"مذكرة خاصة بالكويت" [و‎‎١‎٤‎٨] (٢٧/١١)

i
141
11
t and Nejd.
No. 59,
February 10.
Koweit. An Arab native of Koweit, concernetl
in a case of smuggling arms, had been claimed
as a Turkish subject. The Resident was informed
by the Foreign Office, in answer to his inquiry
whether he should contest the claim, that—
' although Her Majesty's Government had promised their
good offices to the Sheikh of Koweit, the district has
never been formally placed under British protection.
Uer Majesty's Government cannot, therefore, claim
natives of Koweit as British-protected persons."
Late in December Mubarak was reported to be
making fresh preparations for an attack on Nejd,
and the second phase of the quarrel begins.
In Eebruary Sir N. O'Conor expressed his
opinion on the general situation.
An outbreak of hostilities, his Excellency
observed, would scarcely fail to bring the Turks
again into the field.
" Her Majesty's Government may thus be placed in a
difficult position, and be forced either to raise an
unpleasant question with the Ottoman Government,
or to assert effective control over KoWeit, or else
sacrifice the privileged position acquired by the Con
vention of January 1899. It is hardly to be expected
that the Sheikh of Koweit will respect an Agreement
from which he derives no security and little material
advantage."
Sir N. O'Conor,
No. 11,
Telegraphic.
His Excellency was strongly averse to doing
anything which would " encourage the Sultan's
anxiety in regard to British policy in the Persian
Gulf," and he suggested that the Amir of Nejd
should be approached through his Bussorah
Agent, while the Porte might be informed that
Colonel Kemball would use every effort to
restrain the Sheikh.
On the 28th Pebruary the Viceroy telegraphed
that the Resident's advice had been already
tendered to Mubarak (though, as afterwards
appeared, not personally but through the news
agent) and refused. The proposed visit, there
fore, did not seem likely to have any result,
while " a second failure might even be em
barrassing."
As in November hostilities were allowed to
begin without any formal remonstrance on the
part of the British authorities.
On the 29th March the complete defeat of
the Koweit forces was reported, and it was
rumoured that the Sheikh had been killed im