'Memorandum on the separate claims of Turkey and Persia to sovereignty over the island of Bahrein.' [‎6v] (12/40)

8
Persia had exercised any real control over the Island
within the preceding fifty or sixty years.
The Persian Government, however, in corrobora
tion of the claim put forward by the Shah, for
warded to Colonel Sheil a gold coin which had been
struck at Bahrein, in 1817, in the name of " Fetteh
Ali Shah, Kajarand Colonel Sheil admitted his
belief in the genuineness of the coin, which, he had
been informed, was procured from Bushire by one
of the Persian Secretaries to the Russian Mission.
Other statements were put forward in support of
the Persian claim, but Colonel Sheil made no reply
to them, but simply informed the Persian Minister
that he would bring those statements to the notice
of the British Government.
On receipt of this despatch, Colonel Sheil was
instructed not to revert to the subject unless it
was forced upon him by the Persian Prime Minister,
in which case he was directed to employ the argu
ments adduced in a Foreign Office Memorandum
(which was inclosed) to show generally the grounds
on which Her Majesty's Government were unable to
recognize as valid the claims advanced by Persia to
the sovereignty of Bahrein; and he was further
directed to state that the British Government
would very much disapprove of any .attempts on
the part of Persia to interfere in the affairs of the •
Island, and thus disturb the peace of the Gulf and
afford an opening to Piracy.
The question then dropped for a short time.
In 1847 several other engagements were entered
into by the British Government with local Sheikhs
of the Gulf for the suppression of the Slave Trade,
includinc one with the Sheik of Bahrein (8th Mav, Hertslet's Treaties, vol. viii,
v 0 " pp. 798-801.
1847).
In this year the Bahrein Question was revived
on its being rumoured that the Porte enter
tained designs upon the Island. On the question
being put directly to the Porte, they denied any
intention of using Compulsion with regard to To India Board, October U, 1847.
Bahrein, although they admitted that if the ( lu ' kl . N -
Governor of Bussorah had attempted, by nego
tiation, to induce any of the maritime Chiefs of
the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. to return to their allegiance to the
Porte, they could not disapprove his doing so.
Lord Palmerston, upon this, suggested to the
India Board that, if the Indian Government had