Papers concerning the issue of licenses and visas for Persian and Indian lorry drivers operating between Duzdap [Zahedan] in the East Persian province of Sistan, and Nok Kundi in British Baluchistan [in present-day Pakistan]. The licenses were issued by the Governments of Persia [Iran] and India.The correspondence includes: reports of social unrest in the border region between Persia and British Baluchistan from 1934 to 1936; the Persian military’s commandeering of lorries driven by Indians for the purposes of transporting Persian troops and provisions; reports of the ‘ill-treatment’ of some Indian drivers by the Persian military; compensation claims made by the British Government against the Persian Government, on behalf of Indian drivers who were injured or killed while driving through dangerous areas; discussion between the British and Persian Governments about the Anglo-Persian Treaty of 1857, and the entitlement of British subjects in Persia to ‘most-favoured nation treatment’.The file’s principal correspondents include: HM’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Tehran, Reginald Hervey Hoare, Hughe Montgomery Knatchbull-Hugesson; the British Consul at Sistan and Kain [Ka’īn], Clive Kirkpatrick Daly; the Foreign Department of the Government of India; the Governor General and Chief Commissioner in Baluchistan.The file contains several items of correspondence and newspaper cuttings in French, and a single item in Persian.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 (212 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 213; 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 A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Two medical treatises.Contents:(1) Ibn Abī Ṣādiq al-Nīsābūrī (ابن أبي صادق النيسابوري),
Sharḥ Fuṣūl Abuqrāṭ(شرح فصول أبقراط, ff. 2v-177r);(2) Avicenna (ابن سينا),
Kitāb fī-dafʿ al-maḍarr al-kullīyah li-l-abdān al-insānīyah(كتاب في دفع المضار الكلية للأبدان الإنسانية, ff. 178v-208v).Folios 2-9 and 208 are replacements added later.Codex; ff. i+208+iMaterial: Ff. 2-9 are Western laid paper with a 'Tre lune' watermark; ff. 10-207 are Eastern laid paper; f. 208 is Western laid paperDimensions: 244 x 135 mm leaf [170 x 90 mm written, written area different on ff. 2-9 and 208]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencilRuling: No ruling visible; 17 lines per page; vertical spacing 10 lines per 10 cm (different ruling on ff. 2-9 and 208)Script:
Naskh; the scribe is Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir Qurashī (شيخ عبد القادر قرشي, see f. 177r, lines 6-8)Ink: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings in redDecoration: NoneBinding: Red leather binding without flap, medallion and pendants gold-tooled, borders blind-tooledCondition: Tidemarks worse towards front of volume; ff. 135-208 mutilated and repaired worse towards back of volumeMarginalia: Very few (see f. 122r)Seal: f. 177v
This file consists largely of correspondence concerning stationery supplied to the Political Agency, Bahrain. Items ordered include rubber stamps, notepaper, envelopes, and printed forms. Much of the correspondence relates to the details of orders and the granting of export permits (from the Government of India) for those orders. Correspondents include the following: the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Secretary to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Officer, Trucial Coast, Sharjah; the Times Printing and Publishing Company Ltd; Thacker and Company, Bombay (booksellers, publishers, stationers and printers); the British Consulate, Khorramshahr; Gale and Polden Limited (printers, publishers and stationers).In addition to correspondence the file includes two folders (requested from Gale and Polden by the Political Agent) of specimens of Christmas cards produced for embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic missions, as well as colonial protectorates. In a letter, dated 2 June 1949 and addressed to the Christmas Card Manager at Gale and Polden (folio 105), the Political Agent requests 200 Christmas cards, similar in style to the card for the British Embassy, Washington DC, which features in one of the specimen folders. The file contains a photograph (and its negative) of the Political Agency, Bahrain. In the aforementioned letter, the Political Agent specifies that this photograph should be included on the Christmas card.1 file (185 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume. Circled serial numbers (red for received correspondence; blue/black for issued correspondence) refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the volume.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 187; 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 2-66; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file contains correspondence about local affairs in Trucial Oman. These mainly focus on the hostile relations between the Shaikhs of Trucial Oman, and the involvement of some rulers in the restriction of local activities. The file also contains reports sent between the Bahrain Agency, the Sharjah Residency and the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf when any trouble, meeting or peace agreement took place between the local rulers. The reports focused on demands for reforms raised by locals, notables and merchants. These were asking for various reforms including budget, education, health and sanitation, peace and order, removal of all sorts of corruption in the various departments, and the grant of justice and freedom to the inhabitants in trade and other crafts.The representatives of the British Government in the Gulf raised their concerns to the Shaikhs of Trucial Oman regarding the safety of British subjects, and employees. The file also contains petitions raised by the notables and merchants of Iranian and Indian communities living in Trucial Oman to the British authorities. These were also concerned about their own safety.The main correspondence is between the Residency Agent in Sharjah, the Political Agent in Bahrain, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the British Agency in Trucial Oman, as well as the various Shaikhs of Trucial Oman including Shaikh Said bin Maktum, Ruler of Dubai and Shaikh Sultan bin Salim, Ruler of Ras al-Khaimah.1 file (261 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 263; 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 2-238; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The file contains letters mainly received by the Resident in the Persian Gulf regarding Persia and the Persian coast of the Gulf, from the Secretaries to the Government at Bombay Castle. There are also two documents which become part of the file at a later stage, in 1856; they were both proclamations by the Political Agent with the Field Force and Resident in the Persian Gulf at the time, Felix Jones.The subjects of the file include: the British occupation of Bushire and the Island of Kharg; opium trade (including copies of earlier documents); employment and career progression of native servants; the Battle of Alma.1 file, 6 items (51 folios)Foliation: the foliation is written in pencil, circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The numbering begins on the first page, on number 1, and runs through to 51, ending on the final page.
The file contains case correspondence, including several witness statements and a few Kuwait Political Agency court proceedings, relating to the investigation and prosecution of several criminal offences. These are mainly cases of assault and theft committed in Kuwait against Indian and Persian foreign residents and reported by the victims to the Political Agent. Both the perpetrators and victims of these crimes include Government of India staff employed at the Kuwait Political Agency and the Kuwait Post Office. The main correspondents are Major James Carmichale More, Political Agent, Kuwait and Shaikh Salim ab-Subah [Āl Ṣabāḥ, Shaikh Sālim bin Mubārak], Emir of Kuwait, whose letter exchanges are in Arabic, together with English translations. Some of the petitions and letters of complaint submitted by the victims to the Political Agent, are written in Arabic and in a very few cases, in Persian.1 file (209 folios)Files papers are arranged more or less chronologically.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 211; 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 1-210; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file comprises correspondence concerning three cases involving dhows, as follows:correspondence relating to a collision between a Bahrain-registered dhow and an Anglo-Iranian Oil Company tug at Khorramshahr in November 1943. Much of the follow-up correspondence concerns the seizure by the Iranian authorities of passports belonging to two Bahrainis who travelled to Khorramshahr to assist in affairs following the collision, and the Bahrain authorities’ efforts to have the passports returned. Principal correspondents in the case include: the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Tom Hickinbotham); the British Consul at Khorramshahr; the Adviser to the Bahrain Government (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave) (ff 2-15);correspondence dated 1944 relating to an enquiry made by an Indian company, Kanayalal Deepchand Hinduja, seeking the whereabouts of their vessel, the
Fathel Rahman, missing while travelling from Bombay to Basra, with the Political Agent at Bahrain reporting, after enquiries made with the Customs Director at Bahrain and the Residency Agent at Sharjah, that nothing is known of the vessel (ff 16-21);correspondence dated June 1949 relating to an incident taking place off the coast of Sharjah/Dubai, in which a dhow engine caught fire, resulting in the death of one crew member and the injury of another, the latter taken on board HMS
Flamingofor medical care. The principal correspondent in this case is the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf (Captain P Skelton) (ff 22-27).1 file (28 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 file notes at the end of the file (ff 28-29) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 30; 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 2-20; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Memoranda, statements, forms and other papers relating to military pension payments from the Bahrain Treasury, including to former employees of the State Police in Bahrain. The principal correspondents include: the Political Agent in Bahrain (Captain Charles Geoffrey Prior; Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); the Controllers (or Deputy Controllers) of Military Pension Accounts (CMPA) in various administrative districts of British India (Southern and Western Command, Mhow; Lahore).Papers in the file include:correspondence relating to arrangements for the recording of depositions by pensions who have stopped receiving their pension payments;CMPA objection statements, detailing the particulars of the CMPA objections over pension payments, audit remarks, replies, and audit decisions. The forms are printed with instructions (ff 23-25, ff 48-50, ff 80-82, ff 115-117);printed payment sheets for ‘Indian Military, Family and Uncovenanted Pensions’ (ff 29-32);circular memoranda from CMPAs, concerning various aspects of pension payments, such as procedure, policy, overpayments, pay increases.The file includes two telegraphic messages written in Persian.1 file (187 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 file notes at the end of the file (ff 187-188) refer to only a small portion of correspondence in the file, dated 1933-1934.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 189; 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 3-187; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file contains correspondence in the form of petitions and letters. The petitions were raised by locals of different ethnic and religious backgrounds in Bahrain to the Political Agency, Bahrain. The petitions were in the form of claims against members of Al-Khalifa family. In order to avoid dealing with the claims at court, the Political Agent passed the claims directly to the family member concerned so that they could sort out the claims with the petitions outside court.The correspondence in the file is mostly in Arabic. Folios 31-32 are file notes.1 file (31 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 33; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 4-29, and ff 30-32; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file contains letters received by Major Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire.The majority of letters are naval patrol reports submitted to the Resident by the following British officers in the Persian Gulf Squadron of the Indian Navy: Captain William Lowe, Commodore Thomas Grere Carless and Lieutenant Alan Hyde Gardner, all reporting from the Honourable Company (HC) sloop of war
Elphinstoneand Commodore John Croft Hawkins, reporting from the HC sloop of war
Clive. There is also a naval patrol report made by Lieutenant James Rennie, commanding the HC schooner
Constance, to Commodore Thomas Grere Carless, commanding the Persian Gulf Squadron.The naval patrol reports describe the state of relations between the Arab Chiefs of the Trucial Coast Sheikhdoms and any violations of the Maritime Truce, based on observation, enquiry, meetings and other communications while on patrol along the Arabian and Persian coasts of the Persian Gulf.The file also contains letters received from Lieutenant Colonel Francis Farrant, British Chargé d’Affaires at the Court of the Shah of Persia, Tehran regarding Persian affairs. This correspondence includes Persian transcripts of two firmans (royal decrees) issued by the Shah of Persia to the Governors of Fars and Persian Arabia respectively, prohibiting any future importation by sea of African slaves into Persia.1 file (51 folios)The letters are arranged more or less chronologically. Most letters are either followed by copies or extracts from earlier letters that were enclosed with them.Foliation: the contents are numbered 2 to 51, from the front to the back of the file. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled. The front cover of the file is numbered 1. The inside of the back cover is numbered 52. This is the main numbering system and should be used for referencing this file.As a result of earlier, mainly foliation sequences, the contents are also numbered in the range 2 to 346, with many gaps, from the front to the back of the file. The numbering is written in ink, usually on the recto only, in the top right corner.Condition: imperfections in the margins and along the outer edges of many folios have caused a slight loss of the text of some documents.
