'File 53/7 D (D 7) Koweit [Kuwait] Affairs, January 1905 - December 1905' [‎30r] (66/366)

8
00028
{Received with 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. letter No. 51, dated 10th December 1904.)
PERSIA AND ARABIA. [December 3.]
CONFIDENTIAL. Section I.
No. 1.
S ir E. M onson , to the marqubss of L a\ t sdow^e .—(Received December 3.)
Paris,
2nd December 1904.
(No. 625.)
M y L ord,
SOME account is given in the inclosed article from the "Dep^che
Coloniale " * of the recent fightiDg in the centre of Arabia, in the course of
which the Wahabi Amir Ben Saoud appears to have inflicted a serious defeat
on his rival, Ben Rashid, the Amir of Nejd, and on the Turkish troops, who
had been sent to the assistance of the latter.
The victorious Amir is said to have taken prisoners most of the survivors
among the enemy, and to intend placing them under the custody of his ally,
the Sheikh of Koweit.
The writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. expresses the hope that Turkey will not send a further force
to perish in the sands of Arabia, and that the Sultan will save the country from
British domination by pacific means, that is by recognizing the autonomy of
Arabia under his own suzerainty, and under that of the " three other great
Mussulman Powers," by whom perhaps he may be understood to mean
England, Prance, and Russia.
I have, etc. r
EDMUND MONSON.
Extract from the diary of 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 Turhish Arabia for the week ending the
5th December 1904.
The following is an extract from a despatch sent by His Britannic Majesty's
Consul at Basra to His Majesty's Charge d'Affaires at Constantinople regarding
affairs in Nejd, which the former officer has sent to me for information
" Many letters were received here ^ *
* * * * about 7,000 liras will be collected from the
whole Vilayet."
2. The British Consular Agent at Mosul reports as follows in one of his
letters to me, dated the 22nd ultimo :—
" An order has lately been issued calling out the reserves of this Vilayet
The 3rd Battalion has already been assembled from the 24ith.
Pirka of the 47tb Lowa of the 93rd Alai." (sic,)
" This mobilisation is due to the alleged fights going on between Ibn
Eashid and Ibn Sabah, because the Turkish Government intends
to assist Ibn Eashid by sending him soldiers." (Sent to Embassy,
Constantinople).
« « **
Extract from the diary of 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 Turkish Arabia A term used by the British officials to describe the territory roughly corresponding to, but not coextensive with, modern-day Iraq under the control of the Ottoman Empire. for the weeh ending the
12th December 1904.
* * *
2. The British Consular Agent at Mosul reports as follows under date,
30th November 1904 : —
<l Have the honour to inform you that some days ago an order was issued
from the Grand Vizier at Constantinople to the Vali of Mosul to the effect
that about 1,000 camels should be collected from the Vilayet at Mosul for the
* Not printed.