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'File 61/11 IV (D 77) Hejaz-Nejd, Miscellaneous' [‎17r] (41/366)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (182 folios). It was created in 17 Feb 1930-4 Apr 1932. 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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this document is the property of his britannic majesty's government.
EASTERN (Arabia).
CONFIDENTIAL.
[E 3204/3204/91] No. 1.
Sir A. Ryan to Mr. A. Henderson.—{Received June 17.)
(No. 120.)
Sir. Jedda, May 28, 193U. /
IN the note on various matters of protocol enclosed in my despatch No. 114 oi
the 18th instant, I referred to the question of formal visits by foreign representatives
to King Ibn Sand's Heir Apparent as one which had not been raised in my conyersa-
tions with the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs and which need not arise at
present. I have the honour to state that it has in fact arisen much sooner than I
anticipated.
2. Late in the evening of the 25th May, I received a telephone message from
the assistant to the Governor of Jedda to the effect that the Emir Sand was arriving
early next morning, and would receive me the next morning at 10-10 a.m . On
enquiry, I found that the intention of the Prince was to receive the foreign repre
sentatives officially, and that uniform would be appropriate. He received us in
succession, beginning with the Soviet Minister, at the Green Palace, which. Sheikh
Fuad Hamza tells me, is now definitely the property of the King. I took with me
the same party, minus the Legation interpreter, as when I presented credentials.
The Prince, who was attended by Sheikh Hafiz Wahba, placed me on a sofa beside
him. The reception was on the same lines as the less formal part of the proceedings
when the King himself received me.
3. The Governor of Jedda had issued invitations for a dinner, given also at
the Palace, but apparently bv the local authorities, in honour of the Heir Apparent.
It was a hot evening, and it was happily arranged that the European guests might
wear ordinary evening dress, in which vogue of attire a black dinner jacket, though
all do not own to it, is still the high-water mark in Jedda. Having surmounted the
perils of a staircase roughly laid with a carpet almost completely unsecured by rods,
Mr. Bond and I were conducted to the roof. Having been welcomed by the Governor,
we passed between a double file of armed retainers to the furthest end, where the
Prince received us. The Soviet Minister had already arrived, and we took our places
right and left of His Highness.
4. After coffee and compliments, the company of twenty-three people, including
all the foreign representatives, except the Turk and the Persian and the principal
officials of Jedda and the King's entourage, went indoors to a long, narrow dining
room, which, with attendant servants and slaves, we pretty completely filled. The
electric plant having failed, the table was lit by large incandescent lamps. The
warmth of the atmosphere was increased by several enormous dishes of mutton, which
remained on the table from start to finish, although they formed but one course in a
protracted meal. The table was further decorated in a manner which somewhat
shocked mv sense of Islamic propriety, with images of birds and other animals,
executed in what I supposed to be white and gold glass or china, but which, Mr. Bond
assures me, were made of sugar. The fruit dishes, in coloured and gilt glass, added
to the gaiety of a crowded board. Although the electrical plant was got going
in the course of the meal and a revolving fan supplemented the simple slave-driven
variety, the relief was general when we again adjourned to the roof, where, after
half an hour of further conversation and light refreshment, we took leave.
5. I was distinctly impressed by the personality of the Prince. Tall and
slender, he resembles his father cast in a finer, if less imposing, mould. His features
are well marked and he conceals his eye trouble behind glasses, and he has a most
engaging smile. In his conversation he showed great vivacity. He confined it
almost entirely to the Soviet Minister and myself. As M. Turakouloff speaks both
Turkish and stumbling Arabic, he was able to converse direct, and was good enough
to act to some extent as interpreter between the Emir and me. At the outset of the
conversation before dinner the Emir plunged into a glorification of Islam, which
my Russian colleague echoed with contributions of his own. After dinner His
Highness reverted to the subject, and said how mistaken it was to suppose that Islam
was incompatible with civilisation. Eager to be polite without any approach to the
profession of an alien faith, I said that, indeed, there should be no conflict. I related
[139 r—1]

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Content

The volume contains letters, telegrams, and memoranda relating to Hejaz affairs. Most of the correspondence is between the British Legation in Jeddah, the Political Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. in Bushire, the Political Agencies in Bahrain and Kuwait, the Foreign and Colonial Offices in London, and the Government of India.

The majority of the volume concerns the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Hejaz-Najd and its Dependencies, especially the financial difficulties it was experiencing at the time and attempts to counter them.

Other subjects covered are:

  • the prospect of the Kingdom joining the League of Nations;
  • the appointment of a Minister in London;
  • al-Qusaibi's proposed visit to London;
  • the different uses of the title "Sheikh";
  • American recognition of Ibn Sa'ud as King;
  • the mineral prospecting of the American millionaire Mr C. R. Crane;
  • American appraisal of the water situation in the region;
  • the religious policing activities of the Committee of Virtue in the Hejaz;
  • the arrest of two members of the royal family between Kuwait and Zubair;
  • the territorial dispute between Ibn Sa'ud and Yemen;
  • relations between Ibn Sa'ud and Italy.

A notable document within the volume is a confidential report on the heads of all foreign missions in Jeddah (folios 163-164).

At the back of the volume (folios 165-170) are office file notes.

Extent and format
1 volume (182 folios)
Arrangement

The volume is arranged chronologically. There is a partial and non-alphabetical list of subjects at the front of the volume (folio 2). The list identifies some of the earlier subject correspondence in the volume and where it occurs, according to its original numbering, as folios 17 to 41a.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The sequence starts on the first page with ff 1A-1D and then continues from f 2 to the inside back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, circled and located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. The are the following anomalies: f 38A; f 91A; f 108A; f 128A; f 146A; there is no f 119.

There are two more sequences that are inconsistent and incomplete.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'File 61/11 IV (D 77) Hejaz-Nejd, Miscellaneous' [‎17r] (41/366), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/567, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023554071.0x00002a> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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