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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [‎172r] (348/898)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (445 folios). It was created in 13 Mar 1924-18 Mar 1931. It was written in English. 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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i™ 8 P° cument is the Pro P e rty of His Britannic Matestv’* Cnv^n.n.., i
EASTERN (Arabia) .
CONFIDENTIAL.
February 27, 1928.
I H €
Section 2.
IbU-
E 994/484/91]
No. 1.
Consul Stonehewer-Bird to Sir Austen Chamberlain.—(Received February 27.)
(No. 17.)
Sir, Jeddah, February 1, 1928.
I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith my report on the situation in the
Hejaz for the period the 1st to 31st January, 1928, inclusive.
2. Copies of this report are being sent to Egypt, Jerusalem (2), Jerusalem for
transmission to the Royal Air Force Officer Commanding in Palestine and Trans
jordan, Bagdad, Aden, Delhi, Beirut, Damascus, Khartum through Port Sudan,
Singapore, Lagos (2).
I have, &c.
F. H. W. STONEHEWER-BIRD.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Jeddah Report for the Period January 1 to SI, 1928.
NEJD-IRAQ relations have continued to furnish the subject-matter of leading
articles in the press. The breach of the Uqair protocol is still insisted on; Iraq is
accused, moreover, of having harboured Nejdi criminals convicted of raids on Iraq.
Yusuf-es-Sadun and Mohammed-el-Turki are cited as examples of Nejdi raiders
who took refuge in Iraq to escape just punishment by Ibn Saud.
2. In the matter of the frontier incidents, public opinion may be divided into
three camps : the pro-Saud element holds that Feisal-el-Dej^qisli acted in direct
opposition to Ibn Sand’s wishes and instructions. A small anti-Saud party believes
the raids to have been undertaken at the King’s instigation; this party argues
Ibn Baud’s policy has ever been to send out c 'unofficial ’ raiding parties, and to
take credit for the result or to disclaim responsibility, according to the exigencies
of the moment. The third view, which is current with a very small minority, is that
the events were engineered by His Majesty’s Government in their own interests
The arguments are far-fetched but ingenious. His Majesty s Government expecte
difficultv in persuading Iraq to ratify a treaty whereunder military contro or e
country remained in British hands. They therefore required pi oof that t e }
of Iraq depended on the presence of British forces; they caused a pos o e ui a
Busaiyah knowing that this would provoke an attack—to be repulsed by
3 His Majesty’s High Commissioner for Iraq has reported that a meeting was
to take place in the last week of this month between Ibn Saudmnd FeisaLel-Derweish
in the presence of the ulema of Nejd. The Ministry for oreign ^ ® 1ir inn
confirmation, but considers it natural that Feisal-el-Dei v eish s on e p
to answer for his actions before the assembled body of the u ema. -p T , nTri
4. A party of four of the leading Ikhwan recently arrived m Mecca from ^®i d '
Rumours had been current in Nejd of an intention on the part of !bn Saud to omld a
railway from Jeddah to Mecca and from Mecca to Medina. n >
rumours false, invited this party to visit Mecca. The new .'"t 1 . .
Mecca proved to have given rise to their suspicions The Emir f
the party to a point where the work is nearing completion and “P a '“ d
they saw was a motor road and not a track on which rai way
^ ia 5 d ’ The road is not making the hoped-for progress. The weight °f the steam-
roller is blamed for the present somewhat unsatis ac ory , ^ ^
genuineness of this excuse is largely discounted by the ac ^ “ There are two
are commercially interested in the import of a lighter yP e °. pootm ex-Turkish
admirable reasons for the poor surface of the new roa . t u el EL , a crood working
Minister for War, who is in charge of the work, has P r y & ^
[371 dd—2]
f Ji -pcuArL
/

About this item

Content

The volume mostly contains printed copies of despatches from HM Agent and Consul, Jeddah, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, enclosing reports on the situation in the Hejaz (also spelled Hedjaz in the file) [now a region of Saudi Arabia], from January 1924 to December 1930, and related enclosures to the reports. These despatches were sent to the Under-Secretary of State for India by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The volume also includes 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. Political and Secret Department minute papers, which include comments on the reports, and indicate that the reports had been seen by the Under-Secretary of State for India and the Political Committee of the Council of India.

The reports are monthly for January to August 1924, May 1925, September 1925 to March 1927, June 1927 to June 1930, and December 1930. Reports between these dates cover shorter periods, except July and August 1930, which are both covered by one report, and September, October and November 1930, which are also covered by one report.

The reports discuss matters including the actions of King Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi of the Hejaz, including his attempts to gain recognition as Caliph, and the military and financial situation in the Hejaz during the war between the Hejaz and the Saudi Sultanate of Nejd [Najd]. They report on events of the Hedjaz-Nejd war including: the capture of Taif (September 1924) and Mecca (October 1924) by Nejd; the departure of the ex-King Hussein from Jeddah; the fall of Medina and Jeddah and the surrender of the Hejaz to Sultan Abdul Aziz of Nejd [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, also known as Ibn Saud] (December 1925); and the formal assumption of the title of King of the Hejaz and Sultan of Nejd and its Dependencies by Ibn Saud (8 January 1925).

The reports following the annexation of the Hejaz by Nejd cover internal affairs, including prohibitions introduced for religious reasons, the Hejaz Railway, the financial situation of the Hejaz-Nejd Government, and the Hejaz Air Force. They also report on foreign relations, including: the publication of an agreement, dated 21 October 1926, between Ibn Saud and Sayyid Hassan-el-Idrisi, establishing the suzerainty of Ibn Saud over Asir; relations between Ibn Saud and Imam Yahya of the Yemen; the situation on the frontiers between Nejd and Iraq, and Nejd and 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 ; and the Treaty of Jeddah between Hejaz-Nejd and Great Britain (20 May 1927). They also report Ibn Saud being proclaimed King of the Hejaz, Nejd and its Dependencies (4 April 1927).

In addition, other frequently occurring topics in the reports are: the Pilgrimage [Hajj], including the arrival of pilgrims in the Hejaz, from India, Java and elsewhere, arrangements for the pilgrimage, the welfare of pilgrims, and the repatriation of pilgrims; and the slave trade and slavery in the Hejaz, including the manumission and repatriation of slaves.

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

Extent and format
1 volume (445 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

The subject 1707 (Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)) 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 447; 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 4-444; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in
English in Latin script
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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [‎172r] (348/898), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1115, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100084998360.0x000095> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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