The Zīj, or tables of astronomical calculations,produced by Ulugh Beg (1394-1449). This copy lacks the introduction and explanatory material and contains only the tables themselves.Folio 68r contains a diagram apparently unrelated to the texts before or after it.ff 68v-135v
(1) Anonymous, Untitled treatise on mathematics (ff. 2-14);(2) Jamshīd al-Kāshī (جمشيد الكاشي),
Miftāḥ al-ḥisāb(مفتاح الحساب; ff. 15-122).Codex; ff. ix+123+ixMaterial: Eastern laid paperDimensions: 240 x 135 mm leaf [150 x 75 mm written]Foliation: India Office Library foliation in pencilRuling:
Misṭarah; 18 lines per page; vertical spacing 12 lines per 10 cmScript:
Nasta‘līq; the scribe of ff. 2v-14v is Muḥammad Amīn ibn Mirzā Muḥammad Faḍl Allāh Kāshānī (محمد أمين بن مرزا محمد فضل الله كاشاني; see f. 14v, lines 19-21)Ink: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings and diagrams in redBinding: Red leather binding, blind-tooled with stamped medallions and pendants, corner pieces and cartouche all of which contain inscriptions; leather doublures and first flyleaf marbled at front and back; bound in Seringapatam (Srirangapatna) at library of Tīpū Sulṭān (ٹیپو سلطان) of Mysore (reg. 1782-1799) (see Stewart, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Oriental Library of the Late Tippoo Sultan of Mysore. To which are Prefixed, Memoirs of Hyder Aly Khan, and his Son Tippoo Sultan [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1809], p. v)Condition: Minor insect damageMarginalia: Few by more than one handSeal: ff. 1r and 122v
The volume's correspondence and other papers document British officials' attempts to suppress the slave trade in the Gulf, and their procedures for dealing with liberated slaves. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Captain (James) Felix Jones), Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government in Bombay, and representatives of the Persian Gulf Squadron of the Indian Navy, primarily Commodore Griffith Jenkins, Commanding Officer of the Persian Gulf Squadron. Correspondence is grouped under subject numbers as follows:Subject no.1:Two reports on the slave trade in the Persian Gulf, written by the Residency Assistant Lieutenant Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, covering the period 1 January 1852 to 30 June 1859 (4 items, folios 3-67);2: Correspondence relating to two slaves taken kidnapped from a Sharjah boat by the Sheikh of Al Bidda (a town on the Qatar coast) the subsequent punishment of one-hundred dollars made against the Sheikh of Bahrain, who was held responsible for actions of the inhabitants of the Qatar coast, and dissent shown by the Sheikh of Bahrain towards British officials and representatives (8 items, folios 73-86a);3: Correspondence relating to a kidnapped Somali girl, and news of the departure of a Muscat boat from Keelwa [Kilwa], with fifty-four slaves on board (5 items, folios 89-96);4. Correspondence between Jones and the Honourable Company's Agent at Zanzibar, Captain Christopher Rigby, on the extent of the maritime slave trade between Zanzibar and the Persian Gulf, and the seizure of letters bound for Muscat from one slave boat, the contents of which describe the extent of the involvement of Muscat in the slave trade (7 items, folios 100-16);5: Correspondence relating to an incident in which a slave from Bahrain took refuge on the Persian Gulf Naval Squadron flagship, moored off the coast of the islands. Commodore Jenkins and Captain Jones held differing views of the incident, with the former wanting to recognise the absconded slave as free while the latter, conscious of the implications of freeing slaves under such circumstances, wished to send the slave back to Bahrain. The Advocate General of the Government of Bombay ruled in favour of Jones's proposed actions (4 items, folios 120-34);6: Correspondence concerning an Indian woman rescued from slavery in Turkish Arabia, and arrangements, in spite of her reluctance, to repatriate her to India (7 items, folios 138-45);7: Correspondence from 1861 related to an apparent change in the sea routes and ports where slaves were landed from Zanzibar, notably at Muculla [Al Makalla] (6 items, folios 149a-59);8: Letter relating to the arrival of Her Majesty's schooner
Mahiat Bushire, and news of three crew from a slave boat who have escaped Her Majesty's sloop
Falkland(1 item, folios 163-64);9: Correspondence relating to the capture of an Indian vessel flying Muscat colours, which was carrying a slave girl who had been purchased at Hodeida, and was being transported to Muscat (14 items, folios 168-91). Initial correspondence relates to the unseaworthy state of the captured boat, and the practicalities of sailing it to the nearest British Vice Admiralty Court (folios 168-69). Further correspondence between Jones and officials in the Government of India discuss whether the case is covered by existing treaties, owing to the fact that slaves could be legally exported from Hodeida (folio 185);10: Correspondence concerning the return to Bushire in 1857 of the Persian Commissioner for the Suppression of the Slave Trade, Meerza Mahmood Khan (9 items, folios 195-213). Later correspondence from 1861 refers to British concerns over Khan's mental health, and discussions over the need to find a suitable replacement.1 volume (237 folios)The contents of the volume have been divided into ten subjects, numbered 1 through to 10. Each subject has one or two types of cover pages, on which is written a description of its contents. The first of the two cover sheets are blue pieces of paper, many of which are folded sheets which entirely enclose the subject correspondence inside. These sheets have paper tabs on their outside edges, which have been damaged or torn over time. The second of these cover sheets, where they appear, are smaller sheets of white or blue paper, with the title written in ink and various pencil annotations, the meaning of which is unclear.Within each subject, the correspondence has been arranged in approximate chronological order, starting with the earliest items and finishing with the latest. Enclosures to letters are grouped together with the letters they were sent or received with.Foliation: Foliation starts on the front cover of the volume and continues until the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 1c, 33a-33m, 86a-86c, 97a, 97b, 117a, 117b, 135a, 135b, 147a, 147b, 149a, 149b, 161a, 161b, 166a, 166b, 209a, 209b, 212a, 212b. Folio 106 is a fold-out.
