"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٥‎٢‎٥] (١٧٨٢/١٦٨٠)

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Tn 1897 the vierilance of authorities haviue apparently been relaxed. Recrudescence
, , o x i ^ 0 £ p^acy^
there was a recrudescence of piracy. 1897.
In May of that year three piracies were committed on Kuwait
vessels at the mouth of the river, and in one of these a member of the
crew was killed and property worth Us. 5,500 carried off.
On the 6th September one Persian sailing vessel was looted by
another outside the river; but H. M. S. " Pigeon " and the R. I. M. S.
"Lawrence," which happened to be near the spot, at once set off in
pursuit ; and the " Lawrence/' on the second day, succeeded in captur
ing the offenders. Four of the pirates, who were Persian subjects, were
handed over to the Persian authorities and were sentenced to six months
imprisonment each ; and the guilty vessel and its contents were sold, the
proceeds being handed over as compensation to the injured party, some
of whom had been severely wounded.
The next case was a graver one : it was that of the a Kaliyanpasa, a
British Indian sailing vessel, which was attacked on the river at Saihan
on the night of the 1st December. In this affair one British Indian and
one "Omani subject lost their lives, and a quantity of valuable property
was carried off. Saihan is in Turkish territory, but the pirates seemed to
belong to the Persian side. The only person arrested was a Persian
subject who was not really implicated, and whom the Turkish police
seized for reasons of their own. The case remained under enquiry for
some time, but it was never settled.
These events necessitated more stringent preventive measures, in
which the lead was taken by the British authorities. H .M. against ^
S. " Redbreast " was stationed in the river in September 1898 and P^acy,
remained until January 1899. The Turkish and Persian authorities
were also induced to exert themselves. In September 1898 the number
of river-side posts occupied by military in .Turkish territory was iuciease
to 13, and the Turkish armed steamers c< Alus " and " Zuhaf were
equipped for service ; but this by no means spontaneous display o
energy was not considered a sufficient reason foi acceding to a req
made by the Porte in November 1898 for the withdrawal of the British
gunboat. On the Persian side the Shaikh of Muhammareh raised the
number of his posts to 12, at each of which a Ballam was stationed
and the Persian flag hoisted ; and all movement of private
night in the waters adjoining the Persian bank was prohibite
suggested by the British authorities that the headmen of vi ages s ou
be warned that they would beheld responsible for piracies committed