TRUCIAL COAST DIARY FOR PERIOD ENDING 31 JANUARY 1956

ABU DHABI:

Shaikh Shakhbut was absent from Abu Dhabi on a hunting expedition in the area of and to the south of Buraimi during the greater part of the month. He returned to Abu Dhabi on the 24th.

The Managing Director, accompanied by Messrs de. Grouchy, P.R.A. Ensor and R. E.R. Bird, paid a visit to Abu Dhabi on the 31st, called on the Ruler and was given lunch. Points discussed at this meeting have been covered in a memo.

A.D.M.A. Ltd have stationed a European (Mr. P. Townsend) permanently on Das Island. They have contracted with Messrs. Wimpy to carry out core drilling in their marine areas.

The activities of the Abu Dhabi Development Corporation are very limited, and their affairs are still being supervised locally by a Cypriot Mr Leslie; no member of the U.K. staff has come out this winter.

The undersigned paid a visit to Gezira and Tarif on the 24th and 25th.

DUBAI:

Shaikh Rashid has been absent from Dubai for the whole month on a hunting trip in Persia.

Plans for the preservation of Dubai creek are proceeding. The loan raised locally of 4. lacks will be used to finance core drilling by Messrs Wimpy in mid-April to test the seabed in the place where it is proposed subsequently to dredge the mouth of the creek and in the places where a mole and two training walls will be constructed. It is estimated that the dredging and the construction of the mole and walls will cost in the region of ￡388,000, depending on the findings of the core drilling; a loan of this amount has apparently been promised by the Rulers of Bahrain and Qatar.

In conjunction with Sir William Lindsay, visits were paid to Ras al Khaima on the 11th, Ajman and Umm al Quwain on the 12th, Sharjah on the 16th and Kalba, Fujairah, Khor Fakkan and Dibbah between the 13th and 15th. In order to see the Ruler of Fujairah who was in Dibbah, it was necessary to hire a launch and travel by sea from Khor Fakkan. The special Company diaries were presented at the time to the Rulers of all the States mentioned above, except Shaikh Rashid of Ajman, who was absent on the 12th and had to be visited again on the 29th.