File 1508/1905 Pt 1 'Bahrain: situation; disurbances (1904-1905); Sheikh Ali's surrender; Question of Administration Reforms (Customs etc)' [‎18r] (40/531)

Confidential.
No. 2041, dated Bushire, the rst (received 10 th) September 1906 .
From Major P. Z. 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 Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
To Sir Louis Dane, K.C.I.E., C.S.I., Secretary to the Government of India
in the Foreign Department, Simla.
I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of Foreign Department letter
^ 0 * 33^3;E.B., dated 14th August, regarding the administration of the Customs
at Bahrein, and beg to attach copies of the informal letter which I addressed
Cox to Sheikh Esa ’ dated Mth to Sheikh Esa on the subject and of his
personally when delivering my letter.
2. The Sheikh’s reply is much what I feared it would be; a friendly but I
absolute refusal to entertain my proposals.
I cannot think of any further possibility in the way of friendly overture
on our part, and it remains for the Government of India to decide, on the facts
before them, what line they will^ now pursue. I agree with Captain Prideaux
in thinking^ that if it is considered inexpedient to assume management of
Sheikh Esa’s Customs before January 1908, when the present farm falls in, it
would be better for us to inform the Sheikh forthwith that, with the proviso
that we could not permit any lease to a foreign agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , we propose to leave
him to his own shortsighted devices, and that he is therefore at liberty, if he
chooses, to resell the farm to the Bania Merchant of Indian extraction. contractors ; this, in our opinion, being
a preferable alternative to his attempting to manage the Customs collection by
his own untrained retainers.
3. There is one point which I may briefly allude to in conclusion. As Captain
Prideaux mentions in his note of 18th June, there is no doubt that Messrs. Gray
Paul and Company, or for that matter Herr Wonckhaus’s firm, would be glad
enough to acquire the farm if they could. Captain Prideaux deprecates this
contingency on the ground that if either of the European firms obtain the lease,.
Jbe believes that there would be continual effort on its part to injure the other and
its clients. I am not sure that 1 agree with him in principle.
Messrs. Gray Paul and Company area British firm of repute and would I
think keep their competitive amenities within reasonable limits, and for the rest
it becomes merely a question of our supporting a British firm and British trade
against a German firm and the inroads of German trade. Anything that we can
legitimately do to further our interests seems to be desirable.
In the present instance, however, Sheikh Esa is the difficulty and I fear it
is extremely unlikely that he would entertain an offer from Messrs. Gray Paul, at
present at all events.
Purport of a letter> dated 14th August iqo6, from Major P. Z. Cox, C.I.E., to
Sheikh Esa bin Ali At Khalifah, Bahrein.
After compliments —I trust that you and your family have remained in the
best of health during my absence in India.
I write you this informal letter to let you know that since my return to
Bushire I have received and studied the several annual reports of our representa
tives in the different posts under this 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. both in Persia and on the Arab
Prideaux 10 Major Cox, dated 24th writing, and I therefore asked Captain
Prideaux to offer to explain them to him
(3) Captain ]
August 1906 .
side, regarding the progress of trade and events in the countries in which they