File 600/1905 Pt 5 'Aden Hinterland: Treaty with Sultan of Balahaf' [‎163v] (110/152)

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If our selection of Sultan Mohsin bin Saleh is recognized and approved
by the Great British Government, we do hereby undertake to truly and
loyally abide by our selection and to always consider him the leader and father
of the people of Abdul Wahidi. In token thereof we hereby affix our signatures
below:—
The 19th day of May 1905.
(Sd.) Sultan Husen bin Saleh.
(Sd.) Sultan Abdulla bin Husen.
(Sd.) Sayid Salim bin Ahmad bin Ali A1 Mahdar.
(Sd.) Sayid Kassim bin Ali A1 Mahdar.
(Sd.) Omer bin Salim bin Sheikh Bubaker bin Salim.
Mark of Sultan Saleh bin Nasir bin Ali Al Wabidi.
Mark of Sheikh Awadth bin Hadi Sulamani.
Mark of Sheikh Sayid bin Nasil Al Jasari.
Mark of Sheikh Sayid bin Salim Ba Hakina.
(Sd.) Nasir bin Mohsin bin Uma bin Ali.
(Sd.) Mobamed bin Hasan bin Abdul $aboor.
Mark of Ali bin Yaslam bin Habtoor.
(Sd.) Hasan bin Nasir bin Fahid.
Mark of Sayid bin Ali Abdali.
Mark of Salim bin Nasir Ba Tawil.
Signed in my presence this day the 19th May 1905.
H. M. MASON, Major-General,
Resident, Aden,
The Resident interviewed Sultan Saleh bin Abdulla of Balahnf this morn
ing. He informed him that a full report of his affairs was now being sent to
Government and that he would be informed of the result in due course.
Upon Sultan Saleh bin Abdulla urging that some of the Sultans and
Sheikhs of the Wahidis were in favour of his election as Sultan, he was informed
that none of those seen by the First Assistant Resident at Balahaf or present
now in Aden had expressed such an opinion, and he was also reminded of the
fact that in 1901 a pronouncement in favour of the election of Sultan Mohsin
bin Saleh had been made by certain leaders of the Wahidi tribes and also by
him, himself, which recent further inquiry had only confirmed, with the excep
tion, of course, of himself.
He was informed that he must now await the orders of Government and
abide by them whatever they were. Sultan Saleh bin Abdulla then expressed
his irrevocable enmity towards Sultan Mohsin and his determination to
destroy himself rather than ever himself acknowledge Mohsin’s supremacy.
He illustrated this by drawing his Jambia and placing it against his throat and
then flinging it on the ground—an act of bad manners which was really perfectly
inexcusable. He mentioned certain four names given in the attached list as
those of influential supporters of his cause. He was told that he had already
been given ample opportunity to bring forward his supporters, but that it was
still open to him if he choses to produce the four mentioned. It was, however,
pointed out to him that the four whom he had produced at Balahaf had none
of them expressed themselves in his favour or taken the trouble to come to Aden
to support his cause.