The volume contains a collection of biographies of 'noteworthy persons' within the political jurisdiction of the Residency in the Persian Gulf. There is some limited correspondence related to the collection of this information, which includes applications made by Edward Charles Ross, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, to the following:Samuel Barrett Miles, Political Agent and Consul at Muscat.L Gabler, Deputy Director of the Persian Gulf Telegraphs/in Political Charge of the Gwadur [Gwādar] Agency.The Residency Agent, Bahrain.The majority of the biographies have been submitted via standardised forms with entries for the following; name, father, wife, tribe, residence, and children. Each entry has a biographical history for each subject, while some have both an entry in Arabic, and an entry in English (i.e. a translation). At the back of the volume is a single entry in Persian. The returns for Oman — supplied by the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat — do not follow this format, and are instead supplied as manuscript biographical histories.The entries are arranged into sections. The first section is not labelled, but may represent the returns from Gwadur. The remaining biographies fall under the following sections:Unlabelled section.Office Copies - Busrah [Basra].Office Copies - Bahrein [Bahrain].Office Copies - Coast of Fars.Office Copies sent to the Foreign Office.For Office Record.It is noted that the biographical information from the Deputy Director of Persian Gulf Telegraphs (i.e. Gwadur) was compiled by Mr McDonall.1 volume (430 folios)The biographies are arranged by the region they were returned from, while other copies are arranged by their intended destination/use. These sections are ordered as follows:Unlabelled section.Office Copies - Busrah [Basra].Office Copies - Bahrein [Bahrain].Office Copies - Coast of Fars.Office Copies sent to the Foreign Office.For Office Record.The very first section is not labelled, but possibly represents the returns from Gwadur [Gwādar].Correspondence related to the collection of this information is interspersed throughout the file, though it is primarily located at the front and back of the volume.Condition: A large number of folios have suffered from minor pest and water damage. As a result, some of the folios are very fragile, and some of the text has also been obscured, which can result in difficulties interpreting affected text.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The volume contains the following foliation corrections; f 69, and f 69A; f 71, and f 71A.
The file contains correspondence and notes regarding the employment of British nationals by the Government of Afghanistan. It predominantly documents the employment of civil aviation instructors from Hawker Aircraft Limited and Rolls Royce Limited to provide training to the Afghan Air Force. This includes the process of recruiting the instructors, negotiating their terms and conditions, drafting their contracts, renewing their contracts, replacement of staff, and issues arising during the course of their employment. A number of draft contracts can be found within – in some cases both English and Persian language versions of the contract are included.The instructors are employed in connection with the purchase of eight Hawker Hind aircraft in 1937, and correspondence relating to this purchase can also be found within the file. There is also some discussion surrounding the question of policy regarding the employment of British nationals in Afghanistan.The majority of the correspondence is between officials of the Foreign Office (Laurence Collier), the India Office (predominantly Horace Algernon Fraser Rumbold and George Edmond Crombie), HM Minister at Kabul (William Kerr Fraser-Tytler), and the British companies concerned. However, contributions from officials of the Air Ministry, the Afghan Legation in London, and officials of the Government of India have also been filed within.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 (596 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 596; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The file has one foliation anomaly, f 464A.
Correspondence, statements and other papers relating to incidents of theft occurring at the Political Agency:in June 1933, the theft of money from drawers in an Agency office (ff 2-9);in March 1934, another incident of money stolen from Agency cash boxes (ff 10-11);in August 1937, an incident of theft from the servants’ quarters at the Agency (ff 12-17). Copies of statements and other papers relating to the case can also be found in ‘File 16/38-II Miscellaneous: Notes and orders’ (IOR/R/15/2/1546);in 1944, the discovery of a broken plate, the pattern of which matched china missing and presumed stolen during transit from the Political Residency (ff 19-23);in November 1947, the theft of money (900 Indian rupees) from a cupboard in an Agency office (ff 24-28).Some of the file’s papers are written in Persian.1 file (29 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 file notes at the end of the file (ff 29-30) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 31; 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 2-26; these numbers are also written in pencil. Some numbers in the previous foliation sequence are also circled, and have been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The file concerns Persian claims to Bahrain (also spelled Bahrein).The correspondence is mainly between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent, Bahrain. Other correspondents include the British Consular Agent, Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh], and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave). Enclosures to correspondence from the Political Resident include copies of correspondence from senior officials in the Foreign Office, the Government of India, the Colonial Office and the India Office, and other British officials in the region, including HBM's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia, Tehran (Sir Percy Lyham Loraine), the High Commissioner, Baghdad (Major-General Sir Percy Zachariah Cox), and the Consul at Shiraz (Herbert George Chick).The main topics covered in the papers are:reports by the Political Agent and Political Resident;discussion of the issue by the British Government and Government of India;the nature of the claims made by the Persian Government and the question of the British response to those claims;the issuing by the Persian authorities of passports and passes (
Ilm-o-Khabar) for Bahrain as though it were an inland port of Persia;use of British certificates of identity;anti-British agitation in Bahrain and support for a return to Persian rule;the need for the British Passport Office to make it clear to persons wishing to travel to Bahrain that they did not need a visa from the Persian Legation, London (folios 24-26);support for the Persian claim to Bahrain in the Persian press;proposal to give Bahrain the right to return a member to the Persian Madjliss [majlis] (folio 52);the question of British jurisdiction in Bahrain over foreigners;the history of Persian claims to sovereignty over Bahrain, including analysis of records held by the Government of India;attitude of the Bahrain ruling family;the treatment of Bahraini subjects in Persia, and the question of the protection of their interests by the British.The Arabic and Persian language content of the file consists of approximately ten letters, newspaper cuttings and associated items.1 volume (341 folios)The papers are filed in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file, except where enclosures of an earlier date are filed after the relevant covering letter.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; 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 100-111; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. A third foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 7-116; these numbers are written in blue crayon, are circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The correspondence book consists of translations and substances of letters, with enclosures, addressed to Captain David Wilson, British Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, Mirza Hadayat Ullah [Mīrzā Hidāyatullāh] and Captain Samuel Hennell. The dates of the letters are given using the Gregorian calendar, but also the Hijri calendar (for example, folio 44r). Some of the letters include enclosures (for example, folios 3v and 15v). The originals are not present in the volume, but there are two notes in Persian (folios 30 and 42).The letters are sent from British Native Agents in the Persian Gulf and Persia, including:Asso [Asu], Agent at Buhrein [Bahrain] (folios 2r, 4r, 13v, 21v, 25r, 29r, 37v, 42r, 45v, 46v, 53v, 54r, 56v, 57r, 59r, 69r, 72r, 74v, 76r, 77v, 83r, 89r);Goolab [Gulab Anandas], Agent at Muscat (folios 2r, 2v, 13r, 24v, 33r, 42r, 52v, 53r, 56r, 68v, 69v, 70r, 71v, 74r, 75r, 81v, 86v, 88v);Mirza Ally Akbar [Mīrzā ‘Alī Akbār], Agent at Shiraz (folios 4v, 14r, 17r, 17v, 19r, 19v, 23r, 28v, 29v, 34r, 35r, 36r, 41r, 42v, 45r, 51v, 52r, 55r, 57v, 60r, 70r, 76v, 86r, 87r, 87v);Moullah Salh [Ṣāliḥ], Agent at Mogoo [Moguyeh] (folios 5r, 5v, 12r, 24v, 29r, 32r, 33r, 36v, 38v. 40v, 50v, 54r, 57v, 58v, 63r, 76v, 77v);Moullah Houssein [Mullā Ḥusayn], Agent at Sharjah (folios 7r, 10r, 18v, 20v, 25v, 28r, 38r, 38v, 40v, 49v, 50v, 58r, 60v, 61r, 62r, 63r, 66r, 67r, 68v, 70v, 72v, 74r, 78r, 81v, 84r, 88r);Hajee Meer Baker [Ḥājjī Mīr Bakr], Agent at Isfahan (folios 21r, 32r, 32v, 34v, 35v, 54v);Hajee Salih [Ḥājjī Ṣāliḥ], Agent at Lingah (folios 46v, 64r, 69r, 86v, 87r, 88r).And local rulers, officials, notables and rulers on both littorals of the Persian Gulf:Juleel Mirza [Jalīl Mīrzā] (folios 14r, 22v, 42v);H R H the Prince of Fars [Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mīrzā Farmānfarmā] (folios 14r, 22r, 59v, 60v);Mahomed Ally [Muḥammad ‘Alī Khān] Wauzeer [Wazīr] of Fars (folios 15r, 22r, 33v, 58r);Eel [?] Khan (folios 19v, 34r, 60r);Shaik Sooltan bin Suggur [Sulṭān bin Ṣaqr Āl Qāsimī], ruler of Sharjah (folios 22r, 26v, 39r, 40r, 48r, 49r, 55v, 62v, 67v, 82v, 87v);Shaik Tahnoon [Ṭaḥanūn bin Shakhbūṭ Āl Nahyān], ruler of Abu Dhabi (folios 26v, 38r, 48v, 73v, 84r);Shaik Rashed bin Humeed [Rāshid bin Ḥumayd Āl Nu‘aymī], chief of Ejman [Ajman] (folios 27r, 39r, 47v, 63v, 68v);Shaik Abdoolah bin Ahmed [‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], chief of Bahrein [Bahrain] (folios 45v, 75v, 87v);Mahomed bin Quzeeb [Muḥammad bin Qaḍīb?], Shaik of Lingah (folio 46r);Shaik Salih bin Suggur [Ṣāliḥ bin Ṣaqr] (folios 49r, 73v, 87v);Jabir [Jābir bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Ṣabāḥ], Shaikh of Grain [al-Qurayn?], Kuwait (folios 51, 64v);Shaik Abdool Russool [‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān], Shaikh of Bushire (folios 65r, 65v, 79r, 80r);His Royal Highness the Imaum [Imam of Muscat, Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd] (folios 69v, 77r);Abdoulla bin Rashid [‘Abdullāh bin Rāshid Āl Mu‘allā], Shaik of Umulgavine [Umm al-Qaywayn] (folio 72v).Topics and themes of the correspondence include: British relations with Persia, the Imam of Muscat and rulers on the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf; relations and conflicts between local rulers; the arrival and departure of ships; trade and piracy; maintaining the Maritime Peace; petitions and claims; slavery; and issues concerning the work of the native agents and instructions sent to them by the Residency.1 volume (96 folios)The correspondence is arranged in approximate chronological order.Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence runs between ff 2-11; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio. A third (original) foliation sequence appears uncircled at the top folio 9v, starting at number 24 and continuing on the recto and verso of each folio to number 189 on folio 89v.Physical Conditon: Insect damage, water damage and tears causing missing text on folios 2-58 and 83-89.
