File 600/1905 Pt 5 'Aden Hinterland: Treaty with Sultan of Balahaf' [‎170v] (124/152)

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4tb October 1902, as to tbe treatment to be meted out to Balabaf and
Mobsin bin Saleh. In consequence of those events Sultan Ahmed bin Saleh,
tbe favourite brother of Mobsin bin Saleh, was interned at Aden, pending
the submission of Mobsin, the repayment by him of the monies taken and the
furnishing by him of guarantees that he was prepared to conduct himself, and
to cause his followers to conduct themselves, in a fitting manner in submission
to the orders of Government.
3. Mohsin bin Saleh duly paid up the cash taken from the buggalow Large trading vessel. , but
has failed until recently to tender his submission in accordance with the require
ments of the Government of India. The correspondence now forwarded
indicates that there may have been some misunderstanding on the part of
Mohsin, due to his belief that he was entitled to expect the release of Ahmed
on payment of the monies taken from the Fateh-al-Salam-, it also shows how,
in accordance with instructions from this Government, General Mason proceeded
to Balahaf on the 22nd November 1904, hoping to find Mohsin bin Saleh either
at Balahaf or sufficiently near to be accessible. Unfortunately the event proved
that he was not within a distance which rendered it possible for the Besident
to await his response to the summons which he had sent. General Mason
however, left an order requiring Mohsin to present himself at Aden within three
weeks^ and guaranteeing, if he came, his safe conduct and personal liberty,
requiring only that he should remain at Aden until the Government’s orders*
were received. In response to this summons Mohsin duly appeared before
the Besident at Aden on the 8th December last, and attached to General
Mason’s letter of the 11th December is a report of the interview which ensued.
This Government, I am to say, were not entirely satisfied with the degree of
Mohsin’s submission as then reported by General Mason, and consequently
o Cnnv PT^inQPd referred back to the Besident for information upon six
Py * specific points (vide my letter No. 8010* dated
the 29th December 1904).
4. General Mason’s reply dated the 9th January and the enclosures to that
letter would have placed this Government in a position to form a definite con
clusion as to the precise attitude which, in their opinion, should be adopted in
dealing with Balahaf affairs, and definite proposals would have been formulated
but for the receipt of the Besident s telegram dated the 18th January, reporting
that Sultan Ghalib, the son of the Sultan of Shehr and Mokalla, had eifected
the purchase^ from Sultan Saleh, the titular Sultan, of the latter’s share in
Balahaf. This report naturally complicated matters, and the receipt of the
further telegrams from the Resident, dated the 27th and 23th January last,
rendered it necessary to decide immediately whether, with a view to ensuring
order in Balahaf, it was not desirable to permit Mohsin, subject to due guaran
tees for his behaviour, to return to Balahaf. This permission was accorded on
the conditions in this Governments telegram dated the 31st January.
5. The Besident at Aden has now been directed to obtain and submit
Saleh’s explanation of the recent transaction between him and Sultan Ghalib,
and a further report will be made to the Government of India after General
Mason has replied to this reference.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
C. H. A. HILL,
Acting Secretary to Government.