Page 299 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

296

1927

Saturday [24 September]

Customs in the morning. Court. Yusuf Fakroo came round protesting at being removed from the Council. Went to the garden
in the afternoon & dinner at Spences.

Sunday [25 September]

Municipal Council election in morning. Alban & the Shaikh came & stayed a short time. A good deal of excitement &
competition among the Persians & the Arabs. The latter were given another day. Some of them behaved just as at an English
election, scouring the town for voters & dragging them in. Went to Muharrak in the afternoon. Met Abdulla & had a long
walk round the streets & bazaars. It is enormously improved, really outwardly quite clean. Looked at some houses which we
may pull down to open up roads. Shaikh Isa passed when we were looking at a well, on his way back from his daily drive, a
comic procession, first Isa in his barouche, then another old Shaikh in a perfectly apallingly shabby old carriage then about 20
black negro slaves on white donkeys each carrying an umbrella, both carriages with a bell ringing all the time. Shaikh Isa
stopped & I shouted a few remarks which he didnt hear. He looks very well though over 80.

Auctioned the leases of Govt fishing nets in the morning & got much better prices than last year.