'File 8/7 I Jidda Intelligence Reports' [‎33v] (66/536)

64. Apart from this, there were rumours of much dissatisfaction in
JNejd and some specific allegations of discontent owing to oppressive taxa
tion, non-payment of wages and bounties, levies in kind on merchants,
attempts to impose the use of the unpopular Hejazi dollar, and the reforms
instituted in the Hasa by the Mission of Muhammad at-Tawil, whose life
was said to have been more than once in danger; but there was no active
outbreak or military movement of note. Information was however received
from Bahrain that an unusual withdrawal of horsemen from the Hasa
Coast into Nejd had been noticed in November, and from Mecca to the effect
that some 24,000 rifles had been collected and repaired there and sent to
Riadh. The inference drawn was that, while Ibn Sa’ud was certainly
consolidating his position there, it was probably more as a precautionary
measure than with a view to expansion or conquest. That is as much as
can be said of a situation that was unsettled and obscure.
65. South (Asir ).—Clashes were reported between Khalid bin Luwey
and dissidents of the Beni Najran, who are said to have been subdued.
On the whole, however, the southern frontier was quiet, thanks to the con
versations reported in paragraphs 41 and 42, which resulted in the pact of
Mount ’Arwa and a treaty with the Yemen. (
« VI—NAVAL MATTERS.
66 . No naval visits by British or foreign warships took place during
November or December.
67. On November 5th His Majesty’s Government communicated to His
Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires their decision regarding the advisability of the
more frequent visits by His Majesty’s ships to ports in the Hejaz and Asir
desired by the Admiralty (July-August Report, paragraph 78). It was
decided to maintain for four months the present practice, by which His
Majesty’s ships visit none of these ports except Jedda, and to review the
situation at the end of this period. '!
VII.—PILGRIMAGE.
68 . Forged Rnyee Notes .—More reports were received regarding the
presence in ihe Hejaz of forged Indian currency notes. In one case pil
grims from districts on either side of the North-West Frontier Region of British India bordering Afghanistan. of India
were said to be in posesssion of forged notes believed to have been distributed
there by Soviet agents; in another, German agents were said to be distribut
ing forged notes among pilgrims in the Hejaz. No confirmation of either
story could be obtained, however. In December another letter was receiv
ed from the alleged broker Often a local commercial agent in the Gulf who regularly performed duties of intelligence gathering and political representation. of forged notes in Syria by the member of the
Legation staff who had tried to entrap him in the previous winter (January-
February Report, paragraph 51). The matter was referred to His
Majsty’s Consul-General at Beirut on December 27th for his views.
69. Nigerian Pilgrim Destitutes .—On November 10th the Sudan Gov
ernment replied to His Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires’ despatch of October 6th
(September-October Report, paragraph 75) regarding the 500-odd Nigerian
destitutes whom the Legation was obliged to repatriate to Africa at the
cost of the Nigerian Government. They pointed out that the majoritv of
these destitutes had probably arrived in the Hejaz via Eritrea in sanbuqs,
for had thev come via Suakin they would have had return tickets and pass
ports and recent correspondence had clearly shown up the failure of the
Eritrean authorities to implement the articles of the 1926 Sanitary Conven
tion which bound them to prevent embarkation by Sanbuk from Massawa.
In the state of unemployment existing in the Sudan and of economic depres
sion reported in French West Africa, they did not feel justified in accepting
the responsibility on behalf of the Government of Nigeria for the repatria
tion of these destitutes, which would have the effect of encouraging pilgrims
to evade quarantine measures and use the Massawa route. They suggested