Page 502 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

500

1929

Tuesday 3rd December

Meeting of the Manama Biladya. Discussed the electric light question and decided that the Biladya are to subscribe
one third of the capital. Quite a satisfactory idea. Short meeting. Some rain in the afternoon. Went out in the car as
usual. Rashid bin Mohamed, the Shaikh's father in law came in with a lot of letters from ladies of the Khalifa family
asking that the Govt should help them to get Dr Rottschaefer and Miss Dalenburg to stay.

Wednesday [4 December]

Meeting of the Education Committee. The new Inspector of Education, a young Syrian from the Beyrout University, is
very impatient at the ways of the people here and at the badness of our present teaching staff. Rather a heated meeting.
Shaikh Abdulla, who is the President, is very good. Discussed putting some of the boys into football clothes, shorts
and shirts, and also about boy scouts. We arranged that there should be forty in each of the big schools. Parke came in
in the morning in a great state as he had received a cable from home to say that his father had died suddenly. We
decided that he ought really to go home and he will start on the boat this week end. It is a great nuisance as I shall have
all the Police work and the small court as well as my own job. Tennis at the Agency. Prior was not playing, afterwards
had bridge here. Dr Rottschaefer and Miss Dalenburg came in after dinner to talk about the question of their going.
We decided that the Bahrain Govt would write to the Mission officially asking for their return as soon as they had
finished their course at Basra. The person who is left and who is supposed to be going to do their work is a most
unsuitable looking person called Tiffany, looks very young and has no presence and certainly wont go down with the
Arabs, it would be a shame if their very good work among the women should be wasted.

Thursday 5th December

Court. The date of the Residents arrival has been altered again, it is put off till Monday and one day taken out of the
programme. Very tiresome. Went out to see the Shaikh about Parke. Very cold, M wore her big fur coat and still felt
chilly motoring after dark. The Shaikh was very nice about it. We are giving him three months leave in England on no
pay and he is being given his passages as a sort of reward for his work in the murder cases. Didnt get anything else
done. Parke came to dinner. He is going home by land round by Constantinople the same route as we travelled by last
year. I am sorry for him, he is very cut up about it. He will come into a good deal of money and property apparently.
Prior came in before dinner and while he was here another letter, or cable, arrived saying that the P.R. had again altered
the date of his visit.

Friday [6 December]

Went up to the Palace with Prior in the morning to see about the seating for the reception. We have invited about 250
people and the big room will hardly take 200, most awkward. Then to the Bank but back early to let the ayah out.
James seems to be thinking of cutting his teeth, he is rather late over them. Tennis at the Agency but no Bridge as
Mohamed Sherif was giving a dinner. A German ship has run aground 40 miles out at sea and some English
passengers on her came ashore to the Strakers. She is full of sugar, no damage done but she cant move till all the sugar
is shipped ashore. Very stormy weather and rain on and off. The sunsets just now are wonderful. Very busy arranging
about the seating at the Palace, people get so angry here about where they sit.