مجموعة ٦ / ٦٧ (١) "حدود جنوب شرق الجزيرة العربية وقطر". [و‎‎٣‎١‎٣] (٧٩٤/٦٣٠)

[156 gg—2] B 2
ment ui respect of the Saudi share in the cost of the MacDonnell enquiry in 1930
ml ma , de t ?'! ardS the reC0Ver y of these clalms S mce February
i ,i e orts made at tiie instance of the Treasury last autumn failpd
an d the matter was subsequently left in abeyance pending the HqZation of
prtsSt of amTati™ 11 - 1 t0 the Char ^ e ^ mo'nth buTthe
prospect ot an}/ early recovery of the amounts is still poor.
(6) Pilgrimage.
favourabfeomiortnnfH 611 /^ 11 tentati 1 ! e suggestion in February 1932 that, if a
temDoral nrnt?prs ;U flff^ y t°^ el, T?’ t ye i, ml ^ t a 116 " 1 ? 1 a general agreement regarding
temporal matters affecting British pilgrims. I no longer think that such an
attempt would serve much useful purpose, as pilgrimage conditions in the Heiaz
to fhp sT f°r ly im P rovi , n £ and 1 thmk that further improvement can be left
to the Saudi Government s sense of self-interest, Ibn Baud’s not insincere desire
Mosleminfluenc^ th n 0Ugh they mUSt be ex P loited ’ and to outside
nf ttl influences. I should like, however, to arrive at a reasonable settlement
of the question of the Government of India dispensaries, which I brought up
to date m a recent despatch. * P
(7) Slavery.
I have recently submitted elaborate reports on this question. Broadly
speaking, the position is that, if Fuad Bey Hamza can be trusted, Ibn Baud might
be induced to promulgate a public act imposing severe restrictions on the traffic
in slaves, but is as keen as ever on getting His Majesty’s Government to abandon
the right of manumitting and repatriating slaves'taking refuge in the Legation
a f u . ® dda- despatches set forth the pros and cons of a deal on those lines,
which, on the whole, I favour. Nothing can usefully be done at present to
promote the larger object of securing a general suppression of slavery in Saudi
Arabia.
(8) Deportation.
Deportation cases, as such, have given less trouble of late than they did three
years ago. 1 his heading may now be replaced by the additional heading
at (13) below.
(9) A qaba and Maan.
There has been no essential change since February 1932 in regard to this
question. It looked last year as though Ibn Baud might seek to reopen it as
soon as the Treaty of Jedda became denunciable in March 1934. More recent
indications have shown that, while anxious to maintain the reservations he made
in 1927, he realises that it would be useless and impolitic to reopen the question
at present. On the other hand, the completion of new maps of the frontier area
may create an awkward situation for His Majesty’s Government, if it should
be found necessary to seek Ibn Baud’s consent to a modification of the de facto
frontier between Transjordan and the Hejaz. This question might by extension
affect also the position in regard to the frontier between Transjordan and Nejd.
(10) Hejaz Railway.
The Saudi Government have recently reopened the question of reconditioning
this railway as a whole. They seem ready to shelve indefinitely, by a reservation,
the questions of the ownership and alleged Wakf character of the railway.
His Majesty’s Government are considering the matter sympathetically in
consultation with the French Government.
(H) Naval Visits.
There has been no change in the position since February 1932. The Red Sea
sloops continue to visit Jedda four or five times a year, after the Legation has
notified the Saudi Government, without, however, asking for permission for the
visits. They do not attempt to visit other ports, including, by an elucidation of
standing instructions, anchorages in the Farsan Islands. This limits the