Page 545 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

get a handsome royalty on it but even so the Shaikh ought to have been consulted. Holmes' Company is now
really American though it was definitely laid down that it should be English and at first the Colonial Office was
very insistent on this, now they have entirely given way. Of course actually it doesnt matter to us where the
money for the development comes from but they ought not to change about so much.

Wednesday April 16th

Went down to the Joint Court and then the Shaikh came along to our house to call on Holmes, who he was
very pleased to see. Holmes has brought him a very handsome eight cylinder Hillman car but it has not yet
arrived so he has not mentioned it yet. He was very full of all the advantages that we are to get from the oil
and talked as if it was already a sure thing. I myself hope that they do get oil. Saw Jordan in the morning and
pointed out to him that we do not like his having so many cases brought against him in the Agency. He is one
of those people who think they can knock about natives without any complaint from them. In the afternoon
we had a tennis party and played on our court for the first time. It played very well, we had all the English
people except the Jordans, he was busy, and none of the Americans. Afterwards we played Bridge, Parke
played with Holmes, who he loathes, and got very excited and rude. Parke doesnt often behave badly in a
drawing room but he certainly did on this occasion.

Thursday [17 April]

Went over to the Agency in the morning to discuss the oil business with the Shaikh and Prior. I had Abdulla
here first and had a good talk with him about it and let him understand the position as nearly as I thought
wise, he is very sensible and saw the point at once, I took him with me. First we discussed a clause in the
new Persian Treaty between Persia and Great Britain in which Brit Govt gives a guarantee on part of Bahrain
that she will not make war against Persia, and vice versa. No difficulty over agreeing to this as it is not likely
that the Shaikh will want suddenly to lead an expedition against Persia! When it came to the oil business
Prior said that he was asked by the Brit Govt to obtain the Shaikh's agreement to the transfer of the
concession from one company to another. The Shaikh asked if it was an English Company and was told it was
registered in Canada and London. Abdulla asked whose money was in it and Prior said it was partly American
and partly Canadian, but the Brit Govt advised the Shaikh to agree to the transfer. He, of course, said that he
did. Afterwards they came over to our house again and we found Shaikh Rashid and Sulman also calling on
Holmes. They all crawled about on the drawing room floor making plans of where the oil wells were to be,
putting books and vases about on the carpets to mark villages hills and roads, eventually I sent for a map. All
this made me very late for breakfast. Went down to the Customs and after doing the work there had a long
talk with Parke about the proposed change of Indian Police for Sudanese and also about oil. Parke is very
angry about it and loathes Holmes who dislikes him as much. The ayah is ill. Motored to Rafaa with James in
the afternoon. He likes motoring. The ayah is ill, she has got fever so we have to look after her ourselves, a
great nuisance as it quite prevents being able to go out to dinner and awkward when having people here too.
James howled when he went to bed, it is a trick he has got into and a very tiresome one.