The volume comprises three distinct manuscripts (ff. 1v-63r, 63v-67r and 68r-135r).Contents:(1) Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (نصير الدين الطوسي),
Taḥrīr al-Majisṭī(تحرير المجسطي ; ff. 1v-63r);(2) Menelaus of Alexandria (مانالاوس),
Fī ashkāl al-kurīyah(في أشكال الكرية; ff. 63v-67r);(3) Ulugh Beg (ألغ بيك),
Zīj-i Ulugh Beg(زيج ألغبيك; ff. 68r-135r).Codex; ff. v+135+4Material: PaperDimensions: 235 x 160 mm leaf [180 x 115 mm written ff. 1v-63r; entire writing surface used ff. 63v-67v; 180 x 132 mm written ff. 68v-135v]Foliation: British Library foliation in pencil; previous foliation in Arabic-Indic numerals, black ink, visible on some foliosRuling:
Misṭarah; 32 lines per page ff. 1v-63r, approximately 60 lines per page ff. 63v-67v, 33 lines per page ff. 68v-135v; vertical spacing 18 lines per 10 cm ff. 1v-63r, 27 lines per 10 cm ff. 63v-67v, 16 lines per 10 cm ff. 68v-135vScript:
Naskh; the scribe of Item 1 (ff. 1v-63r) is Ḥamzah ibn ‘Alī ibn Ḥamzah al-Qazwīnī al-Bayhaqī, known as Sa‘d al-Khurāsānī (حمزة بن على بن حمزة القزويني البيهقي المشهور بسعد الخراساني; see colophon on f. 62r)Ink: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings, diagrams and table borders in redBinding: India Office binding with guardsCondition: Badly worm eaten; all folios removed from quires, protected with silk and mounted on guards; one folios is missing after folio 32Marginalia: Numerous and mostly in hand of scribeSeals: Ff. 1r, 68r, 105r, 106r and 135v
This file includes correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent at Muscat. There are also correspondence with Walter Beaupré Townley, Minister to Persia; Muhammad Amin Beg [Muḥammad Amīn Beg], the Turk; the Commissioner of Sind, Karachi; Edward Gelson Gregson, Superintendent of Police, Karachi.The file consists of three sections of correspondence:Folios 3-37 concern Persian representation at Muscat raised by the Governor of Bushire following a report of an attack on a Persian shopkeeper at Muscat in
Habl ul Matin [Ḥabl al-Matin] in 1914-1915;Folios 39-56 concern issues to do with the uprising and the Treaty of Seeb [Sīb], 1920, and includes a 'Brief survey of causes and history of the rebellion of the Oman tribes under the leadership of their elected Imam Sheikh Salim bin Rashid-al-Kharusi [Salīm bin Rāshid al-Kharūṣī] till 1915'Folios 58-115 concern Ottoman Turkish subjects, among them Muhammad Amin Beg, in Muscat and their possible influence on the Sayyid Taymūr bin Fayṣal Āl Bū Sa‘īd, the Sultan of Muscat, and includes 'List of Turks who are new, or were until recently, resident in Mascat (f 75-76) and extracts from Karachi intelligence Diary' 19 and 20 September 1914.1 file (119 folios)Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the final folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Three other incomplete foliation sequences run alongside the main sequence between ff. 1-37, ff 39-56 and ff 58-117; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. Fold out folios: 74-75, 87-88.
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.
This file consists of letters written and received by James Felix Jones, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire. Aside from Jones, the two most prominent correspondents are Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government of Bombay, and Commodore Griffith Jenkins, Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf. Other correspondents include: Henry Young, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay; Cecil Beadon, Secretary to the Government of India, Fort William; and George Frederick Edmonstone, Secretary to the Government of India, Allahabad.The two main subjects of this file are the condition of the naval station at Bassidore [Bāsaʻīdū] and Britain's assumption of the sovereignty of India. The letters received from Griffith Jenkins are primarily concerned with the status of the naval station at Bassidore. In one of his letters to Jones (ff 5-8), dated 18 March 1858, Griffith Jenkins remarks on the total inefficiency of the naval establishment at Bassidore and solicits Jones's aid in presenting this issue to the Government so that arrangements can be made for its repair. The file includes a letter to Griffith Jenkins from a committee which has been appointed to report on the condition of the public buildings at Bassidore. This letter (ff 28-33), dated 18 March 1859, submits the committee's report on the condition of the port, the water tanks, the storehouses, the houses for liberated slaves, the smithy, the hospital and the sepoys' quarters at Bassidore.In his letters to Henry Lacon Anderson, Jones discusses the distribution of the ships of the Indian Naval Squadron and expresses his opinion on whether it is advisable for British subjects to engage in pearl fishing in the Persian Gulf.Jones's correspondence with Henry Young concerns the dissemination throughout the Gulf of copies of Her Majesty's proclamation on Britain's assumption of the sovereignty of India. Included with the received letters from India are printed extracts from the Government of India Act (1858) (ff 54-62), as well as translations of the aforementioned proclamation in Persian (handwritten, ff 43-46), Arabic (printed, f 48) and English (printed, ff 63-64).Further items on this subject include letters, both in Arabic (it is not clear whether the letters in Arabic are originals or transcriptions) and in English, from the Imam of Muscat, Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘id Āl Bū Sa‘īd, to Felix Jones (see ff 74-77 and f 80), in which Jones is informed that Her Majesty's assumption of the sovereignty of India was marked with the decoration and illumination of Muscat for three successive nights. In addition, there is a copy of a letter to the Resident which is written in Persian (ff 78v-79, name of correspondent unclear). These items are followed by translated purports of letters from the British Agents at Muscat and Sharjah (Khojeh Hiskale and Hajee Yacoob – see f 81 and ff 84-85 respectively), which convey the acknowledgements of the Imam of Muscat and other local rulers.1 volume (94 folios)For the most part, the letters in this file have been arranged in chronological order, proceeding from 25 February 1858 to 24 December 1859.Foliation: This file has a foliation sequence, which is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio of writing, on number 1, and ends on the final folio before the back cover, on number 96. This is the sequence that has been used to reference items within the file.
