'File 14/115 VII Annex (B 9) Abu Musa oxide: collected background material on the case' [‎135v] (281/1904)

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A nnex (2).
Translation of a letter from ShaikhSagar b hm
Cox, Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian
March
After compliments and enquiries after your health, I beg to address you in
regard to your inquiry regarding the undermentioned three points connected
with the Abu Musa case.
(1) You say that it is claimed that on the 12th Shaaban 1316, after my return
from the Hajj, Shaikh Salim granted to three persons an agreement for the extrac
tion of Mica from Bu Musa Isluxd without any permission from me, and you en
quire Collection of papers folded in half and stitched together to form a gathering of folios. from me that if 1 was aware of the same, bow was it that I did not mention
this agreement to you on the 19th Moharram 1326, when I presented to you a
statement of my relations with Shaikh Salim in regard to the Bu Musa Island.
(2) You also mention to me the question of jetsam and flotsam on the Bu
Musa Island ar.d state that it is claimed that Shaikh Salim was receiving the in
come on this account, and
(3) You have also shown me the translation ol a paper which is claimed to be
dated the 4th Zilkhadeh 1315 and to be the first draft of the Oxide Contract which
was altered to another form on the 18th Zilkhadeh 1815.
This is my reply with regard to three points :•—
Firstly —In regard to the Mica Agreement 1 was fully aware of it and Shaikh
Salim consulted me (about it), and it would not have been possible that the said
agreement could be issued without coming to my knowledge as Ruling Chief. But
as I informed you two years ago, I had left to Shaikh Salim all the income which he
could obtain from the aforesaid island, and, consequently, I did not trouble
(myself) to object to this (agreement). At the same time, when I present
ed " to you the said statement regarding my relations with Shaikh Salim in
respect' of Bu Musa, the question of this Mica contract did not occur to my mind
at all, for, as you must be aware, the Mica affair produced no result whatever.
As regards the sum of $1,500 payable by instalments to Shaikh Salim,
I have no information as to how many instalments were received by Shaikh Salim.
1 did not trouble to make enquiries about the instalments, nor did I demand
anything from Shaikh Salim on that account. It was my wish that he should
get something from it and that he should not trouble me about his expenses.
Secondly —As regards the right to i^tsam and flotsam on Bu Musa Island
and all the islands of Kowasim, it is not open to doubt that it is due to tlTe Chief
of the Kowasim, but the usual custom on the Oman Coast is that the inhabitants
of the place exact their rights on the scene of the wreck, and when the Chief comes
to know of it he settles the matter according to his own opinion; sometimes be takes
his own share from his subjects and sometimes he does not take from them. In
the case of Bu Musa, as I had left all the revenue to Shaikh Salim, I treated my
right of jetsam and flotsam as a part of the income to go to him and used to ask
no questions about it.
Thirdly —With regard to the rejected draft of the Oxide agreement, I have
now noted its wording but had neither seen nor heard of it before. The reason
for its rejection is obviously because Shaikh Salim could not write about Bu Musa
in these terms, namely, "so long as I, my children and my brothers live, no one is
entitled to raise objection to it". No doubt this was the cause of the draft being
changed. This is what was necessary to be stated and, salaams!
(L. S.) Sagar bin Khaled bin Sultan.