'File 19/163 II (C 77) Nejd-Bahrain Relations' [‎131v] (277/444)

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not yet received full information of the presents which have been given by Sheikh
Hamad, but they include twenty-one motor cars, fifty camels and twenty horses
Other gifts include 30,000 Rs. for the King's servants, though as a cheque for
this amount was presented to Sheikh Abdullah Sulaiman the ultimate disposal
of the money remains in doubt. The Manama bazaar is half denuded by the ^
immense purchases made by the Saudi entourage, and a fleet of boats is at present
carrying these purchases across to A1 Khobar. I shall report more fully on the ill
financial aspect of the visit at a later date. P J®
11. According to information received so far, no political questions affecting
Saudi-Bahrein relations were discussed with the sheikh or his family. The King
did, it is true, enquire from Mr. Belgrave whether it would be possible to release
from jail one of the prisoners convicted of complicity in last October's distur
bances, but this enquiry seems to have been prompted by the fact that the man s
had at one time been a nakhuda in Ibn Saud s own employment. A roundabout
request also reached me to release a Nejdi whom I had imprisoned for rash and
negligent driving, but I declined to do anything unless the King himself
mentioned the matter. Bazaar rumours heard so far relate mainly to "the Amir
Feisal—one of them referring to his impending elevation to the Throne of
Palestine.
12. The effect of this visit has been wholly admirable locally and will I jilittaoar 10
am convinced, have excellent results in a much wider sphere. The King has
seen for himself the relations which exist between the A1 Khalifah family the
agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. and the adviser; he has spoken publicly of his great pleasure in all'that
he has seen in Bahrein; he has exhibited equally publicly (and at a time when
there are many visitors from other Moslem States in Bahrein) the most marked
cordiality towards British officials here; and further proof has been oiven of
the personal affection which exists between the King and Sheikh Hamad of
a 1 i ei n. I am sure that he has enjoyed his visit, and certainly Sheikh Hamad
ms brothers and sons are delighted beyond measure. Indeed, it is difficult to
i Kit. ;i A eallse '. aft ^ r the . events of the past few days, that only nine years ago the Political
i^Agent m Bahrein reported after Ibn Saud's last visit to the island that "the
iVn a e ^ e + i ? i V ] lslt t 19,8 de P lorable - A more successful impetus to
pan-Arab feeling could not have been given and the tenuity of our hold on Bahrein
Ti t A Tl rr-X een T re clearl y demonstrated .... The futility of the
a laliiah sheikhs in their own dominions has been amply demonstrated
ShpfXIfafi, wTi' ml ^T end With a c l uotation from Ibn Saud's own words to
in / wp h ; t, 0 T n countr y 1 los e my temper not less than once
Fortunately the weTther was^ool. Cann0t lmagine h0W 1 OOUld eyery lose 14 "
lii P ersian (
I have, &c.
H. WEIGHTMAN.
Sheil-h^Sir tint if « T t g u i 16 !h Moh ammad-bin-'Isa, brother of
relatives abn^f wnrirf V™ l i constantly to Sheikh Hamad and his
the s^en^A v ^ tlmeafter 'i 1116 he impressed upon them .
differences with us hnt tlioQ 1 ^ ® entl m e nts. He said he might have his minor '"it/Kids'
solid with the Briiish m Were matterS of 00 account and that 116 was 0 ^ 1
tsttiJon
H. W. i iitai