"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الجزء II. ج. ج. لوريمر. ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٨‎١‎١] (١٢٦٢/٣٢٨)

18U
ini
1
150 #
The Government o£ Bombay, who were heartily tired o£ the die-
agreemenfc with Karim Khan and of its direct and indirect conse-
queuecS;—in particular the frequent and prolonged detention in the
Gulf, at a heavy cost ; of the Company^ armed vessels, the impri
sonment of Mr. Beaumont^ and the prevalence of piracy,—resolved in
February 1775 to bring all these troubles to an end, if possible, by a
change both of measures and of men. They accordingly authorised
Mr. Robert Garden, who had previous experience of the Gulf and was
now proceeding on private business to Basrah, to take up the question of
Mr. Beaumont's release on his way at Bushehr, and, if he found that it
could not be effected nor security restored in the Gulf by any other
means, to re-establish the Bushehr Residency on a small scale, notwith
standing that this was in direct opposition to the orders of the Court of
Directors. At the same time they strictly enjoined the Agent and
Council at Basrah to give effect to any arrangement into which
Mr. Garden might enter under these instructions.
Before Mr. Garden could arrive, however, and open relations with
Karim Khan through Bushehr, a crisis had occurred at Basrah^ as more
fully explained in the history of Turkish •'Iraq, which brought the
Agency into direct conflict with some of the VaklFs subjects or subordi
nate allies. A Persian invasion of 'Iraq which had long been threatened
was now, in consequence of a defeat inflicted by the Turks on the Persians
in Kurdistan, actually carried out; and on the 7 th of April 1775, on the
very day of Mr. Garden's reaching Bushehr, a large force that had
recently crossed the Ottoman frontier under the command of Sadiq
Khan, Karim Khan's brother, commenced to besiege Basrah. Two or
three weeks earlier Mr. Moore and his Council, had imprudently allowed
the Company's vessels under their orders to attack a fleet of Ka'ab
Gallivats as it was pushing up the Shatt-al-'Arab to join the Persian
army near Qurnah; this was done with considerable success ; and the
Agent then wrote to Mr. Beaumont at Bushehr to send any cruiser that
^ight call there to his assistance with the utmost despatch. On the
Hth of April, however, dismayed by the approach of a large Persian
fleet of some 60 sail up the river towards the already invested town, the
Agent and his Council changed their minds and hurriedly left Basrah
^ith their vessels, abandoning the whole of the Company's property
there to its fate. As if further to embroil matters, the British squadron
lr i descending the Shatt-al-'Arab become partially engaged, near the
^outh of the Karun, with the ascending Bushehr fleet, which was com
manded by Shaikh Nasir; and tiring continued for some hours, but
without material damage to either side. 124) a.
Mission of
Mr. Garden,
Pebruarj
1775.
Kupture of
the Basrah
Agency with
the Ka'ab and
the Shaikh
of Bushehr,
March-April
1775.