1. 'File 5/14 Mulla Hafiz'

Description:

This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agents at Bahrain and Kuwait; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; the Acting British High Commissioner at Cairo; the Secretary of State for the Colonies; Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah; Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah; the editors of the Mesopotamia Timesand al-Akhbārnewspapers.These correspondence concern the personality and activities of Ḥāfiẓ Wahbah, known as Mulla Hafiz, formerly an Egyptian schoolmaster operating in Bahrain and an associate of Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah. Within these correspondence are details about Ḥāfīẓ Wahbah's expulsion from Bahrain, his contacts with various newspapers including the Cairo-based al-Akhbārand the Mesopotamia Times, and his activities as the agent of Ibn Sa‘ūd at the Kuwait Conference.Included within these correspondence are the following newspaper extracts in Arabic from al-Akhbār:'Ḥūdāth [sic.] al-baḥrayn' (Events in Bahrain) in issue 680, 17 May 1922 / 20 Ramaḍān 1340 ( f. 40);'Akhbār al-bilād al-‘arabiyyah: akhbār al-baḥrayn' (News from the Arabian Peninsula: Bahrain News) in issue 461, 31 August 1921 / 27 Dhū al-Ḥijjah 1339 (f. 42);'Anbā’ al-sharq: al-ḥūwādith al-kahṭīrah fī al-baḥrayn' (News from the East: Incidents in Bahrain) in issue 576, 12 January 1922 / 14 Jamādī al-Awwal 1340 (f. 43);'Anbā’ al-sharq: al-ḥālah fī al-kūwayt' (News from the East: the Situation in Bahrain) in issue 478, 20 September 1921 / 17 Muḥarram 1340 (f. 44).Folios 2-6 contain signatures in Hebrew script and have been misplaced and relate to 'File 5/13 Sayegah Khadori' (IOR/R/15/2/105).1 volume (81 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: The foliation sequence is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. It would appear that this file has been foliated and then at a later date conserved and rebound in a different order to the foliation sequence. The foliation sequence appears to reflect the original order of the items, so the reasons behind the rearrangement of the folios are unclear. The folios in the file now run in the following manner: ff.1-48; ff.77-79; ff.65-76; ff.49-64.

2. 'File 6/26 Agricultural improvements in Bahrain'

Description:

The file contains letters, telegrams, and memoranda relating to agricultural and horticultural improvements in Bahrain. The principal correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (usually Charles Dalrymple Belgrave).The papers cover the discussions over several matters, as follows:Khalil bin Ebrahim Kanoo's enquiry into purchasing a water pump, including correspondence from Kanoo himself, a number of British firms, the India Office, and the Department of Overseas Trade;investigations into the cultivation of cotton in Bahrain, including correspondence from the British Cotton Growing Association;the Political Agent's proposal for an agricultural and flower show to be held in Bahrain;the appointment of Said Abdul Nur as an agriculturist for the Government of Bahrain;a request for information and statistics related to agriculture in Bahrain from Henri de Marcellus for his Atlas of Man;a proposal to grow oranges in Bahrain, including correspondence from the ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifah [Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah], and photographs of oranges grown by the Shaikh (folios 68-70);an investigation into the growth of Aleppo pine ( Pinus halepensis) in Palestine and the question of whether it could be grown in Bahrain, including correspondence from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, W P Wolterbeek, and Aron Chajuss;Bahrain Government plans to grow wheat, including correspondence with the Government of India (Foreign and Political Department) and the merchant Chatrumal Doulatram;investigations into vegetable cultivation in the region, including memoranda on its growth in Iraq and Bahrain (folios 95-96 and 105-107 respectively);investigations into soilless cultivation, including correspondence from Petroleum Concessions Limited, the Arabian American Oil Company, and the Royal Air Force base in Bahrain, with a memorandum on the subject in Iraq (folios 165-70) and an article on the subject in Monthly Science News,No. 5, 1946 (folios 155-56).Folios 172-86 are internal office notes.1 file (186 folios)The file is arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 188; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 1-186; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.