File 600/1905 Pt 5 'Aden Hinterland: Treaty with Sultan of Balahaf' [‎115v] (14/152)

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rear and west of Husn-Al-Riadth. It is a strong and large building irregular
in design but in places is six to seven storeys high. It is the residence of the
Governor of the town. On our arrival the British flag was flying from Dar
Nasir while a red flag was flying from a flagstaff a little west of Husn-Al-
Riadth. I was informed that Sultan Husain resided in Dar Nasir and that
Husn-Al-Riadth was occupied by his troops which were said to number from
400 to 450 men all armed with rifles. About two-thirds of the town would
appear to have been in possession of Sultan Husain and his adherents, while
the remaining one-third was in possession of His Highness the Sultan under
another nephew of his named Aysa. The command of the town was thus
absolutely in the hands of Sultan Husain and his adherents.
9. Shortly after arrival at Shehr a letter was brought off from Sultan
Husain in which he declared that neither he nor the chiefs of his troops
could possibly come on board as the surf and sea was high and they would be
sea sick.
I also ascertained that Sultan Munasir had not responded to my summons
and was said to be sick. This I afterwards found out to be a falsehood. The
truth being that he had actually started but hearing that His Highness the
Sultan had sent reinforcements to Shehr he had returned to Al-Ghail.
10. Though Sultan Husain’s refusal to come on board, also the refusal of
the chiefs of his troops to come and the neglect of Sultan Munasir to comply
with my summons, seemed to me to be evidence of a general desire to be con
tumacious and coupled with the closing of Husn-Al-Riadth and the manning
of its walls on our arrival to point to resistance, I determined to exhaust every
means at my disposal to obtain a peaceful settlement and accordingly having
ascertained that there was little personal risk to him I sent Khan Bahadur
Muncherji Rustomji Dholu, C.I.E., on shore to endeavour to induce Sultan
Husain to be reasonable. He, however, returned unsuccessful and said that
Sultan Husain after a long conversation, in which he asked whether the
“ Perseus ” had come merely for show,
asked that I would send him the orders of
Government in writing, and he also addressed a letter to me to that effect.
11. The attitude assumed by Sultan Husain now seemed to point to resist
ance and after an interview with His Highness the Sultan and his son Ghalib
m . , , , „ , as to what troops, etc., they had in Shehr I
Translation attached, .-donors No. * addressed a letter next morning (the 16th)
to Sultan Husain. I may here mention that Khan Bahadur Muncherji Rustomji
Dholu mentioned at his interview of the 15th with Sultan Husain that the
orders of Government were adverse to him and that he would be required to
give up Husn-Al-Riadth and Dar Nasir to the Saltan whose authority must
be paramount in the town. I also wrote to Sultan Ghalib directing him to tom
tom in the town and warn the people to remove from the line of fire and desir
ing him, if Husn-Al-Riadth and Dar Nasir were surrendered before the time
mentioned, to hoist the Marine Jack, with which I supplied him, at the main
flagstaff west of Husn-Al-Riadth. This letter brought Sultan Husain on
board at about 10 a.m. 16th July and I immediately gave him an interview in
private. He asked me what the orders of Government were and I replied that
they had already been communicated to him by letter but I recapitulated them
as under:—
(1) That Saltan Husain and Munasir should publicly submit to the
Sultan.
(2) That Husn-Al-Riadth and Dar Nasir should be surrendered to His
Highness.
\S) That Sultan Husain’s troops should also submit, and I added that the
_ , £ t .a* ..I question of succession had
Last paragraph of farorernment of India telegram ± n
No 1122-E A., dated 3rd June 1902, receited on 13th been lett Open by IxOVem-
june 1902 . ment and that his con
duct would influence the future decision of Government in this