'ملف رقم 19/109 VI (C 45) العلاقات البحرينية مع القوى الأجنبية الأخرى' [و‎‎٣‎٠] (٥٢٠/٧٦)

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madt in tht^ipendi'™',? theSe enactm ™ t s an attempt has been
their combined effect^ The LaHf 1,06 3 C ? nS0 ^ ^ ^
and in 1927 His Maio-tV^ n ' f Wa 1 ™ lC cr icize( ^ ^7 foreign powers
which thev honed mio-lif K v. n 1 mi ' sought to establish certain principles
1928 led to no Z nlf !fi m an exclian g e of Notes. Negotiations in
, i ,, u ^ ikI , as the law \vaR not m practice yivinu rise to mnoli rlifflpnltv-
the ma ter was allowed to stand over nntil the summer^ S whLTwas «
queXo^ ^CeTbv 1? t'Tt/ 0 faCllitate ^ paS
that Z H„if. 7L 7 t Llttle PJ 0 g ress was then made beyond ascertainin.
f He ]. az Government were disposed to satisfy His Maiestv's Govern mp-nf
on certain points but, through jealoury of their sovereign rights wished to proceed
by way of legislatmn of their own. On the other hand the
sa^ to seek further guidance from His Majesty's Government on various mrtters
L" Sr™n ^ n0t taken 6th ' w ^en instructi^s were
m»ter| 7 ;^f?r w 6 " 6 i ° structions reache<i Jedda Sheikh Ynsuf Yasin had inti-
mated that the Hejaz Government were anxious to get on with the new law and
expressed a wish to discuss the matter unofficially. This led to a conversation
on -^e biuary 4th, to which Sir A. Eyan consented rather than run the risk of seein^
an unsatisfactory new law promulgated without previous discussion. It appeared
from bheikh Yusuf lasm s explanations that the Hejazi Government proposed to
meet the views of His Majesty's Government on two important points, the
wording of Article 3, which originally asserted the Hejazi nationality of all persons
born in the Hejaz, without right of subsequent option; and the wording of Article
A, which m its original form provided that any foreigner "residing" in the
Hejaz who wan not in possession of documents proving his nationality would be
deemed a Hejazi as from the date of the law. The Amending Regulation pro
mulgated shortly after the above conversation provides more satisfactory texts
of those two Articles ; although His Majesty's Government would have pre
ferred Article 3 to be given such a form that Hejazi nationality acquired by
birth did not take effect until the child had attained his majority, subject then
to a right of option ; and the new wording of Article X is not so precise as could
be wished. The Hejazi Government could not see their way to accept a sugges
tion of His Majesty's Government that the words " who have in the past " should
be omitted from Article 6 or that in practice the clause containing them should
not be applied retrospectively.
58. From a practical point of view the amended law seems unlikely, if it is
faithfully applied, to impose any hardship on British subjects and protected per
sons. In his converr ation with Sheikh Yusuf Yasin on February 4th, Sir A. Ryan
intimated that he would not consider the acquisition of Hejazi nationality by a
child born in the Hejaz of British parents as necessarily precluding the Legation
frcm intervening in certain circumstances on behalf of the child and its parents.
He had in mind such a case as that of the technically Hejazi minor daughter of a
British subject being abducted, in which case it should be possible to intervene
at the instance of the injured father.
59. It is important to note that the Law has now been expressly extended to
the whole of Ibn Sa'ud's dominions, though without any express mention of Asir.
60. Beacons at Yanho. —Two beacons were swept away by storms in December
and January thus increasing the danger of approaching this always difficult port.
As it is principally frequented by Khedivial steamers the Legation strongly urged
that the beacons thould be restored without delay. This work had not been
completed by February 28th but the prospect of its being done was good, helped
perhaps by a personal conversation which Mr. Hope Gill had with the Amir of
Yanbo on his voyage to Suez at the end of January. The Khedivial Company
themselves propounded a scheme for supplying a complete outfit of five or six bea
cons at a little over £100 each but the Hejazi authorities found this beyond their
means and preferred to undertake the essential work themselves.
61. Approach to Jedda.—Sir A. Ryan had some general conversation with
the Emir Faisal, during the latter's formal visit on February 1, about the desir
ability of port improvements. The Emir assured him that the whole subject
was receiving earnest consideration. Inshallah !