"ملف X/١ ابن سعود وابن رشيد" [و‎‎٥‎١] (٣٨٦/١٠١)

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No. 172 (Confidential), dated Bushire, the ISth June 1904.
From— Major P. Z. Cox, C.I.E., Officiating Political Resident in the Persian Gull,
To—L. W. Dane, Esq., Secretary to the Government of^India, Foreign Depart
ment.
I have the honour to forward, for the information of the Government
of India, a copy of a despatch No. 28, dated 9th June 1904, addressed by His
Majesty’s Consul at Basrah to His Excellency the Ambassador at Constan
tinople, on the subject of Turkish interference in Nejd affairs.
'
Despatch No. 28 (Confidential), dated the 9th June 1904.
From— J. A. Monahan, Esq., His Britannic Majesty’s Acting Consul, Basrah,
To— Sir N. R. O’Conor, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., His Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador
Constantinople. ,'V/ <r -
With reference to my telegrams Nos. 24 and 25 of the 1st and 4th instant,
-Cipectively, and to previous telegraphic correspondence, I have the honour to
report as follows :—
I learnt from a trustworthy source that on the 25th ultimo a telegram was
received by the Wali of Basrah from the Mutesarrif of Diwanieh in the
se ;se that troops had left Diwanieh for Samawa, and that £ T. 1,500 should be
re litted at once for purposes connected with the expedition to Nejd. On
C same day a telegram was received here from the Finance Minister at Con
st, ntinople ordering this money to be remitted. The amount was accordingly
remitted on the 26th ultimo to Diwanieh or Samawa. This £ T. 1,500 was
the balance due of the £ T. 4,000 assigned to the Basrah Vilayet as its
contribution to the expenses of the expedition, the same sum £ T. 400 having
so been assigned to each of the Vilayets of Baghdad and Mosul. A further
:' T. 12,000 is in case of need to be taken from the 3 Vilayets for the expedition.
My informant said the number of troops, whose departure from Diwanieh
for Samawa, had been reported was 12 battalions with , 2S guns ; these figures,
l owever, would seem to be too high, especially the number of guns. It is
possible that these were 12 paper battalions. It is certain that during the
last 6 weeks or 2 months troops from the Baghdad, Basrah and Mosul Vilayets
have been concentrating at Diwanieh and Samawa, and that troops moved from
Oiwanieh to Samawa towards the end of May, but I gather from various sources
that there were not concentrated at Samawa more than about 12 battalions,
or something over 4,000 men with perhaps 12 guns. It also appears that
Ibn Bashid was at or in the immediate neighbourhood of Samawa in thedatter
half of May.
An eye-witness, who has since gone on to Koweit, reported that he saw
* large Turkish force with Ibn Rashid’s Arabs on the 30th ultimo at a place
two days’ journey from Samawa which is perhaps called Ain Salim. It is the
^.rst watering-place on the road from Samawa to Nejd. It seems uncertain
whether Ibn Rashid himself came there with these troops from Samawa. The
troops and tribesmen were waiting for stores from Samawa which, I hear, from
another source consisted of three months’ provisions for the troops. The
Shammar Arabs had deserted the expedition, but the Aneyzas, who are less
important, were with it. The whole number of Arab tribesmen with the
expedition would be perhaps about 7,000. Large numbers of camels for the
ex pedition were seized by Ibn Rashid.
The expedition has suffered from heat, and will suffer greatly even if the
wells are not stopped as it has been rumoured they would be. I have heard
; 4 70 Turkish soldiers had already deserted before the end of May.