File 37/1905 Pt 4 'Aden Frontier Delimitation' [‎35r] (76/1197)

19
85. The British Commission moved to the neiehhnnrlirv^ ^ <a *
place about two miles to the south of Kataba, as soon as possible 1 after the
withdrawal of the Turks from Jalela. It was hoped that tL Iradd of 18th
March 1903, which accepted the green line as the basis of delimitation nnfhe
Amm border and the complete retirement of the Turks from Amiri territo^r
W ih t Ve i • i 6 ? Tm 1 '- 7 , followed by the commencement of demarca ioZ’
Uni 6 ,!? 51 °rn l ° ffielal f- thou K h compelled to give way, were b^no means
totally defeated. The first step on our side was of couinp fn „ mean s
survey of the zone of delimitation, and it was’ at once Sdertaken 0 ^.^
result that the map constructed from all available sources (para-ranhs 13
and 59) in which the country along the border had been inserted from mtteriS
furnished by the Turks, was found to he so incorrect that the “ green line ”
could not be applied to the ground as it actually existed.* This afforded the
Turkish Commissioners an opportunity for fresh objections and references
though on minor points. rererences,
^ fi 8 ( tviI’ th0 situati ^ in the tribal territory lying to the north-east
of the Dthala plateau was such that survey in that direction, although now
agreed to by the Turks, could not be proceeded with. The treaties with the
north-eastern tribes (paragraph 56) were sanctioned by His Majesty’s Govern
ment in May 1903, but when the Resident began to take the necessary
preliminary measures, unexpected difficulties were encountered. It had already
been discovered that the Turkish officials, not excepting the Delimitation Com
missioners, had been active in extending Turkish influence among the Yaffai-
as-Safal and other tribes, with whom, although included in the British sphere of
influence, we had not as yet entered into definite engagements. In February
1903 Colonel Wahab had reported that the Turkish Commissioners had appealed
to the Yaffai, as Muhammadans, not to side with the English infidels, and a con
vincing proof of this assertion was forthcoming in an original better from
Zakaria Bey, the “ Kaimmakam ” or Sub-Governor of Kataba,°and a member of
the Turkish Commission. The letter was addressed to Nakib Ali Askar, Sheikh
of the Mausatta, the most powerful section of the Yalfai-as-Safah and it
appealed to the religious feelings of the tribesmen in most inflammatory terms.
Similar letters, it appeared, had been sent by Zakaria Bey to other Yaffai
Sheikhs, and it was discovered that several Turkish agents had been active in
this propaganda, among them the Turkish nominee at Lakhmat-as-Saleh (para
graph 41), who was a Say ad, and therefore possessed of some religious influence,
also the irrepressible Muhammad Nasir Mukbil. On receiving this inform
ation, backed by a vigorous representation from Lord Curzon, the Marquis of
Lansdowne directed the Charge d’Affaires at Constantinople to make a strong
protest to the Porte against the action of the Turkish Commissioners. The
protest was made, and the re-call of Zakaria Bey demanded, at the same time
that Muhammad Nasir Mukbil’s presence on the frontier was complained of.
Zakaria Bey was actually dismissed from the Turkish Commission, and from his
post at Kataba, in April. He disappears from the scene from this date, and
about the same time Muhammad Nasir Mukbil was removed from his district
and sent to Sana under escort. But the intrigues of these persons, and their
appeals to the latent fanaticism of the tribes, had already had no small effect,
and it was evident that a certain anti-British influence was at work. This
specially showed itself in the chiefship of Beda, where, though the Chief himself
asked for a treaty, a section of the tribe headed by Ali bin Ahmad, who was
also the actual administrator, stood out. There was also some hesitation on the
part of the Aulaki Chiefs and of Behan-al-Kasab, a dependency of the Upper
Aulaki Sultan of Nisab, and the negotiations were somewhat protracted. With
regard to the Yaffai-as-Saf41, however, greater success was obtained ; and after
some trouble, satisfactory treaties with the Dthubi and Mausatta sections of this
tribe were concluded in May and July, respectively. Treaties were subsequently
made with the Muflahi, Shaibi and Hadthrami sections, and with Sultan
Kahtan, who is the titular Chief of the whole tribe.
° This Sana is a small village near -which the Turks had a customs post. It must not be
confounded with the town of the same name, which is the capital of Yemen, and far to the
north.—P. J. M.
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