File 705/1916 Pt 2 'Arab revolt: Arab reports; Sir M Sykes' reports' [‎17r] (31/450)

when a demonstration was made by 6 machines to impress the Wali. Captain Napier
subsequently wrote that this demonstration had had considerable effect on the Wali,
who hid for the first two hours, and, when he emerged, first stated that the aircraft
'jpv'ere Turkish and then that he had asked the British to send aircraft to visit him
Jtarly m November it was reported that the Wali had sent his wife and son to
-bagdad tor medical treatment.
4 -n previously accepted the medical advice of Captain Napier it was
ought that this action might indicate that he had heard of the arrival of considerable
lurkish reinforcements.
^However, on the 12 th November news was received that the Wali was moving
qi 8 u a i m j 1 and had sent for his son Amanullah Khan. His brother
bhahab ud Dowleh was apparently to stay near Kala Sayid Hassan.
Both the brother and son are said to be well disposed to us.
Shatt-al-Hai.
On the 13th November water was flowing down the Shatt-al-Hai to within half
a mile of Bessouia Ford. This marked the beginning of the annual flow down this
water course.
Supplies reaching the Enemy.
On the 3rd November it was reported that the Assistant Political Officer, Basrah, )
had made considerable captures of oil and piece-goods in course of conveyance to the
enemy.
A recent Jewish arrival from Bagdad had stated that 5,000 tins of oil had been
received in Bagdad lately, and that these tins had been purchased on the South-W^est
Persian front.
General Baratoff had been informed as this oil was thought to have most
probably come from Baku; the price in Bagdad (reported as 25 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. or \l. 13s. 4 d.)
being a sufficient inducement for smuggling.
A Jew who left Bagdad at the end of October confirmed that there was a
considerable leakage of Indian cotton goods from Nasiriyah and Amarah to Bagdad,
and that the price for these goods had consequently fallen in the last six months.
Basra.
New Mosque.
The G.O.C., Mesopotamia, having represented that it would be well that a mosque
should be built in Basra for our Indian soldiers to prevent them from coming into contact
with undesirable political influences in the ordinary mosques, the Nizam of Hyderabad
was approached, and His Highness expressed his willingness to contribute 25,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. .
Ismail Bey.
Sir p. Cox telegraphed on the 12 th January [T. 354] that Ismail Bey was the
third son out of six, the eldest being dead. He is 28 years of age. He is on good
terms with Khalil, who is especially respected by the Milli, and has with him some 1,400
semi-trained Hamediyah. Khansa Khanum is his own mother. A year ago he and his
brothers were engaged south of Lake Van against the Bussians, but quarrelled with
the Turks and returned to their own country. Ismail went south to join the Sherif,
but was arrested and imprisoned at Lamascus; from that place he succeeded in getting
a letter through to Sherif Haidar in Constantinople, who arranged his release on
condition of his joining the Turks on the Egyptian front. He promised to do this, but
went to Ibn Shaalan.
SYBIA AND ABMENIA.
In their reply to Mr. Wilson’s Note, the Allies referred to the massacre of hundreds
of thousands of inoffensive Armenians and the barbarous treatment of the Syrian
population, and set out among the objects of the war the freeing of the peoples subject
to the murderous tyranny of the Turks, and the casting out of Europe of the Turkish
Empire.
PRIHTED AT THE FOREIGN OFFICE BY C. R. HARRISON.— -18/1/1917.