'SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS AND MEASURES OF THE VICEROYALTY OF HIS EXCELLENCY LORD CURZON OF KEDLESTON, VICEROY AND GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA IN THE FOREIGN DEPARTMENT. I. JANUARY 1899-APRIL 1904. II. DECEMBER 1904-NOVEMBER 1905. VOLUME IV. PERSIA AND THE PERSIAN GULF.' [‎43v] (91/386)

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to him except his own hereditary dominions. A short interval in the hostilities
followed, during which Abdul Aziz visited Koweit and there met, accidentally,
with the Russian Consul-General from Bushire who seems to have offered him
assistance in arms and money. In April 1903 ibu Rashid made an attack upon
Riadh, but was repulsed.
The position of Ibn Rashid was now serious, and in January 1904 he for
the thirl time sought help of the Turks wdio were at last disposed to afford
him active assistance. In February 1904 the British Ambassador at Constanti
nople was instructed to claim fulfilment of a pledge given by the Turks in
October 1901, that they would restrain the Amir of Jabal Shammar if the
British Government restrained the Sheikh of Koweit. In April Lord Curzon
suggested that the Turks should be warned against interfering directly in the
affairs of Nejd, as otherwise it might be necessary for the British Government
to take measures in those regions for the protection of their own interests. On
news being received that Turkish troops had been ordered to proceed from
Medina to Central Arabia, a fresh remonstrance was made at Constantinople,
but the British Ambassador felt that the aggressiveness of Ibn Saud weakened
the British arguments and he doubted whether the reconstitution of the Wahabi
power in Central Arabia would be in every respect an advantage. Lord
Ampthill, at this time acting Viceroy of India, was, however, clear in his
opinion that Turkish interference in Central Arabia should, if possible, be
prevented; at the end of May 1904 he pointed out that the power of the
Wahabis was now territorial, not fanatical ; that British prestige w ould suffer
at Koweit if the Sheikh v r ere restrained from assisting his ally ; and that the
absorption of Nejd by the Turks might be a greater evil than a Wahabi domina
tion and might lead to encroachments on Koweit from an unexpected direction
in which the boundaries of the principality were undefined. Further remons
trances at Constantinople w r ere accordingly authorised, but they were ineffec
tual, and the only practical outcome of the discussion between the Government
of India and His Majesty’s Government was the appointment, a month or two
later, of a British 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. to Koweit.
Meanwhile events had not stood still in Central Arabia. In March 1904 the
Shammar Governor of Kasim was defeated and slain by Abdul Aziz, and in'
April the Wahabis occupied Anaiza, the chief town of Kasim. In May
the Turkish expeditionary force, consisting of 2,000 infantry and a battery of
artillery, marched from Samawah on the Euphrates; Ihn S iud, alarmed at
the prospect of Turkish intervention, wrote to the British 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. requesting British protection, but again no answer w r as
returned to his letter. In July the Turkish expedition, having entered Kasim,
was attacked by Ibn Saud’s followers and the general population of the district,
and the Turks, though they were accompanied by Ibn Rashid and his men,
suffered a severe defeat, losing their commandant and numerous officers, after
which they remained for two months immured in a village near the scene of the
encounter. In September, having attempted to resume the offensive, they met
with a fresh reverse, and the remnant of the force, numbering about 700 men,
retired into Jabal Shammar territory.
This was the end of another phase in the struggle. At the beginning of
1904 the Government of India had been led to consider the advisability of
despatching a British officer to Riadh for the purpose of studying the situation
and possibly of entering into closer relations with Ibn Saud; enquiry showed
that such a, mission could easily he arranged through the Sheikh of Koweit.
His Majesty’s Government, however, in the state of affairs then prevailing,
regarded the proposal with some apprehension, and directed that without their
previous sanction no steps should be taken to enter into closer relations vfith
Nejd or to send agents there. Eventually the Government of India informed
His Majesty’s Government that, while recognising that it might shortly become
incumbent on them to take a closer interest in the affairs of Central Arabia,
they did not propose to move immediately in the matter. To this conclusion
His Majesty’s Government readily assented, but they admitted the desirability
of obtaining further information about Nejd, and they did not discountenance
the idea of the subject being re-opened at a future and more suitable opportu
nity.