"ملف 19/243 ( I (C 69 الزبارة" [و‎‎٩‎٧] (٤١٦/٢٠٠)

IS"
(6-
Saleh bin Mana asked permission to see me this
morning and I granted him an interview at 9•30. He
replied that he was busy at that time and I altered the
time to 12 noon. My reason for making this alteration was
that I had been informed that he was upset because a recent
letter from me had been addressed to Shaikh Nasir and I
had not mentioned his name, and I did not want any possi
bility of the negotiations being in any way obstructed by
pique on the part of one of the negotiators. On his arri
val I pointed out to him that he had made an incorrect
statement to me at the previous meeting when he stated that
he had made three applications to see me and that the
Head Munshi had not forwarded them. The Head Munshi was
present on this occasion and Saleh bin Mana found it diffi
cult to substantiate his previous statement as he himself
had told the Head Munshi that I was not to be informed and
that he would come at some other time more convenient to
himself. I then explained at length to him that the leader
of a deputation was a person who was officially or socially
considered to be so and that I had presumed that Shaikh
Nasir bin Atieh as the near relative of Shaikh 'Abdullah
bin Qassiro was naturally and socially a more important
individual and therefore I had addressed my communication
to him, that I considered they had both equal standing as
negotiators and that my addressing Shaikh Nasir was not
intended to be in any way detrimental to the standing of
Saleh bin Mana and that he had an example in these matters
in the method of addressing the Sa'udi representatives when
they came to discuss matters some years ago with the repre
sentatives of His Highness the Ruler. At the end of my
explanation Saleh bin Mana made a long recitation of the
excellent/-