This file contains reports and correspondence relating to the mining of iron ore on the island of Abu Musa and Hassan Samayeh's involvements with the Germans. The correspondents include the Political Resident Persian Gulf (Major Percy Cox), Residency Agent Sharjah; Lieutenant-Commander W. Hose, H.M.S.
Redbreast, Bushire; H. Listermann, Consul for the Imperial German Government; Sheikh Sagar bin Khalid, Chief of Sharjah; Foreign Office, Government of India.Topics include:The erection of the Qawasim flag on Abu Musa.Views of the Foreign Office on Abu Musa.German Consul talks with Shaikh of Sharjah about the Wonckhaus company.Informing the German Consul that the Trucial chiefs are under British protection.Provision of guards for Abu Musa.Complaint of Nejef bin Ali against Hassan bin Samaiyeh.Persian claim to the islandThe Trucial chiefs were warned not to grant concessions without consulting the Resident.Wonckhaus agent prevented from landing at Abu Musa and to be allowed to remove all oxide already accumulated.There are many letters in Arabic including letters in Arabic from the German Consul to the Sheikh of Sharjah with translations. Also a hand written letter in English from the German Consul in Bushire to the Political Resident; and a Persian newspaper,
Nedai-e-Watan.1 volume (255 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.There are two foliation sequences. The first foliation sequence which should be used for referencing, begins on the first folio of writing, on number 1. After number 3 there is a blank folio, which is not numbered. The sequence then resumes on the next folio, on number 4 and runs through to number 255, which is the last folio of writing. This sequence is written in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio.The second foliation sequence begins on the third folio of writing and runs from number 1 through to number 248A, ending on the last folio of writing. The second sequence is written in blue crayon, in the top right corner of each folio.
Correspondence concerning the transfer of Omani subjects to other nationalities and registration of dhows. The file concerns the request of Musallim bin Juma to be registered under the laws of the East African Protectorate. Correspondents include the Government of India, Foreign Department; Political Agent, Muscat; Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; East African Protectorate Port Office; Sultan Taimur bin Faisal [Taymūr bin Fayṣal]. The file includes printed reports and a certificate to fly the German flag (folio 24).1 volume (97 folios)An index is given in the front of the file.The foliation system in use is the sequence of numbers appearing in a circle in the top right hand corner of each folio. The file also bears a former foliation system comprising uncircled numbers.
Correspondence, chiefly received from but also sent to, the Director of Customs in Bahrain (Claud Cranbrook Lewis DeGrenier). The majority of the correspondence is official, and relates to miscellaneous trade and customs matters in Bahrain. Aside from general correspondence, memoranda and notices (for example, announcing trade regulations, customs house opening hours), other correspondence in the file includes:a letter from the French pearl merchant David Bienenfeld, dated 1928, requesting permission to bring a wireless radio into Bahrain (ff 7-8);a letter and statement on rice imports into Bahrain for the period May 1927 to May 1928 (ff 15-16);correspondence dated 1929, with a copy of an invoice in German, relating to the import into Bahrain of matches from the Berlin branch of the Handelsvertretung der Udssr in Deutschland (Mercantile Department of the Soviet Government in Germany, ff 23-27);statistical tables detailing the numbers and total tonnage of steamers entering and leaving the port of Bahrain for the years 1928 and 1929 (ff 37-39);a summary of the numbers of packages landed at various Persian Gulf ports for the months August to November 1931 (f 52) and November 1931 to January 1932 (f 61);correspondence dated 1932 relating to changes to the system for
khanchia(a customs tax collected on imports), including a petition signed by many of Bahrain’s merchants, objecting to these changes (ff 54-56, f 63);details of the British India Steam Navigation Company’s ‘engagements’ at various ports in the Persian Gulf for the months February to June 1932 (expressed in numbers of packages discharged, ff 65-69, f 74);a 1932 letter (in Arabic with English translation) from prominent Njdy [Nejdi] merchants in Bahrain, requesting a definition of the territorial limits of Bahrain Port (ff 70-72).1 file (76 folios)The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 80; 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 also present in parallel between ff 4-78; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file contains correspondence between British officials regarding employees of the American Mission Hospital in Bahrain.The topics discussed include the appointment of Dr W H Storm to a position in Bahrain, visits made by Dr L P Dame to treat patients in Dubai and Sharjah (including a letter in Arabic from the ruler of Sharjah) and details regarding a number of possible candidates for employment as doctors at the hospital including their curricula vitae and references (some of which are in German).The file also contains correspondence related to the activities of a female American missionary and doctor based in Kalba (on the Trucial coast) named S L Hosmon. This correspondence concerns her activities to date and her desire to bring more missionaries to the region to work with her.1 file (131 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate 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 131; 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 2-108; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The file contains numerous courtesy letters expressing friendship, congratulations and thanks, which are exchanged mainly between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Shaikhs of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. The majority of courtesy letters received by the Political Agent, Bahrain are from the Dubai shaikhs, particularly from Shaikh Mani bin Rashid Maktum [Āl Maktūm, Shaikh Mana bin Rashid] who is the cousin of the Ruler Shaikh Sai’d bin Maktum [Āl Maktūm, Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm bin