the crown colonies - Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative

250 THE CROWN COLOX IES
Th e regular population of Bahrain is abou t 120,000.
They are nearly all Moslems. Thei r numbers an: made
up of descendants of Arabs who migrated from Najd
a couple of hundred years ago, Negroes who have come
from Africa to try their luck in the pear l fisheries, a
large Persian comm unity, and Hind oo merchants and
other Indians. Th e followers of the Prophet are divided
into two sects roughly corresponding to their classes as
townsmen or countrymen. As a whole the people of
Bah rain are small and slight, but they make up Cor
their physical shortcomings in being extremely intelligent,
with a business ability that is generously acknowledged
by all their neighbours in the Persian Gulf.
The climate is mild and humid and not at all pleasant
for Europeans. That: is plenty of water in the islands,
but the supply of M ubarra q is obtained in quite an
extraordinary manner. It comes from springs that burst
throug h the bed of the ocean, which is here very shallow,
and shoot their water upward with such force that it
remains qui te fresh at the surface, unco ntamina ted by
the salt sea waves which surround it.
Th e Bahr ain Island s are chiefly famous for their
pearls. T hey are the centre of the indust ry in the
Persian Gulf. Severa l hu ndred sailing vessels of all sizes
are manned by crews numbering anything from eight
to sixty, who carry on a trade in "which their ancestors
have engaged from ,"ery ancient times. The pearls are
of the finest qual ity and form the chief export to the
outside world and the principal source of wealth for the
islan ders.
In 1932 a new asset was revea led. Oil was discovered
on Bahr ain Island . It is worked by the Bahra in
Petroleum Comp any which holds a concession from the
government, and already the country rank s twelfth