Page 726 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1932

nothing of any trouble. Talked about various other things as well. This morning another so-called Turkish Prince
arrived and demanded the Shaikh's hospitality. He seemed a tiresome person, talked no Arabic but had a man with him
who did. The companion made no bones about it but said he had come to get money. He wont get any if I can help it.
I was very frigid and put them in the Palace which is not comfortable and I feel sure they wont like it. D.G. always a
snob sent them along to me in his car, evidently much impressed by the so-called Prince. Worked with Steele in the
morning on the electric report. On my way back I asked at the Police office if any trouble had been heard of about the
divers but there was no news. I thought the Shaikh on the whole seemed very worried and he looked seedy. Couldnt
find out who had been alarming him. There was a Syrian journalist out at Sakhrir who talked to the Shaikh but he
talked so much above the Shaikh that he obviously didnt understand a thing about it. Finally the Shaikh asked him if
he was a journalist ... the man was very annoyed as he said he represented the best known ... in Iraq.

Wednesday 25th May

Strong shamaal, it is most unusual at this season. Didnt go to the Joint Court as I had seen the Shaikh yesterday. Got a
message from the Amir of Muharraq postponing my trip over there tomorrow evening. I was going on a dope raid.
Heard that the Shaikh had written a most unwise letter to Abdulla telling him to ask the divers what they want and to
"please their hearts" and tell them that the merchants are too poor to pay more selaf. I saw a letter given to the Shaikh
which was supposed to be from the divers, it was very impudent but may not have been meant to be so. I was at the
Fort in the morning, the new recruits are getting on very well now and look quite smart. Jabr bin Musallam and
Mubarak al Amari came in and I asked both of them about the selaf business, they had heard of the Shaikh's letter and
both thought it very unwise, they said they hoped the Government would not go back on its word again as it has done
in the past. Motored along the Gedhafs road in the evening and then went into the D.Gs. In the morning I went over to
the Agency to see Prior. The head man from the Power House has been given urgent leave and we find that he has
been told by Jordan to join him at Mosul, wired to Callenders about it and complained. Whatever happens I shall now
try and get a new man, and a cheaper one. Just the sort of thing Jordan would do.

Thursday 26th [May]

In the morning I went to the Fort and then saw people in the office. Shaikh Abdulla and the Amir came in and talked
about the diving business, Abdulla, though he had written a letter to the Shaikh urging him not to change the elan,
seemed to be all in favour of raising the amount, the Amir adopted the same attitude and kept on saying how poor the
divers were, they wanted me to agree to letting the naukhudas give the men another half bag of rice, roughly about 5/.
I was all against it and after talking for about an hour I agreed that we might let it be known that if the naukhudas cared
to give the men half a bag, but not charge it up as a diving dept, but just as an ordinary loan it might be done. Abdulla
said that a lot of men had come to him in his garden yesterday and asked him to approach the Government. Yesterday
I put several men in prison who I heard were making mischief among the divers and this morning I arrested another
man, one of Ali bin Seggar's lot. Then Abdulla and the Amir went and the old Kadi came to call and then Haji Sulman
came to see me about some cases in my office, at about 11 oclock. While I was talking to him, in my office, we heard
a noise outside as of a lot of people walking past, and then someone came in and said all the divers had arrived and
were going along the sea road, then a man ran in and said they were going to the Police Office. We hurried out to get
the car and found a naukhuda from Ras Road outside in a great state saying that a huge crowd of divers from Muharraq