Wed Ap 7. [7 April 1909] Got up early and wrote letters. A horrible
duststorm. After breakfast had a talk with Col. Ramsay. He is anxious
to keep on good terms with the Nekib because of the latter's influence
on Afghanistan. Col. Newmarsh[?] had quarrelled with him. He thinks
the lower delta wd be very easy to hold if the irrigation works were
carried out. The locks for the dams wd be kept in Baghdad and the
moment any Arabs misbehaved or refused to pay taxes they wd be
sent down and the water supply cut off. The Arabs wd not dare to ruin
the water works as they wd thereby ruin themselves. The N. desert
road he thinks cd be easily held by the Indian frontier system. The
big Sheikhs shd be regularly subsidized and made responsible for
sections of the road. The guards over them wd be of the Sheikhs'
people and if incidents occurred the subsidies wd be cut off and
reprisals made. The first thing needed is that the tribes shd be
treated honestly and this they never are. Honesty is entirely lacking
everywhere. He evidently considers as possible some sort of
scheme of putting Englishmen into the provinces who wd report to
C'ple [Istanbul (Constantinople)]. The present rows[?] with the Beni
Lam and the Abu Muhammad are entirely due to {the} misgovernment
and oppression. A year ago one of the Lynch boats was shot at and
Col. Ramsay did all he knew to get the Govt to bring the Sheikhs to
justice. They hesitated and finally came the Constitution and the Govt
said it wd not look well if they began by taking a signal vengeance on
the Sheikhs. Thus encouraged the sheikhs have gone forward. Col.
Ramsay when he came up from Nasriyyeh a fortnight ago found them
all assembled along the banks in 2 places, the women[?] packing up
their goods and fleeing with the catch inland. In the second place they
looked like business. But they let them through. They met a Turkish
boat going down and gave them their soldiers. The boat got through
after heavy firing. When it returned with Sir W. [Willcocks] it was held
up. There are now 5 boats there and 2 gunboats but the gunboats are
no good, unprotected and no or few guns. Today some more
soldiers went down. There will be 2300 in all when these arrive. The
particular form of oppression of the Arabs is connected with land. The
Govt. by means of officials who have to be bribed get money out of
the sheikhs which never reaches Govt coffers. The Abu Muhammad
man owes £T18000. He says it's no good paying it as he can never
shake himself free of indebtedness to the Govt. There is an idea that
the Govt wish to turn the Beni Lam Sheikh out of the lands he holds -
he is only a tenant - and put in another man. This because he owes a
year's revenue. He has therefore risen. Did nothing all day. Capt
Bowden and Capt Fiennes came to tea; the former has seen a castle
surrounded by a great wall a mile or two from Kasr i Shirin
[Qasr-e-Shirin]. Then went to the German garden with Mrs. R. where I
made the acquaintance of Mr Richarz. Then to the Club.