مجموعة ٣٠/٩٠ "المطالبة الفارسية بجزيرة البحرين" [ظ‎‎٤‎١‎١] (١٠٦٢/٨٣٥)

14
Persia; that the employment in En f lis £ of
“ Pprsian Gulf ” was itself evidence of this, that trom
about 1300 A. D. the island of Bahrein had always been
in°the possession of .the Governors of Pars and had paxd
revenue to them until its conquest m 1 i 83 by the httabi
Arabs, from which tribe “itself, likew.se presente have
generally been sent to the Governors of Pars that Her
Maiestv’s Government had recognised the position when
they warned Mehemet All of Egypt in 1840 not to attack
Bahrein, which, did not form part of Arabia, but rather of
the Persian Gulf ; “ and that accordingly the British Govern
ment would not allow him to extend the hand of possession
over that island ” ; that the British authorities had formally
and repeatedly asked Persia to rent the island to them an 1
that British representatives at Tehran had frequently
declared that tier Majesty’s Government had no right what
ever to the Gulf or its islands [there is uo foundation lor
either statement]; and that the fact that Captain Bruces
treaty was on record supported the Persian claim xhe
following extract, which (except as regards the initial date)
appears correctly to represent the true facts, may, however,
be placed on record from the Prime Minister s memorandum :
“ I n the commencement of the reign of His Majesty the late
Shah, the Arabs of Beni Attabi came from the desert and
conquered the island by sea. The object and uesire c>f the
Persian Government has since always been and is the
recovery of that island from its spoilers.
49. Her Majesty’s Government, in view of the unlikeli
hood* that Persia had, or could give effect to, any serious
designs in Bahrein and the undesirability of engaging m
those circumstances in a correspondence which might meie y
cause irritation without serving any useful purpose,
instructed the Minister at Tehran not to revert to tiie
subject unless it was forced upon him by the Persian Prime
Minister. In that case he was to employ certain arguments
supplied to him (apparently the critical comments of the
Secret Committee of the East India Company on the Prime
Minister’s memorandum) to show generally the grounds on
F.O. to Teh. w hich Her Majesty’s Government were “ unable to recognise
*r°- 38 of a8 valid t i ie claims advanced by Persia to the sovereignty of
7.8 1845. Balireiri) an( i you ra ay add that they would . . very much
disapprove of any attempts on the part of Persia to interfere
in the affairs of that island and thus disturb the peace of
the Gulf and to afford an opening to piracy.” The question
appears to have dropped for the time being.
Treaty of Peace with Wahabis, to whom Bahrein pays
Tribute (1847).
50. Meanwhile, the ex-Sheikh (who in 1845 had unsuccess-
Lor. 1, 877. fully attempted to capture Bahrein with the aid of the
Wahabis) bad been invited in June 1846 by the Governor-
Lor. I, 877. General of Ears to return to Bushire, where he should be
liberally entertained “ until ... the season for action had
Lor. I, 880. arrived,” but he declined the invitation. In October 1846
the Wahabi Amir asked the permission of the Resident to
call in the Trucial Sheikhs of the Arab littoral against
Bahrein. This was refused. A request by the ruling Sheikh
of Bahrein to be allowed to call in the assistance of the
Sheikh of Debai against the Wahabis was equally refused in
November 1846. In August 1847 a Treaty of Peace was
concluded between the Wahabi Amir and the ruling Sheikh,
under which the ruling Sheikh agreed to pay a tribute of
4,000 dollars a year, while the Wahabi Amir agreed not to
encourage the ex-Sheikh.
Slavery Treaty with Great Britain, 1847.
51. On the 8th March 1847 Her Majesty’s Government
entered" into a Slavery Treaty with the ruling Sheikh.