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Coll 6/8(1) 'Printed Series: 1929 to 1938.' [‎385r] (774/1062)

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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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^ly C8DV3I;
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; its sessioai'
27th Jan#
irswereiint
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isteringft r
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3
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3 ' ^"^eack ° f theSe SP<!Cial SharaS (ie ’ the remaini »g third) is to be £3
4 ' Th °t S hWofX h v t( l Sub f rib t “ USt mak€ “ imm ®diate deposit of one-
tive T>arti h - value . of e ac h share—£1 ; this will entitle them to effec-
tix € participation in the scheme.
,5. The l est th« due on the shares is not payable until the manag-
tmtfon ° f theeompanyhasbeen formed, all details of adminis-
nerbns Wnr r **eE’ and effectlve measures taken to ensure a pros-
perous luture lor the company. 1
6. The managing committee is to be foxmed as soon as possible.
7. The managing committee is to be invested with the general control
^aSholdSr 117 and ^ ^ itS a ^ d thoS€ of
8. An yj^op«sals made by the shareholders concerning the future develop-
ment of the company will be heard, and those that have the support
of the majority of the shareholders will be adopted.
The speech closed with an assurance that the Government will watch over
the company, and this, it was said, will necessarily ensure a golden future fm
The issue of the “ Gmm-el-Qura,” of the 7th February contained a long article
recapitulating what was said at the meeting and dwelling at length on the divers
benefits which would accrue to the country from the scheme. The greatest of
these benefits would appear to be that the introduction of electricity would imme
diately cause a great reduction in the number of Jhe various nil lamps and other
Ughting appliances which are at present imported into the country in great quan-
tities, thus reducing the amount of money that leaves the country each year The
idea of reducing the amount of money which goes abroad annually is, in fact very
dear to the promoters of the scheme, and it is one of the main arguments they
employ m endeavouring to enlist public support. '
step was tbe holding of a meeting in the Jedda Municipality pre-
sided over by the Governor, to which all the notables and rich merchants of the
town were bidden. The Minister of Finance came down from Mecca for the pur-
pose of attending.. 1
A speech was read at this meeting in which Jedda citizens were urged to
subscribe to the scheme, and were invited to follow the example of their colleagues
m Mecca, who, it was stated, had made a splendid response to the call. A list was
drawn up of the names of those who wished to subscribe.
It is stated that lists containing names of the shareholders will soon be pub
lished. J
The general feeling about the scheme is that, if properly managed, it will be '
a success, but that the essential condition for this is European control in the
engineering department. It is for this reason presumably that Bahra which is
outside the zone forbidden to non-Moslems, is suggested as the headquarters of
the scheme.
Abdullah Suleiman, the Minister of hinauce, who is, apparently, the moving
spirit of the scheme, is considering also the engagement of a European as managing
director to ensure the proper handling of the financial side of the concern ; royal
assent for this has, however, not yet been obtained.
The chief drawbacks to the scheme as at present contemplated are, firstly,
.fhat the proposed capital of £60,000 will not suffice to cover the cost of any effective
scheme, and, secondly, that the people have no confidence in the honesty of the
(rovernment s intentions, and fear, for instance, that the Government will not pay
for the power it uses. As the Government will probably be the largest consumer,
this would be quite sufficient to wreck the scheme. The fate of the Saudieh Motor
Company, a scheme which was launched in very similar circumstances, is fresh
in the public memory.
The public is showing little enthusiasm in taking up the shares offered and is
awaiting further developments before committing itself.

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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.' [‎385r] (774/1062), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2071, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100061765166.0x0000af> [accessed 27 June 2026]

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