Arabic version of the
Conics(Κωνικά; كتاب المخروطات) by Apollonius of Perga (Ἀπολλώνιος; أبلونيوس; fl ca 200 BC). Originally in eight books, only Books 1 to 4 survive in the original Greek; Books 1 to 7 are preserved in Arabic. The edition is called
Taḥrīr makhrūṭāt(تحرير مخروطات), indicating that this is the edition (تحرير) by Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (d. 1274; see f. 181, line 5 and Sezgin,
Geschichte des arabischen Schrifttums, vol. 5, p. 141), based on the translation made for the Banū Mūsá (fl. 9th century; see f. 42r, line 9).This copy was completed in Ramaḍān 1198/July-August 1784 (see colophon on f. 204v, transcribed below), probably for Warren Hastings, Governor-General of Bengal from 1772-1785. The script, ornamentation and binding of the volume indicate that it is part of a set comprising manuscripts IO Islamic 923 and IO Islamic 1249.Contents:المقالة الأولى (Book 1; ff. 1v-42r);المقالة الثانية (Book 2; ff. 42r-67v);المقالة الثالثة (Book 3; ff. 67v-104v);المقالة الرابعة (Book 4; ff. 104v-121v);المقالة الخامسة (Book 5; ff. 121v-159v);المقالة السادسة (Book 6; ff. 159v-181v);المقالة السابعة (Book 7; ff. 181v-204v).The diagrams referred to in the text are found on fold outs placed near the end of each book (ff. 41r, 66r, 103r, 120r, 158r, 180r and 196r).There is an unfoliated blank leaf between ff. 195 and 196, and the text resumes with a basmallah on f. 197r after the diagrams on f. 196r, both of which features give the appearance that a new book begins on f. 197r. Since, however, there is no colophon at the end of the text on f. 195v and the colophon on fol. 204v (transcribed below) indicates the end of the Conics, the text on ff. 197r-204v is either a continuation of Book 7, basmallah notwithstanding, or a postscript.The colophon on f. 204v is followed by further geometrical proposition by the hand of the copyist. Its relation to the rest of the text is unclear.Between front papers i and ii are a fragment of the spine and loose leaf of paper bearing a brief note in Persian.Begins (f. 1v, lines 1-2):المقالة الأولى من كتاب أبلونيوس في المخروطات ستون شكلًاالخط الواصل من رأس المخروط وأيته نقط على بسيطه يقع على بسيطEnds (f. 204v, lines 1-2):مربعهما أعظم من فصل ما بين مربعي رح ومنتصبه ومبين أيضًا أن فصل ما بين مربعيي ط ومنتصبه أعظم من فصل ما بين مربعي ث خ ومنتصبه ...Colophon (f. 204v, lines 2-3):... تم المخروطات يست (؟) ويكم (؟)رمضان المبارك سنة 1198 هجري مقدسCodex; ff. vi+205+viii; one loose leaf at frontMaterial: PaperDimensions: 216 x 136 mm leaf [125 x 80 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil; there is an unfoliated leaf between ff. 195 and 196, so although the last foliated leaf is numbered 204, there are in fact 205 foliosRuling:
Misṭarah; 11 lines per page; vertical spacing 9 lines per 10 cmScript:
Nasta‘līqInk: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings in redDecoration: Every opening and every page has a border in gold, black and red ink; the first opening (ff. 1v-2r) is extensively illuminated in gold, red, green and blueBinding: Hybrid binding with European and Islamic-style features; gilt tooled; leather doublureCondition: Excellent condition; book block re-sewn, boards reattached and spine replacedMarginalia: Very few and all appear to be by the copyistSeals: Ff. 1r and 204v
Collection of unbound folios comprising four codicological units.Contents:(1) Abū al-Barakāt al-Baghdādī (أبو البركات البغدادي),
Risālah fī sabab ẓuhūr al-kawākib laylan wa-khafā’ihā nahāran(رسالة في سبب ظهور الكواكب ليلًا وخفائها نهارًا; ff. 1v-3v);(2) al-Ṭūsī (الطوسي), Treatise on heat (ff. 4v-7r);(3) al-‘Āmilī (العاملي),
Khulāṣat al-ḥisāb(خلاصة الحساب; f. 10v).The first two texts in this manuscript (ff. 1-7) form a single codicological unit, and previously were part (probably a single quire) of a larger collection as indicated by the Persian labels written before each text: 'Third treatise, three folios' (رساله سوم سه 3 ورق, f. 1r) and 'Fourth treatise, four folios' (رساله چهارم چهار 4 ورق, f. 4r).Folios 8-10 form a second codicological unit. Folios 8r-10r appear to be the front flyleaves of the volume of which f. 10v is the first page of text, and they (ff. 8r-10r) contain assorted notes in Arabic and Persian with diagrams.Unfoliated leaves i and ii came from a further two volumes, and contain notes in Arabic and Persian. Unfoliated leaf i-v contains what appears to be the fragmentary beginning of a text, while unfoliated leaf ii-r contains the fragmentary