"شخصيات، شبه الجزيرة العربية" [‎٧‎٥] (٣٧٤/٧٩)

75
friendly with Ibn Sa'ud, as was his father, who acted more than
once as the latter's agent in overtures to Indian Government. His
elder brother, KHALlFAH, who supplanted him at Dohah in 1912
and resides in the Rumeilah quarter, is hostile to him, and so are his
cousins, sons of Sh. Ahmed eth-Thani. Sheikh 'Abdullah has been
friendly to us since the outbreak of war, but is not a very energetic
ruler. On the outbreak of war with Turkey he acknowledged our
Resident's announcement without comment. He conducted the
negotiations with the Turkish garrison in August 1915, and was
presented with the fort by H.M. Government after the surrender.
A good deal of arms smuggling goes on at Dohah.
BAHREIN, Ruler of.
The Sheikhs of the Khalifah family of the 'Utub tribe,
which seized Bahrein in 1782, have been in direct relations with us
since 1805, and under treaty since 1820. But it was not till 1880
that the present ruler entered into a binding pact of the same kind as
that afterwards accepted by the Sultan of Muscat (q.v.). A British
Resident is stationed at Manamah, on the main island of the group.
The present ruler owed his accession to our influence, and is supported
by us against other claimants of the Khalifah family. He resides on
Muharraq Island off Manamah for four summer months, and at
Manamah the rest of the year.
TSA IBN 'ALI EL-KHALlFAH, C.I.E., C.S.I.
Succeeded in 1867, and is now an old man. Has always needed
a firm hand to keep him up to his obligations, and has betrayed
more than once a tendency to intrigue with the Ottoman power at
the head of the Gulf. Is jealous of his independence, and slow to
accept suggestions by the Resident, until these are pressed upon
him with insistence ; but is an intelligent man who knows how far
to go, and has, on the whole, administered his charge well, meeting
with wisdom and energy the economic crisis in the pearl-fishing
trade caused by the present war, which reduced his customs receipts
80 per cent. Later the plague caused much distress (spring 1915)
and led to about 5,000 deaths. It ended in June. Sheikh Tsa has
three sons :
1. HAMID, the heir apparent, a moderate man. Lives at
a country house behind Manamah, near the palm-gardens.
2. MOHAMMED, who made the pilgrimage to Mecca in
1912.
3. 'ABDULLAH.
KHALID IBN 'ALI EL-KHALlFAH.
Brother of the ruling Sheikh, and virtually independent
holder of the islands of Sitrah and Nebi Salih, together with the
k 2