File 1855/1904 Pt 8 'Koweit:- Arabia Chiefs' attitude towards tribes of the interior (Nejd etc.)' [‎72r] (141/336)

[Confidential.]
No. 2438 , dated Bushire, the 14 th (received 24 th) October 1906 .
From— “Major P. Z. Cox, C.I.E., Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
To— Sir Louis Dane, K.C.I.E., C.S.I., Secretary to the Government of India
in the Foreign Department.
In continuation of my letter marginally noted, giving cover to a copy of Mr.
Resident to Foreign, No. 2139, dated the 15th Crow’s despatch No. 62 of August
September 1906. ^ igo6 to His Majesty’s Ambassador at
Constantinople, on the subject of his interview with Sudgi Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , and referring
also to the allowances paid by the Porte to the rivals in Nejd, I have the honour
Koweit, No. 379 , dated the 30th September ,906. t0 S ° f ,? “P 0 ? wllich 1 haVe
received from the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Koweit,
in reply to an enquiry on the latter subject, for the information of the Government
of India. A copy is also being forwarded to His Majesty’s Consul, Basrah.
2 , I take the opportunity to mention at the same time that I have since
had an opportunity of discussing with Major Knox the subject of Sudgi Pasha’s
return from Nejd with 300 men vid Koweity which was reported in article 1039 of
this Office Diary for the week ending 2 nd September ; and have the honour to
invite consideration to an aspect of the incident which inevitably suggests itself.
It will doubtless have been noticed that the Turkish Officer and his men
were got out of the place by Sheikh Mubarak with all possible despatch and
although Sheikh Mubarak and his subjects would probably be too proud to admit
that their presence in Koweit caused any actual trepidation, it can hardly be
doubted that the pulses of both one and the other were considerably quickened
by the unwelcome visitation.
On this occasion their arrival was fortuitous and their intentions were doubt
less innocuous, but as a precedent the incident is a somewhat inconvenient one,
for it is possible to conceive that the experiment might be repeated with a larger
force from Nejd or Baghdad, and that having arrived by this means a Turkish
force might for the time being easily possess themselves of the town and of
Sheikh Mubarak by a coup de main similar to that which the Bedouins effected
in Maskat in 1895 .
3 . I venture to draw attention to the possibility, in case it might be con
sidered desirable for us to give Sheikh Mubarak any advice on the subject for
future guidance, or to suggest to the Porte that the course taken in this case
seems to us open to objection and calculated to disturb unnecessarily the minds
of the Koweit public, including British subjects.
If the Porte wants to put troops into Nejd, or get them out of Nejd, it is
reasonable to argue that they should use Ojair for the purpose and not the
territory of a neutral Chief.
No. 379 , dated the 30 th September 1906 .
From— Captain S. G. Knox, I.A., Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Koweit,
To— Major P. Z. Cox, C.I.E., Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your No. 2140 , dated 15 th
September 1906 , on the subject of the allowances paid to Bin Saood and Bin
Rashid by the Turkish Government.
2 . In reply, I have the honour to inform you that Sheikh Mubarak informs
me that the allowances are fixed as follows
For Abdur Rahman bin Feysul bin Saood, Turkish £ 90 per mensem.
For Meta’ab bin Rashid, 200 tigars rice per annum and Turkish £200 per
mensem.