The majority of correspondence in the file consists of miscellaneous letters and instructions, with enclosures, in Arabic and English, between 9 February 1884 to 24 February 1914, from the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire and ‘Abd al-Qāsim, Khān Bahādur ‘Abd al-Laṭīf bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān and ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, Residency Agents on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah. There are also letters from Messrs A & T J Malcolm & Company (f. 9) and the Residency Agent at Lingah (f. 49). Enclosures typically include copies and originals of letters to and from various Persian Gulf rulers (for example, ff. 69, 70-77) and from British native agents at Bahrain and Lingah (for example, f. 151). Also included within the file are copies of responses from the Residency Agent to the Political Residency (for example, f. 67) and list of claims of various residents of Abu Dhabi (ff. 78-87).The Arabic and Persian text of the letters is handwritten and appears on the left hand of the folio, while the English text occasionally appears typed (for example, ff. 191-192). Some letters have strips of paper attached to them indicating the subject of the letter (for example, ff. 141-144), while on the recto side of some folios the subject of the letter is written in Arabic in pencil or pen (for example, f. 26v). The letters are numbered according to the year, for example, ‘No 389 of 1886’ (f. 107), although some letters appear unnumbered (for example, f. 171).The correspondence within the file deals generally with commercial and consular matters and the relations of the rulers of the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms with one another and the British. Subjects covered within the file include: the islands of Dalmā, Sīrī, Sir Bu Neir [Ṣīr Bū Nu‘ayr] and Abū Mūsá and red oxide mines; the status and claims of British Indian subjects (
banyans) in the Persian Gulf; pearl diving matters and cases of absconding divers; relations between Aḥmad bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Mu‘allā, the ruler of Umm al-Qaywayn, and his son Muḥammad; the transport of armed men and munitions by sea, and the preservation of maritime peace; relations between Shaikh Zāyid bin Kahlīfah Āl Nahyān of Abu Dhabi and Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī of Qatar; attack on an al-Wakrah boat and correspondence from ‘Alī bin Rāshid, the shaikh of al-Wakrah; various slavery cases, including one related to the shaikhs of Abu Dhabi and Qatar; relations between Shaikh Zāyid and al-Qubaysāt, al-Manāṣīr and Banī Hājir tribes; relations between Oman and Persia vis-à-vis the Trucial Coast; and a breach of the maritime peace by the people of al-Ḥamrīyah against ports on the Persian littoral of the Gulf.1 file (241 folios)Foliation: The foliation numbers are circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. They begin on the front cover, on number 1, and end on the inside of the back cover, on number 241. Foliation errors: f. 78 is followed by f. 78A; no f. 211.
The file contains papers of the Political Agency, Muscat, concerning the transliteration of personal and place names in India and the Persian Gulf. The papers were compiled in response to requests from the Government of India for standardisation in the translation of vernacular names.The papers include: correspondence from the Under Secretary and the Secretary to the Government of India, drawing attention to the need for consistency in the spelling and arrangement of native Indian names in official lists, 1903-06; correspondence between the British Residency and Consulate-General, Bushire, and the Political Agent, Muscat, dated 1910-11, containing lists of transliterated names of persons, places, and tribes in Muscat, in accordance with a slightly modified Hunterian system of spelling and the system employed in Volume II of the
Persian Gulf Gazetteer; papers concerning an extract from 'A System for the Spelling of Names of Places etc. in Persia, Afghanistan, and Arabia', 1924; copies of the
First List of Names in Persia (South)and the
Second List of Names in Persia (North), by the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use, with associated correspondence, 1928-29; correspondence concerning circulars issued by the Protocol Department of the Persian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, communicating
changes to the names of certain towns in Persia [Iran], 1930-32; and correspondence concerning the new official names of the Kingdom and Ruler of Saudi Arabia, 1932.There is no correspondence in the file dated 1917-23.The other languages and scripts noted as being present in the file appear in lists of transliterated names.1 file (81 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 83; 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 2-82; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.A previous foliation sequence between ff 37-82, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The volume contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (Maurice Clausen, John Charles Walton) and Edward Henry Ommaney Elkington, General Manager of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (also referred to by their former name Anglo-Persian Oil Company) about options and concessions to explore for oil on the Trucial Coast.The volume discusses negotiations being undertaken by Hajji 'Abdullah Williamson on behalf of the D'Arcy Exploration Group (part of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company) with Shaikh Sultan ibn Salim [Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah], Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Sharjah and Shaikh Said bin Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm], Ruler of Dibai [Dubai] which resulted in the group securing two year options to explore for oil in those territories. Also discussed is the possibility of pursuing options to explore for oil in Ajman and Umm al Qaiwaim [Umm al-Qaywayn], and negotiations for a two year option in Abu Dhabi which is unsuccessful.Other matters discussed in the volume include:major Frank Holmes interest in exploring for oil on the Trucial coast, including his correspondence with the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi and his involvement in a new British oil exploration company which does not come to fruition;a trip taken by the Shaikh Shaqbut bin Sultan bin Said (Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān), Ruler of Abu Dhabi to Basrah [Basra] and Baghdad to seek medical advice, and rumours that he may also be discussing oil exploration whilst there;discussions held in the India Office regarding the British Government's future policy with regards to the Persian Gulf and the development of oil there; along with measures to be taken to safeguard British interests in the Gulf and minimise the additional workload that oil concession negotiations might add to the Political Residency;the formation of Petroleum Concessions Limited, a part of the Iraq Petroleum Company to manage non Iraqi concessions and pursue new ones. The intention was for the new company to manage the Qatar concession and to follow through exploration and negotiations for those areas that the D'Arcy exploration group had obtained options for as well as to look at possible concessions in the Kuwait neutral zone, the unallotted area of Bahrain, and the remaining areas of the Trucial Coast;possible interest by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in exploring Kalbah [Kalbā] and the island of Tunb [Greater Tumb] for oil and minerals.Other correspondents in the volume include the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf (Captain Vernon Saumarez Butler); and the British Vice-Consul at Mohammerah (also given as Khoramshahr) (Frederick Charles Leslie Chauncy) who relays correspondence and information relating to Persia, Iraq and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.The correspondence from the various Trucial Coast Shaikhs is in Arabic, with translations in English, and the letter-head for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company is in Persian and English.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 254-268.1 volume (271 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume. There is a table of contents on folio 4 which lists subjects discussed in the volume and the page references for them.Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; 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 2-272; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Treatise on the hydraulic and pneumatic machinery of water-clocks with thirteen diagrams, attributed to Archimedes (Ἀρχιμήδης; أرشميدس; fl. 3rd century BC). The title is given wrongly as كتاب أرشميدش في عمل السكامات (
Kitāb Arshimīdash fī ‘amal al-sakāmāt; f. 2v, line 1); the final word should read البنكامات (
al-binkāmāt, 'water-clocks'). The treatise is a compilation material from Greek, Byzantine, Persian and Arabic sources, and some sections may in fact be derived from Archimedes.Begins (f. 2v, lines 3-6):إذا أردت ذلك فاعمد إلى نحاس فاتخذ منه خزانةللماء (!) يكون ارتفاعها ثلثة أشبار في شبرين وليكنمدورة مستويه مهتدمة جيدة اللحام وليكن لهاقوائم ...Ends (f. 21r, lines 7-11):... فنركب القمع في طرف الأنبوب من خارج ونصبالماء حتى يبلغ المقدار الذي يراد منها الذي وصفناه فيماتقدم من عملها إن شاء الله وقد يستخرج من هذه الآلة آلاتكبيرة فافهم ما وصفناه ولا قوة إلا بالله ثم ما أردنا منذلك وبالله التوفيق ...The text is accomapied by thirteen diagrams with captions in Persian.Diagrams:Top section of water-clock, showing a man's head whose eyes change colour on the hour a bird's head that drops balls onto a cymbal, and the mechanisms that drive these devices (f. 2r);Pipes, float and float chamber (f. 5r);Pipe out of which water enters the sump (f. 5v);Semi-circular plate indicating the twelve signs of the zodiac, and pipe with division marker and tap (f. 6v);A device found in a previous diagram (f. 8v);Drum container, water container, and water-sump container of a water-clock (f. 9r)Top section of a water-clock, showing a woman's head flanked by columns marked to indicated the 24 hours of the day (f. 11r);Automata of an executioner and fettered prisioners (f. 12v);Automaton of an executioner on horseback (f. 14v);Statues of men that rise and fall on rods to indicate the hours of the day inscribed on columns, and the mechanism that drives them (f. 16r);Mechanical snakes that emerge from holes at the foot of a mountain on the hour and the mechanism that drives them (f. 17r);A tree containing birds which emit cries on the hour when the snakes on folio 17r emerge from their holes, and the mechanism that drives them (f. 19r);Flautist automaton (f. 20v).Ff. 2r-21r
The letter is an acknowledgement of Kemball's previous letter (folios 394-95), relating to the importation of seven slaves into a port near Bushire. Malet writes that, unless the men implicated in the importation are British subjects, they are not liable to British laws. Given that they appear to be Persian subjects, Malet continues, the Governor in Council considers that they should be dealt with under the existing slave trade treaty with Persia.1 folio
The volume contains correspondence relating to the Anglo-Persian War of 1856-57, following Persia's attempts on Herat. The letters cover a period when the British had an expeditionary force camped outside Bushire while Persian troops were amassed at Borazjoon [Borazjan] and Mohammerah [Korramshahr]. The correspondents include Charles Augustus Murray, former British Minister to Persia, General Foster Stalker and Brigadier General John Jacob, commanders within the British army, Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Lieutenant-General James Outram, Commander in Chief of the British Forces in Persia, Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, Shuja al-Mulk, a Persian commander at Borazjoon, Lieutenant James Tronson, Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf, Colonel Shepherd, Commander at the Bushire Camp, John Taylor, Agent and Consul at Basrah, Felix Jones, Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, Sheikh Jabir al-Kaabi, at Mohammerah, J. M. Hyslop, in charge of local duties at the Political Agency for Turkish Arabia at Baghdad, Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at Istanbul, and Mirza Mohammed Khan, Commander of the Persian forces.The volume covers the following matters:Intelligence on the construction of fortifications at Mahomerah [Korramshahr] being carried out by the Persians and the discussion over whether to destroy them;The appointment and arrival of Lieutenant General James Outram as Commander in Chief of the Persian Expeditionary Force;Communications with the Sheikhs of the surrounding villages, including those of Roodhilla [Dehrūd ‘Ulīā] and Dashtee [Khormoj];Infiltrations and harassment by the Persians in and around the English camps;Preparations for the defence of Bushire against a Persian attack;Captain Felix Jones's mission to Basrah and Mohumrah [Korramshahr] to gather intelligence and communicate with Sheikh Jabir, leader of the Chaab [Banu Ka'b], to obtain their assistance against the Persians;The consequences of a peace treaty signed by the two nations in Paris on 4 March 1857, including reiterations of friendship and peace back and forth between the commanders of both armies, and a discussion of the conditions of armistice.1 volume (87 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the sequence is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio of writing, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 79. Foliation irregularities: folio 15 is followed by folio 15A; folio 22 is followed by folio 22A; folio 29 is followed by folio 29A; folio 44 is followed by folio 44A; folio 50 is followed by folio 50A; folio 56 is followed by folio 56A; folio 62 is followed by folio 62A; folio 75 is followed by folio 75A.