ending of another.This entire collection of unbound folios was wrapped in a single printed quarto sheet with the title 'Act No. XIV. Of 1850. Passed by the Governor General of India in Council on the 22nd March, 1850' (Calcutta: Bengal Military Orphan Press, 1850).Codex [without binding]; ff. 10+iiMaterial: Eastern laid paperDimensions: 230 x 145 mm leaf [150 x 80 mm written] (ff. 1-7) / 220 x 135 mm leaf [130 x 80 mm written (f. 10v)] (ff. 8-10) / 203 x 130 leaf [143 x 100 written (i-v)] (i) / 230 x 123 mm leaf [150 x 50 written (ii-r)] (ii)Foliation: Eastern Arabic foliation in black ink (each text foliated separately); India Office Library foliation stamped in black inkRuling: No ruling visible; 17 lines per page; vertical spacing 12 lines per 10 cm (ff. 1-7) / vertical spacing 7 lines per 10 cm (f. 10v) / vertical spacing 10 lines per 10 cm (i-v) / vertical spacing 12 lines per 10 cm [extrapolated] (ii-r)Script: NaskhInk: BlackBinding: NoneCondition: Insect damage; binding and all stitching lost; of the main folios, ff. 6-5 and 8-9 are the only intact bifolia. Many historic repairs removed during conservation now stored separately with volumeMarginalia: On flyleaves only (i.e. ff. 8r, 8v, 9r, 9v, 10r, i-r, ii-r and ii-v)Seals: ff. 1r, 7v, 8r, flyleaf i-r
This is a correspondence file about the operation and impact of the quota system and export licensing restrictions that were imposed by the Government of India, on the supply of Indian tea (and to a lesser extent the supply of coffee) to Bahrain and also to Eastern Saudi Arabia and Qatar, during the Second World War (1939-1945). The main official correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain; the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain; the Food Controller, Bahrain; the Tea Controller for India, Calcutta; and other Government of India officials in the Departments of Commerce and External Affairs. Included in the file are various circular lists that give the names of Indian tea exporters and Bahrain tea importers, such as the monthly list of India tea quota allotments prepared by the Political Agent, Bahrain and similar lists, complied by the Director of Customs and Port Officer and the Food Controller on behalf of the Government of Bahrain.The file also contains merchants' correspondence between: Indian tea exporters and Bahrain tea importers about their shipping consignments; the Chairman of the Persian Gulf States Pool (an association of Indian tea exporters) and the Political Agent, Bahrain about the distribution of tea quotas among members of the Pool; Bahrain tea importers and the Political Agent, Bahrain about Indian tea importations allowed to be landed at Bahrain under the Government of India quota system.1 file (223 folios)File papers are arranged more or less chronologicallyFoliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 225; 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 incomplete foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 93-204; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. Pagination: the file notes at the back of the file (ff 204-224) are paginated in pencil. The original front file cover, containing the original file title and file reference number, is missing.
Correspondence file containing a narrative of the events of the War with Persia (1856-1857) from the perspective of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Captain (James) Felix Jones, and his assistant Lieutenant Herbert Frederick Disbrowe.Also contained within the file are copies of correspondence between Captain Jones; Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, Her British Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia; and Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government of Bombay regarding an escalation of incidents on the Persian Coast and at sea during 1860 and 1861.1 file, 2 items (126 folios)The contents of the file have been arranged chronologically, with enclosures to letters being placed after the letter they are enclosed with.Foliation: The foliation sequence in use consists of a pencil number enclosed in a circle, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 125.Pagination: There is also a former pagination sequence which consists of numbers written in pencil, in the top right corners of the rectos and in the top left corners of the versos. It begins on the first page of writing, on number 5, and ends about halfway through the file, on number 121.
