"دليل الخليج. الجزء الأول. المواد التاريخية والسياسية. ملخص عن شؤون قطر، ١٨٧٣-١٩٠٤." [ظ‎‎٢‎٨] (٩٢/٥٦)

46
The yoke, therefore, on the Arabs' neck appears light, and, with a fair amount of cohesion
amongst themselves, could, for a period at any rate, be easily thrown off, so long as a proper
opportunity was taken. The effect caused by the presence ot one of Her Majesty's ships
was to the Turks that of embarrassment, to the Arabs a certain amount of encouragement/'
Ahmed in a private interview with Lieutenant Eobinson stated it was their wish to turn
out the Turks, and they would he pleased to enter into the same treaties with the British
Government as have the Trucial Chiefs.
He was, of course, distinctly told that he must not think of the British Government
interfering initially, but that his views would be forwarded by me for any future consideration
the Government might see fit to take, in the event of his being successtul in his endeavour to
substantiate himself over the Turk. Jit really seems as if Jasim had given up any further
active measures, and that his brother had taken iip the reins.
lu concluding this portion of my report, 1 think I may state that the matter of my
procedure in order to obtain all available information did not give the Turkish officials any
opportunity of asserting such nominal authority as the Porte possesses in this locality.
183. No action appears to have been taken on this report. The offer of
Ahmed-bin-Thani to place himself under the British protection was noticed
neither by the Political Resident nor by the Government of India.
Disturbances off the Katar coast between the Amamera and
Al-bin-Ali tribes—1900.
184. In his letter, No. 269, dated the 19th November 1900, Lieutenant-
Colonel C. A. Kemball reported that a disturbance had taken place on
86 of Secret E., April 1901NO, 83.93.| ° r f b , 0Ut ^ June at Sea off ^atra, and
stated as follows :—
<£ About the date mentioned five boats belonging to men of the Amamera tribe of Bahrein
who were engaged in diving for pearls, were driven southwards by stress of weather and
forced to take shelter near El-Wakra, where the fleet of the Al-bin-Ali were engaged, in
company with other boats from Katar, in pearl diving operations.
11 Al-bin-Ali, between whom and the Amamera a blood-feud exists, recoo-nized the
boats of the Amamera. They hoisted their flags and set sail towards them. The^Amamera
thinking that the Al-bin-Ali boats intended to attack them, fired some shots, on'which the Al-
bin-Ali boats cleared off, and the Amamera then being still doubtful of the intentions of the Al-
bin-Ali and finding themselves in a trap, besought Saleh-bin-Muhammad, a nephew of Sheikh
Jasim-bin-Thani, to mediate. At his suggestion, the Amamera handed over their arms
consisting of some 20 rifles and a sword, and were tben allowed to go.
Shortly afterwards the Assistant Political Agent at Bahrein received a letter from the
Al-bin-Ali in which they stated that two of their men bad been killed and 15 wounded by the
fire of the Amamera, who were the aggressors. This report appeared to be devoid of truth
but the Assistant Political Agent replied to the letter and called upon the Al-bin-Ali to
surrender the arms which they had taken, and to furnish him with the names of the persons
alleged to have been killed and wounded. These names were in due course furnished and the
Assistant Political Agent then called upon the Ali-bin-Ali to send some of the wounded
persons to Bahrein for examination. The Al-bin-Ali excused themselves from doing this on
various pretexts, and the result of subsequent enquiries, made by the Assistant Political Ao-ent
through the Chief of Albu Gowara, many of whose tribesmen witnessed the occurrence does
not confirm the statement that any of the Al-bin-Ali were killed or wounded. They have
given up the arms, which, they say, were taken by them, though the Amamerk allege that
two rifles are still missing and that the majority of the arms returned are not those which
were taken.
" The Assistant Political Agent is of opinion, and his conclusions appear to me to be
correct, that the Al-bin-Ali were the aggressors and responsible for the disturbance Seein"-
their enemies driven into their midst and apparently at their mercy, they thoucrht it a fit
opportunity to take their revenge for the murder of their former Sheikh Sultan bin Salama
The Amamera apparently only acted in self-defence, and it seems very probable that if it bad not
been for the intervention of Saleh-bin-Muhammad, the disturbance would have ' had serious
results.
^ " The Assistant Political Agent suggests that a fine of Rs. 1,000 should be imposed on
the Al-bin-AU as a punishment for having provoked a breach of the peace, and that a further
fine of Us. 600 should he taken from them on account of their having substituted inferior sruns
for those taken by them from the Amamera. 8
ui //he ciroumstanoes connected with the murder of Snltau-bin Salama and consequent
No SB W lt1 W i e 2 e t h M TV koo j 6 J V namera were re P orted hy Meade in his letter
No 26, dated mh March 1899 and it seems to me that, as apparently no satisfactory
settlement of this blood-feud has been arrived at between the parties, the Al-bin-Ali in
accordance with Arab custom, could not well avoid seizing the opportunity which presented
itself of taking their revenge on the Amamera. Tney were obliged, it seems, a t Ly rate