This file contains letters and enclosures inwards from William Newnham, Secretary to the Governor of Bombay, to Captain Ephraim Gerrish Stannus, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire between 1826 and 1827. There are letters relating to Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān, the former Governor of Bushire; relations with Persia and the Imam of Muscat; East Africa, including Mombasa and Seeuee [Siyu]; and the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf.1 file, 9 items (33 folios)Pagination: There is a pagination sequence, which is written in ink, in the top right corners of the rectos and in the top left corners of the versos.Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The sequence begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 33. This is the sequence which has been used by this catalogue to reference items within the volume.
Letter containing a bundle of letters in Persian for Lewis Pelly's information. The letters are primarily between Persian and Afghani officials and include a forwarding letter from William Lockyer Merewether who initially received them. Many of the letters in Persian are written in an illegible hand.Letter from William Lockyer Merewether, Jacobabad to Lewis Pelly, 26 December 1860 informing him that a packet had been received from Kandahar for Pelly with an accompanying note in Persian (folio 1).Note in Persian, possibly written by Nawab Murat Khan enclosing a bundle of fourteen letters and notes written by officials of the Governor of Persia, including Farukh Khan, and individuals in Afghanistan including Sultan Ahmed Khan, Governor of Herat.Note in Persian, possibly addressed to Lewis PellyPetition in Persian, possibly the Petition of Maulay MūsāPetition in Persian, containing the seals of Ghulām Rasūl and Ghulām Rizā 'Abduh who may be the petitionees. There is a partial date of 10 Rabi' II, but no year is given.1 file (12 folios)This file has no discernable arrangement.Foliation: The file has been foliated using a pencil number, enclosed in a circle, located in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio.
Correspondence and other papers concerning the drafting of an agreement between the Governments of Britain and Persia [Iran], concerning the withdrawal of the Indo-European Telegraph Department from Persia, and the subsequent taking over of cables and equipment in Persia by the Persian Government. The agreement covers: the costs of daily use of the cables; maintenance of the cable between Henjam [Jazīreh-ye Hengām] and Bandar Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās]; transit dues for communications sent between Iraq and India; access to Gulf ports by cable ships. The papers include:Multiple drafts of the agreement, in French. A printed copy of the final agreement in French and English translation, dated 17 February 1932, is included (ff 141-144).Correspondence concerning difficulties in maintaining an import of supplies to telegraph stations in Persia.Registration of the Imperial and International Communications Company Limited (IICC) in Persia.Discussion amongst British officials over the merits of abandoning cable communication in the Gulf, and closing down the telegraph stations on the Persian coast of the Gulf, in favour of using wireless communications.Correspondence from 1932 concerning the costs of repairs to the Henjam-Bandar Abbas cable, incurred by IICC/Cable & Wireless Limited, and charged against the Persian Government.The volume’s principal correspondents are: the India Office (John Gilbert Laithwaite); the British Legation at Tehran (Robert Henry Clive; Charles Dodd; Reginald Hervey Hoare); the Indo-European Telegraph Department (Maurice George Simpson); the Indo-European Telegraph Company (which became the IICC, and from 1935, Cable & Wireless Limited (J O Stevens Perry; Ralph Lawson)).The volume contains a single item in Persian (f 82), being an order issued by the Shah of Persia, dated 28 Khordad 1311 (equivalent to 18 June 1932), ratifying the Indo-European Telegraph Department agreement.1 volume (407 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 inside back cover with 409; 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 volume contains vocabularies for the following languages: English, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Armenian, Kurdish, and Syriac. It was published in London and was compiled by the Admiralty War Staff, Intelligence Division, on behalf of the Admiralty and the War Office during the First World War.As well as providing translations of common words from English into the listed languages, the volume also contains a brief note on pronunciation, basic numerals, and commonly used 'questions and answers'.1 volume (90 folios)Words are listed in alphabetical order (in English) until f 74 where numerals are listed. From ff 76v-90 'questions and answers' are arranged by theme.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 92; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the volume also contains an original pagination sequence.
The memo contains information in Persian, with English translation, regarding the Dashtee [Dashti] tribe and the villages that are subordinate to it.For the town of Dashtee (folio 8) the memo gives details of the tribute paid to the Governor of Bushire; for each subordinate village the following information is given:Under whose authority the village fallsThe amount, in Tomans, paid as tribute to the Dashti tribeThe number of households in the villageThe distance, in Fursacs, from the nearest neighbouring villageOn the rear cover of the memo (folio 1) are instructions from Lewis Pelly dated 21 February 1863 asking him to provide a translation alongside each section of the memo and a note from Joseph Charles Edwards dated 12 May 1863 noting that the translations have been completed.As the memo was written in Persian, with English translation added later it should be read from back to front (folio 8-folio1)The dates provided relate to the request for and completion of the translation into English, the memo itself may be from an earlier date.1 file (8 folios)Foliation: This file contains foliation on the top right corner of the recto of each folio, the folio number is given in pencil and is enclosed with a circle.The first folio of the file has been written on upside down.
The item includes a letter (ff 2-4) referred to as
murasaleh(a type of letter), a paper envelope (f 5) and a two piece pouch envelope. These items together are called
Kharita.
Kharitais an official letter from a paramount power, usually sent in an elaborate silk cover and received with great ceremony.The letter (ff 2-4) is an official one and it is sent by Abdur Rahman Khan, the Amir of Afghanistan (1880-1901) to Lord George Nathaniel Curzon. It is dated Sunday 2 Ramadan 1316 which is given as 15 January 1899. The Amir of Afghanistan is recounting a previous letter that he received from Lord Curzon in which Lord Curzon emphasized the importance of building a strong relationship between the Empire in India and Afghanistan. Lord Curzon also clarified the reasons which caused the late arrival of his letter to the Amir. After recounting the content of Lord Curzon’s letter, the Amir of Afghanistan concludes with his congratulations to Lord Curzon on his new position, and emphasizes on the strong relations and friendship between the two. The letter has a date in English, 23 January 1899, written in red ink at the top of its first folio.The letter is written in Persian on illuminated large white papers. A circular black ink seal holding the name of the Amir of Afghanistan has been provided at the end of it. The letter was originally folded and kept inside a paper envelope (f 5). The paper envelope is open from the right side corner and has the names of the sender and the recipient. Marks of red sealing wax are still visible on the front side of the envelope. The envelope itself is dated Wednesday 28 Sha‘ban 1316 which is given as 11 January 1899, that is four days earlier than the date on the letter.The paper envelope with the letter inside was placed inside a two piece pouch envelope: a silk pouch and a bobbinet cotton pouch. The dimensions of these two pieces indicate that the bobbinet cotton pouch was used as an outer protective cover for the silk one. The date of the pouch envelope is unknown.Kharita (a ceremonial illuminated letter, a paper envelope, and a two piece pouch envelope)
The file contains a private journal kept by Lewis Pelly from January to February 1865; notes taken by him during his journey to Riyadh January to March 1865; sketches, correspondence, financial accounts and other papers.Included within the file are:Extract showing a record of posting from the Bushire Post Office 16 January 1865 (f. 45)Letter from Austin Layard, Foreign Office to Sir Andrew Buchanan, 1 September 1865 regarding Pelly's intention of returning to Bushire through Russia, the Caspian and Persia and asking that Pelly be enabled to travel through these regions (f. 46-47)Letter from Austin Layard, Foreign Office to Colonel Pelly, 6 September 1865 informing him of rumours from Cairo that Sultan Feysul [Faisal ibn Turki al-Sa'ud], the Nejdean Chief has been assassinated [f. 48]Ink sketch 'H.M's Residency Steamer
May Frerefor the Persian Gulf' 1867 - possibly drawn by Captain Edwin Dawes [f. 49]Two accounts of a story of a king and his Persian slave, one written by Henry Byam Abbott 5 June 1873 and the other by Charles Allan Baylay 6 June 1873 as well as two documents in Persian, one of which is the story of a death in a bazaar in Persia. These papers appear to be attempts at translation to and from Persian being undertaken by Baylay and Abbott [ff. 50-55]Ink sketch of a building atop cliff with shoreline - possibly drawn by Captain Edwin Dawes [f. 56]List of letters to be sent by Lewis Pelly to Bushire to Captain Carew, Charles Alison and Captain Henry W Warner and briefly outlining the topics for discussion in the letters [ff. 57-58]A folio of notes titled 'explore vast solitudes and call them Russia' which contains notes about England's mission in Asia and Russian interests there [ff. 59-60]Papers containing financial accounts: one for coal, camels and horses and the other giving an exchange rate for Dollars to Rupees for an amount to be paid to Ebrahim ibn Sayed Hossein as well as detailing deductions from an account including the purchase of a horse and waterskin and an advance to camelersTwo undated letters, either in Urdu or Persian.1 file, 2 items (66 folios)The file has been arranged in chronological order, those folios without dates have been placed at the rear of the file.Foliation: The contents of the file have been foliated in the top right corner of each folio with a pencil number enclosed in a circle.Condition: There is damage to the lower portion of the first three folios, which has made some of the text difficult to read.
