"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎١‎٥‎٨] (١٧٨٢/١٣١٣)

reference to
the Turkish
expedition to
Najd and
request for
their protec
tion by Ibn-
Sa'ud, 1904 j .
Contemplated
deputation
of a British
officer to
Eijadh,
1904.
could not remain indifferent, for they were deeply interested in the main,
tenance of the status quo at Kuwait, and they feared that it might be
imperilled if the help given to Ibn-Rashid should oblige Shaikh Mubarak
to take the field onee more on behalf of his friend lbn-Sa J ud. Accord
ingly, in February 1904, the British Ambassador at Constantinople was
instructed to claim fulfilment of a pledge given by the Turkish Govern
ment in October 1901, that they would restrain the Amir of Jabal Shammar
provided the British Government restrained the Shaikh of Kuwait; and
again, on news being received that Turkish troops had been ordered to pro
ceed from Madmah to Qasim, a remonstrance on the subject was addressed
to the Porte; but the British Ambassador felt that the aggressiveness
of the Wahhabis weakened his arguments, and he doubted whether the
reconstitution of the Wahhabi empire in Najd would be in every respect an
advantage. The Government of India, however, pointed out that the power
of the Wahhabis was now territorial, not fanatical; that British prestige
would suffer at Kuwait, if the Shaikh were restrained from assisting his
ally ; and that the absorption of Najd by the Turks might be a greater
evil than a Wahhabi domination and might lead to encroachments on
Kuwait from an unexpected direction in which the boundaries of the
principality were undefined. Further remonstrances at Constantinople
were authorised ; but they were ineffectual, and the Turkish expedition
marched. The only practical outcome of the discussion between the
British and Indian Governments was the appointment, a month or two
later, of a British Political Agent at Kuwait.
Ibn-Sa'ud, alarmed at the prospect of Turkish intervention, had in the
meantime written to the Resident in the Persian Gulf requesting British
protection ; but no answer was returned to his letter.
At the beginning of 1904 the Government of India had been led to
consider the advisability of despatching a British officer to Riyadh* for the
purpose of studying the situation and possibly of entering into closer
relations with Ibn-Sa'ud, and enquiry showed that such a mission could
easily be arranged through the Shaikh of Kuwait. His Majesty 's
Government, however, in the state of affairs then prevailing, regarded
the proposal with some apprehension and directed that, without their
previous sanction, no steps should be taken to enter into relations with
Najd or to send agents there ; and eventually the Government of India
informed the Home Government that, while recognising that it might
shortly become incumbent on them to take a closer interest in the affairs
In 1. 03 it was intimated to the present writer, then on leave in Europe,
that he would probably be selected in event of an officer being required to travel in
Central Arabia, —a contingency at that time already under consideration.