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of disposing of landed property there and promised advances without interost
to landownora, assuring the people that tho Sultan would not allow thorn to
again become subjects of tho sous of Peysal, and would afford duo protection
both in person and property to all thoso, who might desire to go on pilgrimage.
Nor did Midhat Pasha relax his efforts to keep up tho militury strength of
tho Turks. Tho mortality amongst tho troops at Khatif was oxoessive:
sovoral hundreds of invalids arrived in
Secret, Mij 1672, No. G2.
a deplorable condition at Baghdad, aud
their accounts of tho stato of thoso loft behind were most depressing, but
ho showed no signs of relinquishing his aggressive policy and continued to
pour in reinforcements at tho risk of completely denuding Baghdad of troops.
142. At the commencement of 1872 Saud bin Foysal was said to ho hovering
about tho neighbourhood of Katar with a small body of Bedouins and to bo in
communication with his brother Abdullah, who was then at Hindi), but ap­
parently losiug what hold ho dill
Secr.t, May 1872, No. GG.
possessed ovor the affections of tho people
of Nejd. Both soora to have been much straitened for provisions and water
and quite unable singly to copo with the Turks. Rumours of a reconcilia­
tion betwooQ thorn woro rife, the first overtures having boon made by Abdullah,
who distrusted the Turks. Saud consented
Secret, May 1872, No. 74.
to his brother’s proposals, hut tho coali­
tion bad no permanonoy, and tho danger and embarrassment to which tho Turks
would have beon exposed by tho effective union of the brothers, who were
reported to have collected* a force of
8«crel, Jans 1871. No. 120.
4*0,000 men and to be meditating a
simultaneous attaok on Khatif and Ilasa, was averted by a renewal of their
mutual jealousy and distrust; oue of tho principal causes of this in all pro­
bability was a treacherous attaok by
Secret, M*j 1872. No. 84.
Abdullah on tho Shammar tribe, partisans
of Saud. Abdullah, who had a largo force with him, remained iuactive in Nejd,
while Saud wasted his resources in petty
Secret, June 1872, No. 126.
quarrels with the tribes along the coast.
143. Subsequently another attempt at reconciliation seems to have been mad0
and tho brothers woro statod to have actually met and to have joined their
other brothers and the chiefs of Shammar
Secret, Oct. 1872, No. 101.
and Nosim in taking solemn oaths of
friendship and united action against the Turks; but au attack by Abdullah on the
Ajman tribe, friends of Saud, revived the old enmity. There are many references
in the nowsgleauings from the Persian Gulf to Saud’s wish to enter into
negotiations with Jibe Turks, while they
Socret, Feb. 1872, No. 169.
were quite prepared to shift the ground
of their original argument for interference in Nejd affairs and come to terms
with the man whose expulsion as the usurper of bis brother’s rights was the
alleged objoct of their invasion of the country. Before describing these
negotiations, an attempt made by Saud to procuro tho mediation of tho i
British Government, and the correspondence which arose out of it, may be
noticed.

XXX.—Saud’s appeal to the Resident for the arbitration of the
British Government, 1871—1872.
144. In September 1871 Saud remonstrated, in a letter to the Resident in
tho Persian Gulf, against the hostile action of the Turks in tho Gulf waters,
urging that ho considered the pcaco of
Secret, March 1872. No. 252.
these waters to be under British protection,
and soliciting the arbitration of that Government. The Bombay Government
directed the Resident to inform Saud that
Secret, Marob 1862, No 249.
it was impossible to offer arbitration
without some assurance that it would bo accoptod by both parties, but they at