Correspondence and papers relating to the Persian Government’s decision in 1935 to change the name of the country from Persia to Iran, and of the changes throughout the 1930s to the names of numerous provinces, towns and cities across the country. The papers include: translated copies of memoranda from the Persian Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announcing various name changes (some of which include place names written in Persian); correspondence amongst British officials over the implications of the changes, particularly that of Persia to Iran, for British interests such as the Anglo-Persian Oil Company; British Government instructions to replace Persia for Iran in maps and correspondence; the use of the term ‘Iranian Gulf’ in place of ‘Persian Gulf’ by some organisations, and instruction from British officials that the term ‘Persian Gulf’ should be reinstated; notification of name changes sent by the Foreign Office to the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (care of the Royal Geographical Society).1 file (155 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 156; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain and the British Political Resident at Bushire, as well as Sheikh ‘Isā bin ‘Alī Āl Khalifah, ruler of Bahrain, and Sheikh Qāsim bin Mahzā’, Qāḍī of Bahrain.The correspondence concerns the anti-British revolt of the Tangsiri and Qashqai tribes, headed by Ra’īs ‘Alī Dalvārī under the influence of Wilhelm Wassmuss, and the aftermath of their attack on the British Residency at Bushire on 12 July 1915. Included within the correspondence are: letters concerning the occupation of the town of Bushire, British counter-raids and the death of Ra’īs ‘Alī Delvārī; the imposition of a blockade on Tangsiri boats operating in the Persian Gulf; statements and customs papers (Acquit de Sortie and Permis de Cabotage) from various Bahraini and Persian
nākhudās (dhow boat captains) gathered by the Political Agent; the arrest and detention of Yūsuf Fakhrū on suspicion of political dealings with Germany; attacks against British diplomatic missions and residents in Persia, including Shiraz and Isfahan; and information concerning German activities in Persia during the First World War.1 file (203 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: Foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. It begins with the first item of correspondence, on number 2, and runs through to 201, ending on the inside of the back cover of the volume.
A confidential report on the Persian region of Seistan [Sistan]. The report was compiled by Captain Edward Abadie Plunkett, 1st Battalion (Lincoln Regiment), in the Intelligence Branch, Quarter-Master General's Department. The report was printed at the Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta, India, 1903.The report contains information on geography, canal systems, communications, routes, climate, resources, ethnography, administration, agriculture, and local dialect. Included within the volume are the following:District tables for Miankangi, Pusht-I-Ab, Mahal-I-Nahrui, Mahal-I-Sharaki, and Sheb-I-Ab, with statistics on numbers of houses, ploughs, horses, oxen, sheep and goats, camels, and donkeys for each village in each district (folios 7-28)Genealogical tables for the various tribes in the region (folios 34-39)Vocabulary and useful phrases in the local dialect (folios 42-45)A map showing the cultivated areas of the region (folio 69).Part II of the report is a gazetteer (folios 46-65).1 volume (67 folios)Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 68; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Justin Sheil refers to Samuel Hennell's despatch of 14 August 1850, which included a letter from Hajee Mahomed Jaffer and an istishad nameh, regarding the Agent at Shiraz [Mirza Mahmood]. Sheil argues that the istishad nameh is valueless and that Hajee Mahomed Jaffer's letter is far from conclusive. Sheil goes on to describe his reservations about Hajee Mahomed Jaffer's letter, concerning the origins of a gold watch that was recently sold by the Agent. Sheil argues that it is an impossibility that the gold watch that Hajee Mahomed Jaffer bought from Moolla Mehdee could have been sold by the Agent to Meerza Abdul Baukee, as the watch was recognised by Her Majesty's Consul in Tehran, when brought to him for sale, as being the very peculiar gold watch that was purchased by Mr Tasker. The letter is followed by two extracts, written in Persian and taken from two letters from the Agent, Meerza Mahmood, to Sheil, dated 29 August and 2 December 1848 respectively.5 folios
This volume contains correspondence and contractual agreements signed between 1924 and 1926 on oil exploration and export rights in Kuwait, and to a lesser extent, other Gulf territories. The correspondence is primarily between the Anglo-Persian Oil Company based in Abadan, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent in Kuwait, the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited, and the Ruler of Kuwait. The file contains one foldout map of Kuwait's territory drawn for oil exploration at folio 157. The file contains Arabic documents that are primarily letters to the Ruler of Kuwait from the Political Agent in Kuwait, as well as a multi-language pamphlet outlining the history of the Anglo Persian Oil Company in French, Persian, and English.1 Volume (379 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 381; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.