'File 13/3 Arms Traffic' [‎145r] (289/608)

of attitude to Government, for after all, Government only required his assistance
under his old prohibition, while, as I had more than once assured him, they were
prepared to give him all support possible in the event of his action being ques
tioned by the French. I pointed out that, as I had already informed Government
of his readiness to assist, they could not but be surprised at his change of front,
and would probably draw unfavourable inferences in spite of his frequent profes
sions of friendship. It was impossible for me to confiscate the arms for he was
Ruler of Kuwait ; the prohibition stood in his name, and confiscation in his own
territory must therefore proceed from him. After various other attempts at
subterfuge, the Shaikh finally agreed to, substantially, J.he same procedure as on
the previous day, omitting the written notice to Abdullah Atiji. He said he
would like to inform him, however, before me, and therefore had him summoned,
when after some unimportant preliminary remarks, the Shaikh said to him * ou
are my subject and my order is upon you, the Sahib’s man and my man will go
together to your house and take the arms landed against my orders ^ . e
French ‘ Sambuk ’, and together convey them to the Sahib’s house, and it is
my order ” I record these words verbatim as subsequently the Shakh endea
voured to assert that the “ order ” was from the British Government. I tried to
have the confiscation carried out there and then, but at the Shaikh s request
agreed to the following day, and, to give a receipt for the arms and ammunition
as soon as received in the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. .
3. On the following day, the 6th May, my clerk attended at the Shaikh s
palace with the same orders as before. He informs me that the Shaikh reiter-
ated all his previous equivocation, and finally sent his man to me with Abdullah
Atiii to ask whether I was agreeable to granting time in order that the arm^
might be sent back to Maskat. As I had already repeatedly explained to the
Shaikh our object in the confiscation, I contented myself with remarking that,
seeing the arms had already been in Kuwait some 10 or 11 days, I was not agree
able to any further delay. The confiscation was then carried out as ar.anged
and the arms brought to the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. . They consisted of 301 Gras carbines,
module 1874, and 30,100 rounds of ammunition for them. I made out a receipt
as received from the Shaikh’s man who actually brought them. The Sheikh
refused to accept my receipt and sent his man to explain that my receipt
must be personally from me to Abdullah Atiji, all mention of the Shaikh s name
to be omitted.
4. On hearing the above I went to see the Shaikh again and listened for an
hour to another most ingenious and bare-faced attempt by the Shaikh to recon
struct our previous conversations and agreements. I was obliged to check
further perversion of the truth by pointing out again, that my records could not
possibly bear the interpretations the Shaikh now desired to put on his and my words,
and seeing that he had himself admitted in my previous interview that my record
was accurate I was at a loss to understand his object at this late date in evading
the obvious meaning of our words. Finally the Shaikh said he was afraid of the
French Government, that he was not a Great Power, and would like in writing
from me that the British Government would support him. I said I was perfectly
willing to accede to this request, but that a receipt direct from me to Abdullah
Atiji was impossible,. and that if he was satisfied, the arms would be forthcoming
from my charge but objected to a receipt to his own name for them ; we could
dispense with^receipts. The Shaikh said this would suit him better if he had the
letter assuring him of British support. Accordingly I destroyed the previous
receipt and drafted a letter at once.
3. For the next two days the Shaikh did everything he could to produce the
impression that the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. had seized the arms and refused to grant a
receipt, and finally sent me a message that, if I did not grant a receipt to Abdullah
Atiji as he desired, he would be compelled to furnish him with an ‘ istihad
(paoer of witness) as to what he had heard and what had actually passed. I
replied that such a receipt was impossible and that I was willing to explain the
reasons once more. Accordingly I again visited the Shaikh on the 8th May and
listened to another long declamation of what were supposed really to have been