Page 270 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

128 PERSIAN GULP ADMINISTRATION REPORT
Tlio town continues to bo thoroughly well governed under (hr. **

below, no serious crime, disturbances or robberies have taken place du°-
the year under report rin8
A disturbance took place in the Agency premises on the night of the o»l
February, three strange drunken Arabs causing a fight. They were tied ^
and handed over to the Shaikh, who imprisoned them for a short sentence aft^
administering a severe beating. Cr
An Arab, by name Khalid bin Kliamis, who was formorly a pilot in th
British India steamers, murdered one of liis male slaves on the night of Xh
17 th March. Klialid, it appears, was drunk at the time and, on his siavC
endeavouring to prevent him from, going out of the house became annoyed*
took a revolver and shot the slave, whoso body was then thrown into an under’
ground latrine in the house; Iu the morning the slave’s wife, who was li\in»
in the same house, reported the crime to Shaikh Jabir. The latter arrested and
imprisoned tho murderer, confiscated aLl his property and subsequently ex-
polled him from Kuwait.
The caravau roads to Nejd were particularly safe throughout the year and
caravans have been leaving regularly for
Ncjd aflairs-
aud arriving from Zilfi, Buraidah. Anaizah
Hail, Sbaqrah, etc.
Capture of Uasa by Bin Saud.—The most important event in Ncjd affairs
this year has been the ejectment of the Turks from tho ETasa and Ivatif province
by Abdul Aziz bin Abdur Rahman “Bin Saud ”, the Amir of Nejd, news of
bis occupat;on of the above places reaching Kuwait from Bahrain, on the loth
May. In July it was reported that he had also occupied Kasr-as-Subaih and
that he had appointed one Bin Mandil as bis deputy and governor there. The
Customs duties, it was said, bad been fixed at i per cent, on goods imported
by sea. It was also stated that the Customs receipts at Katif bad been farmed
by him to one Bin Faris of that place for §50,000, for the remaining period of
the current Arabic year.
Bin Saud remained at Hasa for about two aud a half months to console
date his position and then left for Riyadh.
Rumours were current in Kuwait that tho Sharif of Meoca and Tbn Rashid,
at the Instigation of the Turks, were contemplating an attack on Bin Saud, but
subsequent reliable information proved that Ibn Sablian, the guardian of Ibn
Rashid and de facto Ruler of Hail, was on excellent terms with Bin Saud. As
regards the Sharif, negotiations between him and Bin Saud to re-open the
Haji Route from Ncjd ^closed for the last two years), were successful and there
was every prospect of the Sharif and Bin Saud coming to an agreement of
mutual benefit. No advance or overt action has hitherto been taken by the
Sharif or his family, while frequent messages of good-will and presents have
been exchanged.
One result of Bin Saud’s assumption of authority in the Hasa and Katif
districts has been to bring him within the sphere of Gulf politics immediately
affecting British interests. A meeting between him and the Resident haying
failed to take place owing to Bin Saud’s distance from the coast at the time,
another was arranged and took place on the 15th and 16th December at Ojair,
when the Political Agent, Bahrain, accompanied by the Political AgeJ,’
Kuwait, represented the Resident. Various matters were discussed and
Saud showed himself to be exceedingly friendly aud anxious to do all that
could to meet British suggestions.
Bin Saud18 JRaidi.—In March it was reported that Bin Saud had^
the Sbair section of the Ajman tribe, east of Riyadh, and that he had watln
at least a thousand of the townsmen from Nejd villages, as well as flcr
of the Kahtan, Sabai, Mutair, and some sections of the Ajman tribes. A . 0f
having successfully raided the Al-Morrah tribe in April, to the-south-wes- ^
Hnsa, he rested his force of some 600 to 700 men at Khafs (50 miles no
Riyadh), with the intention, it was stated, of raiding northwards again®

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