'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports' [‎166r] (331/432)

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they left here at about 3.45 p.m. One member of the party is
still at Dhahran; the remainder returned to Basra at 2 p.m.
on August 15th, giving a lift to four British personnel of
various services who had been visiting Bahrain.
163. Small Pox at Dubai and Shariah .
There has been a small outbreak of smallpox at Dubai
and Sharjah, 7 cases at the former place and 2 at the latter.
One person has died and five of the 9 patients have now been
discharged. There is vaccine in plenty at Sharjah.
164. The Shaikh of Fu.iairah .
Reference para 134 of Intelligence Summary No.13 of
1942, in which it was reported that Shaikh Mohammad bin Hamad
ash Sharqi, Shaikh of Fujairah, had gone on a visit to Riyadh.
The Shaikh of Fujairah passed through Bahrain on the
10th August on his return from Riyadh. He is anxious to
interest Petroleum Concessions Limited in the production of
oil in Fujairah, and went to see Mr. Lermitte, the Company^
representative in Bahrain. Mr. Lermitte told him that his
Company would not enter into any new commitments or engagements
until after the War.
165• The Shaikh of Hira •
Shaikh Abdur Rahman of Hira died on the 10th August
and was succeeded by his younger son, Saif.
166. Local Rumours .
Visiting bedous from the mainland have informed H.H.
the Shaikh that people in Saudi Arabia are saying that the
British are encouraging Ibn Saud to make trouble with Asir
and the Yemen, on the old ’’divide and rule” principle that if
all the Arabs ’’looked in the same direction” there was a
danger of their turning against Britain, and that their atten
tion should therefore be turned into local channels. It is
for this reason that we are heavily subsidising Ibn Saud (to
whom His Highness had heard that recent large payments of gold
had been made). It is said, further, that if the Germans
reach Iraq they are likely to be welcomed by the Iraqis, and
therefore we are encouraging Ibn Saud to mass his bedous on
the Iraqi frontier.
These stories do not as yet appear to have had much
circulation in Bahrain.
167. Economic.
(i) Currency . Practically no movement of sovereigns has
been reported during the period under review. The price has
remained steady at Rs 59 or thereabouts.
(ii) Profiteering . Information has been received which
indicates that certain Bahrain flour merchants have given
standing instructions to their agents at Karachi to add 12$
to 15% on the genuine cost of flour in their invoices. It
should not be difficult to defeat this particular form of
rascality by acquiring regular information of the correct.
Karachi wholesale prices, and steps in this connexion are
being taken.
168. Meteorological .
Maximum temperature 110.8° on August 7th.
Minimum temperature 81.3 °on August 5th.
Average minimum temperature during the period under
/ report