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Coll 6/8(1) 'Printed Series: 1929 to 1938.' [‎108r] (220/1062)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (527 folios). It was created in 6 Jan 1929-15 Jan 1938. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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{Received on 23rd Febrmry 1935, with PolitM Secretary’s letter No. 6, dated the 7th
February 1935).
Letter from the Admiralty, to the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , No. M.- 0205/35 dated thf
2nd February 1935. ’
I am commanded by My Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit
Sortof pireedLf ofH M r P ^ ^ ^ “ C ° Uncl1 ’ ^ from a
Novenier 1934 8 nCe ’ COVerm 8 tlle P eliod ^ to 30th
Enclosure to Serial No. (13).
HODEIDA.
Extract.
* *
6. Arrived at 16 00 on 6th November and saluted the Country with 21 cruns •
the shore battery replied with 23. Mr. Saleh Jaffer (British Political Clerk) and
the new Port Ofncer (emroyal barber) called to welcome the ship.
7. The weather being unsuitable for the use of ship’s boats, I landed on the
morning of the 7tli m the harbour launch at the celebrated Iron Ladder, now tempo
rarily rejuvenated by the addition of another ladder of slightly stouter build,
and was received at the shore end of the pier by a Guard of Honour and a large
crowd. Driving to the Palace in the courtyard of which another Guard was parad
ed, I was shown into the presence of the Amir, Seyyid Abdullah al Wazir Minister. , who
received me with much friendliness and every appearance of genuine pleasure.
This w r as the first occasion on which I had met His Excellency, as Penzance had
sailed for Malta before he assumed command of the town in early July. His
Excellency begged to be excused from returning my call in person, as he was carry
ing out a preliminary fast in preparation for the more serious business of Ramadan,
and feared the effects of the prolonged boat passage to and from the ship under the
prevailing weather conditions. These were, indeed such that I readily agreed and
suggested that, in the interests of his deputies, the return ceremony should in any
case be deferred until the weather moderated.
8. A gift to the ship of 2 sheep, beef, 30 dozen bananas, 30 dozen eggs, 10
bags of cojfee, vegetables and fruit was received from the Amir during the after
noon, to whom a return present of tinned fruit was sent, accompanied by a suitable
letter of thanks.
9. Officers landed in the afternoon for tennis. The improved standard of play
among the habitues, a new box of balls and a locally constructed net of striking
colour bore witness to the continued popularity of the game, which is such that
even the re-surfacing of the court itself is seriously mooted.
***********
13. The Amir appears to be taking at least some steps to develop the town ;
the seawall has been built up and the foreshore cleared of much accumulated
rubbish, while a small icemaking plant, purchased second hand at Port budan,
has been installed but is not yet in working order. The bann on the importa
tion of gramophones and alcoholic drinks has, however, been re-imposed with
renewed severity.
The foreign communitv has changed but little. The Italian Doctor T-azzi
maintains a clinic in the erstwhile Government store near the seafiont, at which
free medical attention is dispensed The Italian Agent Jamecili is still in the town,
but the French Vice Consul, in a state of extreme decrepitude, has retired to his
home at Beirut.
14 With regards to the Petroleum dispute with the Sa’uid Government m
June last (PenzaSce’s No. 0/59 of 25th June 1934) (F. 31LN./34) it was ascertained
from the representative of Messrs. Liveratos that after the assumption of Vemem
control the firm presented their account, which was settled wit ou emur. e
Sa’udi receipt for Customs dues was also adm’tted without question. ^ ^
understood that the same treatment was accorded to Messrs— aj 11 !? ”
known what attitude was adopted with regards to the Dalian b. A. 1 . j.

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Content

This volume compiles printed copies of letters, telegrams, memoranda and newspaper extracts relating to Britain's involvement across the Arabian Peninsula during the period 1929-1938. Whilst the correspondence encompasses all matters concerning British interests in the region, much of it relates to Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and the Kingdom of the Hejaz and Nejd (later Saudi Arabia). Matters discussed in the correspondence include the following:

  • Reports of unrest in the Hejaz.
  • Relations between Imam Yeha Hamid-Ud-Din [Yaḥyá Muḥammad Ḥamīd al-Dīn, Imam of Yemen] and Ibn Saud.
  • Reports of raids and arms trafficking on the Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan -Nejd frontier.
  • Reports of the proceedings of British naval ships in the Red Sea.
  • Details of the Akhwan [Ikhwan] revolt against Ibn Saud, including the movements of one of the revolt's leaders, Faisal Dawish [Fayṣal bin Sulṭān al-Dawīsh], and his surrender to the British in Kuwait.
  • Relations between Kuwait and Nejd.
  • Relations between Iraq and Nejd, including a proposed meeting between Ibn Saud and King Faisal [Fayṣal] of Iraq, and reports of a treaty of alliance between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
  • Objections from the Hejaz Government to Royal Air Force aircraft flying over Nejd territory.
  • The purchase of arms by the Hejaz Government from Poland.
  • Ibn Saud's annexation of Asir.
  • The death of King Hussein [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī].
  • Harry St John Bridger Philby's conversion to Islam, his mapping of Rub-al-Khali, and his reported spreading of Saudi propaganda in the Aden Protectorate.
  • The currency exchange crisis in the Hejaz-Nejd and the financial situation in the kingdom generally.
  • Reports on a survey of the water and mineral content of the Hejaz coastal area.
  • Relations between Soviet Russia and Saudi Arabia.
  • The emigration of Jews from Yemen to Palestine, via Aden.
  • British fears that Italy might harbour ambitions to annex Yemen.
  • Saudi oil concessions.
  • Italian-Saudi relations.

Prominent correspondents include the following: the British Agent (later His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires) at Jeddah; His Majesty's Minister at Jeddah; the High Commissioner for Egypt; the High Commissioner for Iraq; the High Commissioner for Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan ; 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. , Kuwait; the 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. (later Chief Commissioner, and later still, Governor), Aden; the 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. ; His Majesty's Ambassador to Iraq; His Majesty's Ambassador to Italy; the Secretary of State for the Colonies; the Minister (and Acting Minister) for Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of the Hejaz and Nejd (later Saudi Arabia); Ibn Saud; King Feisal of Iraq; the Prime Minister of Iraq; various officials of the Colonial Office, the Foreign Office, the Air Ministry, and the Admiralty.

The French material in the volume consists of several items of correspondence and a copy of a treaty between France and Yemen, which was signed in April 1936.

The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 volume (527 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

The items of correspondence are divided (roughly) into various sections. Each extract or item of correspondence within these sections has its own number, which is enclosed in brackets. These numbers proceed in ascending (and approximate chronological) order from left to right; however, the sections themselves proceed in reverse, from the rear to the front of the volume, in distinct groups (e.g. for 1929 numbers 1-23, which are located at folios 517-526, are followed by numbers 24-49 at folios 509-516, which are then followed by numbers 50-89 at folios 494-508, and so on).

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 529; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Pagination: each section of correspondence within the volume (as described in the arrangement field) has its own pagination sequence.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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Coll 6/8(1) 'Printed Series: 1929 to 1938.' [‎108r] (220/1062), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2071, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100061765164.0x000015> [accessed 21 July 2026]

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