File 4931/1916 'Arabia [Nejd]: Bin Saud's subsidy. Payment of subsidy authorised on 1 Jan. 1917. Question of incidence. Payments made without Treasury authority' [‎201r] (410/418)

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From Sir J > . Cox, Basra, 2Qth November 1916.
(Addressed to Foreign, repeated to Secretary of State for India
Army Commander.)
Ibn Saud asks me to lay following before Government :—
In his light with Ibn Rashid, in which Captain Shakespear was killed, he
lost enormously in rides and material looted than after the collision. Before
he could recover from this, Turks and Ibn Rashid set Ajman against him,
and he had difficult time with them. Since then protraction of war has
made his position with his tribesmen still more difficult. I heir main
normal source of income is the camel trade with Syria, and they resent
stoppage of this, and wish they were not in the opposite camp to the Turks.
They are still loyal to himself, but being weak from a military point of
view, he has had trouble of doing much more than usual in order to keep
them so. P
He was veiy grateful for the 20,000/. given him last year, and ^or 1,000
rifles, but former was mostly spent forthwith in liquidating debts, while he
utilised latter to arm his permanent guards for protection of his towns
Conditions being as above, he has not been in a position to give much
military co-operation without being financed and assisted with arms. Short
of this," however, he submits that he has done all that he can in the way of
moral co-operation. Thus he has arrested Bin Faraoon, and handed his
camels over to us ; he has identified himself most publicly with us by his
visit to Koweit and Busrah, and pronouncement he made there .
On conclusion of his visit here, he will return at once to Riadh, and is
prepared instantaneously to proceed to Qasim, where, if assisted, he will
maintain 4,000 men underarms to be employed under himself and his brother
and son. If Ibn Rashid moves towards Irak in force he will move up
parallel with him towards Zobeyr, and join up with our friendly tribes
and with a force from Koweit. During visit here he will warn Sheikhs of
our combine, who are here to meet him, that if Ibn Rashid threatens them
in strength he will move up m then support. , . r\ • i
If Ibn Rashid remains in Hail, Ibn Saud will remain at Qasim, and
hnraqs or attack him as opportunity offers. .
In the direction of munitions, he asks for 3,000 rifles and some machine
guns with necessary ammunition. In the matter of money, ie s a es la
hffih nrices now prevailing, and the cost of transport, they will cost Rs 1
Jifdfyper ml/to mamtm in the field, and leaves it tons to gl ve hnn
such montillv subsidy as we feel able. ,i i
1 suo-o-est that we should give him until further notice a monthly
assurance of 5.0001., together with 3,000 rifles and ammunition an. our
machine guns Though military result of Ins co-operation may not amount
m much the value of his moral co-operation is very considerable and
I _ j t -i- Vi -i t r'h ould hr given by us to Shereef and by lurks to Ibn
Ae measure support above proposed appears moderate, and 1 trust
will be accepted.