In 1835, Hennell proposed a maritime ceasefire between the Gulf Sheikhdoms based on the terms already agreed upon in the 1820 General Maritime Treaty. The new treaty would run for the pearling season, between May and November and bind all of the Rulers to avoid hostilities at sea, give full redress for any infractions committed by their subjects and avoid retaliation but instead report incidents to the Resident. Additionally, they agreed to let the Resident know if they planned any hostilities at the end of the truce. This then obliged the Resident to enforce the truce and act to obtain reparations for any injuries inflicted by one Ruler's subjects on another's. The treaty effectively made the British the chief broker of peace in the region and was received with enthusiasm during a meeting at
Basidu on the island of
Qeshm, between
Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah and
Shakhbut bin Dhiyab Al Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi. The two Rulers approved of the idea and Hennell invited
Obeid bin Said bin Rashid of Dubai and
Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi of Ajman to join them. The Truce as proposed by Hennell was signed by all four Rulers in Bushire on the 21 August 1835.
Umm Al Quwain at the time was subject to Ras Al Khaimah and so did not sign independently. Although it was signed in August 1835, the Treaty bound its signatories from May 1835 to November 1835. Hennell subsequently reported how news “came in from all quarters of the joy and satisfaction diffused amongst the inhabitants of the whole line of the Arabian Coast of the Gulf on the intelligence reaching them of the establishment of the Truce.” Hennell, buoyed by his success as a peacemaker between the Sheikdoms of the Lower Gulf, also concluded a treaty with Kuwait when, in 1841, Abdullah II of Kuwait signed a one-year naval truce with Hennell, which however expired and was not renewed. The truce prohibited Kuwait from undertaking any form of maritime offense as well as giving all mediation efforts in maritime disputes over to the British Empire. Another innovation introduced in by Hennell was the ‘restrictive line’, defined in 1846, which outlined an area of the Gulf where the Trucial Rulers agreed not to undertake acts of war regardless if there was a maritime truce in place, in any area from the Persian coast to the islands of Sirri and Abu Musa. This was later extended to the Sharjah owned island of Sir Bu Nair. In 1853, the
Perpetual Maritime Truce of 4 May 1853 prohibited any act of aggression at sea and was signed by
Abdulla bin Rashid Al Mualla of Umm Al Quwain;
Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi of Ajman;
Saeed bin Butti of Dubai;
Saeed bin Tahnun Al Nahyan ('Chief of the Beniyas') and
Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi ('Chief of the Joasmees'). This treaty was signed by Hennell's former deputy and now successor,
Arnold Burrowes Kemball. == Marriage ==