Page 364 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1928

then came back to the Court. Went out in the car in afternoon early, to the new tank which is being built near the
Palace to make a garden for the Shaikh, then to see the road & to the garden on the way back. People came to tea &
Bridge. de Grenier departed before dinner. Read a secret file of correspondence sent over by Barrett being all the
letters telegrams & correspondence about the Persian claim to Bahrain. The Govt seem really to have got the wind up
about the claim though they constantly repeat that it is absurd.

Friday 27th Jan.

Went down bazaar in the morning. Took a photo of an old man wearing gold thread - probably wont come out.
Afterwards went over to the Agency & talked to Barrett. Very cold day indeed. Tennis at Agency. One of Holme's
American geologists was there a plain youth with untidy hair & complexion, very American.

Saturday [28 January]

Court. Went along to see the Shaikh at the Joint Court, talked to him about the electrical Engineer who is coming, he
agreed to it. The Shaikh has been bothering Barrett about another of the murder cases of his own relations. Some of
the Shaikhs, 4 years ago, shot up a lot of Baharnis at Sitra & then bolted to the mainland. They were judged guilty by
the Shaikh and sentenced to death if they returned & their estates confiscated. Now he wants to wash out his judgment
& bring them back. It has now been compromised & they are to be tried if they come back & stand trial, by the Shera
Court.

Sunday 29th Jan.

Various people called in the morning. Wrote a lot of letters. Tried to persuade some of the Shias to agree to the
School being between Manama & Suk al Khamis - they wouldn't agree. Very obstinate.

Went up to the garden in the afternoon & put in a lot of seeds, also some in the garden down here which
seems difficult to grow things in, probably because it is so near to the sea.

de Grenier came to tea & talked at length about his business & then the Parkes came to dinner. They were
quite pleasant & lively. She, afterwards, discussed with M what a horrid place this is for English women except the
class like Mrs Spence & the Doctor's wife who like nothing better than cooking and housework & who are much higher
up & more important socially here than they would be anywhere else. The mail is very much delayed by bad weather
& is not coming in till Wednesday at the earliest. Sh Mohamed, the Shaikh's brother, is on board, a nasty mean little
man & no advantage to anyone that he is returning from Bombay.

Monday Jan. 30th 1928

Court in the morning. The Shaikh came in on his way back from Muharrak where he spent last night, also Shaikh
Rashid Court. Sulman told me that Yusuf Fakroo, a big merchant of Muharrak, had been asked by the Shaikh to
"square" the witnesses in the Khaled case. Went over to the Agency & borrowed the case itself & had a talk to Barrett