File 7251/1920 Pt 3 'Arabia: Situation and Policy; Agenda for Inter Departmental Committee Meetings' [‎300r] (237/268)

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[This Doeoment is the Property of His Britannic Majesty’s Government.]
EASTERN.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[fi 12978/166/44]
[October 21.]
Section 5.
No. 1.
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, to Earl Curzon.—(Received October 21.)
(No. 0-31.)
My Lord, Aden, October 5, 1920.
I HAVE the honour to forward, for your Lordship’s information, a petition (with
its translation), which was handed to me during my recent visit to Hodeidah.
There is no doubt that some measures will have to be taken for the protection of
Hodeidah in the event of our evacuation, and the possibility of employing these
Hawwaks in the event of neither the Idrisi nor the imam being entrusted with the
management- of the town is receiving my attention.
I tiav© <fcc*
T. E. SCOTT, Major-General.
Enclosure in No. 1 .
Petition handed to 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, from Abdurrahman Bas ar, Saleh-bin-
Mahomed Shadli, Omar Suleman Mijzaji, Taker Rajah, Ubaid Nura and Mirjan-al-
Haraji.
(Translation.) 1st Muharram, 1339 (September 14, 1920).
IN the months of December 1919 and February 1920 we despatched a letter
through Major Meek, Political Officer at Hodeidah, and again on the 26th August, 1 920,
we addressed a petition to Major Barret, first assistant to his Honour the Resident when
the former was in Hodeidah. It was also found necessary to address him another
petition on the 28th August, 1920, and send it to him through Dn Steele the present
Political Officer. That petition contained the essence of the opinion of the people ot
Hodeidah as follows :—
From the fact that it is our co-religionist, we desire the Ottoman Government to
return to this end. Should it not be possible for her to come again she should send us
a notification, as similarly as she did to the Tripolitans when she was at war with the
Italians, to say that she is no more conversant of Yemen. After this has been one
and from the fact that the honourable English Government is the most powerful and
able Government to improve and preserve the country, to develop trade and make
people in general enjoy freedom, we shall want no other Government than her for
HOd U d nless one of the two alternatives is decided upon we shall not at filigree to the
removal of the English military force now occupying Hodeidah This is because we
afraid of our own lives and those of our children as well as of the earn ing away o our
property b" the tribes surrounding Hodeidah, who are prone towards raidmg and
^"‘weTnT wlnTto be ruled by an Arab Government. Taking for granted that
a*
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consider Hodeidah as their prerogative, from these essor The R a baa,
be enlisted. They are able to carry arms . 0 P^°® an ^ or g f he p urp ose of getting
Ma’amila and Manafira join them and espouse of the war migrated to the
their means of livelihood these weavers sme ^ there. For the purpose of
givhfg S a°helping^hand^to'^h^military^force ffi the matter of protecting the country,
[4508 x—5]