'Précis of correspondence regarding the affairs of the Persian Gulf, 1801-1853' [‎43v] (86/344)

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Part III—Chap. XIX.
my letter of the 20th June, whether I am authorized to insist upon the provisions of the
Treaty concluded by Major Malcolm, I know of no means at present in my power that are
likely to be pursued with any effect. hat I am certain of is that the effectual inteii'ereuc®
of the iShiraz Government is under such circumstances to be secured by mere considerations of
interest; and I feel extremely unwilling to have recourse to an expedient so expensive and
uncertain.
Letter from Khoja Fereedoodeen at Shiraz, date dt he 4th and received the 11th November 1803.
You desired me in a former letter to mention the affairs of Naqueloo to Cheragh Alle
Khan and at the same time you wrote upon that subject to Shaik Abdoor Russool. He was
much distressed and hurt at the perusal of your letter. I have never yet had an opportunity
of representing the business to the Khan m consequence of hi& indisposition. I have since
been favoured with another dispatch, giving cover to a note in your own handwriting declaring
that you wished to conciliate and please the Shaikh s son, and that you had no cause of
complaint against him. But if the father does not wish to proceed to Naqueloo do you
think the son will consent to an application for positive orders to that effect ?
In my opinion the Naqueloo business has been much injured by being made over to the
Shaikh and its final settlement now appears most difficult. This conjecture is confirmed by a
letter from the Shaikh to his son which arrived on the evening of the 31st October. Itf
contents were nearly as followsFourteen French men of war have set out for the
Persian Gulph of which number, six large ones have arrived and anchored at Muscat. The
Raheemsha owed her safety to having got there a little before them, otherwise she would have
fallen in their hands. One of these six which contains 400 Europeans and some officers of
rank is destined for Bushire. In her are letters from the Chiefs of the French nation for th«
King, the Prince and Cheragh Alle Khan, and perhaps also an Ambassador. You must shew
this letter to Cheragh Alle Khan and explain all these particulars fully to him that he may
furnish me with orders for the guidance of my conduct upon their arrival.
There was likewise an arzee for Cheragh Alle Khau, which was probably to the same
purport. The Shaikh's son first shewed this letter to the Ambassador, and Mohummed Hoossain
Khan, who afterwards presented it to Cheragh Alee Khan, who after perusal returned a verbal
answer upon its contents.
By the Shaikh's playing these kind of tricks it appears that he does not wish to go down
to Naqueloo. I shall act in this affair as you may dnect,
I shall be permitted to depart to-morrow or next day, and make due haste to rejoin you.
On the 2nd November a letter arriving for the Ambassador, we learn that a French frigate
of 83 o-uns had come to Muscat to plunder as usual, and that the Raheemshah had by the
blessing of God remained in safety and has most probably ere this pursued her voyage.
All other affairs here are in their ordinary state.
152. The broker Often a local commercial agent in the Gulf who regularly performed duties of intelligence gathering and political representation. at Bushire was sent to the Sheikh of Nakhelu, with a
letter of the Resident demanding restitution for the plunder of the vessels.
s *«ret tad Poll. 153. He returned to Bushire on the 12th June 1804. From the tenor
Dept No. 159 o£ 0 f his report and the evasive letter which he brought back from Sheikh
iso^pp.^i-ysos. Resident at Bushire (Mr. Lovett) felt the necessity of pursuing
coercive measures. The Sheikh proposed to restore half the goods, but even
supposing he was sincere, his offer was considered totally unworthy of consi
deration. 3 To accept it, the Resident thought would have been to compromise
on very low terms with a man, whose conduct fell little short of piracy; who
had taken advantage of the severe visitations of Providence to aggravate,
instead of relieving, the pitiable distresses of his fellow creatures and whose
exemplary punishment was in consequence an object no less desirable than
any other species of reparation.
154. The Shiraz Government deputed one Aga Reza to enquire into the affair
and exact reparation from Sheikh Rehma, and Sheikh Nasir of Bushire, and
other Sheikhs on the coast were instructed by the Shiraz Government to
co -operate. Aga Reza, who arrived at Bushire on the 13th June 1804, was
given a ^rand reception by the Resident. No office of attention and respect
that was due to his personal character and the dignity of the Prince from whom
he was deputed was in the first place omitted. The Resident sent out tents for
his reception at one stage from Bushire and a party as usual on such occasions
to meet him on his entry into the town. He returned his first visit on the
15th June, and was on the 16th entertained at a party, at which some of the
principal inhabitants, amongst the rest the son of the late Ambassador, were