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'Eastern Bureau, Basrah Branch' [‎63] (116/188)

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The record is made up of 1 file (117 folios). It was created in 1 Aug 1916-1 Sep 1917. It was written in English. 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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8
Shaikh Jabir, new to his office, could not hope to exercise the influence over
ibn Sa'ud which had been possessed by that practised and weighty diplomatist
Ids father : moreover for some years before Mubarak's death relations between
Riyadh and Kuwait had been growing cooler. Ibn Sa'ud bitterly resented
Mubarak's attitude during the negotiations between himself and the Ottoman
Government in the spring of 1914. According to his account the Shaikh had
at lirst counselled him to accept the Turkish offers, but when he readied Kuwait
in April Mubarak changed his note, without explanation, and advised ibu
Sa'ud not to come to terms with the Tu ks, refusing, at the same time, to be
present at his meeting with the delegates. So indignant was the Amir that he
expressly stipulated with Captain Shakespear that Mubarak should not be con
sulted in the negotiations with ourselves. The asylum given to the 'Ajman was
. . . ., imfl another grievance, and in 1916 ibn Sa'ud
Arab Bureau, oth Apnl 1910. , . 0 , « ,i . .i
complained ot the incidence ot the transit
dues which had been, from time immemorial, levied in Kuwait.
While ibn Sa'ud's anxiety as to the ambitions of the Sharif, and his growing
estrangement with Kuwait showed that the chiefs allied with ourselves had not
reached a satisfactory understanding with each other, there was evidence that
the Turks were still active in Arabia, News was received from ibn Sa'ud and
from other sources of the despatch of an agent (Muhammad) Taufiq ibn Fara'un
of Damascus, for the purpose of buying camels for the Ottoman Government;
the emissary was well chosen, for he was a personal friend of ibn Sa'ud and
had visited Najd on the same business the previous year. But on this occasion
o . , the Amir was pressed by us to prevent
Arab Bureau, 19th September 1916. . /. * , •, 1
mm Irom obtaining camels: ne accord
ingly arrested ibn Fara'un, confiscated 700 camels which had been purchased
in the interior and sent them* to Kuwait. Various reports, some of which
.. . « came from ibn Sa'ud, indicated that
Arab Bureau, herewith erxlosed. , , .. . . ., t-» i • i
another attempt to stir up ibn iiashid
against us was in the wind. Rushaid ibn Lailah, ibn Eashid's representative
at Constantinople, joined him at Hail with a few German and Turkish officers,
a small body of Turkish soldiers and some guns; accounts varied as to the
exact composition of the mission, but its presence in Hail in some form seemed
fairly certain. Ibn Sa'ud had written in September that he would be glad of
a personal interview with the Chief Political Officer to discuss the question of
co-operation with the Sharif or offensive action against ibn Rashid. In October
he repeated the request urgently, and on all grounds it seemed advisable to
accede to it. Sir Percy Cox met him at Ojair on November 11. Ibn Sa'ud
explained to him his position in detail. He iiad lost considerably, in men and
material, in the fight with ibn U ash id in January 1915. Since then he had been
almost continuously in the field, first against the 'xVjman and then against the
Murrah. Most of the normal trade of jSajd was with Syria, and the tribes were
accustomed to sell their camels to Damascene dealers: the strict blockade
imposed by ibn Sa'ud—the seizure of ibn Fara'un's camels bore witness to its
reality—grew more and more galling : the Najdis grumbled, the tribes were
restless, all asked wherein lay the alvantaee to themselves:, of their Chief's
attitude, and it was increasingly difficult for him to keep them in hand. With
regard to the Sharif, Sir Percy Cox was able to give ibn Sa'ud the fullest
reassurance Our treaty with the Amir had been communicated to Mecca,
and when the Sharif announced to us his intention of proclaiming himself king
of the Arabs on November 5, we had insisted on a formal admission that he
claimed no jurisdiction over independent rulers. The news of the coronation
at Mecca, had not yet reached Central Arabia and was not discussed. During
conversation with the Chief Political Officer at Basrah ibn Sa'ud made a
passing remark about the Sharif's calling himself " Sultan but his mind
seemed to be set completely at rest on hearing that his rights were safeguarded
by us and that the Sharif had explicitly denied any design on the independence
of himself or his compeers.
Ibn Sa'ud having expressed to the Chief Political Officer at their meeting
at Ojair his inclination to pay a brief visit to Shaikh Jabir of Kuwait before
returning home, the project was cordially encouraged as appearing eminently

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Content

The file contains fortnightly reports from the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Bahrain, to the Chief Political Officer Basrah [Basra] / Eastern Bureau, Basrah [Basra], dated 1 August 1916 - 1 September 1917. The file also contains a note on the Eastern Bureau and Basrah [Basra] Office dated [1916].

The reports cover Turkey, trade, Hassa [Hasa], Japanese trade, Oman affairs, plague, inoculation, and Qatif [al-Qaṭīf].

Extent and format
1 file (117 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in 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 108 on the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil 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. Foliation anomaly: ff. 1, 1A. The following numbers do not appear in the sequence: 32, 33. The following pagination ranges occur: 56-75; 87-93.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'Eastern Bureau, Basrah Branch' [‎63] (116/188), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/68, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023400095.0x000075> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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