Page 814 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

eo ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE

In n letter dated 24th November ho again complainod that Shaikh Salim
was continuing his intrigues amongst his tribes and said that he was deter­
mined to punish bis disloyal tribes in the vicinity of Kuwait, unless they
were sent away from there. He demanded that this should bo done at an
early dato, otherwise he would despatch a punitive expedition.
The tribes to which Ibn Sa’ud refers first started coming over to Shaikh
Salim during the first half of August, when a section of the ’Ajman, and some
of the Mutair who had not joined the Ikhwan sect came over and camped at
Subaihiyah. In Kuwait their action was, of course, described as spontaneous
though it is quite probable that Shaikh Salim had offered them inducements.
In the first half of November four more * Ajman Sheikhs, including Naif bin
Hithlain, Dhaidan’s cousin, came over with their following, to the number of
about a hundred tents, and bringing their camels and flocks. They said that
they had come with Dhaidan’s connivance, but, that at the request of ’Azman
’Aziz at-Turki who was camping with him, he had made a pretence of trying to
stop them.
According to reports received in Kuwait, Faisal ad-Da-wish visited Ibn
Sa’ud at Riyadh in the latter part of November, and returned to Artawilah
his headquarters, early in December.
On the morning of the 26th December a camp of ’Ajman and Rasbaidah
at Zaghlah, some fifteen miles north-west of Jahrah, was attacked by Faisal
ad-Dawish and a force of Ikhwan, estimated at 200 horsemen and 400 camel
riders, and all their camels and sheep were seized. According to the state­
ment of women refugees who have arrived, all men who fell into the Ikhwan’s
bands were killed, and some women outraged. Dawish’s son ’Uzaiyiz was
severly wounded and not expected to live.
The Ikhwan said that they had received permission to visit Zubair for
vmsabalah and that they purposed making Safwan a base from which to raid.
They left Zubair in the direction of Ghadhai, sixteen miles north-west of
Jahrah, on the 28th December.

Arms Traffic.
The smuggling of arms and ammunition from Kuwait continues. By far
the greatest number are smuggled across to the Persian coast in sailing craft.
Another direction, though always in considerably smaller numbers, was chiefly
overland to Qatar and Dubai, and thence by sailing craft, chiefly to the
Mekran coast. It is doubtful, however, if any have found their way by this
route since the troubles between Kuwait and Ibn Sa’ud became acute, as all
land borne trade to the south has been at a stand still. A report was also
received of arms and ammunition being sold to the tribes on the Euphrates
from Kuwait. These were presumably conveyed by land. In August a boat
containing arms and ammunition was detected being smuggled on board one
of the B. I. S. N. Company’s steamer. Tho owners, two Najdis bound
for Bahrain, were arrested and imprisoned by the Sheikh, in addition to the
arms being confiscated.
Pearl Fisheries.
The pearling season was bad so far as Kuwait was concerned, as owing to
the strained relations with Ibn Sa’ud and the fear of actual war, the fleet was
.prohibited from going so far afield as usual, and had to confine its attentions to
the inferior pearl banks nearer home. The fleet, which was smaller than
normal, did not leave until after Kamadhan, in the latter half of June, and
remained out till the end of September.

Customs Administration.
Khan Sahib ’Abdul Latif has continued to manage the Sheikh’s Customs
throughout the year. Owing to the quarrel with Ibn Sa’ud and the c nsequent
stoppage of all trade with Najd, the Customs receipts have shown a very
marked decline throughout the year : —from Rs. 42,600 in Jamad al-Au-wal