"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٩‎٠‎٨] (١٧٨٢/١٠٦٣)

I l!
Fall of Zuba-
rah, 1878.
Prevalence
of piracy
and general
insecurity in
Bahrain,
1S78-79.
Action by
the British
authoritiee
on sea and
land, 1878-
79. '
908
refused to halt when ordered, wounding one of the crews. The sufferers
in the latter case proved to be subjects of the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi, and
Shaikh 'Isa-bin-'Ali was accordingly obliged by the Resident to apo
logise to the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi and to afford compensation to the
wounded man, besides punishing the chief offenders in both cases. The
boats in question appear to have been employed in guarding the seas
between Bahrain and the promontory of Qatar, where dangers that might
at any moment extend to Bahrain had begun to gather round Zubarah.
In November 1878, as more fully related in the history of Qatar,
the Na^aimi settlement of Zubarah was completely destroyed by a hostile
combination of Bedouins under the Al Thani Shaikh of Dohah and Nasir-
bin-Mubarak, the Bahrain refugee; and fears, which subsequently
proved to be unfounded, were entertained of an immediate attack upon
Bahrain. During this crisis a vigilant watch over the safety of Bahrain
was maintained by British vessels, and armed boats belonging to the
Shaikh were stationed at various points under the orders of the British
naval authorities; some of these boats, as shown in the last paragraph,
occasionally exceeded their instructions. The Shaikh of Bahrain, who
considered himself in honour bound to assist the Na'im of Zubarah, chafed
angrily against the policy of inaction imposed on him by the British
A ei nment; and it cannot be questioned that the disappearance of Zuba-
irili hum the shore of Qatar exposed Bahrain to a greater risk of invasion,
without warning, from the mainland. The homeless Na'im of Zubarah,
to the number of about 800, soon afterwards took refuge in Bahrain.
Meanwhile, as related in the history of Hasa, piracy, chiefly by Bani
Hajir, became rampant in the seas adjoining Bahrain; and on land,
simultaneously, an outbreak of robberies accompanied by murders took place,
Ihe most dangerous gang of criminals in Bahrain was one headed by a
certain 'Ah-bm-Jabir, who was eventually arrested ; but, while the hands
of four of his associates were cut off as a punishment, 'Ali himself was
suffered to escape-not, it was thought, without the connivance of the
Shaikh himself and joined the Bani Hajir. On the 11th of February.
lo m m^ ^ 0f ^ of 30 Bani
island a d H 7 « T ^ ^ ,A<l4riyah 0n the WeSt Bide of the
island and killed a Bahrain subject.
The steps taken by the British Government for the suppression of
piracy are descnbed in their proper place in the history of Hasa here it
were stationed'for a'time'in B h' • ^ ^ " VuW
by pirates from Bahrain owners ^ ^ T'* take,1
lecovered by the second of these
s-