'File II. IRAQ (3) Vol. 1 Shaikh of Kuwait's Date Gardens on the Shatt-al Arab. (Kuwait's relations with Turkish Govt. and Turkish demand that Kuwaitis should take out Turkish Nationality Certificates)' [‎93r] (195/636)

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No. 1522, dated Bushire, the 5th (received 13th) June 1910.
From— Lieutenant-Colonel P. Z. Cox, C.S.L, C.I.E., Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
To-The Hon’ble Mr. S. H. Butler, C.S.I., C.I.E., Secretary to the Government
of India in the Foreign Department, £>imla*
I have the honour to forward, for the information of the Government of India,
No. C.-29, dated the 25th May 1910. a C0 Py of tJ ? e report from the Political
v Agent, Koweit (referred to in my telegram
°* 579 « dated 30th May), on the subject of the overtures of the present Wali of
nusreh in the direction of inducing Sheikh Mubarak to agree to the installation
ot a land telegraph line from Busreh or Fao to Koweit.
2. In this connection I venture to recall my letter No. 3593 of 27th Decem
ber 1908 and to express the hope that an improvement in the financial outlook
now makes it possible for the Government of India to take, into lively considera
tion the question of a wireless installation at Koweit; especially if the parallel
proposals regarding Bahrein and Bushire now before Government in connection
with the arms traffic question are to be put into execution.
No. C.-29, dated Koweit, the 25th May 1910.
From Captain W. H. I. Shakespear, LA., 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. , Koweit,
To—The Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Bushire.
I have the honour to submit below some details which Sheikh Mubarak
communicated to me in the course of a more than usually frank conversation and
which, in view of the recent appointment of Nazim Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , one of the able leaders
of the new r£gm<f in Turkey, to be Viceroy de facto of the three Vilayets of
Mosul, Baghdad and Basra, may be of interest to Government.
2. Sheikn Mubarak said that once in a conversation the present Wali of
Basra had suggested that the construction of a land telegraph line from Basra or
TVT a °u t0 , ^weit wouJd be a great convenience to the place; it would bring
Mubarak himself into closer touch with his properties on the river and with the
\\a 1 and would afford the Koweit merchants greater facilities in their commercial
ea in g s - _ Sheikh told me he had disparaged the idea saying that apart
from the initial expense which presumably would fall on the Turkish Government
tnere would be constant trouble with the Bedouin, who wo ild certainly be always
cutting the wire and harassing the telegraph officials; also there was little chance
° fr em - e * tS * or Koweit had a regular weekly post which
SU -? r i 1 ^ 3 nee< ^ s an< ^ rare instances when a telegram was necessary it
could easily be sent by post to Bushire and telegraphed thence or even direct to
udj • water ' boats ^ways running to and fro thence. He said he thought
the Bedouins would be an insuperable obstacle to a land wire whilst a sea cable
which was the only way over that difficulty would be enormously expensive and
would naturally have to be a British undertaking. He added that the Wali even
discussed tfce possibility of connecting A 1 Hassa with Koweit and thence with
B a sr a by a land wire and perhaps in the dim future running a line to Riadh and
Hajl. I asked the Sheikh if it was possible that the Waff could be speaking
seriously of s-uch schemes which he must be aware are at present quite impracti*
cable for he has by now experienced at ieast some of the certain opposition of
the Bedouin tribes. He said he did not know, but that Suliman Nathif Beo- was
a great talker . &
3. Another interesting detail was that the present Wali had dropped
addressing the Sheikh as Kaimakam ot Kcweit, the previous practice of Turkish
officials in their communications to him, and now he was usually styled “ Rais ” —
“ Hakim ” of Koweit.
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4* He also said that the Wali occasionally asked him why he had made
himself subject to the English when his real interests were bound up with Turkey.
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