'File 379/1906 Railways: Aden; railway construction in Aden hinterland; Aden-Lahej Railway' [‎83v] (171/308)

with them, by locating troops at a distance from
the fortifications of Aden, or by any excessive
readiness to resort to expeditions out of all pro
portion, whether immediate or indirect, to either
the occasions for them or to any clear advantage
to be gained by them.
3. If, as His Majesty’s Government have
decided, the main purpose of the recent delimi
tation is achieved by the fixing of a line beyond
which Turkish troops or agents cannot advance,
I submit to your Excellency the following propo
sitions as well fitted to carry out our decision.
So far as the Turkish frontier is concerned, it is
in the highest degree desirable that the importance
of trespasses across the line, which are neither
serious nor deliberate, should not be exaggerated,
and, should a protest be required, it would naturally
be by way of action at Constantinople. Outside
the territory of British India and within a limited
area of the Protectorate similar to that formerly
known on the Somali coast as the ten-mile limit,
internal disturbances would call for interposition.
But beyond that line our Agent should be careful
to avoid every step that might lead us into military
or political entanglements, without the express
sanction of the Secretary of State. A railway to
Dthali and a cantonment or sanatorium there,
should be considered as outside the contemplation
of the Government. This being so, the large body
of troops now stationed at Dthali should he with
drawn, leaving only a sufficient escort for the
Political Officer so long as he may remain there.
4 . The retention of a Political Officer at Dthali
Was originally provisional. In September 1904
my Predecessor assented to the proposal of the
Government of India “as a temporary measure, to
“ retain a British officer and a small body of troops
“ at Dthali.” This assent he limited to one year,
requesting that after the expiry of that time he
should he informed as to the existence of “ any
“ real necessity for maintaining the official and his
“ escort at Dthali.” In November 1905, however,
he accepted the reasons of the Government of
India for making it permanent. In view of the
change of circumstances which will be the result
of the present instructions, His Majesty’s Govern
ment are satisfied that the arrangement need not
be regarded as a permanent one, and that it will
be sufficient if the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. is permitted
to visit Dthali temporarily and for special purposes
as occasion may require. For the present I leave
it to your Excellency to decide when, after the
retirement of the troops, the Political Officer and
his escort should be withdrawn.
5. The despatch of postal runners or agents of
the British Government into the interior is to be
as much as possible avoided. Any project for
disarming the tribes in the nine cantons should be
dismissed from serious consideration. Punitive
expeditions for offences committed during the