'File E5. Murder of Sheikh Selman bin Diaij and 25 others on the 3rd December 1900 at Deraya by the Behaih' [‎85r] (169/252)

No. 920, dated Trincomalee, the 26tli April 1903 (Confidential).
From—His Excellency Reab,-Admiral Sie , C. C. Deury, K .C.I .E., Commanding
His Majesty's Naval Forces, East Indies Station,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department.
In reply to your confidential letter No. 675 E. of the 16tli instant, be
pleased to inform His Excellency the Viceroy in Council that I consider that
the Agreement made with the Sheikh of Bahrein in 1861 to abstain from any
act of aggression or retaliation by sea should still be adhered to, as, if it was
cancelled, complications might easily arise.
2. I would first desire to point out that in my opinion the results
achieved by the use of armed dhows in the Gulf of Aden have not been as
great a success as is generally supposed, and it is a very demoralising service
for officers and men.
3. The best course appears to me to be that I should be informed every
year when the pearl fishery is to begin and end, and I would then endeavour
to arrange for a'gun-boat to police those waters during the time the fishery was
being carried out.
4. If it is decided that an armed dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. is necessary, I am of opinion
that she should be commanded by a Eoyal Indian Marine officer who would
require a commission from the Admiralty; the vessel would fly the white
ensign and be under the orders of the Naval Commander-in-Chief on this
station, and be a tender to the Senior Naval Officer's ship in the Persian Grulf.
She might be provided and maintained by the Sheikh of Bahrein and
partly manned by his subjects, as his interests are primarily affected, but he
could have absolutely no control over her movements and actions on the high
seas.
5. With regard to paragraph 3 of your letter, the Consul-General ^ at
Berbera has recently bought and equipped two armed dhows, and could give
you all details, so as to enable an estimate of the cost of one to be arrived at.
As far as I am aware, they have each one 3-pounder quick-firing gun.
Two Europeans, one as Captain and one as Mate. The Captain receives £120
a year.
The services of his dhows are confined to the territorial waters of British
Somaliland.
6. The dhows recently employed by the Hoyal Navy in the Gulf of Aden
for the suppression of the arms traffic were hired by us at the rate of Bs. 225
a month, which included the services of the native crew.
The guns, fittings, &c., were supplied by the ships to which the dhows
were attached.
Foreign Office Press —No. 199—12-5-03—60.