Abstract: This item comprises copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 26 of 1856, dated 16 April 1856. The enclosures are dated 7 October 1855-12 April 1856.The enclosures relate to British policy towards the intended migration of the Al Ali [Āl ‘Alī] tribe, residing at Ges [Kish, also was known as Kenn, also spelled Geis in this item], to the Arabian coast in the neighbourhood of Kutiffe [Al-Qaṭīf], and British reaction to their actual migration to Demaum [Dammam]. They cover the efforts of Lieutenant Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident, Persian Gulf, and Commander Felix Jones, Indian Navy, Acting Resident, Persian Gulf, to prevent a further attack on Bahrein [Bahrain] and disorder in the Gulf from disrupting British trade, and chiefly comprise their letters to or correspondence with the following:Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Sheikh of Bahrein [Shaikh Muḥammed bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah, also spelled Khulifa in this item]Commodore Richard Ethersey, Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf, and other senior Indian Navy officers and vessel commandersSheikh Mahomed ben Abdullah, Sheikh of Demaum [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh, Shaikh of Dammam], who was in dispute with the Sheikh of Bahrein over re-establishing his claim to the ‘chieftainship’ of Bahrein and who had attacked Bahrein the previous yearAli bin Sultan [Alī bin Sulṭān], chief of the Al Ali tribe, who had allied with the Sheikh of Demaum in the attack on Bahrein in the previous yearThe Wahabee Ameer [Wahhābī Amīr] Fysul [Fayṣal bin Turkī bin ‘Abdullāh, Āl Sa‘ūd], Ruler of Nedjid [Najd]The British Agent at BahreinThe Government of Bombay.The papers notably cover and include:Disbrowe’s dissuasion of the Sheikh of Bahrein from undertaking offensive action against the Al Ali and advice to confine himself to defensive actionsThe Wahabee Ameer’s claim that he would prefer Ali bin Sultan and his Al Ali followers not to migrate to his territory, but that he would not be ‘inhospitable’ to them if they did locate in Wahabee country, and the Government of Bombay’s belief that the Ameer in reality supports hostilities against the Sheikh of BahreinWarnings given: by Disbrowe to Ali bin Sultan, not to break the agreement he made with Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball, former Resident in the Persian Gulf, to give three months’ notice of any intention to move from Ges; and by Jones to the Sheikh of Demaum that harbouring the Al Ali is a violation of his agreement with KemballThe belief of Disbrowe and Jones that, despite his denials, the Sheikh of Demaum instigated the migration of the Al Ali to his territoryThe instructions given by Disbrowe and Jones to commanding officers of the Naval Squadron in the Gulf regarding measures to enforce the removal of Ali bin Sultan and his followers from Demaum, including issuing warnings, ultimatums, threats and, as a last resort, capturing the Al Ali’s boats and valuables and taking them to Bassidore [Basaidu], whilst carefully restricting any actions of force to sea and portsThe authorisation by the Honorary Board, Bombay, to Jones to assemble a sufficient naval force and use coercion to make the Al Ali leave Demaum, including permission to burn their boats.Physical description: 1 item (48 folios)
Abstract: This item comprises copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 45 of 1856, dated 25 June 1856. The enclosures are dated 5 May-19 June 1856.The enclosures chiefly comprise copies of the correspondence of Commander Felix Jones, Acting Resident, Persian Gulf, with Commodore Richard Ethersey, Indian Navy, Commanding the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf, and the Government of Bombay, relating to the removal of the Al Ali [Āl ‘Alī] tribe from Demaum [Dammam].They notably cover and include:Jones’s and Ethersey’s agreement to make a demonstration of naval strength at Demaum with the
Ajdaha,
Semiramisand
Falkland, and if that fails to bombard the town and fort of Demaum, followed if necessary by further coercive measures including the blockading of the port and destruction of any captured Al Ali boatsEthersey’s reservations regarding the agreed measures to be taken at Demaum, due to: the inadequacy of naval resources to carry out the Demaum action in addition to policing the Gulf and searching vessels for enslaved persons; the unsuitability of the
Ajdahafor the shallow seas around Demaum; and the urgent need for the
Semiramisto return to Bombay [Mumbai] for repairsJones’s hope that a brief show of naval strength at Bahrein [Bahrain] and his negotiations with the Sheikh of Demaum [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh, Shaikh of Dammam] will achieve the British objective, his reluctant agreement that the
Semiramisreturn to Bombay before the monsoons set in, and his decision to retain the
Constanceat Bushire [Bushehr] during the temporary withdrawal of the
Ajdahaand
FalklandEthersey’s provision of the
Ajdahafor Jones’s visit to Demaum and tour of the Gulf, due to the inadequate cabin accommodation on his own vessel the
FalklandJones’s report to the Government of Bombay on his proceedings at Bahrein regarding the Al Ali, including: his meetings with Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa [Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah, Shaikh of Bahrain], the Sheikh of Demaum and with Ali ben Sultan [Alī bin Sulṭān], chief of the Al Ali; the agreement of Jones and the Sheikh of Bahrein not to force the Al Ali to return to Geis [Kish, also was known as Kenn] due to its unsuitable living conditions, and proposal that the Al Ali go to Kuweit [Kuwait], Grane [Kuwait] or Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi]; Jones’s encouragement of those Al Ali who wish to reconcile with the Sheikh of Bahrein and return to the island without punishment; Jones’s consent to the Sheikh of Demaum’s request (f 367) to allow the Al Ali to remain at Demaum until the month of Ramadhan [Ramadan] has ended; Ali ben Sultan’s compliance following Jones’s threat to bring the squadron to Demaum; Jones’s pleasure that he has achieved a ‘peaceful resolution’ and relief at the avoidance of a potentially ineffective and expensive blockadeJones’s orders to Ethersey that the
Semiramisshould go to Bombay should any important despatches arrive at Bushire for India.In this item Jones also reports unverified intelligence from the Acting Native Agent at Muscat that the agents of the Imam of Muscat and Persia [Iran] at Kishm [Qeshm] have agreed that the Imam will take possession of Bunder Abbas [Bandar Abbas].Physical description: 1 item (25 folios)