'14/169 Differences between Shaikh Rashid of Um ul Kowein and his brother Naser bin Ahmad, June 1912 to 22 Jany 1917' [‎88r] (184/447)

No. 3832> dated Bushite, tke 14th (received the 22nd) December 1913.
From— J. G. L obimer , Esq., G .I .E., Officiating Political Kesidcnt in the Persian
Gulf,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department, Delhi.
I have the honour to refer to Sir Percy Cox's letter No. 3378, dated the 9th
November 1913, and in continuation thereof to forward, for the information of
. - . the Government of India, translations of
No. 424, date the 22nd November 1913. letters which have since been received
No. 439, dated the 6th December 1913. fl . om the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Agent at Shargah.
2. The second of these lettets shows that Nasir has claims not only against
the Shaikh of Umm-el-Kawain but also against some of the ordinary inhabitants
of that place. Further, it appears that the Shaikh is now willing to pay Rs. 10,000
in satisfaction of both sets of claims, while Nasir protests that his claims against
the Shaikh alone are worth lis. 10,000 and the others lis. 5,000.
3. These are inconvenient complications at the present stage of the case,
for we do not know whether Nasir's claims against anyone except his brother
the Shaikh are well founded of not. It is clear that Sir Percy Cox did not mean
the lis. 10,000 of which he urged payment to Cover anything more than the claims
against the Shaikh, for in a memorandum on the case which lie forwarded offi
cially to the Senior Naval Officer, the words occur : "It would be necessary
for the Shaikh to pay.»'».. i...;; .a sum of lis. 10,000 as a solution^ of Nasir's
claims on the family estate It follows that the scheme proposed in Sir Percy
Cox's letter No. 3378 of the 9th November contains no provision for settling
what may be called Nasir's second set of claims, and naturally so, for their ex
istence seems to have been unknown when the letter was written^
4. Any settlement how made With the Shaikh should be final and complete.
The opening Up of a second case with him over Nasir's claims against private
individuals should be guarded against. This can be done without any modifica
tion of the recommendations of Sir Percy Cox if Government are willing that
any claims which Nasir may be able to prove hereafter against third parties at
Umm-el-Kawain should be made payable to him, up to a limit of lis. 5,000, out of
the differnce between the Rs. 10,000 due to him on account of family property
and the sum of Rs. 25,000 proposed to be levied from the Shaikh ; and such is
the course that I venture to recommend. Even if Nasir's claims of the second
category are proved in full lis. 10,000 will still remain (out of the Rs. 25,000 to be
recovered) as a fine pure and simple on the Shaikh, marking the displeasure of
Government at his recent contumacy. The Shaikh will no doubt collect from the
real debtors at Umm-el-Kawain any sums which he is compelled to pay vicariously
on their behalf.
5. Six weeks have elapsed since the truculent rejection by the Shaikh of
the authoritative request made of him by the Resident through the Senior Naval
Officer, and I am advised that delay in calling him to account may have a bad
effect upon other Trucial Shaikhs.
Translation of a letter No. 424, dated the 22nd November 1913, from the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India.
Agent, Shargah, to the 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 Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
I beg to report that the ship " Harold " visited Shargah on the 20th
November 1913, and that I called on her Captain. He asked me to furnish him
with a sketch of the town of Umm-el-Kawain, its creek, the deep points in the
creek and the shallows. I made out the sketch as desired by him, showing (the
necessary points) both on land and in the sea. The ship then left in the direction
of Umm-el-Kawain.
The news received by me from Umm-el-Kawain is to the effect that the ship
arrived at Umm-el-Kawain and landed two men in a jolly-boat and that they
went to the town and bought certain articles of provisions such as meat, etc.
The Shaikh of Umm-el-Kawain made enquiries about the men who had landed
and was informed by his people that the men had been buying foodstuff.
I received a report on the 22nd November that the ship had stopped on the
eastern side of the town near the mouth of the Umm-el-Kawain creek opposite