File 345/1908 Pt 2 'Mohammerah: situation. Sheikh's dispute with the Vali of Basra. decoration for Sheikh. renewed assurances to Sheikh.' [‎172v] (349/566)

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and not- foment disturbances. Vali to express regret for injury to sheikh’s family and
assure him that if he keeps his promises his tribes and property will not be molested”
The sheikh was quite ready to do his share on these lines, though he does not
admit that he has sheltered Turkish criminals nor habitually fomented disturbances
in the past. The vali, however, was at some pains to make it perfectly clear that he
would not accept Mr. Crow’s intervention in the matter, and that he would not
apologise in any way.
This being the case, and the vali being on his way back to Bussorah, the sheikh saw
: at once that to delay his reply until the question of vali offering expression of regret had
been disposed of would be injudicious. Pending receipt of the approval of His Majesty’s
Government to his proposed reply to the vali, he asked the Turks to send men to take
over four criminals for whom they had applied. These men reached Bussorah as
intended by the sheikh, two days before the arrival of the vali, thus avoiding any
slight to the acting vali, who had taken part in the preliminary negotiations for their
surrender.
On the 2nd June, two days after the return of the vali, I was informed by
Colonel Cox, in his telegram of the 30th May, to the effect that the sheikh’s proposed
reply was approved, and I at once told the sheikh to send it off.
On the 4th June he accordingly sent Haji R-ais, his right-hand man, to Bussorah
with the reply (a copy of which is appended to my letter forwarded herewith). The
vali received Haji Rais politely, and seemed not dissatisfied with the sheikh’s reply, to
which he sent a polite answer. His protestations of friendship and his expression of
hope that the sheikh would let “ bygones be bygones ” were unfortunately considerably
discounted by several occurrences which took place whilst Haji Rais was in Bussorah
as the guest of the vali.
In the first place, a law suit in which one Mustafa, a servant of Mirza Hamza,
the sheikh’s Bussorah agent, was concerned, was revived and warrants issued for the
man’s arrest, regardless of the fact that during the negotiations between Haji Rais and
the acting vali, the latter had obtained the withdrawal of the case and had promised
that no more should be heard of it. Haji Rais was informed by the vali, in reply to his
protest, that the latter knew nothing of the acting vali’s action in the matter, and in
any case could^ not intervene in judicial questions. Haji Rais, however, understands
that the vali himself requested that the case should be reopened.
Secondly, for the third time since the troubles between the sheikh and the vali
began, the sheikh’s houses on the Ashar creek were partly pulled down, in spite of the
fact that they did not project into the roadway, and that their frontage had been some
time back formally approved by the vali. When representations were made to the vali
on this subject, he said on each occasion that it was a mistake on the part of a subordinate
official, and that he would issue orders to prevent its recurrence. But it is remarkable
that such mistakes should not have been made in the case of other persons’ houses.
Haji Rais further tells me that he has definite information that the vali instigated
these acts.
Lastly, whilst Haji Rais was in Bussorah an official of the Courts of Justice with
a band of soldiers raided the empty house of the sheikh’s Bussorah agent, and forcibly
distrained his carriages and some other possessions, on the ground that a summons for
debt bad been issued against him by Government for payment of £ T. 300, but had
been disregarded. The vali denied all knowledge of the matter and ordered the return
of the goods distrained. But Abdul Wahab-al-Kartass has told Haji Rais that the
case was started by the vali himself in revenge for Mirza Hamza’s attitude in regard to
the sheikh s house property in Bussorah, and that the vali personally interested himself
in obtaining a judgment against Mirza Hamza ; the latter states, however, that no
summons ever reached him.
I he cumulative effect of these incidents has been to convince the sheikh that
the present yali is hopelessly unreliable, if not actually treacherous, and that as long
as he remains in Bussorah there will be no guarantee of a recurrence of troubles
such as have occurred recently, unless the Turkish authorities both in Bussorah and
Constantinople are given plain intimation that His Majesty’s Government are
supporting him and will not tolerate aggression on Mohammerah territory.
Mr. Crow has given Haji Rais plainly to understand that he is unable to intervene
m Bussorah affairs, where the vali is acting ostensibly in conformity with judicial
administrative rules, and the vali has not less plainly informed Mr. Crow that he will
not tolerate his intervention in Mohammerah and Koweit affairs.
It is important that it should be fully understood that the sheikh has everything
to lose and nothing to gain by gratuitously opposing the Vali of Bussorah and no one