'Selections from the Records of the Bombay Government' [‎390] (432/733)

390
UTTOOBEES.
The quarrels and dissensions among the members of the Uttoobee
Chief's family were by no means smothered by the sense of the
impending danger. Finding that the heads of the tribe would not take
part with him in an attack upon his sons and nephews, from the dread
of encountering the effects of their deep and uncontrolled resentment,
when, as before, they should have adjusted their misunderstanding by
apparent submission. Shaikh Abdoolla bin Ahmed had recourse to the
plan of entertaining a number of men belonging to the independent
Bedouin Tribes on the main, for the purpose of overawing his disobe
dient kinsmen.
So great was the disgust created in the minds of the inhabitants of
Bahrein by his weak and vacillating conduct, and the heavy exactions
which, encouraged by the promised support of Korshid Pacha, he was
beginning to levy, that the Boo Gowarah, a tribe numbering about 2,000
men, residing principally at Fowarah, applied for permission to quit,
with a view to placing themselves under the protection of the British
Government; and the most influential inhabitants only wanted a leader,
to unite together and remove him from the chief authority.
No sooner had Esai bin Tarif and the greater portion of his depend
ents settled on the island of Kenn, on their peaceful removal from
Aboothabee, than their desire to retaliate for the losses they had
sustained at the hands of the Chief of Bahrein returned, and Shaikh
Esai more than once expressed his wish to be permitted to cruise against
the trade of that island, and also to seize from the Shaikh of Bebaye a
Buteel formerly belonging to himself, but confiscated, subsequent to his
secession, by Shaikh Abdoolla bin Ahmed, and presented by, that chief
to the Debaye Chief (Muktoom bin Butye). Although by the evacuation
of Nujd by Korshid Pacha and the Egyptian army one great obstacle
to the renewal of hostilities against Bahrein had been removed, yet the
restrictive war limit having been once established, its infringement
could on no account be permitted ; more especially as it had been fully
explained to Shaikh Esai, when in Muskat, that so long as he remained
on Kenn, whose peculiar position without the boundaiy "was pointe
out to him, he must give up all idea of carrying on aggressive wai
against any part of the Arabian Coast. A similar reply was again given
in May 1841, on the Resident's visiting the island of Kenn.
The project of Mahomed bin Khaleefa, of establishing himself at
Kateef and Lahsa, the prosecution of w T hich was favoured by the
disaffection produced by the highly oppressive conduct of the Agent o
Korshid Pacha, proved to be decidedly in opposition to the views o
Shaikh Abdoolla bin Ahmed, the superior chief; and great risk was in
curred of the two coming to open collision, and thus hastening a re^u t