File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎74v] (157/834)

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shape of presents of rifles and money, and any who professed
the Wahabi faith were given places in which to settle.
Ibn Sand, not content with perverting visiting tribesmen,
had sent preachers among the outlying tribal elements of the
Hej az. Their methods were slow and insidious, and the rigour
of their tenets appealed to the fanaticism which was latent
amongst ignorant Bedu. There was only one way to treat such
gentry, and that was to kill them, for they were undermining
the religious foundations of the State.
Colonel Wilson pointed out that the British Government
would naturally do everything in its power to better the relations
between Ibn Baud and the King, but that it had always been its
policy to refuse to interfere in religious matters. The Emir
replied that, if Ibn Sand could not be restrained with our help,
the King and he would be bound eventually to take such steps
as were necessary. No one was more anxious than himself that
matters should be settled amicably, and he had even gone the
length of suggesting that his brother Zeid should marry a girl
of Ibn Baud’s family. (It will be remembered that the King
claimed this as his own idea at Jeddah recently.)
3. Treaty and Tribal Rights.
The Emir admitted that the three predecessors of Sherif
Husein had relaxed their hereditary control over the eastern tribes
and said that one of the first acts of the latter, on assuming
office, had been to write to Ibn Baud reclaiming the ancient rights
of the Sherifs of Mecca to the control of all the Ateibah and all
the Harb. Ibn Baud had naturally resented this and had done
his best to keep the tribes with him. He had been unsuccessful
and the matter had been legalised by the Treaty of 1910. The
Emir laid great stress on this Treaty, which he claimed to be
still in operation. The main points, he said, were Ibn Baud’s
recognition of Sherif Husein’s rights over the Ateibah and
Qashn. Ibn Baud had agreed not to tax the Ateibah and that
Qasim should pay a. yearly contribution of L.T. 4,000 to the
Meccan Treasury. The Emir admitted that the latter had never
exacted any payment from Qasim, but claimed that his father
had been content with Ibn Baud’s admission of his rights.
If Ibn Baud would abide by this treaty, there would be no
future trouble and he intended at an early date to ask his father
to guarantee officially to the British Government the future
independence of Ibn Baud and his descendants within the
boundaries and under the conditions laid down in it. This
guarantee His Majesty’s Government would be asked to convey
to Ibn Baud. Colonel Wilson asked for a copy of the Treaty
which the Emir promised to obtain from Mecca.
. I pointed out to the Emir that the Ateibah were numerous
m JNejd, that they hold large stretches of grazing land and many
wells and that it seemed hardly reasonable to expect that Ibn