'Volume II. MEMORANDA REGARDING OTHER EXTERNAL AFFAIRS. 1905.' [‎26r] (56/228)

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Memorandum of information received during
the month of June 1905, regarding
external affairs relating to Arabia.
[Notk.—T his memorandum is based upon reports, the accuracy of
which it is not always possible to guarantee.]
ADEN.
1. (Seo paragraph 3 of the Memoran
dum for February 1905.) The Government
of India have now under consideration the
question of constructing a railway from Aden
to the interior, and have instructed the Gov
ernment of Bombay to receive and examine
tenders from applicants who are willing to
take up the project.
2. In May 1905, the Resident at Aden
recommended that Sultan Mohsin-hin-Saleh
should he recognised as titular Sultan of the
Wahidi tribe of Balahaf in place of Sultan
Saleh, as the former was looked upon by the
local Sheikhs and Akils as their Chief, and
as the latter had concluded an arrangement
with Sultan Ghalib of Mokalla for the sale of
his share of the port of Balahaf contrary to
Treaty obligations. The Government of India
accepted the proposals of the Resident at Aden,
and instructed him to enter into a Treaty with
Sultan Mohsin-hin-Saleh, who would, in future,
be recognised as the titular Sultan of Balahaf.
A communication was to be made to the
Chiefs concerned that the Agreement with
Sultan Ghalib was null and void.
A pearl-fishing dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. , flying the Turkish
colours and proceeding from Farsan to Aden
with arms and ammunition on board, was
stopped at Ras Imran by H. M.’s ce Perseus ”,
but the Resident was instructed to release the
dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. , ascertaining her further destination, and
to warn the master against landing arms within
the limits of our protectorate in future.
3. Aden has been declared free from
plague, and the Resident instructed to with
draw the Regulations under the Venice
Sanitary Convention on vessels leaving Aden.
4. The influx of Turkish deserters to Aden
continues, and owing to Lord Cromer’s objec*
tion to their being transhipped at Port Said for
the Piraeus, it was decided to ship them direct
to Trieste for transhipment to Piraeus. This
procedure proved very expensive, and the
Secretary of State agreed, on 3rd June, to a
proposal not to discriminate in future between
deserters and other refugees from Yemen, but
to ship all alike to some Turkish port in the
Red Sea. The Resident has been instructed to
act accordingly.