ملف ١٨٥٥\١٩٠٤ الجزء ٨ "الكويت:- موقف زعماء شبه الجزيرة العربية تجاه قبائل الداخلية (نجد إلخ.)" [ظ‎‎٤] (٣٣٦/٦)

..,5
without previous sanction of His Majesty’s
Government.”
Sir N. O’Conor, who was consulted, while
recognizing the advantages of obtaining fuller
information as to affairs in the interior of Arabia,
held that the moment was not opportune for the
action suggested ; and to this opinion the Govern
ment of India, after receiving the views of
Colonel Kemball, the Resident in the Persian
Gulf, subscribed in a despatch dated the 24th
March, 1904. They considered, however, that,
in view of recent developments of the situation,
there was reason to think that it may shortly
he incumbent on us to take a more lively interest
in the affairs of Central Arabia,” and they
added that: “ later, .... when the political
situation in Hejd has developed, and above all
if the present representative of the Wahabee
family .... succeeds in establishing and ex
tending his ascendancy, which from the latest
accounts received seems to be not improbable,
we think that it may be desirable again to enter
into relations with our old ally.”
The successes of Bin Saoud in April 1904 led
the Turkish Government to send troops and guns
to the assistance of Bin Bashid. Bin Saoud
thereupon wrote to the Besident in the Persian
Gulf on the 2nd May, 1904, protesting against
the Turkish invasion and soliciting the protection
of Great Britain for himself and his country.
At the same time the Besident received from
Sheikh Mubarak of Ivoweit a letter addressed to
the latter by Bin Saoud, in which he hinted that,
if he failed to obtain British protection, he
might have to fall back on the Russian offer of
assistance made to him in 1903. The Govern
ment of India, in reporting this on the 20th May,
suggested that it might become necessary to
revive the proposal to post a British Besident at
Koweit, in order to watch events, should the
Turks persist in armed intervention.
Sir N. O’Conor had already been instructed, on
the 10th May, 1904, to point out to the Porte
that His Majesty’s Government, in the hope of
assisting to preserve the peace, had “employed
special efforts to dissuade the Sheikh of Koweit
from taking part, even indirectly, in the hostilities
that have broken out,’ and to protest against
any action being taken by the Turkish Govern
ment “which might add still further to the
Sir N. O’Conor to
Lord Lansdowne,
February 26,1904.
(
!a (f.
Government of
India’s letter,
March 24, 1904.
n
Sir N. O’Conor to
Foreign Office,
April 26, and
May 4, 1904.
Viceroy’s
telegram.
May 20, 1904.
Lord Lansdowne
to Sir N. ©’Conor,
May 10, 1904.