File 600/1905 Pt 3 'Aden Hinterland: Situation; Withdrawal of Political Agent from Dthala; Treaties with Haushabi, Kotaibi and Alawi chiefs' [‎206r] (407/508)

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the rehabilitation iseffected w. Sl \ n al °S e some ^ ^ only, after
strongly urged both bv mA nnrl^+Ti t? H^idara a stipend as has been
stipendL/and bas ^ mau was a Turki ^
better than include bL at fhfs fm m ^ C °^ ? y US ‘ We caanofc
supremacy. ^ e * a W er Kahtan has regained his
Sultan 1 ’‘^Ali^Man^on 11 l 30 .^ 61, n affairs can arranged from Aden. The
on bis rights. The Mutas^rrif^of ^ ? Gr0 *\ the border encr oach
have been exaggerated I ou^n ?/ wl ' ote . sa y s these matters
affairs on the D^balaplatea^keep m^here! 118 b< ^ r< ^ er aS eai ^ aa P ossible » b ^
\U> are r^L^ihle'+n are \ n au unsatisfactory state. These Subehis
extenqivp flnrl and be } n S contiguous to Ilaushabi territory, which is
extensive and sparsely popuiated, they loot caravans and plunder people in
dut^e^nt trp t0ry i WhlCh iS traVerSed trade routes Tbe HaushahS
11 a° ad i ar0 ?° re onerous than those of any Chief within my
+i n eS f 1 ^ 13 * * * * 18 ^ ranted the 50 rifles with ammunition as
lecommended by the Aden Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. , he will not be in a position to safeguard
. roa fl s - rt floes not tend to good work to ask a Sultan to do what, unaided,
be is unable to do In my opinion, further, Rs. 272 per mensem is too small,
^ot alone the Subehis harass the Haushabi Sultan, but the Radfan tribe of
t ana bans plague him from the east and are constantly descending into the
Mani ^ ab r ° b P assers 'Ay» intending by this to inculpate Sultan Ali
Ah Mam is a young Sultan, and promises well, but the country was
reduced to such chaos and anarchy in the time of his predecessor, Mohsin bin
Ah, that the assistance we have advocated is of prime importance and will
stimulate Ali Mani by assuring him of our good will and our recognition
of his hereditary difficulties.
l ^ we fl ave done little else during our stay here, we have brought
into being a host of friends across the border, who impressed with our honour
able dealings and abstention from unnecessary meddling in Arab affairs, have
often visited me and indicated in the most unequivocable terms their abhor
rence of Turkish methods and a craving to be brought under our aegis. Apart
from these there are numberless Sheikhs in the north-east who are indepen
dent rulers, and many of these have earnestly begged to be protected against
Turkish invasipn. With all these I have urged the satiety of the British
Government with what they already hold and their friendship with the Turkish
Government which precludes any interference witli tribes under Turkish regime
or influence. Our influence there is in the ascendant.
13, It does not do to prophesy in matters relative to Turks and Imam-
If, however, and the contingency is not chimerical, a compromise be arranged
between the two belligerents, it is not unlikely that w r e may witness a change
in the map, and may find the Imam displacing Turk on some of our borders.
It is with this possibility in view that I have so steadfastly urged a policy
of neutrality, which, while preserving our friendship with Turks, did not
consider the other party as rebels. The whole country from Sanaa to Aden
was once Irnamic. The Imam’s vicegerents w r ere the ancestors of the present
Chiefs and rulers within our Protectorate. The Amir of Dthala holds Sanads
from the Imam : so do many families on the Hill of Jihaf. This then was
possible in spite of the differences in ritual which divide onf Shafai (Sunni)
Chiefs from the Imam’s Section the Zaidi (Shia). These differences in Arabia
are non-essentials and little accounted of in the Yemen; therefore, if the
Imam’s borders at any time marched with ours, it would be no strange thing
at all if he and our friends fraternised as of yore.