File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [‎216r] (436/898)

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beea sent m the course of the last two months to Riyadh ■ Tt is sTposef to be used
themselves 8 satisfied o h f T e ° f ' the tribaI lea d ers ha d declared
themselves satished others, including two of the most important, Feisal-el-Derwish
and Sultan-bm-Brjad were s ai d still to be “ out.” They declined to s o to Riyldh
and refused to accept the presents offered them. These negotiations were thought to
be the cause of Ibn Saud s delay m returning to the Hejaz. The foregoing may be
effLL^MullahJalTwIrfFasf " rep0rted “ Settled ' P artl y ^roug/the
13 Two Syrian pilgrims were assaulted by Bedouin a short time, ago on the
road between Yambo and El Wejli. The aggressors, two Billi and two femainah
tribesmen have been captured and brought to Jeddah for trial. The incident is
important as bemg the first of the sort for a very long time, perhaps since Ibn Saud
important ^ He;,aZ Governlnent - The P r ompt arrest of the culprits is equally
v •, 14 t . Meanwhile there are signs of dissatisfaction with the Government in Mecca
yv i e Ibn oaud is away, a dissatisfaction which keeps pace with a tale of small
jealousies coming to light as soon as the King is removed, even for a short interval,
borne ot the details are mere scandal, but it is perhaps as well to report them in an
unexaggerated form. In the course of Sheikh Youssef Yassin’s brief rule in Mecca
during tne King s absence, he is making the most of the venality of his predecessor
Dr. Abdullah Damluji, and of the King’s friend and adviser, Sheikh Hafiz Wahba,’
m an attempt to make their return to the Hejaz impossible. Damluji is accused of
taking bribes; Hafiz Wahba, it appears, with an eye on European and Indian
phlatelists, has been making lucrative appropriations of postage stamps. From what
can be heard, there is not much doubt about either case. The King is said to know
all about the postage stamps, and not to have any illusions about the strict honesty
of Damluji—rather, to tolerate for the present these failings of servants who have
rendered him good service. Sheikh Youssef Yassin is an amhitious man, and he will
no doubt do all he can to supplant Damluji, who went to Hasa in January, and Hafiz
Wahba, who was sent to Koweit in December. Whether he will succeed is another
question and one which is not so vital while Ibn Saud survives to make one forget the
peccadilloes of his subordinates.
15. Indignant articles have appeared in the ‘ £ Umm-el-Kura ” refuting the
suggestion made in the £t Daily Herald,” as telegraphed to ££ A1 Ahram,” of Cairo,
and given prominence in some Indian papers, that Ibn Saud was offered a subsidy
at the recent meeting between His Majesty and British representatives near Medina.
The Mecca newspaper declared that none but ill-wishers of the Hejaz could make
such a suggestion. The Hejaz and Nejd were free and were under no form of
tutelage or protection. King Hussein, the paper went on, received the Hejaz from
the Turks; Ibn Sand’s kingdom was the gift of his sword alone.
16. A somewhat amusing echo of the visit to Arabia of von Weisl (see the
Jeddah report for December 1926) is also quoted in the ££ Umm-el-Kura ” from one
of the German newspapers. Von Weisl is described as saying that Ibn Saud
resembled some English statesmen in that he does not waste his time in nurturing
and drawing up plans, but merely watches his opportunity and turns it profitably to
his interest. In this trait, he says, Ibn Saud differs from his old adversary, King
Hussein, and the difference explains his success.
17. The pilgrimage continues to grow, having now reached a total of 55,000.
The first Indian pilgrims have begun to arrive. Contingents are promised this year
from Morocco and from Russia. The Soviet agent and consul-general, who was
about to proceed on leave, has been instructed by his Government to remain in
Jeddah until after the Haj, which this year falls on the 9th June. He states that
pilgrim ships will be arriving in Jeddah in late April and May flom Odessa, bringing
from 5,000 to 10,000 pilgrims. There is a suggestion that one of these ships will
carry, in addition, a trade exhibition. The news suggests a resumption, as far as
Jeddah is concerned, of the operations undertaken before the war by the Russian
Volunteer Fleet.
18. The following regulations have been promulgated for pilgrim lodgings
All houses occupied by pilgrims are subject to sanitary inspection. A
permit from the Health Department is necessary before a house can be let for
lodging.