Coll 6/9 'Jeddah Reports Jany 1931–' [‎176r] (352/802)

5
en route for Sana, on the 21st January. His journey appears to have no political
significance.
26. The Italian Charg6 d’Affaires continues to cultivate his garden. The
creation of this pleasaunce on a strip of ground outside his Legation, with another
strip across the road to serve as nursery, has been about the greatest diplomatic
achievement of any during the past year in Jedda.
27. The Netherlands Charge, accompanied by the late manager in Jedda
of the Netherlands Trading Company and the same engineer from Holland who
was of the party a year ago, left for Sana via Hodeida on the 21st January.
This visit has now become an annual event. The Dutch may hope to nurse i
market in the Yemen, but there is nothing to suggest any definite political object.
28. Arising out of an incident at the important Sultiyya School at Mecca,
founded by Indians and frequented by Moslems of many nations, a new school for
Dutch East Indians and Malays was started there in January. Two teachers
and over a hundred students of those nationalities had walked out of the Sultiyya
School in November owing to the alleged offensiveness of the Indian director.
The new school has probably as little connexion with the Netherlands authorities
as the Sultiyya with any British authority.
29. There is nothing worth recording about other Powers and their
representatives, except that a member of the Soviet Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. at Hodeida was in
Jedda for a few days early in the month, and that the staff of the Russian
Legation has been temporarily strengthened by the presence of another commercial
representative named Guertik. He appears, however, to be merely on a mission
of inspection in the Red Sea. The regular staff of the Legation consists of the
Minister, a vice-consul, a doctor and a dentist. They are all married, and all
their wives live with them. They all live together, and they mostly walk out
together in the evenings. The ladies take the housekeeping in turns. Whate^ er
may be said of Bolshevists elsewhere, they are an example to all of us m Jedda,
though the Moslems are perhaps a bit weak in their Islam.
IV .—M iscellaneous.
30. An unusual number of occidental visitors appeared in Jedda in
lanuary. The most important have been mentioned in various connexions above.
Fhe others included yet another Dutch savant from the Dutch Last Indies,
Dr. A. H. Cense and two officers on leave from the Iransjordan Frontier roice,
vho came ashore for a few hours. . _ , . . . .
31. Mr. Philby spent a good part of the month m Jedda, partly owing to
lis wife’s illness, but left on the 28th January for Medina and Riyadh, intending
■o return shortly before the pilgrimage. He intends to go to England soon after
•he pilgrimage and to stay until next winter. W hat then, of the business of
iharqieh (Limited) ? Still inspired by genius, it will have to be actually run by
i newly-imported British accountant and an engineer lent by the Ford Company
32. The coolth recorded in paragraph 321 of the last report did not last.
Fhe New Year came perspiring, and most of the month was hot and sticky.
Fhere were, however, one or two better spells, and a twenty-four hours cold wave
Drovided the most exhilarating topic of conversation at the Accession Day dinner.
Seventy souls shivered in unison in the garden of the Khuzam Palace. T e
imner 3,18^6 ^ f ore jg n community (paragraph 322 of the last report)
ms improved but illness delayed the progress of the Jedda Golf Tournament,
XiclXgan on the 16th January. American and Dutch competitors have been
di^rwithout international ill feeling. The
British Legation, who have still to compete, will play in the final against a
nember of the staff of Messrs. Gellatly, Hankey and Co. , p T
34 The number of pilgrims already in the country at the end of January
s estimated at 3 211 Dutch East Indians. 2.178 Indians, and perhaps 971 <=>t other
Nationalities* 1 It may he noted that a Dutch ship whtch amved on the 30th
Tanuarv brought onlv Chinese, to the number of some 137. ifie
•enatriating the large numbers of British West Africans, who had accumulated
N the Heifz from previous years and could no longer support themselves, was
Nracticallv completed by a shipment of fifty-two of them to Massawa on the
27th January. The total number of those repatriated has been 1,466.