File 3300/1916 Pt 1 'Aden News Letters:- (June 1916-Dec. 1916)' [‎387r] (153/348)

3631
SECRET.
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liiDIA FOREIGN SECRETARY'S
Letter. No, 3 „ M
Dated % 1916
27th Weekly Letter.
Dated Aden Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. , the 8 th July 1916.
From— 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. , Aden,
To—L. Robertson, Esq., C.S.I., Secretary to the Government of Bombay From c. 1668-1858, the East India Company’s administration in the city of Bombay [Mumbai] and western India. From 1858-1947, a subdivision of the British Raj. It was responsible for British relations with the Gulf and Red Sea regions. , Political
Department.
In Aden itself all is quiet. Little or no interest appears to be taken in any
thing of a political nature. I hope we were in time to stop all copies of the
Al Abram of the 9th of July ; if not, we shall probably hear some comments on
the incident during the week.
2. Saiyid Mustapha kindly sent me a personal letter he had received from the
Idrisi. In it he (the Idrisi) refers to the difficult position in which he stands, with
the Turks on two flanks and the Imam on his eastern border. He points out that
preparations to advance in any one direction require corresponding protective
measures in two other directions. He again says success depends on his being
kept properly supplied with munitions. And adds that the tribes m the
neighbourhood of Berk will join him and Ivunfidah will fall.
3. I also have received a letter from the Saiyid Idrisi acknowledging receipt
of my letter to the Imam. He says he will endeavour to deliver it, but cannot
promise as their relations are so strained. He adds that he hears that even now
the Imam is collecting recruits in order to move against him so as to hinder his
actions against the Turks.
4 In paragraph 6 of General Walton’s Weekly Letter, dated 24th June, refer-
ence is made to a document which Saiyid Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. is said to have obtained from the
Akils of the Lahej District. The Abdali Sultan has now forwarded me a copy of
it and I attach a translation for your information which shows that the forme
report as to its contents was inaccurate. _ It is a notification announcing the
abolition of taxes on certain commodities in Lahej, and urging people to bring
their (roods there for sale. It puts a full prohibition on all exports to Aden and
makes g death and confiscation oE property the penalty for a breach of the notifica
tion. The notification puts forward certain theories for the line of action taken.
5 This notification is dated the 15th June. It was at this time that a
determined effort appears to have been made to cut off the lafila. Tor about
14 davs it varied from 70 camels to 130 camels daily as against an usual dai y
14 days it varieu h umed normal conditions and remained
average/abou ^O ^mels.^ ^ wag a]most entirely stopped . The
lu/iSLm very small but I trust that three or four days will see matters righted.
The ial kafila A train of travellers; a caravan; or any large party of travellers. has only once been cut off for one day.
fi Shaikh Abdurrub, the Uzaibi, in letters to the Sultan of Lahej, states that
the Turks are very pert ^ it ig on , d i scusse d privately. He further
reports ttat all cLvans leaving Aden for the interior are taken to Lahej so as to
curry favour with the Turks.
__. .. ., _ 4 a „i, nil 4- the Imam call for some explanation. Un tlie
7. The Uzaibi s remar v ru mour that hostilities had commenced m
12th of July a kafila A train of travellers; a caravan; or any large party of travellers. man br g Imam About the same time the Uzaibi
the Yemen between the ^ possession of certain Turkish territory and
reported that the Imam ha . 0n tlie 15 th of July a more detailed
had taken hostages from the reported that the Imam and his tubes
report was received from th e kafila A train of travellers; a caravan; or any large party of travellers. . ^w-jeP^e ^ ^ ^ y about half
were moving against Lc 3- : . advance party, said to be about 8,000,
way between Sanaa an a f fl v,ei The report added that the Imam had told
about three days’ march from W J^report ^ ^ ^ his peop]
the Turks that he had no furti ^ tb b d better advance and
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