Hasher]. Several of the letters from Shaikh Mani bin Rashid Maktum contain complaints against Sayid Abdul Razaq the Residency Agent at Sharjah.The file also contains a small amount of claims correspondence relating mainly to debt repayment. This correspondence includes petitions received from local merchants and other inhabitants of Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah, as well as letters from the Residency Agent, Sharjah to the Political Agent, Bahrain reporting his investigations into some of the claims made and any settlements reached. The majority of letters are in Arabic and are also translated into English. Included in the file are two merchant letters in Persian and a short extract from a German ornithological report in 1937, together with an English translation, about white storks.Finally, there is a small amount of correspondence in 1937 between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Government of India regarding legal opinion on the service of summonses in the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms.1 file (202 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate 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 204; 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 2-157; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file mainly consists of correspondence relating to applications from various individuals for visas to visit Bahrein (Bahrain), and application forms for visas.The correspondence largely consists of internal India Office notes, and correspondence between the India Office and the following: HM Passport Office; the Acting Political Agent, Bahrain (Hugh Weightman); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; and the individuals applying for visas.The file includes three letters in German.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (49 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front 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 52; 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 28-34; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.A previous foliation sequence on ff 12, 13 and 15, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Correspondence and other papers relating to the Persian Government’s annulment of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) concession in December 1932, and the ensuing diplomatic crisis between the two countries. The papers include: diplomatic exchanges between the British and Persian Governments and APOC, as reported by HM’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Tehran, Reginald Hervey Hoare; correspondence between the Foreign Office and India Office; parliamentary notices reporting questions on the crisis raised in the House of Commons; the response of the British press to the annulment, with a large number of newspaper cuttings from British newspapers (chiefly
The Times,
The Daily Herald,
The Morning Post); the British Government’s referral of the dispute to the Council of the League of Nations; the British Government’s despatch of Royal Naval vessels to Abadan; papers from the Council of the League of Nations reporting on negotiations towards a settlement, including notes, session minutes, and correspondence from the Czech representative to the League, Edvard Beneš, who acted as mediator between the two parties; the settlement of the dispute, culminating in a new agreement between the Persian Government and APOC, dated 29 April 1933 (ff 26-35).The volume includes numerous items in French (Persian Government correspondence and some press cuttings from the Persian Press) and a single item in German (a transcript of an article originally appearing the
Deutsche Bergwerks Zeitung).1 volume (541 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 537; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.A number of pages have been bound into the volume upside down (ff 345-358).
This volume consists mainly of correspondence received by George Nathaniel Curzon, mostly on matters relating to Persia but also regarding Curzon's recent travels in Afghanistan. The letters are from friends, acquaintances and other correspondents, including a number of army officers, diplomats, writers and travellers with an interest in Persia and Afghanistan.Many of the letters discuss Curzon's recent book,
Persia and the Persian Question, as well as the internal affairs of Afghanistan and Persia and British policy regarding both countries, mostly from the perspective of British officers and diplomats who have resided or visited there. Of particular note are a number of letters received by Curzon from Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Molesworth Sykes, writing as British Consul for Kerman and Persian Beluchistan [Baluchistan] (later as British Consul, Kerman). Matters discussed in these letters include the settlement of the frontier between Persian and British Baluchistan.Other notable correspondents include the following: John Richard Preece, British Consul at Ispahan; Sir Henry Mortimer Durand; Sir Frederic John Goldsmid; Henry Lake Wells; Benjamin W Stainton; Albert Houtum-Schindler.All of the correspondence dates from 1895. In addition, the file contains the following: several printed articles relating to railway routes to India, which date from 1895-1897 (ff 141-157); a number of newspaper cuttings dating from 1893-1894, containing reviews of books on Persia.The German language material consists of one of the aforementioned newspaper cuttings.1 volume (171 folios)The papers proceed in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.The foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 173; 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 also present in parallel between ff 4-169; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
This file consists entirely of correspondence received by George Nathaniel Curzon, mainly on the subject of his recently completed book,
