ملف رقم ٣٤٥ لسنة ١٩٠٨ الجزء الثاني "المحمرة: الوضع. نزاع الشيخ مع والي البصرة. تقليد الشيخ وساماً. تجديد التطمينات للشيخ". [و‎‎٢‎٠‎٦] (٥٦٦/٤١٦)

Enclosure 11 in No. 1.
Consul Crow to Acting Consul Wilson.
Ily dear Wilson, Bussorah, April 28, 1910.
I TOLD Mushir that I would write privately to the yali and ask him to protect
Mirza Hamza’s wife and family, but I thought under the circumstances they would be
better away from here. I do not think the vali is at all likely to do them harm , but
I cannot answer for developments and they might be exposed to annoyance and
supervision. As regards Persian property in Bussorah, I would advise the sheikh to
get his guarantee through the Persian Embassy; the difficulty will probably be
discussed between them and the Porte, and any local promise I might give would be
easily over-ruled.
Mushir said he agreed they would be better away and my letter was not
required. . ,
The question, I think, turns on reprisals as regards further damage being done.
The vali leaves on Saturday for Bagdad and will be away a month with Nazim Pasha.
Yours sincerely,
F. E. CROW.
Enclosure 12 in No. 1.
Acting Consul Wilson to Consul Crow.
My dear Crow, Mohammerah, April 30, 1910.
YOUR letter of the 28th received the 29th. _ .
I am sorry that Haji Mushir did not consent to your writing to the vali privately
and asking him to look after Mirza Hamza’s family, and so is Mirza Hamza. Ihe
latter points out, and I agree with him from my point of view, that for him to take
away his family from Bussorah now would give rise to much comment and tend to
magnify instead of minimising recent occurrences. Turks, I suppose, are much the
same as Persians and other Orientals in that they become dangerous and bold only
when they see the enemy is afraid. I think that if Mirza Hamza s family were to )e
withdrawn, it would be interpreted as a sign of fear. . • . i u -
I understand that he is strongly of this opinion that he is not going to take his
family away. I hope, therefore, that you will do what you can for him. tie has been
a good friend to us and may still be so in the future. I hear that the Turks have
burnt another village—Rumailah, on an island between the _ top end of Umm-e-
Khassasif and the mainland opposite Failieh—but I have no information. (I am oli
for a four days’ trip to the mouth of Bahmanshir to do some more surveying before it
gets too hot.) VT . ,
” Yours sincerely,
A. T. WILSON.