Page 808 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

74 ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE
discontented with this used to take rofugo in Kuwait as the people wore the same.
It was his father, the late Shaikh Mubarak, who had first started taking zakal
from fho tribes, and ho (Ibn Sa'ud) had raised no objection because of the close
friendship. When he died certain of the tribes had come back to him of their
own accord. There would never have been any question of frontiers between
them, had not Sheikh Salim in his greed raised it by claiming this and that
tract of country as bis own. Ho demanded that Shaikh Salim should sign a
declaration binding himself not to encroach on his rights regarding his frontiers
and tribes according to the old custom. He said that if he refused to sign this
paper, and annoyed him again, he would at once tako action.
He returned a small portion of the property taken at Hamdh, but made
the signing of the above paper a condition for the return of the rest.
Shaikh Salim asked for the advice of His Majesty’s Government as to how
he should reply to Ibn Sa’ud’s demand, and said that he saw no prospect of an
honourable peace except through British assistance. He laid great emphasis
on the fact that the territory under dispute was clearly his in accordance with
the terms of the Anglo-Turkish Convention of 1913.
He was told that the Civil Commissioner’s advice to him was to politely
refuse to sign the document, and to invoke the friendly arbitration of the Biitibh
Government, agreeing not to take any further-action regarding Jariyah pending
such negotiation. At the same time it was pointed out to him that the Anglo-
Turkish Convention of 1913 was not a document to which he was actively
party, and that, in any case it was drawn up under very different circumstances
from the present, when the Turks were still in Hasa, and that it had been
superseded by Clause VI of our Agreement of 26th December with Ibn Sa’ud,
according to which the frontier between Kuwait and Ibn Sa’ud’s territory was
still to be determined.
Shaikh Salim wfas bitterly disappointed by this reply. He said that the
idea of His Majesty’s Government not considering the terms of the Anglo-
Turkish Convention as still binding had never entered his head, as he had been
definitely told by previous Political Agents that the territory allotted to him
therein was his beyond dispute. He certainly believed wliat he said, and
seemed to look on it as a distinct breach of faith on the part of Government
to repudiate the Convention now. Thinking, therefore, that there was nolhing
to be hoped for from His Majesty’s Government, he decided, before asking for
arbitration, to try and patch up the quarrel with Ibn Sa’ud over the restitution
question, preferring to leave the frontier undecided than to have it decided
against him.
He probably hoped that Ibn Sa’ud would be more likely to agree to his
terms aud order Faisal ad-Dawish to return the plunder than he had been
before, as a report had just been received that his forces had been severely
defeated by Ibn Kasliid at Shu’aibah, near Hail, in the middle of June. Envoys
from Ibn Easbid, announcing this and saying that the Shammar were mobilis­
ing agaimt Ibn Sa’ud, had arrived in Kuwait on the 4th July—their arrival
being rather dramatic, as Nasir bin Sa’ud al-Farhan happened to be sitting
with Shaikh Salim at the time. Accordingly, instead of asking for the good
offices of His Majesty’s Government as be had been advised to do, he wrote
another letter, dated litli July, to Ibn Sa’ud, in which he said that he saw no
object in bringing up past events and asking and giving explanations, as,
were both of them to do this, it -would take a long time. Ho had never
mentioned the subject of boundaries and subjects in his letter of 1st June, as
it was well known who his subjects were, and his frontier was that fixed “ by
the two Governments ” (/.t\, in the Anglo-Turkish Convention). Ho was
surprised that I bn Sa’ud bad not agreed to his request that lie should order
Dawish to make restitution, and felt sure that it must be because he had
believed the false reports of evilly disposed people -who were trying to cause
ill will between them. Regarding the paper which he bad demanded ho should
sign, he -aid he was sure that if Ibn Sa’ud thought the matter over carefully
he w'ould see the advautago of remaining friends as in the past and would
abandon liis demand. He said that, as he had said in bis previous letter, he
could not take action against Dawish without letting Ibn Sa’ud know, although