Page 506 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1929

would be no tennis. Quite sorry that the Resident has gone, it was such a bright few days, quite unusual here.
Altogether I like him and Prior is very pleased to find that he approves of his line of thinking about things, general
policy etc etc.

Saturday [14 December]

Busy morning, a lot of people came in to see me. Went down to the Joint Court to see the Shaikh. Stayed there a long
time, he talked about his interview with the P.R. before he left. Apparently The Shaikh gave me a very good chit.
Discussed finances. They had spoken about the Civil List, as usual, but the Shaikh seemed to have understood quite a
different meaning to what he was supposed to understand. In the evening we went out in the car and then D.G. and the
Strakers and the new Mespers man came in, he is large and heavy but seems fairly harmless.

Sunday 15th December

Office in the morning. Several hundred Baharna have come across from Katif running away from the tax which Ibn
Saoud has set upon them. Rather a nuisance. A lot of people in and out in the morning. Prior came in on his way back
from the Customs where he had been to see about the business of the ship that ran aground. Motored in the afternoon
and in the evening Mrs Holmes came in with some lively gossip about the feelings of the other English people about
the Residents show. They were as I expected very annoyed, though I dont quite see why. Cold day but no rain. The
streets are very muddy now and it looks as if there was going to be a lot more rain. Boat came in so we got our mail in
the evening, a very dull one and no proper letters to me.

Monday 16th December

Very dull lately and nothing to write about, simply no news. Court in the morning. The litigants are very noisy always
and as the court is below our drawing room the sound of their shouting comes up through the ceiling. Very cold
weather and rain at times. Shaikh Sulman had a very bad cold. Mission tennis in the afternoon. The tea at Mrs Dames
was so indescribably horrible that there was not one single safe dish that I could eat. Her sandwiches are really
disgusting as she puts in the queerest mixtures of food, cheese and dates and nuts for instance squashed into a paste.
Went over to see Prior as a mysterious message came by wireless saying that an aeroplane was coming to take the
Shaikh to Basra. He has not and never had any intention of going there. We presumed that it was some usual silly
message of the R.A.F. they are constantly making mistakes.

Tuesday 17th [December]

Meeting of Manama Biladya, very dull. Discussed the question of announcing the proposed reduction in their subsidy
with Shaikh Mohamed, but he asked me not to announce it yet so I did not. Went to the Customs afterwards and saw
Jordan and D.G. The latter seems to be becoming more and more pompous. He eats his meals at queer hours. When I
went in at half past twelve he was having a heavy feed of fish, porridge, eggs and fruit, he has a large early breakfast
and a huge dinner and always tells people that he only eats two small meals a day. I hear there was a great deal of fuss