File 3300/1916 Pt 2 'Aden News Letters:- (Jan. 1917-Dec. 1917)' [‎234r] (467/620)

Tranlatlon.
The Honorable
Til# Commanding Officer, Lahej«
Sir,
With referenoe to your letter No«40&8, I hare the
honor to giro tho following otatoaent In roforonoo to tho
Am«rloan Conaul'o lottor you onoloood rolatir* to tho 111-
troatmont of Indian morohanto at Kodoidah. \\
Owing to oxiating clroumotanooa wo did not think fit
to put any hardship# on our Indian aubjoota now in Kodeidah
tout on tho contrary gave thorn faoilitioo ^lioh our own auto-
joota aro at proaont dopriyod of, 1 an at a loaa to undor-
,tand from tho Torsion of tho Araorioan Consul’s letter tho
ohangod atatonont filed with him.
Phan comparing tho atrooitloa oonmittod towards
Ottoman ouojoota. particularly Hie Mohamadano, toy tho Bng-
lioh Oorommont wo find that It la far toolow tho dignity of
any oiyiliaad nation and wo haYO instances to prove thia.
The complaint ro tho ill-treatment and porasoution of the
Indian marehanta ia quita baaolaaa. On tho other hand the
Ottoman OoYommont, deapite tho existing miiitary roevri-
tiona, havo granted thorn full liberty in their commercial
movements and moromonta other than commercial. Of course, we
cannot allow any commercial relatione to exiat between them
and the outside world, owing to prevailing military lawa.
Tho merchant# in queetion had buelneae connection# with Aden,
Xooaawa and Djibouti protectorate# of tie belligere
power#, and thia atill continue# with the## ports as well as
with the interior of the Yemen, ao muoh^ao that they ave
eclipsed our own subject# in thia connection. I am at a loss
to find why after all thia freedom should they grumble and
complain. Ho belligerent government, I am euro, oould allow
these men so much liberty. Thie is an admitted fact that
therd cannot be such a kind government ae the Ottoman, parti
cularly in action# toward# her alien subjects, ** d th *