ملف رقم ٢١٨٢ لسنة ١٩١٣، الجزء ٥، "منطقة نجد بالجزيرة العربية: سياسة ابن سعود" [ظ‎‎٢‎٤‎٤] (٣٠٨/٦٤)

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Memo, No. 58, dated Basrah, the 5th October 1916.
From—The Hon'ble Lif.utenant-Colonel Sir Percy Cox, K.C.S.I., K.C.I.E.,
Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Basrah, ^
To The Officer in Charge, Cairo Section, Eastern Bureau, C/o Director, Military
Intelligence, Cairo.
Translation of a letter from Bin Sand to Chief
Political Officer, dated September 3rd, 1916.
I forward herewith, for information,
a copy of the paper noted in the
margin.
Copy with compliments to—
(1) Director, Eastern Bureau, C/o Secretary, Committee of Imperial
Defence (under cover to Secretary, War Office, London).
(2) Eoreign Secretary to the Government of India, Jboreign and
Political Department, Simla.
(3) Political Secretary, India Office, London.
(4) Chief of the General Staff, Indian Expeditionary Force “ D
(5) Secretary to the Government of India, Army Department.
Translation of a letter from Ibn Saud to Sir Percy Cox, dated the 3rd
September 1916.
After compliments .—With a cordial and respectful hand I have received
your letter, dated the 15th July 1916 ( = 14th Ramzan 1334) and was pleased
to hear of your good health. All that Your Honour communicated to me
has been understood by your sincere friend. ^
The august letter of His Excellency Lord Chelmsford, the new Viceroy
and Governor-General of India, which Your Honour enclosed, together with
the Arabic translation thereof, has reached me safely. I thank you very
much : I am greatly obliged and thankful for its highly valued contents. I
pray God that His Excellency’s footsteps may be blessed with good fortune
and prosperity.
I beg to represent to you that I was tardy in answering His Excellency’s
auspicious letter, as owing to my not being acquainted with your ceremonial
customs I was not sure whether I should answer at once or after a short while,
and owing to my intimacy with Your Honour I was anxious to obtain your
advice on the point.
Your Honour informed me with regard to events and news in a previous
letter despatched through His Majesty’s Consul at Bahrain, all of which news
I have understood thoroughly. Your Honour also stated with reference to
news from the Hedjaz that El Idrisi, assisted by the Sheriff, had captured the
town of Kunfidah, one of the ports of the Red Sea, with its Citadel and the
troops there. This is very likely true, because the Idrisi has been disobedient
to the orders of the Turks from the beginning, and according to what I have
heard, his ideas are sound and he is zealous, both for the Arabs and for Islam:
and truly one who possesses zeal for the Arabs and for Islam is bound to fight
the Turks.
You went on to inform me that the newspaper “ Al Mukattam” had
reported that the Arabs from Medina to Damascus were backing the Sheriff,
hut you said you had not yet received official news to that effect.
With regard to the news of the Sheriff at Al Medina, the latest reached
me on the 15th Shawal (15th August). It was to the effect that about 7,000
Infantry and Cavalrv had arrived at Medina, and that immediately on arrival
they had come into conflict with the sons of the Sheriff and that* a skirmish
had taken place at long range at a place about 4 hours to the south of Medina.
After that the Turks had become superior to the sons of the Sheriff in numbers
and strength and consequently the latter had had to fall hack to a place called
Rabegh, on the coast of the Red Sea, between Mecca and Medina.