Persia and the Persian Question.The letters are from friends, acquaintances and other correspondents, including a number of senior political figures, army officers, diplomats, writers and travellers with an interest in Persia, most of whom compliment Curzon on his new book and, in some cases, offer suggested revisions or corrections.Notable correspondents include the following: Albert Houtum-Schindler of the Imperial Bank of Persia and the Persian Bank Mining Rights Corporation Limited, William Ewart Gladstone, Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil (Lord Salisbury), Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, Ármin Vámbéry, Sven Hedin, Katherine Lucy Graham Smith, Edward Granville Browne, Henry Lake Wells, Guy le Strange, Sir Edgar Vincent, and a number of British consuls and consul generals, including those at Isfahan and Meshed.The German language material consists of one letter, which is from Sven Hedin to Curzon.1 file (105 folios)The papers proceed in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 67, and terminates at the inside back cover with 173, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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 67-173; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Correspondence exchanged between the German Consulate at Buschär [Bushire] (Helmuth Listemann) and others: the Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh] representative of the German firm Robert Wönckhaus and Company (Herr H Rosenfeld; Herr Krumpeter); the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Percy Zachariah Cox); German Government officials at the Auswärtiges Amt (Foreign Office) in Berlin; the German Embassy in London.The correspondence refers to a dispute relating to concession rights for the mining and shipment of red oxide at Abū Mūsá, originally awarded to a number of Arab merchants by Shaikh Sālim bin Sulṭān Āl Qāsimī of Sharjah in 1898, and part of which was subsequently acquired by Wönckhaus and Company in 1906. The dispute was sparked by the Ruler of Sharjah, Shaikh Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qāsimī’s cancellation of the concession in 1907, and subsequent claims by Wönckhaus and Company and the German Government, over financial losses arising from the cancellation of the concession.The majority of the file’s correspondence is in German. Letters exchanged between the German Consul at Bushire and the British Political Resident are in French. In most cases, German correspondence is preceded by undated pencil notes written in English, giving a précis of the letter that follows.1 file (402 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.The subject 4949 (Abu Musa oxide) consists of six volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/318-323. The volumes are divided into six parts, with each part comprising one volume. Part 6 (IOR/L/PS/10/323) is missing.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 403; these numbers are printed, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Correspondence exchanged between the German Consulate at Buschär [Bushire] (Helmuth Listemann) and others: the Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh] representative of the German firm Robert Wönckhaus and Company (Herr H Rosenfeld; Herr Krumpeter); the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Zachariah Cox); German Government officials at the Auswärtiges Amt (Foreign Office) in Berlin, the German Chargé d’Affaires in Tehran (Hartmann Oswald Heinrich Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen).The correspondence refers to a dispute over a concession for the mining and shipment of red oxide at Abū Mūsá, originally awarded to Arab merchants by Shaikh Sālim bin Sulṭān Āl Qāsimī of Sharjah in 1898, and part of which was subsequently acquired by Wönckhaus and Company in 1906. The dispute was sparked by the Ruler of Sharjah, Shaikh Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qāsimī’s cancellation of the concession in 1907, and subsequent claims by Wönckhaus and Company and the German Government, over financial losses arising from the cancellation of the concession.Amongst the papers are copies of correspondence, agreements and other papers dating between 1892 and 1907, relating to the original contract to mine red oxide at Abū Mūsá. Many of these agreements are in Arabic, with most accompanied by English translations.The majority of the file’s correspondence is in German. Official letters exchanged between the German Consul at Bushire and the British Political Resident are in French.1 file (263 folios)The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end.The subject 4949 (Abu Musa oxide) consists of six volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/318-323. The volumes are divided into six parts, with each part comprising one volume. Part 6 (IOR/L/PS/10/323) is missing.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 263; these numbers are printed, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The file is a direct chronological continuation of File 4949/1912 Pt 4 ‘Abu Musa – Angelegenheit. 1907.’ (IOR/L/PS/10/321), containing correspondence exchanged between the German Consulate at Buschär [Bushire] (Helmuth Listemann; Wilhelm Wassmuss) and others: the British Government; the Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh] representative of the German firm Robert Wönckhaus and Company (Herr H Rosenfeld; Herr Krumpeter); the British Political Residency in the Persian Gulf (Major Arthur Prescott Trevor; Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Zachariah Cox); the German Imperial Government.The correspondence refers to a dispute over a concession for the mining and shipment of red oxide at Abū Mūsá, originally awarded to Arab merchants by Shaikh Sālim bin Sulṭān Āl Qāsimī of Sharjah in 1898, and part of which was subsequently acquired by Wönckhaus and Company in 1906. The dispute was sparked by the Ruler of Sharjah, Shaikh Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qāsimī’s cancellation of the concession in 1907, and subsequent claims by Wönckhaus and Company and the German Government, over financial losses arising from the cancellation of the concession.The majority of the file’s correspondence is in German. Official letters exchanged between the German Consul at Bushire and the British Political Resident are in French.1 file (296 folios)The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end.The subject 4949 (Abu Musa oxide) consists of six volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/318-323. The volumes are divided into six parts, with each part comprising one volume. Part 6 (IOR/L/PS/10/323) is missing.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 296; these numbers are written in pencil, 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 1-296; these numbers are printed.