!['File 61/11 VII (D 122) Hejaz-Nejd Miscellaneous' [‎58r] (128/454)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x00021f/IOR_R_15_1_570_0128.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "'File 61/11 VII (D 122) Hejaz-Nejd Miscellaneous' [‎58r] (128/454)")
'File 61/11 VII (D 122) Hejaz-Nejd Miscellaneous' [58r] (128/454)
The record is made up of 1 volume (223 folios). It was created in 23 Jun 1934-30 Apr 1936. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY 'S GOYERNM]
_ . - — —— —
EASTERN (A rabia).
CONFIDENTIAL.
February 11, 1935.
S ection 2.
[E 982/588/25]
No. 1.
Sir A. Ryan to Sir John Simon.—{Received February 11.)
(No. 19.)
Sir, Jedda, January 27, 1935.
WITH reference to my telegram No. 12 of to-day's date, I have the honour
to forward herewith a translation of the identic note addressed to my French
colleague and myself by the Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs on the
18th January regarding the proposal to hold a conference to deal with technical
problems connected with the Hejaz Railway. Fuad Bey Hamza handed this
note to me on the 20th January, saying that he had delivered a similar note to
the French Charge d'Affaires the evening before. I delayed reporting until I
had time to compare notes with the French consulate, which M. Maigret left in
charge of his Syrian assistant on the 21st J anuary, in order that our translations
should agree.
2. The translation now enclosed agrees in all material particulars with
that made by the French consulate, and I have reason to hope that it is at least
as accurate in detail. I am a little doubtful, however, about two points. The
first relates to the words rendered " from its establishment " in paragraph 2.
An alteration of the pronoun might relate the material word to the preceding
word '' question '' and give the sense '' the question of the line from its
foundations " or "in its fundamental aspects." This distinction is not worth
pursuing, but the second point is of great material importance. My translator
has used the word '' reservation '' in the phrase immediately preceding the
reservation formula and the word " reserve " in the formula itself. The French
translator takes the same view and uses the conventional " fait toutes ses
reserves" in his version of the formula. The Arabic words, however, are
inflexions of two different verbal derivatives from the same root, and it might
conceivably be held that the word used in the actual formula meant " preserve "
rather than " reserve." I attach sufficient importance to this that I enclose a
copy of the Arabic formula in case you should wish to consult experts.^)
3. The two most striking features of the substance of the note are the
evasiveness of the language used regarding the Lausanne declaration and the
definiteness of the reservation, especially if the meaning I have suggested can
be read into it.
4. The language of the Saudi Government regarding the Lausanne
declaration must be read in conjunction with their note of the 16th March,
1929, a copy of which was enclosed in Mr. Jakin's despatch No. 83 of the
10th April, 1929. In that note they contested the validity of the declaration on
various grounds, the most important of which were that it did not take account
of the Wakf character of the line and the Sharia Law and that they had not
themselves been a party to it. They now express readiness to modify theii
attitude, but I do not think that this means that they abandon the position which
they took up in 1929. It means rather that they abandon the position which
they took up in 1928, when they sought to insist on a discussion of the
fundamental questions of the ownership and the alleged W^akf charactei of the
railway, as a condition of discussing the technical questions.
5. I confess my own inability to see how the British and French Govern
ments can on their side insist on the acceptance of the Lausanne declaration as
a necessary preliminary to a technical conference. They did not do so in the
note which their representatives addressed to the then Hejazi Government on
the 12th January, 1928, in pursuance of the instructions in Foreign Office
telegram No 52 of the 29th December, 1927. What they did later was to say
that, if the question of ownership, &c., were to be discussed, they could only be
discussed on the basis of the declaration, but the thud paiagiaph of Sn Austen
[331 1—2]
[ l ) Not printed.
About this item
- Content
The volume contains letters, telegrams, and memoranda relating to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Most of the correspondence is between the British Legation in Jeddah, the Foreign Office in London, the Political Residencies in Bushire and Aden, the Political Agencies in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Muscat, the High Commissioner in Trans-Jordan, the British Embassy in Baghdad, the Colonial Office in London, the 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. in London, the Government of India, and Ibn Sa'ud.
The volume covers a wide range of subjects, including:
- the dispute between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, including issues of the translation of the Treaty of Taif;
- the planning, development, and financing of roads;
- the differing characters of two of Ibn Sa'ud's sons, Amirs Sa'ud and Faisal;
- the appointment of new ministers in the Saudi Arabian government;
- the slave trade in the region;
- an Egyptian commercial and financial mission to the country led by Talaat Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. Harb;
- a general amnesty for all 'political offenders' given by Ibn Sa'ud;
- new regulations on foreign ownership of property;
- Ibn Sa'ud's effort to improve the Saudi Arabian standing army;
- the French upgrade of their Consulate in Jeddah to a Legation;
- the general financial situation in Saudi Arabia;
- the proposal to restore the Hejaz Railway, including the lead up to a conference on the matter in Haifa in October 1935;
- an attempt on Ibn Sa'ud's life in Mecca;
- Saudi-Soviet relations;
- the activities of the Saudi Arabia Mining Syndicate;
- Amir Sa'ud's visit to Europe;
- the death of 'Abdullah ibn Jiluwi, Amir of Hasa;
- the prospect of Saudi Arabia joining the League of Nations;
- new Saudi regulations on the importation, sale, and possession of firearms;
- officer training for Saudis and Yemenis in Iraq;
- the introduction of a special import tax at Jeddah to fund local schools;
- Anglo-Italian relations;
- the proposal to renew the Treaty of Jeddah of 1927;
- unrest in Hasa due to the imposition of a 'jihad tax' on those who did not take part in recent fighting on behalf of the Kingdom.
Notable in the volume is an interview with Fuad Bey Hamza, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, extracted from the newspaper Ayyam (folio 34).
At the back of the volume (folios 207-213v) are internal office notes.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (223 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged chronologically.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The sequence begins on the first folio and continues through 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. There are the following irregularities: 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D; 88, and 88A; 165 and 165A. There is a second foliation system that is uncircled and inconsistent.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
'File 61/11 VII (D 122) Hejaz-Nejd Miscellaneous' [58r] (128/454), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/570, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023571187.0x000081> [accessed 20 April 2024]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023571187.0x000081
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023571187.0x000081">'File 61/11 VII (D 122) Hejaz-Nejd Miscellaneous' [‎58r] (128/454)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023571187.0x000081"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x00021f/IOR_R_15_1_570_0128.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x00021f/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/1/570
- Title
- 'File 61/11 VII (D 122) Hejaz-Nejd Miscellaneous'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 1Ar, 1Av, 1Br, 1Bv, 1Cr, 1Cv, 1Dr, 1Dv, 2r:42v, 44v:81v, 82v, 83v:88v, 88Ar, 88Av, 89r:92v, 92Ar, 92Av, 93r:94v, 95v:142v, 143v:149v, 155v:165v, 165Ar, 165Av, 166r:217v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence