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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [439r] (882/898)
The record is made up of 1 volume (445 folios). It was created in 13 Mar 1924-18 Mar 1931. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
[This Documentjsjhe Property PhIs Bennie Majesty’s ]
[March 24.]
Section 2.
No. 1.
EASTERN (Arabia).
CONFIDENTIAL.
^[E 2595/424/01]
Consul Bullard to Mr. MacDonald.—(Received March 24 .)
(No. 19. Secret.)
Sir,
the 30th jZiua^toTgTFebruTry 1 ^ ^ y ° U herewith the Jeddah re P ort the period
D.ihfit ; f j h LfnS “is “,. w £ J ™* 1 -
I have, &c.
R. W. BULLARD.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Jeddah Report for January 30 to February 29, 1924.
. + 1P E * hird meeting of the Arabia Conference was to have been held this month
Kmg ’ at the request ’ ;t is —
It 1S characteristic of King Hussein that he is offering the High Commissioner for
Tnlv tr a IdTV on . reaso . n fble terms.” King Hussein is always reasonable ; it is
t,e/tv hr L 6 ’ eS ln T hlch , 1S unreas “^ble. But it is difficult to see what sort of
cor eluded er rA- 0ne 4 eSt,1Cted t0 t,llL ' Hed i az and to non-political matters, can be
concluded with king Hussein now that he has promised the people of Palestine in a
public proclamation, not to conclude with His Majesty’s Government any treatv which
does not satisfy the aspirations of the people of Palestine for independence' and to
consult them before signing. However, if a treaty can be concluded so much the better
even rougn we may have doubts as to the good faith of His Hashimite Majesty and his
intention to abide by anything he may sign. The unregulated situation is dangerous,
m that pgives the King greater scope for mad outbursts of hostility and obstruction.
a i TT 1 6 Klbla has P ubl,shed glowing accounts of the King's reception at Wejh and
Ai Ula, but authentic information shows them to be uncrue. At Wejh the King
deprecated, all pomp and ceremony, saying that he was going on to Akaba by sea early
next morning. Having thus thrown possible raiders off the scent, he secured camels at
midnight and dashed off to Ai Ula. On the return he brought with him a guard of
500 men to prevent his loving subjects from treating him as they treat pilgrims.
It would be interesting to see the Hedjaz budget at the present time.
Unfortunately there is no budget except, probably in a very vague form, in the head of
King Hussein. The King is raising large sums in
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
by means of drafts.
Recently an order for 45,000Z. was received by the customs authorities to be raised
within a few days. It was with the greatest difficulty that the sum was obtained, and
then only by devices which would hardly be considered legitimate in peace time in any
othei country. Specie winch had been sent from Yambo to Jeddah in payment for
goods was seized in exchange for a promise that the amount would be refunded in the
form of remission of customs dues ou future consignments of goods. Meanwhile
merchants, from whom similar requisitions of specie or goods, in exchange for similar
promises, had already been made, are being forced to pay in cash the customs dues on
all consignments of goods they receive. The Kino’s visit to Amman has increased his
megalomania. He is said to have ordered rolling-stock for the Hedjaz Railway, and at
the same time he is buying two steamers to carry pilgrims from Akaba to Jeddah—a
route which of course ^competes with the railway. As a matter of fact, there is little |
prospect that the King’s promise of a fortnightly train to Medina will be fulfilled. The
Turkish engineer who is in charge of the line is believed to have asked for 300,000L to
put the line into real running order, and, even if allowance be made for his notorious
corruption, the amount required must be very large, and in addition there would be the
[555 aa—2] B
About this item
- Content
The volume mostly contains printed copies of despatches from HM Agent and Consul, Jeddah, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, enclosing reports on the situation in the Hejaz (also spelled Hedjaz in the file) [now a region of Saudi Arabia], from January 1924 to December 1930, and related enclosures to the reports. These despatches were sent to the Under-Secretary of State for India by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The volume also includes India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Political and Secret Department minute papers, which include comments on the reports, and indicate that the reports had been seen by the Under-Secretary of State for India and the Political Committee of the Council of India.
The reports are monthly for January to August 1924, May 1925, September 1925 to March 1927, June 1927 to June 1930, and December 1930. Reports between these dates cover shorter periods, except July and August 1930, which are both covered by one report, and September, October and November 1930, which are also covered by one report.
The reports discuss matters including the actions of King Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi of the Hejaz, including his attempts to gain recognition as Caliph, and the military and financial situation in the Hejaz during the war between the Hejaz and the Saudi Sultanate of Nejd [Najd]. They report on events of the Hedjaz-Nejd war including: the capture of Taif (September 1924) and Mecca (October 1924) by Nejd; the departure of the ex-King Hussein from Jeddah; the fall of Medina and Jeddah and the surrender of the Hejaz to Sultan Abdul Aziz of Nejd [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, also known as Ibn Saud] (December 1925); and the formal assumption of the title of King of the Hejaz and Sultan of Nejd and its Dependencies by Ibn Saud (8 January 1925).
The reports following the annexation of the Hejaz by Nejd cover internal affairs, including prohibitions introduced for religious reasons, the Hejaz Railway, the financial situation of the Hejaz-Nejd Government, and the Hejaz Air Force. They also report on foreign relations, including: the publication of an agreement, dated 21 October 1926, between Ibn Saud and Sayyid Hassan-el-Idrisi, establishing the suzerainty of Ibn Saud over Asir; relations between Ibn Saud and Imam Yahya of the Yemen; the situation on the frontiers between Nejd and Iraq, and Nejd and 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 ; and the Treaty of Jeddah between Hejaz-Nejd and Great Britain (20 May 1927). They also report Ibn Saud being proclaimed King of the Hejaz, Nejd and its Dependencies (4 April 1927).
In addition, other frequently occurring topics in the reports are: the Pilgrimage [Hajj], including the arrival of pilgrims in the Hejaz, from India, Java and elsewhere, arrangements for the pilgrimage, the welfare of pilgrims, and the repatriation of pilgrims; and the slave trade and slavery in the Hejaz, including the manumission and repatriation of slaves.
The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (445 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
The subject 1707 (Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)) consists of one volume only.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 447; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 4-444; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [439r] (882/898), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1115, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100084998363.0x000053> [accessed 7 April 2025]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/1115
- Title
- File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:88v, 90r:104v, 106r:108v, 110r:124v, 126r:128v, 129v:132v, 133v, 134v:137v, 139r:145r, 146r:161v, 162v:180v, 183r:205v, 206v:267r, 269r:271v, 273r:288v, 291r:308v, 309v, 310v, 311v, 312v, 313v, 314v, 315v, 316v, 317v:321r, 324r:335r, 337r:378v, 379v:381v, 383v:389v, 391r:393v, 395v:397v, 399r:400r, 402r:446v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence