Page 232 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1927

sort of safeguard. He told awful stories of the wicked doings of the Khalifa family & especially Sh Abdulla & his old mother! I
quite believe some of them.

Dinner at Jasim Kanoo's who had his house brilliantly illuminated with electric light from his own machine. Quite a good
show, not a great many people but about 400 plates of food, & ices after dinner. The whole object is to make a great show
of quantities of food which is not eaten by the guests themselves but by the second party, servants & hangers on, who
always polish off all the remains. It really looked very nice, all the roof & Balcony covered with carpets, some very nice ones.
The Shaikh & Mohamed & Abdulla were all there. Much talk about electric light in the town, I certainly do think it would be a
good thing, but probably a great nuisance looking after it all - sure to go wrong constantly.

Monday June 5th [6 June]

Went to customs before breakfast then came back & returned with Alban & the Shaikhs to a meeting with various merchants
& pearl boat owners about some new rules in pearl orders. Quite a quiet meeting & very satisfactory as they were most
reasonable & agreed to our proposals which in some cases were the same as theirs. Then returned & took cases.