File 57/1905 ‘Arabia: - Situation in Yemen (1905-11). Arab revolt against Turks. Imam of Sanaa’s letter to the King. Fighting in Yemen 1911. Agreement between the Turks & the Imam’ [‎149v] (303/692)

Fuad Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , who on first arrival in the Iledjaz from Constantinople landed at
Jeddah in “ ahram,” or pilgrim garb, and did not exchange^ visits with the consular
corps, now availed himself of the opportunity of visiting this town and meeting the
foreign consuls and principal merchants. He w r as, at the same time, anxious to arrange
personally about the disposal of the twenty-one prisoneis from Mecca. ^
His Excellency arrived here on the morning of the 9th instant, and received the
visits of the consular body on the same afternoon, which he returned personally on the
two following days.
The twenty-one prisoners were put on board the gun-boat Tashkubri ” during
the early hours of the 10th morning, and were detained in that vessel till the arrival
of the transport “ Hodeidah, ’ when they were transhipped and sent to Salonica for trial
by court-martial.
The Yali remained in Jeddah till the 14th August, when he left for Mecca en route
for Taif, his summer residence.
During his Excellency’s short stay here he convened a meeting of the principal
merchants and discussed with them the exchange question in the Hedjaz.
It would appear that Fuad Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. has drafted a scheme for the elimination of
foreign coins from the Hedjaz and the circulation of Turkish currency only. This he
proposes to do by abolishing the “ umla” dollar, a fictitious coin used in this province as
the basis of calculation in all commercial transactions.
The rates for foreign moneys are to be fixed by the local administration in tariff
piastres (z.e., Ottoman gold piastres), which will reduce their value from 15 to 25 per
cent, according to the present local quotations. For example, the Turkish lira is now
fixed at 103 piastres gold, whereas the Indian rupee will be 7 piastres instead of 8 as
at present, and the Maria Theresa dollar at 6 piastres only against 10, the usual
local rate.
The scheme, in short, is, in my humble opinion, quite impracticable, and does not
find favour with local merchants and foreign firms alike.
Although the new tariff of exchange has been nominally put into force since the
beginning of the Arabic month of Shaban (i.e., since the 17th August), and proclama
tions issued penalising those who disregard it, it has only been adopted by a small
section of the local mercantile community, including the sarrafs or money-changers, who
will gain considerably in exchange thereby. It is not at all expected that the new
regulations will be observed for very long, for a few months at the outside, when the
present tariff will most probably share the fate of its predecessors, unless the vilayet
presses the reform, and puts into circulation in this province a sufficiency of Turkish
piastres and mejidies to serve commercial requirements.
, foreign pilgrims will lose considerably when exchanging their money, or when
utilising same in purchasing supplies.
fhe water question, which is a very important one in Jeddah, was also raised
duiing the valis visit to this town, and the old scheme to bring water into the town
from a place called Ain I arraj ” was revived, although I hardly think that
anything will result from all this talk, or that steps will be taken to improve the
water supply, if it can be appropriately said that Jeddah possesses a water supply
at ail.
I he condenser for distilling sea w T ater, set up in the town about two years ago,
works by nts and starts, and if the water supply is not cut off owing to a break-down
in the machinery, it generally remains interrupted while the water commission and
t leu contractor, or the latter and his engineer, are at variance over some trifling
matter.
The departure of Fuad Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. for Jeddah coincided with that of the Grand
bhereef, who set out from Mecca in the direction of Taif. His Highness was
accompame y ns son, Shereef Ali, several members of the shereefian clan, and a
following of Bedouins. Hussain Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , the Grand Shereef, then encamped at a
p ace ca e m a , some distance outside Taif. The object of these warlike prepara-
10 ns on ® P ar 0 _ 118 ig iae8 s is not known. It has been said that he intends to
bring about the subjugation of the tribesmen in the country adjacent to Taif, while
o ier rumours credit him with an intention to collect a force of 10,000 men and march
molesting* raxavanffan!f pilgrims^ " V16W t0 PMishillg ^ ^ thefe ^ haV6 ^
of affairs [ntt'qulrte^ rea ° hed a feW dayS ag ° fr0m Medina re g ardin g thestate
Rediel) 1 117tl?'fiiK- 1 ^ V le , au< '' l< ’ 1 ' tles at Medina have been turned during the month of
Redjeb (17th July-16th August) to the depredations, in the neighbourhood, of Arabs