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Miscellaneous reports and correspondence relating to Kuwait [‎28v] (56/87)

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The record is made up of 1 file (41 folios). It was created in [1 Mar 1918]-13 Mar 1920. It was written in English and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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visual exihibition of horsemanship but without letting off rifles. One of them
fell off.
Reached Riadh ; met at Palace gates and conducted to mejlis wher e
all the principal Shaikhs assembled. Sat on right of 'Abdul 'Aziz Bin Sand.
The whole length of the top wall was unoccupied except by two of us ; then
Muhammad ibn 'Abdur Rahman, 'Abdul 'Aziz's brother, an extremely influential
man in Najd, Faisal ibn Rashid (refugee from Hail), Mullah 'Abdullah, my
reader, Salih al Adil, Ibrahim ibn Muhammad bin Saif (of Kuwait), 'Abdullah
Bin Saud, brother of 'Abdul 'Aziz, and 5 or 6 of the Araif were among the
principal notables present. Afterwards went for a private talk in the maktaby
or office, of Bin Sdud. Then breakfast. At 2 p.m . visited 'Abdur Rahman Bin
Saud, the Imam, as he is generally called, an old man with saffron-coloured
beard, about 70 years of age, a charming personage. We were conducted
to a bright reception-room, with lofty roof, 3 central pillars and doors at
both ends but in opposite corners of the rectangle ; triangular windows high
up on walls let in plenty of light ; good carpets and cushions round walls.
Long conversation, chiefly on general politics. 'Abdur Rahman is yellow in
face, with the dark, clear, inscrutable eyes of the true and wise, resembling
remarkably those of Lord Roberts. He is as strongly pro-British now as he
was when Raunkiaer met him before the war in 1912. The latter remarked of
him :—" On the last subject, the relative power of European States, especially
in the matter of Africo-Asiatic politics, I could do no more than confirm the
chieftain's deep-rooted belief in the hegemony of the British Empire"
Most charming and affable to myself ; Mullah 'Abdullah and all my follow
ing who accompanied me have been saying what a line old man the Imam is.
Back to Palace, past the keep, which was taken by 'Abdul 'Aziz and his 45
faithful companions in 1910. Saw bullet marks in frame of huge door. There
were 70 defenders but these surrendered after 20 of them had been killed and
wounded. Long talk with the Amir in his private room; served with tea by a
pretty boy. In came 'Abdullah al Hakim, a young " medical " of Mosul, who
had got his degree in Constantinople. Handsome, Prench-looking, about 30.
Speaks French fairly well. Also came Ahmad ibn Thanaiyan of the As-Saud
family. Old-looking young man with " tender eyes ", as the Bible hath it,
understands French very well, was born in Constantinople.
The Amir suspicious about me ; wants to know if I come to find out all
about him and to criticize him ;—" What do we want of him ? He has carried
out all he promised, wh'ch was to neutralize Ibn Rashid. But forhis(B. S.)
menace, the Sherif would not have been in a position ever to rebel against
the Turks ; Ibn Rashid would have put a stopper on any movement of his
in that direction. So the fact that the Sherif has been able to keep the field
so long against the Turks (even if his^ early success had been possible
otherwise) is due to Bin Sdud's neutralizing the power of Ibn Rashid. Yet
Bin Sdud's action, is not given proper credit by us. He has to hear himself
traduced, people even saying that he is secretly helping Ibn Rashid to hold
out against us—because he is supposed to be jealous of the Sherif. If he were
so, which is not the truth, there would be some reason for his jealousy. The
Sherif has secured a great position, he has got hold of the Harb and Ataibah
tribes which belong to Bin S^ud and also some thousands of Qasimi—or Agailis
as they are called—all subject to Bin Saud. Have we not poured gold into
the Hijaz ? Here on this side everything has got dear. Riyals had appreciated
(the relative value to the sovereign being 5 J dollars in ' Anaizah and 6^ in Riadh).
Camels are dear and clothes too. Rice is now far more expensive than
before the war. The Turks in Madinah and Syria are getting supplies through
the Shammar and * Anaizah, who have come in to us, and so on, and so on
Bin Sand's complaints are numerous. Money and supplies would, doubtless,
put a fresh complexion on matters. We spoke about Ibn Rashid and the
possibility of knocking him out. At first Bin Saud said it was an impossible
task. " Ibn Rashid was a Shaikh of a single, powerful tribe which would unite
at once for self-defence in case of Hail being attacked. He (Bin Saud)
could, of course, call on his tribes—the Mutair, Ahl-Mnrrah, Dawasir, Subai 3
Ataibah, Harb, Beni, Hajar, Beni Khalid, Dhafir, ' Anaizah, etc. All of them
would gather at the bidding and would be a large mob, difficult to control or

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Content

Correspondence of the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , Bahrain relating to Kuwait, and reports concerning Kuwait circulated to the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. .

The papers include:

The Arabic language content of this file consists of a few Arabic versions of personal and place names that occur in the official print in folios 21-33.

Extent and format
1 file (41 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 42 on the last folio before the back cover. These numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. page of each folio.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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Miscellaneous reports and correspondence relating to Kuwait [‎28v] (56/87), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/71, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023211475.0x000039> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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