Page 91 - Arabian Studies (II)

The Powers and Mineral Concessions in the IdrTsTImamate of 'A sir 81
in Turkey before sending an expedition to the Red Sea. After the
capture in 1915 of Farasan by the IdrTsT, Rushton asked if the title
to the Company would be confirmed and if he could begin
prospecting, but yet again he was told to wait: the Foreign Office
doubted the continuing validity of the concession. Moreover, due to
continuing hostilities in the region it was ‘quite impracticable to send
an expedition’. 1 s
Nothing more was heard until 1918 when Rushton enquired if it
would be necessary to register the Company’s title to the oil
concession with the King of Hedjaz and if the British Government
would allow him to begin work. He was told Farasan was not under
the Hedjaz. In March 1919 the British delegation to the Paris Peace
talks observed that the prospecting licence could hardly be regarded
as valid vis-a-vis the IdrTsT who would be recognized as sovereign over
Farasan. But it appeared that the British Government considered it
had an obligation to Rushton to support him in obtaining a new
concession from the IdrTsT and the High Commissioner in Egypt
instructed Aden to ascertain the IdrTsT’s attitude towards granting
the Farasan concession to Rushton ‘in view of the probable formal
recognition of Idrisi sovereign rights’ over Farasan.16 A few days
later the Foreign Office cabled Aden in similar vein.17 Sayyid
Muhammad informed Britain that he would consider Rushton’s
claim,1 8 but, on 12 May the IdrTsT informed Aden that he could not
be bound by arrangements made between Turkey and Rushton
before the World War.19 That the IdrTsT was interested in granting
concessions at this time is evident from a request he first made in
March 1919 for the services of an expert to investigate and report on
the Farasan oil fields. When no answer had been received from Aden
on this subject, Sayyid Mustafa approached the Resident in May but
no action appears to have been taken by Aden for a year.2 0
Little interest in Farasan was shown by British companies until
March 1920 when Rushton asked the Foreign Office if he might
make an expedition to the islands. Again he was instructed to
wait — on this occasion until a decision had been taken as to the
future status of Farasan in the Peace Treaty with Turkey.21 Perhaps
in order to fall in with the IdrTsT’s desire that Rushton should not
obtain the Farasan concession the Foreign Office conveniently
overlooked the fact that Britain had recognized IdrTsT sovereignty
over Farasan in the Anglo-IdrTsT Treaty of 1917.
In mid-1920 the Peace Treaty with Turkey was on the point of
being signed - and Allenby took up the question of Sayyid
Muhammad’s request for an expert to be sent to Farasan and
informed Aden that only the services of a non-governmental expert