Page 429 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1929

may come of the last wire. Horner is notoriously mean and behaves abominably to his wife. Nobody can stand him.
Barrett said it would be a ghastly look out for me to have him here. We met him at Bushire when we first came out and
M crossed the desert with them when she went home two years ago.

Friday April 5th

Abdu Ali came in the morning, before I had got up. He waited an hour and a half and then I saw him. He came with a
message from the Shia Kadi, Shaikh Abdulla, saying that he wanted to call on me. I know that he wants to talk about
the Wakfs. At present they are in the hands of a man called al Medani but he wants to get them all himself. Straker
came after he left to talk, as usual, about the Landing Company. Decided to have a talk with the Shaikh and Barrett in
the Joint Court tomorrow. According to him our suggested reductions would reduce their profits by 80%. Drove out to
Suk al Khamis and back by the Mene road, then to the Bank. Quite coold again, there has been a shamaal for three
days. The Lupin sailed. A German boat in. Tennis at the Agency. Very many Missionaries there so poor tennis.
Barrett got a wire from Prior just as we were going so he thinks that perhaps Govt have listened to his ideas on the
subject of his successor. I am very anxious to know who will come. Prior is a very nice fellow, a gentleman and quite
ones own style, about my age and very amusing, but I feel sure that all the other people here will simply hate him as he
makes no bones of showing that people who are not out of the top drawer bore him extremly. He is extremly flirtatious
and will probably make Straker very jealous.

Saturday 6th April

Court in the morning. Went up to the Fort before breakfast. Much trouble about the Police clerk, a young Jew. He
brought his wife up from India and she bars being shut up in the Fort. She is a very smart young person and looks
quite European. She has violent rows with her husband all day and all the sepoys hear them fighting. She says she is
accustomed to associate with Jewish and other gentleman in Bombay and so doesnt like being shut up almost like a
purdah woman. The clerk, who is quite young, looks daily more and more haggard. Went along to the Joint Court to
see the Shaikh and Barrett about the Landing Coy. B was very unhelpful and finally it was decided to ask the Meglis
Tajara about it. Naturally they will ask for an even higher reduction. Straker came and looked very fed up. The
Shaikh understood a certain amount about what it was about but was very bored by it all. Went out in the afternoon to
the Biladya garden and Essex Point and then picked up D.G. and brought him back to tea. Prior is coming as P.A. I
am very glad, I really have had a very great deal of say in getting him here. Dinner at the Dames. Nice day, no wind
but not hot.

Sunday 7th April

Dull dinner last night, nobody there except ourselves and the Mission. Played games afterwards and got away early.
The mail boat arrived in the evening, late, at nine oclock, and Mrs Marley, the nurse, arrived here after midnight. We
had gone to bed thinking that as she had not turned up she would not come ashore till the morning. Had a meeting of
the Biladya committee after dinner. Rather acrimonious. They left earlier, about ten oclock. Quite a cool day again
but a smooth sea. Drove in the afternoon, went to the Biladya garden to see the site of the tennis Court for the club
which the clerks and people run.