This file consists of two separate physical files as follows:1) An account of a journey in Kashmir in 1898-99 written by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer of the Indian Army. His account is entitled 'Three Months of Privilege Leave'. It contains his observations on the languages, peoples, transport, flora and fauna, trade and climate of the region. There are occasional edits and corrections to the original text marked in red pen. The Persian language material in the file is a proverb written on folio 194.In addition to this travel diary, the following is enclosed: an essay by Lorimer entitled 'Modern Education' dated 9 February 1895 (folios 1-24); two copies of a pamphlet that was published 'for private circulation' in memory of David's brother, John Gordon Lorimer, following his death on 8 February 1914 (folios 255-262); and another essay by Lorimer entitled 'Our Indian N.W. Frontier - a study in a bye-gone Civilisation. A forgotten Chapter of Frontier History' (folios 221-253).2) Copies of letters that were sent from Emily Overend Lorimer to her parents, Thomas George Overend and Hannah Kingsbury. The letters describe the lives of Emily and her husband, David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer (referred to as 'Lock' in the letters), while living in Bahrain from October 1911 until November 1912 (folios 263-310) and in Kerman from January 1913 until November 1914 (folios 313-634). David served as Political Agent in Bahrain 1911-12 and as HM Consul, Kerman and Persian Baluchistan, 1913-14.The letters discuss a range of topics including Lorimer's observations of local customs, food, climate, scenery and festivals; the couple's domestic life and arrangements (especially their servants, who are often discussed in racialised, insulting language); and her interactions with other non-local residents. Also discussed are Lorimer's reading habits, her and her husband's health, family news and, occasionally, world events and political developments.On folios 322-324, the file contains a description of a walk around Kerman in March 1914 that is accompanied by a sequence of six small black and white photographs of various points in the journey (folios 315-321).In addition to these letters, the file also contains a number obituaries and letters of condolence written upon the death of David's brother, John Gordon Lorimer, on 8 February 1914 (folios 299-302, 415-416 and 543-544).On folio 417, the file contains an obituary of David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer published in an unknown newspaper following his death on 26 February 1962.2 files (630 folios)Foliation: this file consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the front cover of volume one (ff 1-262) and terminates at the inside back cover of volume two (ff 263-634); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The volume contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (Maurice Clauson), the Foreign Office (John Cecil Sterndale Bennett), the Colonial Office (Owen Gwyn Revell Williams), representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited (Frank Holmes, Stephen Hemsley Longrigg, John Skliros, Ernest Vincent Packer), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch, Tom Hickinbotham), and the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Khan Sahib 'Abd al-Razzaq) regarding the conclusion of negotiations with Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktum Al Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm], Ruler of Dubai for an oil concession for his territory and the signing of the concession agreement on 22 May 1937.Correspondence includes discussions around the conclusion of a Political Agreement (folios 192-193) and Refinery Agreement (folios 194-195) between the British Government and Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL); the approval of drafts of an exchange of notes (folios 9-10) to be held with the Shaikh of Dubai once the agreements had been signed; and the final negotiations over the wording and clauses of the Commercial Agreement between the Shaikh of Dubai and Petroleum Concessions Limited.Also discussed are concerns by the representatives of the British Government about the movements of representatives of the California Arabian Standard Oil Company who were alleged to be attempting to persuade the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s to not sign concession agreements with PCL and to wait until the end of their option clauses to negotiate better terms with them; and attempts by the Shaikh’s of Sharjah (Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī) and Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] (Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī) to convince the Shaikh of Dubai to join with them in undertaking such an action.Also discussed in the volume is the reluctance by the Shaikh’s of Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah and Ajman (Rāshid Bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī) to accept the security undertaking owing to the inclusion of an unlimited amount of compensation liability; the proposal by the British Government to amend the undertaking so that compensation requirements would be subject to Shara’ [Sharia] Law which the Shaikh’s of Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah and Ajman ultimately agreed to, and including formal acknowledgements in Arabic and English of this undertaking.Other items of interest within the volume include:a report from Thomas Fulton Williamson and David Glynn Jones, geologists for Petroleum Concessions Limited on their survey of Ras al Khaimah, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and their cursory investigations in Ajman; also included is correspondence regarding the area of Jibal Fayah in Sharjah which the geologists were prevented from entering by the ruling Bani Kitab [Beni Qitab] tribe;meeting between the Shaikh’s of Abu Dhabi and Dubai at which Ahmad bin Khalif bin ‘Utaibah [Shaikh Aḥmad bin khalīf bin ‘Utaybah] and Shaikh Ahmad bin Hilal [Shaikh Aḥmad bin Hilāl], Ruler of Dhawahir [ Z̧awāhir] had served as mediator’s in order to settle the question of where the boundary between Abu Dhabi and Dubai should be;correspondence with Shaikh Saqar bin Sultan Al Hamid [Shaikh Saqr bin Sulṭān Āl Ḥamīd], Chief of Braimi [Al Buraymī] regarding a rumour that the Residency Agent at Sharjah was intending to visit Braimi in order to negotiate an oil concession and response from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf that they wished the Residency Agent to visit Braimi to establish personal contacts with local notables there;query from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf regarding the need for PCL to appoint a Chief Local Representative; and noting that Ernest Vincent Packer had been appointed as General Manager and whether they intended this to be the same as a Chief Local Representative or not;a request by PCL to employ Robert Sutherland Cooke as a negotiator in the Middle East and whether Cooke’s past employment difficulties in Iraq might hinder this request;the appointment of Basil Henry le Riolet Lermitte as Assistant Manager for PCL in Bahrain;a request for Mrs (Dorothy) Holmes to visit Sharjah with her husband which was initially rejected by the Political Resident over fears of setting a precedent for oil Company and Superintendent’s wives in the future but was ultimately approved as 'Um Rashid' (mother of the Shaikh of Dubai?) wished her to visit;correspondence between Major Frank Holmes and the Political Agent at Bahrain regarding his intention to commence negotiations for concessions with Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah as soon as the Dubai concession was signed;correspondence regarding the Shaikh of Umm al Qaiwain’s [Umm al Qaywayn] interest in opening negotiations with Petroleum Concessions Limited; and the possibility of opening negotiations with the Shaikh of Kalba [Kalbā] as it was now a Trucial Shaikhdom;correspondence regarding the alleged intrigues of Haji ‘Abdullah Williamson who was believed to be involving himself in local politics in the Trucial Shaikhdom’s and working for the California Arabian Standard Oil Company, whilst visiting there as an interpreter for Petroleum Concessions Limited;table detailing the amount of money being paid to each Trucial Shaikh under their Anglo-Iranian Oil Company options, including how often the payments are being made and which AIOC agent was handling the payments. The table also includes notes on instances where existing or future payments differed from the norm (ff 184-185).Correspondence with the Trucial Shaikhs and copies of agreements are in both Arabic and Engliash; letters written by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company have a Persian and English letterhead.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 288-300.1 volume (302 folios)The volume contains a table of contents on folio 4 consisting of subject headings and page references.The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; 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 5-287; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The file contains two letters (f 1 and ff 2-4), a paper envelope (f 5), and a two piece pouch envelope (un-foliated). The first letter (f 1) is referred to as
khat(standard letter). The letter is a personal one and it is sent by Abdur Rahman Khan, the Amir of Afghanistan (1880-1901) to Lord George Nathaniel Curzon. It is dated 19 Safar 1313 which is given as 11 August 1895. In the letter, the Amir thanks Lord Curzon for a set of family photos as well as a magic lantern the latter has sent him.The second letter (ff 2-4) is referred to as
murasaleh(a type of letter), together with the paper envelope (f 5), and the two piece pouch envelope are called
Kharita.
Kharitais an official letter from a paramount power, usually sent in an elaborate silk cover and received with great ceremony. The letter that is part of the
Kharitais an official one and it is also sent by Abdur Rahman Khan, to Lord Curzon. It is dated Sunday 2 Ramadan 1316 which is given as 15 January 1899. The Amir of Afghanistan is recounting a previous letter that he received from Lord Curzon in which Lord Curzon emphasized the importance of building a strong relationship between the Empire in India and Afghanistan. Lord Curzon also clarified the reasons which caused the late arrival of his letter to the Amir. After recounting the content of Lord Curzon’s letter, the Amir of Afghanistan concludes with his congratulations to Lord Curzon on his new position, and emphasized on the strong relations and friendship between the two. The letter has a date in English, 23 January 1899, written in red ink at the top of its first folio.Both letters are written in Persian on illuminated large white papers. A circular black ink seal holding the name of the Amir of Afghanistan has been provided at the end of each letter. The four-year gap in the dates given on the letters, as well as the difference in dimensions between the first letter (f 1), when folded, and the paper envelope indicate that this letter is not part of the
Kharita. Rather, it has been misplaced and eventually ended up in this file.The second letter was originally folded and kept inside a paper envelope (f 5). The paper envelope is open from the right side corner and has the names of the sender and the recipient. Marks of red sealing wax are still visible on the front side of the envelope. The envelope itself is dated Wednesday 28 Sha‘ban 1316 which is given as 11 January 1899, that is four days earlier than the date on the letter (ff 2-4).The paper envelope with the letter inside was placed inside a two piece pouch envelope: a silk pouch and a bobbinet cotton pouch. The dimensions of these two pieces indicate that the bobbinet cotton pouch was used as an outer protective cover for the silk one. The date of the pouch envelope is unknown.1 file (5 folios and a two piece pouch envelope)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. The paper envelope with the letter inside was placed inside two pieces of a pouch envelope: a silk pouch and a bobbinet cotton pouch. The dimensions of these two pieces indicate that the bobbinet cotton pouch was used as an outer protective cover for the silk one.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 5; 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 two piece pouch (silk pouch and bobbinet cotton pouch).Silk pouch construction: Orange silk folded in half, and hand stitched along one short and one long edge. Emerald green silk attached to opening edge with running stitches. There is some evidence of sealing wax.Bobbinet cotton pouch construction: Net folded in half, and hand stitched along one short and one long edge.Dimensions: The orange silk pouch: (height) from bottom edge 415mm x (width) 155mm and (width) of opening green edge 170mm.The cotton bobbinet pouch: (height) from bottom edge 380mm x (width) 165mm and (width) of opening edge 185mm.
