'File 8/15 Arab Series - 1933-1939' [‎58v] (116/434)

45
complete fiasco. There were, indeed, indications that the so-called mine had been
‘ salted \
4. On the other hand we have a certain amount of information about gold
mining on the other side of the lied Sea, near Port Sudan. As long ago as May
1931 Turner (then Commercial Secretary to the 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. ) wrote to me to the
following effect :—
5. Mr. A. Beeby Thompson, who had advised the Egyptian Government
about oil, and the Sudan Government about water, told Turner that he firmly
believed there were really great possibilities about gold mining in various dis
tricts between the Nile and the Red Sea. In the past the main practical difficulty
in working these deposits was a shortage of water. Nowadays, with motor trans
port, the question of water had become much simplified. Many of the workings
which are marked as “ ancient gold workings ” in the general economic atlas of
Egypt presented to the International Geographical Congress at Cambridge in
1928 by the King of Egypt have, in ancient times, merely been scratched. Beeby
Thompson believed that, with up-to-date mining machinery, good results could
be obtained.
0. We have also a note which shows that a gold mine exists at Gebeit which,
as you know, is not far from Port Sudan. A new cyanide plant was installed
there in the autumn of 1933 and was supposed to be ready by March, 1934. In
the autumn of 1933 one of five stamp batteries was already in operation and pro
ducing about £2,000 worth of gold per month. There are also records of other
small mines in the same neighbourhood.
1. To sum up, there is a good deal of evidence that gold does exist on the west
coast of the Red Sea, but there is no evidence whatever of heavy mineralisation in
Arabia. Judging, however, from our experience in Western Abyssinia, the
piesent high pi ice of gold may very well tempt some of the bigger and entirely
respectable gold mining companies, probably through an intermediary, to take
some interest in Twitchell’s venture since there is a market for the shares—if
nothing else—of these low-grade gold properties at present.
8 As soon as I hear anything further of any personalities concerned with
the scheme, I will not fail to let you know.
(67)
MeMOUANDUM FJ10M THE HONOURABLE THE POLITICAL RESIDENT A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. IN THE PERSIAN
Gulf, Bushire, No. 603-S.|34, dated the 29th June 1934.
Reference Foreign and Political Department endorsement No F 17-N ,34
dated the 19th June 1934 [Serial No. (60)].
2 . As on this occasion only one spare copy of the enclosure has been received
instead of the usual lour, it is requested that copies may be sent direct to the
1 olitical Agents at Kuwait, Bahrain and Muscat.
.3- Tf the Government of India see no objection, it would be convenient if
copies may, m future, be sent direct to the Political Agents mentioned above in
which case one spare copy will suffice for this 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. .
( 68 )
Endorsement by the Foreign and Political Department, No. 17-N.|34, dated
the 16th July 1934.
A copy of the undermentioned paper(s) is forwarded to the
Kuwait, Bahrain and Muscat, for information :—
Political Agents,
1 .
2 .
Let Vo H ^ n / b I e en th ^ ol V tical Resident in fhe Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
No. 60o-S.|34, dated the 29th June 1934 [Serial No. (67)].
Serial Nos. (21) to (55) of the Arabia Series of 1934.