مجموعة ٣٠/٩٠ "المطالبة الفارسية بجزيرة البحرين" [ظ‎‎٤‎١‎٤] (١٠٦٢/٨٤١)

Lord Cowley
to F.O.,
No, 15,
7.7.1862.
F.O. to Lord
Cowley,
No. 209,
22.2.1862.
Lor. I, 891.
Lor. I, 691.
I.O. to
G. of L,
No. 37 of
28.2.1867.
Lor. I, 892.
vm.
1861-67. From the Convention 0 U 86 I to the Fnnitive
Expedition of August 1868.
Persian Protest (1862). ^ #
70 t,, Tomiarv 1862 the Persian Minister in Paris
, t0 | : | er Maiesty’s Ambassador in Paris against the
protested to Her Ji< ] informed in reply that Her
MahStv’s Government’could not recognise any claim on the
Majesty s ^>yein proceedings m regard to
Cem atd inns? therefore decline to offer hun any
explanation on the subject of his complaint.
Persian Protest (1866).
74 Between 1863 and 1865 the Sheikh continued to
misbehave, and in the latter year Ins sh.p he
Wed under the instructions of the Resident, ihe l ersia
Government in 1866 made a complaint m regard to the
Dinar proceedings on the ground that Bahrein under
the unratified agreement of 1822 was a dependency of Persia.
The Government of India, after ascertammg from the
Government of Bombay the nature of the agreement of 182-1,
communicated the result of their enquines to the Minister
at Tehran, and added their own opinion that whatever
might have been the pretensions of Persia or the grounds or
tlnfsame to the sovereignty of Bahrein in former days, t
Shah could not now be regarded as possessing m point of
fact any rights in the principality.” This communication
was approved by Her Majesty’s Government m the same
year, and the matter appears to have dropped.
Nature of Relations between Bahrein and Wahabi Amir (1867).
75. In 1866-67 the Resident, on the instructions of the
Government of India, investigated the relations of the bheikh
of Bahrein and the Wahabi Amir. He reported as a result
that the Sheikh claimed to be independent so far as Ins
islands were concerned, and that the annual tribute of
4 000 dollars “ which be indubitably paid (ep. paragraph 50
above) to the Amir was on account of the possessions held
by him in Qatar on the Arabian mainland, the object of the
payment being to secure those possessions against attacks by
Arab tribes under Wahabi influence. The Government ol
India in the light of the Resident’s investigation, expressed
the view in March 1867 that the Sheikh was independent oi
all other Powers in respect of his insular possessions and
owed fealtv to the Wahabis only in regard to Qatar.
Summary, 1861-67.
76 This period is marked by assertions of the Persian
claim in 1862 and 1866. Her Majesty’s Government on
both occasions made it clear that they could not regard that
claim as well founded. /i Q £~\ x
Investigation showed that the tribute still paid (Ibb/j py
the Sheikh to the Wahabi Amir was ip respect of Bahreini
possessions on the mainland of Arabia, and not in respect
of Bahrein, which the Sheikh held independently of all other
Powers.
IX.—Discussions and Incidents, 1868-70.
77. Questions of considerable importance as bearing on
the status of Bahrein arose in 1868—/0 consequent on
(a) the disciplinary action taken by the Government of
India against the ruling Sheikh Md. bin Khalifa,
in view of bis breaches of the Maritime Truce of
1820, which resulted in his flight from Bahrein
in September 1868 and the succession as sole
Sheikh of his brother, Sheikh Ali bin Khalifa;
(b) the punitive action taken at Bahrein by the Govern
ment of India in November—December 1869,
consequent on the invasion of Bahrein by the
ex-Sheikh Md. bin Khalifa, the murder of Sheikh