The file contains correspondence which mainly discusses the application of the Indian Companies Act in Bahrain. The main concern of the correspondence is the possibility of modifying the Act to allow companies’ shareholders to consist of both British subjects and Bahrain subjects. It also contains correspondence regarding a newly established motor company in Manamah called the Persian United Motor Company, Bahrain, The file includes copies in English and in Persian of the terms and agreements made by the shareholders of the Persian United Motor Company. The file also contains an agreement made between the Political Agent, Bahrain, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Shaikh Hamad bin Esa [Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, Ruler of Bahrain] for the Indian Companies Act in Bahrain to be applicable to the newly established companies in Bahrain.The correspondence is mainly between the British Residency and Consulate General in Bushire, the Political Agent in Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Esa, Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign and Political Department, Messrs Cardew, Smith and Ross in London and the Under Secretary of State, India Office.1 file (22 folios)The papers are approximately arranged in chronological order, however there are some letters attached which refer to earlier dates than the ones at the beginning 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 24; 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 mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-21; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file contains correspondence relating to several complaint cases investigated by the Political Agent, Bahrain. They include: the desertion of his wife by a Kuwaiti subject in 1930; the recovery of money owing to a divorced wife by her ex-husband in 1931; the alleged seizure of goods from the vessel of a Kuwaiti Nakhoda [captain or master] who had run aground in Qatar in 1934; the non-payment of a business debt to a British Indian merchant of Kuwait, by a Bahrain merchant in 1936; and the release from imprisonment in Bahrain of a convicted Government of India employee, in 1949.The correspondence also includes copies of the printed annual statement of accounts for Kuwait Municipality for the period 1936-1939, which are in Arabic.The correspondence is mainly between the Political Agents for Kuwait and Bahrain and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.There are also several petitions and witness statements made by the claimants and their representatives, including several in Arabic and one in Persian. There are also several letters in Arabic from the Ruler of Kuwait to the Political Agent, Kuwait about some of the complaints under investigation.1 file (100 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 front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 102; 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; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is present between ff 4-101 and is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The file contains correspondence between the Bahrain Political Agent (Colonel Barrett, from November 1927 to April 1929), representatives of the Hindu community in Manama, and the Khalifa ruling family. The correspondence refers to the ownership and use of freshwater pools (referred to as
chauchub) by the town's Hindu (Banyan) community for bathing, drinking and washing, and by the Al Khalifa family as a source of water for the irrigation of their date gardens. The file contains notes made by Political Agency staff, based on visits to the baths, which record the arrangement of the baths, their different uses, and the condition of the water found within them. In a letter dated 6 May 1929, the Political Agent (now Captain Prior) writes to the Hindu community (folio 10), requesting that they refrain from using soap in the baths, which is producing white slime in the water, presumably making it unsuitable for irrigation purposes.1 file (14 folios)Correspondence in the file is arranged in chronological order, from the earliest piece at the front of the file to the latest at the end.Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, with pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each front-facing page. Foliation anomalies: 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D.
Copies of laws, codes, regulations and decrees issued by the Government of Persia [Iran]. The materials are either original copies in printed booklet and typewritten form, chiefly in French, or typewritten copies which have been translated into English by British officials. The volume includes:The Persian Government’s civil (ff 489-561), penal (ff 359-420) and commercial codes (one dated 1928 (ff 278-339), a second dated 1934 (ff 142-215)), and subsequent amendments to these codes.Prison regulations (in Persian as well as French, ff 341-355, ff 258-273), and supplementary prison laws (ff 101-134).Laws concerning the punishment of highway robbers (f 256), individuals who foment social unrest (ff 239-240), and judges who show partiality in their judgements (ff 223-224).Laws concerning the administrative organisation of the country (ff 46-55).Also included in the file is an analysis (in French) of Persian legislation (
L’Analyse de la Léglislation Persane), produced in November 1927 by Maitre R Aghababoff [Raphael Aghababian] (ff 562-737).A small amount of British Government correspondence is also included throughout the file, in the form of covering letters which occasionally comment on the contents of the laws and regulations they enclose.1 volume (741 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.Some of the larger items in the file have their own numbering systems (pagination, numbered articles), with contents and index pages:The analysis of Persian legislation by Raphael Aghababian (ff 562-737) has a pagination system which is referred to in a table of contents at the front of the analysis (ff 572-575).The articles of the Persian Civil Code (ff 489-561) are numbered, and referred to in an index at the rear of the code (ff 558-561)The Penal Code (ff 359-420) has a pagination system which is referred to in a table of contents and alphabetical index at the rear of the code (ff 407-419).The 1928 Commerce Code (ff 278-339) has a pagination system which is referred to in a table of contents and alphabetical index at the rear of the code (ff 328-338).The 1934 Commerce Code (ff 142-215) has a pagination system which is referred to in a table of contents and alphabetical index at the rear of the code (ff 210-214).Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 737; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at 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 four leading and ending flyleaves.An additonal foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 224-312; these numbers are also written in pencil and circled, but are crossed through.
The volume consists mainly of six bound compilations of treaties and undertakings, together with related correspondence and other supplementary material, made between the British Government and the British Protectorates of the Persian Gulf, 1820-1919. These treaty compilations were published by the Government of India in 1919 and comprise: the Trucial Treaties to January 1906, Treaties with Rulers of Kuwait from 1841 to 1913, Treaties with the Sultan of Oman and Muscat from 1845 to 1914, Undertakings with the Trucial Chiefs of Oman from 1911 to 1912, Treaties with the Shaikh of Mohammerah from 1899 to 1919 and Treaties with the Rulers of Bahrain from 1820 to 1914. In addition, there is a separate Foreign Office ‘Memorandum on British Commitments (During the War) to the Gulf Chiefs’ made in 1916, which contains at Appendix A, the English text of the treaty made with the Ruler of Qatar in 1916. The treaty compilations are published in English and Arabic, except for the treaties with the Shaikh of Mohammerah, which are published in English and Persian.1 volume (222 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume. The subject 2902 (Treaties and Engagements between the British Government and the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast of the Persian Gulf) consists of one volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 216; these numbers are written in pencil, 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 two leading and ending flyleaves. A previous foliation sequence has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The letter informs of the appointment of Captain MacLeod. A translation of a letter similar to this one appears on folio 97.1 folioCondition: Missing text due to tear damage.
The file primarily contains correspondence between the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ), the Political Agent at Kuwait (Harold Dickson and Gerald Simpson DeGaury), the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle and Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (John Charles Walton, Gilbert Laithwaite and Maurice Clausen) and the Kuwait Oil Company (abbreviated as KOC).Correspondence discusses the commencement of oil drilling operations in Kuwait following the signing of the Kuwait Oil Concession, in particular the appointment of Harold Dickson as Chief Local Officer, the need for a Customs and Passport Post, and the decision to move drilling operations from Bahra to the South of Kuwait due to the former having insufficient quantities of oil for production.Also discussed in the file is clause three of the political agreement between KOC and His Majesty's Government which relates to the appointment of non British or Kuwaiti personnel in Kuwait. Matters discussed include the process of applying for special permission for such individuals and applications for two specialist American personnel to be employed there. Further correspondence relates to the KOC's wish to send a team of sixteen American geophysical surveyors to Kuwait for six months to undertake Seismic, Magnetic and Gravimetric surveys.The file also contains correspondence between HM's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan), Foreign Office (Sir John Simon, George Rendel), India Office (Gilbert Laithwaite) and the Arabian Development Syndicate (Rex Jansen, Mr Ydlibi) on the question of the Kuwait-Nejd neutral zone and the two companies vying for the Saudi Arabian share of it, the Standard Oil Company of California and the Arabian Development Syndicate.Other correspondence of note in the file includes:A request by Paul Heath Boots, head of the geophysical survey for the KOC, to undertake terrestrial magnetic observations in Kuwait, Bahrain and surrounding countries as the last observations in these areas were made in 1909-1910. The correspondence includes detailed descriptions of the observations to be taken, the instruments to be used and how they hope to re-observe the magnitude and direction of the earth's magnetic field in order to determine in what way and direction the magnetic field had varied since the last observations were completed (Folios 166-167, 202-203);A letter from Traders Ltd to the Shaikh of Kuwait informing him that they are not willing to accept his decision to sign with the KOC and that they were referring the matter to their legal adviser;A request from the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (later the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company) for special authorisation to land their planes at Kuwait and undertake aerial surveys there;A request by the KOC to use part of the land at the Shuwaikh site, which had previously been earmarked by the RAF as a potential future airbase site, and the British Government's decision that the site was no longer required by them;The lighting of the oil derrick at Bahra for night-time work and the need to inform Imperial Airways and the Port Director at Basra as the derrick was under the air route and near the sea;Arrangements for accommodation of European women in Bahrain and Kuwait and reminders that no European women were permitted in Qatar or the Trucial coast;Assurances from the Shaikh of Kuwait to His Majesty's Government in regards to the granting of future oil concessions, following his dealings with Traders Ltd;A discussion of the use of private wireless stations by the KOC, whether these contravened international conventions and whether they would impact future post office services in Kuwait. Further correspondence relates to the need to register the wireless stations and obtain Indian telegraph service call signs for them;A request by the KOC to place temporary buoys in the Ras Khadama [Ra’s Kāz̧imah] channel and costs involved for the Port Director at Basra to arrange for the work to be done.The correspondence from the Shaikh of Kuwait is in Arabic, with English translations, and the correspondence from the Anglo-Persian Oil Company includes letterheads in Persian and English.1 file (240 folios)There is an index to the volume at folio 2 which arranges the contents by topic discussed.Folios 219-229 are notes recording each item of correspondence within the volume, and include page numbers in pencil in the margins which enable the notes to be used as a further index.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences on the title page with 1 and terminated on the last folio with 232. The numbers used for this sequence are located in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio and are indicated by a pencil number enclosed in a circle. Folio 180 has been omitted from the sequence.Foliation anomalies: 1A, 1B, 18A, 115A, 174AThe following folios need to be folded out to be read: 4, 6A former referencing system, using red crayon numbers enclosed in a circle can also be found throughout the file.
