh
Esa's jurisdiction.
2. In the course of his communication Captain-PrideauK alludes.to several
items of correspondence on the records of this Residency, with regard to which I
beg to supply in the enclosures to this letter, the necessary references or informa
tion as follows :—
ma) Alleged rendition of 270 slaves to their masters after the Zobara
incident in 1895, {vide paragraph 7, Political Agent's letter).
A precis of the Residency file on this subject is attached. Enclo
sure 2.
The information given by the Dowasir Sheikh is not accurate as
will be seen.
(3) Mr. Gaskin's letter to the Resident, No. 55 of 18th April 1903 {vide
paragraph 8 of Political Agent's present letter).
A copy of this was.forwarded to the Government of India with my
predecessor's letter No. 70, dated 30th April 1903 ; and certain
further papers in the same connection were subsequently received
from the foreign Department under their endorsement No. 112-
E. A., dated !2th January 1904.
I beg reference to these papers.
(c) Residency No. 535, dated 4th June 1900.
Copies of correspondence are attached. (Enclosure 3).
Captain Prideaux has gone fully in to the subject, and it is incumbent
upon me to place his views on this important topic before Government without
delay.
In doing so however 1 have the honour to state that although there is no
reason to doubt that there is much force in the Political Agent's observations
and although his proposals are excellent in principle, I fear they amount to a
counsel of perfection which is practically impossible of fulfilment under existing
conditions, and further I cannot but consider that under any circumstances the
present juncture is not a suitable one for making new departures of a drastic
nature in the direction under advertence.
The Government of India have clearly signified that they wish to make the
best of Sheikh Esa. In that case except in regard to measures which it may be
decided to impose upon him as an immediate consequence of his recent contu
macy, with which questions of slave trade have had no connection, we need to-
adopt a policy of /est in a lente in applying new reforms. Sheikh Esa is an old
man, too old probably to change his spots to any great extent, and in the
matter of the slave trade I doubt if much better results could be expected even
from a new treaty, in his lifetime.
4. Even.* if the case were otherwise and if Government contemplated
setting up a new Chief or declaring a Protectorate, a sweeping measure of
reform in connection with the slave trade, though it might be a natural and
proper corollary to the change in due course of time, would certainly not be
;he best method of heralding it in either in our own interests or in the ultimate
interests of the people, whom we desire to benefit.
[C334FD.]
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