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File 110/1917 'Arabia: Printed Correspondence.' [‎245v] (505/616)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (299 folios). It was created in 14 Nov 1916 - 1 Oct 1919. 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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58
coupled with hnrmless if impracticable susr^estions. He is for examnl
from satisfied with the person of Faroki as his Cairo representative and ^ ^ f
to appoint another, whom we are at liberty to choose, in his place. FTe^ ^ 3
anxious, moreover, as had been Ahrlulla at our last interview, to estahh h ^
private cypher directly between himself and the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. . ’ I amconvi 8 ?
that both these requests were made from what he considers a sense of
and reciprocity and not in the least from any lack of confidence in^
appreciation of, Colonel Wilson, with whom his relations are obviously of ° V
most cordial nature. He subsequently favoured me with an explanation unso^
cited, of the reasons for his assumption of the regal title. These consisted ekiofl 1 "
in the necessity for encouraging the feeling of independence and freedom from
interference in the various tribes (and I was snbsequentlv informed bv
Colonel Wilson that the declaration has, in this respect, produced a good
impression). I ventured to suggest that, considering the terms of my conversa
tion with Abdalla, l^e might have let us know, before taking so momentous a
step; and he replied that as he had already been officially addressed bv the
llesidency as Khalifa (a title to which he did not aspire)*he had considered
that, the greater including the less, it was superfluous to apprise us of his
resolution. I remarked that though all the llesidency correspondence to
himself had passed through my hands, I had never yet seen the document he
quoted ; hut being well aware, from previous experience with Abdalla, that be
would at once offer to produce it from Mecca, a challensre that politeness
would prevent me from accepting, I pursued the theme no further (although
I noted the strategical advantage of a system of State archives at once
remote and inaccessible to infidel enquiry). Before leaving I arranged to
return on my way down to the ship and bid him goodbye. This I did at
2-30, taking with me the Staff Surgeon of H. M. S. “ Diifferin” who is an
expert photographer, in the hope of securing a portrait. The Sheriff refused
at first to pose and instead desired me to make various enquiries as to the
nature of a small scar (which he was unable to show) upon his left knee.
When I objected and offered to leave the room to ensure his greater privacy
he gave me something approaching a wink and said “ I only ask from
civility , \ As he had remarked that he was of course unable to prevent people
snapshotting him I directed the Staff Surgeon to take a couple straight off as he
sat; and the involuntary sitter underwent the ordeal with a remarkable sangfroid.
On my departure he handed me a letter for the High Commissioner, embraced
me twice and escorted me to the staircase ; at the same time sending with me his
Aide-de-Camp and his Private Secretary to accompany me on board the
“ Dufferin ”. I was very much touched on reaching the quay to find a small
guard of honour drawn up to see me off, and learnt with interest the variety
of its composition, which included soldiers from Jaffa, Somak, Bokhara, Jeru
salem, Baghdad and Abyssinia. I took leave hdre of Sheikh Sulaiman Qabil,
head of the municipality, with some other notables, and returning direct to
the ship, left for Yenbo at 4-30.
Yenbo —We reached Yenbo at 8 a.m. on the next day, and I at once
transhiped to H. M. Si “ Lama ”, at the same time advising Sheriff Feisal that
I proposed visiting him at about 9. I gathered meanwhile that the state of
things in and about Yenbo was far from satisfactory. Two days since, the
Turks were within 15 miles of the town, and might have attacked that
very night. Monitor M. 31 (of whose arrival by the way C°l one l Wilson
had not been advised) was standing close in to bombard them in case of
necessity. The aircraft vessel “Haven” was at Sherm Yenbo aud the
seaplanes had been quite recently bombing the Turks, I gather that the single
treneh, though teehnically an indifferent achievement, yet covered the plain
across which the Turks must advance. By the 12th, there was a regular panic
ashore, and many notables, including Feisal, had boarded H. M. S. “ Hardinge”.
The Turks moreover were reported closer still, some said within six miles, and
in greater numbers than hitherto suspected. The Arabs had absolutely declined
to hold the trench and were hoping that the ship’s guns would command the
plain ; a peculiarly absurd idea seeing that the presence of troops holding A’ 0
treneh however badly would be the only possible means whereby the ships
could locate an advancing force until it were right inside the town itself.

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Content

The file contains miscellaneous printed correspondence received by 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. from the Government of India, relating to Arabia and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .

The main correspondents are the Secretary of State for India; the British High Commissioner, Egypt; 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. ; the Sirdar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. ; 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. , Aden; the Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign and Political Department; the Viceroy of India; General Officer Commanding, Forces in Egypt; General Officer Commanding, Force D; the Chief of the General Staff; and the Arab Bureau. The file also includes correspondence from Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd], and Emir Abdulla, Minister of Foreign Affairs [ʿAbdullāh bin Ḥusayn al-Hāshimī].

The papers include information on: arms; the Mesopotamian Campaign, the Arab Revolt, and the First World War; the activities of Ibn Saud (also referred to as Bin Saud), King Hussain of the Hedjaz [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī, King of the Hejaz [al-Ḥijāz]] (also referred to as the (Grand) Sheriff of Mecca), and Ibn Rashid (also referred to as Bin Rashid) [Saʿūd bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl Rashīd, Emir of Ha'il]; the blockade of Koweit [Kuwait], including statements of imports and exports; the activities of Harry St John Bridger Philby; the dispute over Khurma; and the Akhwan [Ikhwan].

The French language content of the papers consists of two items of diplomatic correspondence.

The file includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 volume (299 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume. The subject 110 (Arabia: Printed Correspondence) consists of one volume only.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 301; 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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File 110/1917 'Arabia: Printed Correspondence.' [‎245v] (505/616), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/645, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100078078454.0x00006a> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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