"تقارير إداري عن الخليج الفارسي لعام ١٩٣٢‎" [و‎‎٥‎٣‎٨] (٧٣/٥١)

43
3
obtaining the sanction of a Court This w
interested persons are usually able to divide nn !^ visi0n objected to as
the case comes before a Qadhi and this nmni. 1 a . cleceased s moveables before
to prevent such action. The Hon’ble the 1 PolitSdRe ^ as s P ecifi ? all y designed
and the malcontents remained quiet intention nil, Ke ® uleilt . was m the vicinity
Bahrain and the matter then ^me to a ^L° r ^ lenvise ua til he had left
Muharraq and Hidd and had undoubtedly h a ^ lta ^ 011 started in
anything was heard of it owing to inefficw" ‘“, ?X1StenCe Some time bofore
Abdullah bin Isa A1 Khalifah was undoubtodh P ° ] i iCe airan o ement s. Shaikh
on, but took no useful action and toer showed aWare ° f wbat "' as going
agitators. The proclamation was misrepAselted With the
rumour being that no dead mi<>ht be burie.l win . , l0ssl ) e "' a . v ’ 0118
mission. D d wlthout th8 Government’s per-
9th b) 1 *the'l 1th f’ebruary 8 ^ 'l “q, 1 ‘ m b 1 aZaarS were closed from t,ie
ytn to tnc iim rebruary. Unfortunately Shaikh Hamad was due to nav his
i( , W 1 S1 , T 1 ^p 1 j v ar i ra A q aild an ear] y settlement had to be made. The Adviser
asked the I olitical Agent to re-issue a similar Agency nrocHm’ition
show Bahrain subjects that the idea was not a new one, and'that foreigners
were liable to similar regulations. This was done, but it proved to be an
unfortunate step. Excitement then prevailed amongst the foreign community
as well as the Bahrainis and large bodies of Persian swarmed over from
Muharraq. The Political Agent held a prolonged meeting'with their leaders
ami, alter he had succeeded in separating the Persians from the Arabs, was
able to pacify them by slightly modifying the proclamation though not in any
essential feature.
Shaikh Hamad had in the meantime exhibited characteristic weakness for
although he met the first deputation that went to meet him at Sakhir with
thinness, he tlnev away the advantage he had gained by asking them at the
end What do \ou want me to do ? ’ He sent a confidential messenger in at
night to ask if the Bahrain Government proclamation should not be secretly
removed in the night, to which the Political Agent objected. On the night of
the 10th February, however, unknown persons removed it and the Agency
proclamation and the Shaikh accepted the fait accompli.
As a result of this agitation the friends of the Government harmed them
selves and the Government itself suffered a severe set-back. Fortunately they
recovered all their lost prestige in the firm handling of the divers’ riot. There
is little doubt that the Sunni Qadhis were in full sympathy with the agitation.
21. Divers' Riot .—On the 25th May a divers’ agitation for increased salaf
came to a head when some ringleaders were arrested. The salaf had been fixed
at Rs. 30 for divers and Rs. 25 for haulers, an uncomfortably low figure, but
all that the industry could afford after three bad years. Certain men had
busied themselves in stirring up their fellow divers to refuse these terms
(although representatives of the divers had been present when the usual meeting
to fix the rates had been held) and met with a ready response from the more
turbulent section of foreign divers, a motley crowd of blacks, Somalis, Had-
bramautis and wild men from the interior of th^Arab Coast generally. Shaikh
Abdullah warned the Adviser that there were signs of trouble at Muharraq and
on the 25th certain ring-leaders were arrested. Next day the trouble com
menced with dramatic suddenness. Shaikh Abdullah and the Amir had come
over to Manamah to discuss the matter with the Adviser, and were on their
way back to Muharraq, when the Adviser received news that a very large body
of men bad landed on the Manamah-Muharraq causeway and were coming to
bis office. Apparently they made for the Police Station, for before the Adviser
bad reached it thev had wrecked it 'and rescued a ring-leader imprisoned the
day before. The Political Agent proceeded to join the Adviser as early as
possible and met him at the Police Station, which was found to have a door
and two windows burst in, the glass being in fragments. On the way to the
Police Station the Political Agent drove through a section of the mob and had
occasion to notice their ugly temper.
The Adviser had sent up to the Fort for the available Indian Police, and
be and the Political Agent proceeded there to expedite matters. Some thiity
men were hastilv armed and a passing lorrv commandeered and the little foioe
returned to the Police Station to find a rabble of some l.oO di\ors armed vitb
chibs, sticks and crowbars, evidently in a state of considerable excitement,
while a crowd of about a thousand looked on from the houses and other coigns