'Précis of correspondence regarding the affairs of the Persian Gulf, 1801-1853' [‎30v] (60/344)

40
Part II—Chap. XIV,
taken a part. The following correspondence in the matter shows how the opera
tions were viewed by the Persian Government on the one hand and the British
authorities on the other :—
Dated Bushire, the 30th June 1805.
Fron— Libctenant William Bbucb , Acting Resident at Bushire,
To— C aptain D avid S eton, Resident at Muscat.
Secret and Poll. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 4th May, which
Dept. Diary No. 171 reached me on the 2Uth instant per the Queen. On the same day I waited on His Excellency the
of 1805, pp. 4343- Persian Ambassador and enquired of him whether the Benemain, the Shaiks of Lingua and
Shinas were under the protection of the Persian Government and whether our acting hostilely
against them would be agreeable to the latter. He at that time answered tney were subjects of
Persia but their allegiance was very precarious in general and entirely depended up^n the
state the country was in at the time, and he did not suppose there would be any objection to
our punishing tbem if they had acted in any manner deserving of it.
In your application to me you mention that I shall have time enough by the ret urn of
the Queen to get answer to any applications I might make to Shiraze as to the propriety of your
acting hostilely against the above mentioned tribes. I should agreeably to your wish have made
an application oi» the subject to the Shiraze Government, but being too well acquainted from
txperience of the dilatoriousness of the Persians in answering any applications on matters
relating to the redress of grievances on our part (for instance the unfortunate Nuckheloo
business) and knowing ti'at it must be referred to Court before the Shiraze Government could
presume to give answer and which would occupy some months, at l^ast 3 or 4. I thought it
advisable not to do it, but merely to know tue opinion of the Persian Ambassador on the
subject which I before mentioned, but I have to observe to you that his opinion related to
these tribes inhabiting the islands and not any part of the Main. It has since turned out very
fortunate that I did not make any application to Sheraze on the subject ; for yesterday
evening His Excellency Mohumtned Nubee Khan sent to me wishing to speak ^itii me.
of course went and was not a little astonished after having received your advices of the 4th
ultimo when he read me a letter from Cheragh Allee Khan and Firmaun from the in nee
mentioning that official accounts had been received from the southern ports and from Mulla
Hussim Mainie that Said Budder with a fleet accompanied by you in a ship o£ war had attacked
Gombroon and reduced the town and fort, and that Said Budder had taken the latter which he
would not have been able to effect without the assistance you afforded him. I he letter and
Firmaun mentioned that this was very strange conduct on our part to act in such a hostile manner
towards them, while such good understanding existed between the two nations and to enquire
of the Resident here how such circumstance could take place and for what reason we should
act in such a manner, while they were exerting themselves to give us everv satisfaction for the
plunder and ill-treatment of British subjects at Nuckheloo. 1 answered the Khan that the
accounts sent to Shiraze must certainly be false, for that you would never co -operate with Said
Budder in hostile measures against any of the subjects belonging to His Majesty the King of
Persia; that so far from it you had made an application to me to know of some particular
tribes were under the protection of the Persian Government or not, on purpose to avoid giving
the least shadow of offence ; but that I should taice the tirst opportunity of advising you on the
subject, and that I had no doubt but that the answers would prove the accounts forwarded to
Shiraz to be false.
As the different tribes mentioned in your letter are under the protection of the Persian
Government and as no regular complaint has as yet been made to them for the restitution ot
British property and the redress of grievances on our pirt, which were ever done and denied
us, I should then think it proper in us to act in such a manner as to force it, but not till then
unless we saw them in the very act of piracy.
I have to request your answer as soon as possible by the return of this boat whi^h I ha\e
taken up for the express purpose of giving you this information and to acquaint you that I
do not think it advisable in you to act in an offensive manner against any of the ports or
islands on this side of the Gulph as it may interrupt the harmony now existing between the
two nations and even to go so far as to stop the Embassy now on foot from proceeding to
Calcutta unless it is against Nuckheloo and Busheab; and these not unless it is at the
particular request of Shykh Nassur, in which case should any blame arise it will fall on Ir.m
and not on us.
Retolution of the Bombay Government, dated 4th September 1905.
Ordered that copies of the above papers be sent to the Resident at Muscat accompanied
by an expression of our concern that he should have given the umbrage he appears to ave
done to the Persian Government in taking any part in the recovery of Gombroon tor e
Muscat Government, considering that his instructions so fully cautioned him against every
occasion of offence towards the sovereigns of either Persia or Turkey.