'Diary of a Tour in the Persian Gulf and in Turkish Arabia December 1906, by Lieutenant-Colonel Malleson Assistant Quarter Master General, Intelligence Branch, Division of the Chief of the Staff.' [‎8r] (15/46)

sheds and low mud hovels; constituting the
quarantine station, into which, for the space
of five dreary days, we move to-morrow.
Thereafter our movements have suddenly
become shrouded in some uncertainty. ' Of
course the main object of our journey, now
that all landing in the Gulf is forbidden,
is a flying visit to Bagdad. Such a visit will
at least enable us to get into touch with local
feeling and sources of information. But we
are now in Turkey, and in a part, too, so far
removed from the centre of that moribund
empire that things are more than usually
sleepy and haphazard. The quarantine pre
vents our going by the comparatively fast
and always regular British boat, but we had
planned that by going in the Turkish steamer,
sailing later and taking twice as long en
route, we should still have been able to get
something more than a glimpse of Bagdad
and its neighbourhood. But apparently there
is no certainty of this. The boat may not
start on the appointed day; it may quite
possibly take even longer than the exag
gerated time we have allowed it for the
journey. Either of these events would mean
that we should miss the return journey
steamer down the river, which in turn would
mean missing the Karachi mail steamer at
this place, and thereby making me late for
the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). at Agra. However, to-morrow
morning we hope that we may have more
definite information on these points, so far
as definite information about anything is to
be had in the dominions of the Sultan. With
a fortnight more time at my disposal all these
difficulties would become of minor account.
But with a fixed date by which one must re
turn it places us in somewhat of a predica
ment.