Coll 34/3 'Slavery and Slave Trade: Red Sea and Arabia: Attitude of Ibn Saud' [‎361r] (716/886)

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a sum of l.OOOUias been set aside for the repatriation of Nigerians, and of this sum
it has been decided, by agreement with the Acting Governor-General of the Soudan
that this Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. shall have the disposal of 800Z.
The Yambo-Medina Road was formerly far less safe than the roads leading
from Mecca and Jeddah to Medina, but the latter have advanced so rapidly in the
Orace for maximum insecurity that the Yambo Road was getting left behind Lately
however, it has held its own The Emir Ali left Mecca for Medina, via Jeddah and
Yambo, on the 15th September, but did not reach Medina until the 11th October
i.e., over two weeks late. The explanation of the delay given in the press is that
the Emir had to go to Abu Na im, one of the stations on the ELediaz Railway, to
carry out some unavoidable work of reorganisation. The real explanation is that
the Emir made several attempts to reach Medina by one of the ordinary routes, but
each time had to leireat to Yambo to escape the Bedouin, who played prisoners’
base with him, blocking whichever road he tried. Finally, he had to make a wide
detour, striking the Eredjaz Railway at Abu Na’im, which is nearly as far from
Medina as Y'ambo itself is.
The ‘ Diane,” of the French navy—a small ship described as an armed yacht—
called at Jeddah this month on her way south and stayed two days. Rather to the
embarrassment of the French consul-general, for whom the visit had no special
significance, the King chose to make a great fuss. He sent officials on board almost
before the ship had had time to drop anchor, supplied the officers and crew with
masses of provisions, and finally requested that the ship be detained until the mail
arrived from Mecca, so that the presents he had provided for the captain and officers
on a lavish scale—abbas, daggers, &c.—might reach them. This unusual conduct,
combined with a paragraph in the newspaper in which readers were assured that the
£C Diane ” had come to Jeddah cc merely to visit His Majesty,” incline one to think
that the King was a little nervous as to the object of the visit.
A group of four or five prisoners, of whom one was dressed like the Turkish
ulama and the others in khaki uniform, were taken through the town under a strong
guard a few days ago and later sent to Mecca, They are believed to be officials
deported from Transjordania for complicity in the recent rising.
Slave Trade.
The boy concerned in the slave trade, to whom reference was made in the August
report, was caught at Aden. He had with him some 3,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. and carpets of
considerable value. He was found to be a native of Jibuti, and Avas theieiore
handed over to the French authorities. < . .
An English doctor recently got into conversation with a Hedjazi on a steamer
travelling from Yambo to Jeddah. The man had Avith him an African slave gir ,
whom he said he had bought a few weeks before for 65Z. He said that though he
did not know the source of supply, it must be a good one, as there were plenty ot
slaves to be bought in the Hedjaz. n j
The King continues to do his best to crush all trade. If the flayed merchants
raise their heads, he “ knaps ’em o’ the coxcombs with a stick, and cries: Down,
wantons, down^ ^ ^ f rom one p ia ce to another in the Hedjaz has ^g^een
forbidden, and the prohibition has now been applied to silver. 1 , » neonle
a large sum has come into the Royal coffers in majidiya s con ® furious
who were taking them from Mecca to Jeddah. Merchan s 11 , restrictions
at a trick which has been played on them twico Owing to King s restnc o
they were not venturing to sell. The King hen allowed them to sell at prm^
reckoned in uniidivahs at 10J i e., something like the market rate, ar ^
to “stand that the customs authorities would accept their majidiyahs at that
rato^Tfen^ey had sold aTlOi, however, the to selTat'^^nd
only at 11. The trick Avas repeated, merchants being , - g
having to pay 13 for 11. at the customs. in Wdah After a
What armcar^ to be a kind of income tax is to be imposed 1 • n ,
Wnat appears to oe a kihu v± , d b unwillingness to produce 8,000/.
long visit to Mecca, protracted it is believed by president of the Jeddah
which the King demanded as a free-will orren g, , , m i informed them
Municipality summoned the shopkeepers, artisans a ^ from 25 piastres for,
that a new tax was to be introduced _ yi™" p °nings. The tax is
e.g., water-carriers to 200 piastres for tjj 6 m f , P P r eac j 1 calling, who will
to be collected by sheikhs one to be elected by * e d that higher rates will be
receive 10 per cent, on what tney conecr. ru - ut
fixed for merchants, shipping agents and the line. ^