Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎214r] (428/540)

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boats finally by turning Moslem in 1930. It would be hard for him to swing away
definitely from Ibn Saud, even if he wished to. He remains, therefore, a hanger
on, perhaps still faithful to the King, but in many ways disgruntled. The King
probably likes to have him about, and consults him doubtless on occasion; but
there was no slightest sign of his being in the know when the Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan
frontier question was acute, nor has he found it more possible than other traders
of late to get money out of the Hejazi Government. His real influence must
therefore be rated low. His capacity for affairs cannot be rated high. To
represent him as a member of Ibn Baud’s Government, as an eminence grise, or
as a “ mystery man of Arabia,” is absurd. He is merely, poor man, a person of
considerable parts, some attractive qualities, and a taste for the unusual,
adventuring himself in an alien world, in which he has thrown away his old
compass to experiment with a new one. In the latter part of 1931, he still ached to
cross the Ruba-al-Khali, approaching it in such a way that the exploit, though
second to that of Mr. Thomas, would compare with, or even excel, it in magnitude.
69. Sheikh Hafiz Wahba continued to be Hejazi Minister in London
throughout 1931. His part in official affairs was inconsiderable, but, so far as it
went, helpful. He was much in evidence on social occasions, and showed ability
as a propagandist on behalf of Ibn Saud.
(b) Other British Governments.
70. Hejaz-Nejd continued during the year to have no contact with any of
the Dominions. A few questions primarily concerning the Governments of
British dependencies fall to be dealt with in this section, as follows :—
(a) Hejazi Consuls at Bombay and Singapore. —His Majesty’s Minister at
Jedda discussed this question with Sheikh Yussuf Yasin on the 7th February,
the Governments of India and the Straits Settlements having agreed in principle
to accept the proposed consuls subject to certain safeguards, and Sir A. Ryan
having been authorised to couple his statement of their desiderata with the
expression of a hope that, if the consuls were agreed to, Ibn Saud would be
equally prepared to receive British consuls in his dominions. It emerged from
the conversation that the sheikh was reluctant to agree to the suggested restric
tions on the activity of the consuls and that the idea of reciprocity was most
unpalatable. He promised to report to the King, but the Hejazi Government did
not revert to the subject during the remainder of the year.
(b) Money Order Agreements with India and Palestine. —For some time
previous to 1931 negotiations had been proceeding with a view to the conclusion
of money order agreements between Hejaz-Nejd and these two countries. They
had gone very slowly, largely owing to the difficulty of the Hejazi Government
in agreeing to clauses providing for the payment of interest on debit balances
outstanding for more than a certain period, a provision repugnant to their
religious convictions. This question was eventually settled as between Hejaz-
Nejd and Palestine by a formula to be embodied in an exchange of letters
providing for the payment of interest under another name, and the agreement
was completed in the summer of 1931. The Indian postal authorities waived the
question of interest The negotiations were completed in the latter part of the
year, but the actual exchange of signed texts was delayed by slight hitches of a
purely formal kind.
(c) Claim by the Government of India. —This is dealt with in the section on
finance, &c.
(2) France and Syria.
71. The treaty negotiations between France and Hejaz-Nejd dragged on
wearily throughout the first ten months of the year. They were conducted on the
French side by M. R. Maigret, who continued during the year to be Charge
d’Affaires at the head of a consulate. He complained bitterly of the tiresomeness
of the Hejazi negotiators, first Sheikh Yussuf Yasin, whom he found incon
ceivably meticulous over words, and then Fuad Bey Hamza. A general treaty
with France was eventually signed on the 10th November, and simultaneously a
new convention on the relations between Hejaz-Nejd and the States of Syria and
the Lebanon. These agreements had not been ratified or published up to the end