'Précis of correspondence regarding the affairs of the Persian Gulf, 1801-1853' [‎87r] (173/344)

Part V—Chap. XXXV.
153
authorized at their discretion to grant a temporary pass for the present voyage, until a regular
register can be procured from you or me.
7. When circumstances require that any of the cruising vessels should leave her station
the Commander will take an early opportunity on his return, of landing at each of the ports, or
sending on shore to ascertain, what vessels may have sailed or arrived during his absence, and
in the event of any having arrived without registers, he will warn the Shaik of the danger of
his infraction of the treaty and report the occurrence to you or me, after making particular
enquiry as to the circumstance of the case of each vessel.
8. The present registers to be held good until the new registers shall have been issued
but no longer, excepting in the case of any vessels returning from trading voyages, on which
they had previously sailed under their former passes, the registers will be valid for one year
only, and will be renewed annually when the old register mu^t be given up.
9. It is hoped that when the reiristers shall once have been issued as here recommended-
no difficulties will occur in renewing them, and that the occasional inspection of the ports will
enable every officer to give a pretty correct account at any time of all the boats belonging to
each of the ports under his particular charge.
10. I am not yet prepared to furnish you with any more particular instructions on other
points, than those which have been issued to you in the Marine Department, but 1 am parti
cularly directed by Government to warn you against making any attack on Chiefs not piratical
under the operation of the 9th paragraph of the Superintendent's last inetiuctions, and you
will therefore be careful to avoid committing hostilities in any case short of piracy.
11. Arrangements will, if possible, be made for providing a native agent Non-British agents affiliated with the British Government. at some of the
principal ports, who will give you every information, assi -t in procuring occasional supplies,
and alt-o act as interpreter when required, in the meantime the officer may be authorized to
employ for the time such persons as they may require to enable them to make out the necessary
list of boats, the expense of which will be defrayed on their preferring a contingent bill
through you.
Instructions to the Commanders of Cruisers stationed off the Piratical Ports.
You will in the cruiser under your command take under your inspection and watch the
ports named in the margin.
You will apprise the Shaiks of these ports that it is necessary they should renew the
registers of all boats excepting those employed for the purpose of fiahmg ; and you should
either land yourself or send an officer on shore, and require of the Shaik to furnish you with a
list of all boats belonging to his ports, a copy of which should be kept on board and one sent
to me.
The Shaiks having furnished their lij-t and an English description < f each boat irom
actual inspection written on it he (the Shaik) should then furnish separate registers in
Arabic under his own seal for such vessels as he may require to send to sea for the year which
you will compare and fill up and siyn ; but these registers are not t<> be valid until counter
signed either by the Resident in the Gulph, or the Senior Marine officer, and must therefore
be retained until my next visit to the coast; or until you are apprised that 1 am to be found
in Ma goo Bay; in the latter case the Shaik must send a boat over \uth the registers for
countersignature.
In the event of any urgent case in which a chief may desire to send a boat to sea for
purposes evidently pacific, and where delay would be seriously inconvenient, you are
authorized to grant a register or pass f.>r the particular voyage, which must be expressly
stated in the register, and you are also at liberty to refuse a register to any boat that may
appear to you suspicious, or likely to be improperly employed and to take the earliest oppor
tunity of informing me of it.
When circumstances require that you quit your station either by stress of weather oi
for supplies, you are to take the earlie>t opportunity of ascertaining what boats have put to
sea during your absence and require from the Sliaik an account of all such, and should it appear
to you that any boats have left the port for improper purposes, you are to warn the Shaik of
the danger of his infraction of tbe treaty, and to report the occurrence to me or to the
Resident in the Gulph should the opportunity be more convenient.
The present registers to be held good until the new register shall have been issued but
no longer excepting in the case of any vessels returning from a trading voyage, on whicn
they had previously sailed under their former passes.
The registers will be valid for one year only and will be renewed annually w T heD the old
registers must be given up.
On all occasions of examining vessels at sea delay should be avoided, and where suspicion
attaches the crews should be treated with mildness and moderation unless by violence on then
part they induce severity on yours, and should you detain any boat on the grounds or hei
being piratically employed, immediate notice of the case with all its attendant circumstances
should be communicated to me for the information of the Resident in the Gulph, and you are
required to attend to any instructions you may receive from him.
On your visits to the Chiefs parties to the treaty made by Sir William Grant Keir you
are to preserve tbe present friendly footing and to treat them with the greatest degree .>t