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'File 61/11 VII (D 122) Hejaz-Nejd Miscellaneous' [‎86r] (184/454)

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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. .

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IP ^
THIS DOCUM ENT i s the PROPER TY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOYERNMENT
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EASTERN (Arabia).
CONFIDENTIAL.
[E 2298/602/25]
No. 1.
Siv A. RycLn to Siv John bimon.—(RecBived Avxil 8^
(No. 80.) L ''
Sir ' TTrTmTT „ , Jedda, March 18, 1935.
WITH reference to my despatch No. 56 of the 27th February relative to the
concession recently granted by the Saudi Government to the Saudi Arabian
Mining Syndicate (Limited), I have the honour to state that the Royal decree
sanctioning the concession referred to an agreement and contract as having been
signed by the Minister of Finance and the representative of the syndicate. It now
appears that these were two separate instruments as, after the agreement
summarised in the enclosure to my despatch under reference had been published,
the Umm-al-Qura proceeded to publish, in instalments, an even lengthier
document described as a contract concluded on the same date as the main
agreement.
2. Although the further document is described as above, it is clear from
internal evidence that it is a form of mining lease for fifty-eight years, in respect
of areas to be finally selected for definite mining operations in accordance with
article 3 of the main agreement. The procedure contemplated would appear to
be that the Government will lease these areas to the syndicate on the conditions
laid down in the "contract," and that the syndicate will form subsidiary
companies to work the individual properties. As the general conditions are
stated in the main agreement, I do not think it necessary to report at length on
the " contract," the detailed stipulations of which appear to follow normal lines.
The following points, however, may be noted ;—
(a) The Government are to receive during the period of the lease a rent of
£1 per feddan of the leased area plus the excess, if any, of 5 per cent,
of the product of the mine over the rental so fixed.
(1) The special arrangement for payment of customs duty on imported
supplies, &c., at a flat rate of 10 per cent, will operate throughout the
period of the lease.
(c) The Government are not only to receive gratis 15 per cent, of the share
capital of the eventual subsidiary companies, fully paid up, but they
are to have the right to nominate a director to serve on the board of
each company, the total membership of which shall not exceed
six persons.
3. I am sending copies of this despatch to the Principal Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs in the Department of Overseas Trade and his Excellency
the High Commissioner for Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan at Jerusalem.
I have, &c.
ANDREW RYAN.
[381 h—3]

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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.

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English in Latin script
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'File 61/11 VII (D 122) Hejaz-Nejd Miscellaneous' [‎86r] (184/454), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/570, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023571187.0x0000b9> [accessed 25 April 2024]

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