Thurs Ap 2. [2 April 1914] Off at 9 and in 3/4 of an hour or an hour up to Musayyib [Musayyib, Al] where I found my victoria. Horrible wind and dust storms. Lunched at Mahmudiyyeh [Mahmudiyah, Al] where the little boy dropped off and was no where to be found, much to my agitation. He turned up before we left - he had been paying off an old score on gomani! Got in to Baghdad at 5. Found Mr Tod's kavass and ballam and came straight to them - delicious[?] welcome. Mr Wills still here the negotiations with the Turks about their boats being still in air - a difference of 47% between them! They think they gain about £6000 in every afternoon's discussion. Talked again of shipping and then of trade in general - Mr Wills says the Germans have taken the trade in small objects which the English cd not bother with but says Mr Tod they have grown very wealthy over it. They import not much of their own; Austrian sugar and d...... German ships. They get as much work out of the native as the Englishmen but they are less well liked because they are ....... But Mr Tod thinks they are less trouble to deal with than the English. They ask for less writing. Only you must see them yourself; they like to see the head man. The people won't use cube sugar being accustomed to loaf and English firms won't make loaf. They ought to sell cube sugar for 6 months at a proportionately low price and get it established. They showed me a tiny Quran in a box made in Germany - the people think they come from the Hejaz [Hijaz] and bay! Slade well satisfied with the Persian oil fields. The headquarters for the Indian navy is to be Muhammarah, 18 miles from the rail head at Basrah [Basrah, Al (Basra)] where troops cd be poured down. Mr Wills thinks that the Shaikh of Muhammarah must be used to guard the oil fields and the Persian frontier where the oil passes. Kwait [Al Kuwayt (Kuwait)] is allowed to import arms only for his own defence. For the last 2 years the Contraband trade in arms is all stopped in Kwait. It is now stopped in Mascat [Masqat (Muscat)] - we have bought off a {German} French firm for £40000. Rifles very difficult to obtain in Baghdad. Only the best are to be had and they are very dear. German firms employ about half the European clerks we do and pay them not near so well. But they have one or two able men among their employÈs - the rest are of a lower order. The Jews are the real competitors. They have taken the piece goods trade and and they are beginning to attack the machinery trade.