File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [‎434v] (873/898)

F.
offer congratulations on the King’s w^^thl
the visit, the consul says, was to warn th ® ,” kam in a d or tw0 £ the
“ Ammiraglio Magnaghi,” a survey ship, was to call at Jeddati m a y
course of the scientific mission which f e “ e . The “ Kibla” and the
“ Falah’^feTlTof"abuse ofThe Turks and praise of HisMafesty Hussein I, Commander-
T,lU». of rooogOtioo from J™.
they would be published ^ u in ajg h ^ P, id t propaganda in India on various
Hedjaz^some years ago when he
was for the last two months or so, presumably as
the ^he latest Transj ordan report paints a delightful picture of Eng Hp-mauditing
the accounts and reforming the administration o a coun ly. n d | accrued to
snendthrift' However, I gather that the benefit which has undoubtedly accrued to
spend!nriu . xiowevc , ^ «tnnnao-e of the wheels of administration
Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan is due mainly to the complete stoppage i f similar
through King Hussein’s efforts. Any person who could and would perform
service for the Hedjaz would find an equally appreciative people and an equally
sympathetic recorder si^io^ to the new system of registrat ; on for British Malay pilgrims
was suddenly 8 withdrawn, and the guides were given orders to send to this ag™cy sue
of the British Malay pilgrims as have new-form passports. I have been unable to
m,t the reason for JeUden renunciation of the resolve “not to -cognise the Malay
pilgrimage officer in any capacity whatsoever. Anyhow, for a week 01 fj 0 .
pilgrims^ duly reported and deposited the counterfoils of their passports and the
return tickets. Then the kaimakam telephoned to say that a party of British Ma ay
had refused to come to the agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. because they did not wish to deposit th ^ ir ^ •
I managed to get the pilgrims round to talk the matter over, and discovered that the
trouble was, as ever, due to guides. They even intimidated a party of pilgrims who
had already deposited their tickets into coming and asking for them back. I e
pilarims were in a state of acute unhappiness, admitting that their tickets wou d
safer in the agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. strong-box than in their pockets, but fearing that if t iey wen
back without their tickets they would not be allowed to go to Mecca I will see the
kaimakam about this scandal, but now that the King makes so many demam s on e
guides’ pockets he cannot afford to examine their methods too closely. I he reason to
the guides’ action is clear enough : the trade in tickets, stolen from living or dead or
cozened out of the ignorant or needy, is a fruitful source of income to guides, the
Far Eastern shipping companies repay the value of the return haif of a ticket it tlie
holder dies in the Hedjaz, and it is that money the guide wants to obtain He can
easily obtain a death certificate from the “ religious ” court, at the price of a few pence,
and then he has only to run the gauntlet of one of the foreign, consuls, who are m the
difficult position of having to decide whether to legalise an official seal which they know
is often obtained-by fraud. The Malay pilgrim officer reports that the first thing guides
ask him if he enters into more than casual conversation with them is whether he has
the power to sign death certificates ; and recently a prominent guide of Java pilgrims
sent a large batch of tickets to the Dutch vice-consul and offered him 5 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. on eacn
if he would certify the holders as having died. .
Already nearly as many Far Eastern pilgrims have arrived as came last year ana
there are many more boats to come. The first British pilgrims from, bout an as
Africa have arrived ; nineteen Indians have left Bombay for Jeddah via the boudan or
Egypt, after inaugurating the new system of control by depositing with the police
authorities 60 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. each to cover the cost of the passage home. . .
Four pilgrims from Cape Town came to the agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. to ask advice. Ail t err mone)
was in British Treasury notes, and the pilgrim guides were advising them to turn ^ aP mt0
gold. Finding that they were very doubtful whether their funds would last, gold being
at a premium of about 17 per cent, over sterling, and that they had not bong it re urn
tickets, I advised them to deposit at this agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Treasury notes at least enougi o
cover the cost of their journey home—about 21l. a head. This they promise 0 °’
but they did not come, and by now they must have left for Mecca. No ou e