"ملف II. العراق (٣) المجلد ١ بساتين التمر العائدة لشيخ الكويت في شط العرب. (علاقات الكويت مع الحكومة التركية والمطالبة التركية بضرورة استخراج الكويتيين شهادات الجنسية التركية)" [و‎‎١‎٧‎٤] (٦٣٦/٣٦٥)

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No. 2164 (Confidential), dated Bushire, the 12th (received 22 nd) August 1910 .
From— Captain L. Birdwood, LA., First Assistant Resident (in the absence of
the Resident),
To—The Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department, Simla.
With reference to this office letter No. 2081 , dated the 31 st July 1910 , I
Political Agmt, Kowcit, to Resident, No. C.-52, have the honour to forward for the infor-
dated the 3rd August idio. mation of the Government of India, a
copy of the communication marginally noted, received from the Political
Agent, Koweit, on the subject of Sheikh Mubarak’s difficulties with the VaF
of Basrah regarding the registration of his Fadaghia property.
From— Captain W. H. I. Shakespear, I.A., Political Agent, Koweit,
To—The Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire.
With reference to the correspondence, regarding Sheikh Mubarak’s affairs
on the Shatt-el-Arab and his relations with the Basrah Yali, Suliman Nathif
Bey, ending with your Second Assistant’s endorsement No. 1970 , dated the 20 th
July 1910 , I have the honour to give below some further information communi
cated to me by the Sheikh this morning.
2. The Sheikh said he had recently sent his Secretary Abdul Aziz bin
Salim to Basrah at Ahmed Pasha az-Znhair’s request and on his return a day
or two ago he related the following account of what passed during his visit.
Abdul Aziz met Ahmad Pasha first and the latter after some preliminaries
admitted that the Yali had instigated him to impugn Mubarak’s title to the
Fadnghia property. Ahmad Pasha had himself remonstrated with the Yali,
pointing out the absurdity of repudiating the sale in the face of the sale-deeds
held by Mubarak, which bore, besides his own signature, those of all the Basrah
notables as well as that of the British Consul. He also objected to compromis
ing bis own good name in what from his own side would be a thoroughly bad
case. However, the Vali offered to send the Turkish gun-boat “ Marmaris ” to
eject Mubarak s men from the Fadaghia gardens by force if they should refuse
a hint to leave quietly. In short, the whole of the story already detailed was
confirmed categorically by Ahmad Pasha himself as having btten suggested by
the Vali who promised his utmost support. Ahmad Pasha apparently valued
his own reputation too much to fall in with the Vali’s suggestions, and told the
Sheikh s Secretary he would have no hand in any such ignoble scheme. The
Sheikh appears to be thoroughly satisfied with the assurance and remarked
that he no longer feared Ahmad Pasha making any difficulties over the
Fadaghia property.
3 . Subsequently Abdul Aziz saw the Vali, who appears to have opened the
interview with a general complaint against Mubarak for putting him in a false
position with his superiors in the Turkish Government. On Abdul Aziz’s
enquiring how this could be, the Vali said he had telegraphed to Constantinople
that Mubarak had agreed to the Fadaghia property being registered in the
names of his four sons, who would all take out Turkish Nationality certificates
and moreover that two of them would enter the Turkish Army ! Abdul Aziz
then appears to have taken the Yali rather severely to task pointing
out that he, though himself a Turk and so not likely to minimize any of
Mubarak’s acknowledgments, was also the Sheikh’s interpreter (for Turkish)
and his Secretary and he never remembered Mubarak ever admitting either
verbally or in writing anything which could by any stretch of imagination be
construed into the substance of this telegram. The conversation was a long
one of much to the same effect and seems to have been not without effect on
the Yali, who as the Sheikh graphically described it “ had no word and became
completely silent.”
Subsequently the Vali appears to have discussed with Abdul Aziz the
agreement beween the lurkish and British Governments for the maintenance
No. C .-52 (Confidential), dated Koweit, the 3 rd August 1910 .