TALE OF A CITY 16 heartedly on the side of the British, his influence for good along the whole coast would always be invaluable, and that the British needed have no fear of any future trouble whatsoever. As for Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr al-Qasimi, he had already been making arrangements to start the required building of Sharjah Air Station even before the Agreement with the British was signed. On 26 July 1932, the Sheikh gathered 20 boats loaded with rocks from the Island of Tunb. He also had another 13 boats at Tunb island being loaded with more rocks. The British, on the other hand, had made arrangements for the arrival of Lieutenant Mackay at Sharjah on 12 August 1932 for a 3-week stay. The British warships were also to make regular visits during the two months of July and August, as per the Agreement. The British additionally agreed to provide Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr with forty rifles, leaving another three rifles as reserve, together with two hundred bullets. These were to arm the Station guards whom Sheikh Sultan had appointed for this purpose. The British also decided to have a wireless Telegraph Station in Sharjah. However, as they were worried that Sheikh Sultan many object, owing to the fact that such a station was not part of the Agreement, they decided to tell him that it belonged to Imperial Airways. 3 On the eve of 29 August 1932, HMS Bideford arrived at Sharjah from Bushehr. On board was the Political Resident in the Gulf, Lieutenant Colonel Trenchard Fowele, accompanied by Captain Denison who had participated in the negotiations resulting in the signing of the Air Station Agreement. While on board, Captain Denison gave the Political Resident some information about the some of the figures of Sharjah. In the Morning of 30 August, Captain Mackay who was in Sharjah met the Political Resident and informed him that the Residency Agent, bin Abdullatif, who was acting on behalf of Sheikh Sultan in the issue of construction Sharjah Air Station, had not been using the funds in the best way; rather, he was using most of it for his own benefit, and had been more of an obstruction than an aid in situations such as the payment of the wages to the coolies. 3 Ibid., L.P.&S/12/1966, No.171/587, P.Z,5297/1932, P.Z.4979/1932.
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