The ʻAjā’ib al-makhlūqāt (عجائب المخلوقات) by Zakarīyā ibn Muḥammad Qazwīnī (زكريا بن محمد قزوینی) translated from Arabic into Persian at the request of Ibrāhīm ʻĀdil Shāh, ruler of Bijapur in Shaʻbān AH 954 (1547). The text is illustrated with 461 mid-seventeenth-century Deccani paintings and diagrams.The original translation (ff.1v-426v) has been supplemented (ff. 427r-463r) by an appendix written in a 19th-century hand, perhaps for Henry Miers Elliot, containing the following chapters omitted by the ʻĀdilshāhi translator and copied from a different, earlier, Persian translation (see Add. MS. 16739, Rieu, p. 462): races of men (f.427r), arts and sciences (f.436v), and the second species of the animal kingdom, or the Jinns (f.457v).The margins are extensively covered with explanatory works and glosses, some of which are described in a detailed list of contents (ff.1v-6r), completed on 17 Shavvāl, regnal year 4 of Aḥmad Shāh (8 September 1751). These correspond approximately to the marginal works included in IO Islamic 3243, described by Ethé in vol 1 of his
Catalogue of Persian manuscripts in the Library of the India Office(Oxford, 1903), no. 714.Begins (f.7v, lines 2-3):العظمة لک و الکبریاء لحلالک اللهم یا قایم الذات و مفیض الخیرات واجب الوجود و فايضالجود ...End of 1547 translation (f.426v, line 6):و الاتمام و الیه المرجع و الماب فی جمیع الامور و هو حسبنا و نعم الوکیلColophon (f. 426v, lines 7-12):و این اخر کلامست از ترجمه کتاب عجایب مخلوقات و غرایب موجودات بعون الله و منه و الحمد لله رب العالمین…و آله اجمعینEnd of supplement (f.464r, lines 17-19):فقال رسول الله صـ هذا شيطان يكلم الناس في الأوثان يقال له مسعر والله تعالى مخزيه فيمكثوا ثلثة أيام فإذا هتف من أعلى الجبل فقال صـ دونكم عفريت من الجن يقال له سمحج سميته عبد الله آمن من لي أخبروني أنه في طلبه منذ أيام فقال علي جزاه الله تعالى خيرًاIllustrations:f.26r: Diagram of the celestial spheres.f.27r: Diagram of the orbit of the moon.f.27v: The full moon represented by a haloed figure and a crab.f.28r: Phases of the moon.f.29r: Eclipse of the moon.f.31v: Sphere of Mercury.f.32r: Mercury (women and a man with a scroll).f.32v: Orbit of Venus.f.33r: Venus (woman playing a lute).f.33v: Orbit of the sun (incomplete diagram).f.35r: (above) Diagram of the eclipse of the sun; (below) The sun represented by a man with rays proceeding from his head, accompanied by two lions.f.37r: (above) Mars (man holding a sword and a severed head); (below) Jupiter (man holding a book and with angels beside him).f.38r: Saturn (six-armed man).f.38v: Diagram of the orbit of the Zodiac (damaged).f.40v: Ursa Minor (bear).f.41r: Ursa Major (bear).f.41v: Draco (dragon).f.42r: Cepheus (young man).f.42v: (above) Boötes (man holding a stick); (below) Corona Borealis (disk).f.43r: Hercules (man with a goad).f.43v: (above) Lyra (vulture); (below) Cygnus (hen).f.44r: Cassiopeia (woman on a throne).f.44v: Perseus (man holding a sword and a severed head).f.45r: Auriga (man holding a stick).f.45v: (above) Ophiucus (man holding a serpent); (below) Sagitta (arrow).f.46r: Aquila (eagle).f.46v: (above) Delphinus (dolphin); (below) Equleus (horses head).f.47r: Pegasus (winged demi-horse).f.47v: Andromeda (fettered figure).f.48r: (above) Equus Major (trotting horse); (below) Triangulum (triangle).f.48v: Aries (ram).f.49v: (above) Taurus (white demi-bull); (below) Gemini (twins).f.50r: Cancer (crab).f.50v: Leo (lion).f.51r: (above) Virgo (man cutting corn with a sickle); (below) Libra (woman holding scales).f.51v: Scorpio (scorpion).f.52r: Sagittarius (centaur holding a bow and arrow).f.52v: Capricorn (goat with a fish's tail).f.53r: (above) Aquarius (man holding a rope and water bottle); (below) Pisces (two fish).f.53v: Cetus (fish with a deers head).f.54r: Orion (man holding a sheathed sword).f.54v: Eridanus (serpent).f.55r: Lepus (hare).f.55v: Canis Major (dog).f.56r: (above) Canis Minor (dog); (below) Argo Navis (ship).f.56v: Hydra (snake).f.57r: (above) Crater (mans head); (below) Corvus (raven).f.57v: Centaurus (galloping centaur holding a trident).f.58r: (above) Leo (lion); (below) Ara (flaming brazier).f.58v: (above) Corona Australis (crown); (below) Piscis Australis (fish).ff.59a-70r: The lunar mansions represented by gold disks, 27 out of 28 shown (No. 27 is always omitted).f.72v: Angels which support God’s throne.f.73v: The angel, al-Rūḥ.f.74v: Israfil with his trumpet.f.76r: Jibrāʼīl.f.76v: Mikāʼīl.f.77r: Izrāʼīl.f.79v: (above) Cow-headed angels of the first heaven; (below) Eagle-shaped angels of the second heaven.f.80r: (above) Vulture-formed angels of the third heaven; (below) Angels of the fourth heaven with double-horses heads and birds claws.f.80v: (above) Houris of the fifth heaven; (below) Boys of the sixth heaven.f.81r: Men of the seventh heaven.f.82r: Recording angels with asses ears seated either side of a man.f.85r: Harut and Marut with asses ears, hanging upside-down.f.98r: Diagram of the months.f.118v: Diagram showing the position of the winds (unfinished).f.121v: Diagram of the reflection of the light (unfinished).f.123r: Aureole round the moon.f.123v: A rainbow.f.127v: Map of the oceans of the world (unfinished).f.129r: Winged cats of Sumatra.f.129v: (above) Muskdeer of Sumatra; (below) Apes of Sumatra.f.130r: Winged tree-dwellers of Sumatra.f.130v: Tree-dwellers of Ramni.f.131r: Rhinoceros of Ramni.f.131v: Waqwaq tree.f.132v: Bird (China Sea).f.133v: Serpent (China Sea).f.136r: Dog-headed people of the island al-Qasr.f.136v: Adam on Sarandib.f.137r: People of Jaba with their heads on their chests.f.137v: A dragon with an ox in its mouth on the Island of Tannin.f.138r: Horned-hare which the islanders gave to Alexander.f.138v: Human-headed fish (Indian Sea).f.142v: (above) Dragon-headed monster (Persian Sea); (below) Swordfish (Persian Sea).f.143r: Fish like a shield (Persian Sea).f.144r: A giant bird saving a shipwrecked man (Persian Sea).f.145v: (above) Fish which frightens sailors in the Red Sea; (below) Fish which becomes like cotton when the flesh is dried (Red Sea).f.146r: Owl fish (Red Sea).f.147v: Dog-headed monsters of the Island of Sagsar (Sea of Zanj).f.148v: Man with two women (Sea of Zanj).f.149r: Horned fish (Sea of Zanj).f.149v: Whale (Sea of Zanj).f.152r: A spotted yellow serpent and a snake-tailed fish.f.152v: Jewish Shaykh fish of the Western Sea.f.153r: Camel fish (Western Sea).f.153v: (above) The fish of Joshua and Moses (Western Sea); (below) ‘Hat-like’ fish (Western Sea).f.154r: (above) Winged fish (Western Sea); (below) Fish like a lighthouse (Western Sea).f.156r: A serpent (with front paws) (Caspian).f.156v: Human-headed monster (Caspian).f.157v: (above) Sea-hare; (below) Large fish which eats bones.f.158r: Water men.f.158v: Water cow.f.159v: Crocodile.f.160r: Sea dragon (
tinnīn).f.161r: (above) Catfish; (below) Lamprey.f.161v: (above) Dolphin; (below)
Zūbyānfish.f.162r: Torpedo fish.f.162v: Fish whose burned skin is used to heal the eyes of cattle.f.163r: Crab.f.163v: Five-legged crab.f.164r: Skink.f.165r: Turtle with a tree growing from its shell.f.166r: (above) Carp; (centre)
Shifnīn; (below)
Ṣīr; (border) Frog in human form.f.167r: Frog.f.167v: Leech.f.168r: Mollusc with a head.f.168v: Winged Nile horse.f.169r: Whale.f.169v:
Qusṭāfish.f.170r: Beavers.f.170v: Sea hedgehog.f.171r: (above) Narwhal; (below) Water-dog and a man with a dagger.f.171v: Shark found near Basrah.f.175v: Diagram of the seven climes.f.182r: Khusrau visiting Shirin, with Farhad standing nearby (Mt. Bisitun).f.213r: Harut and Marut chained upside down in a well in Babel.f.251v: Myrtle.f.252r: Ebony.f.252v: Citron.f.253r: Plum (
ijjāṣ).f.253v: (above) Persian lilac; (below) Gum Arabic tree (
umm ghaylān).f.254r: (above) Horseradish tree; (below) Turpentine tree (
buṭm).f.254v: Balsam tree (
balasān).f.255r: Oak.f.255v: Apple.f.256r: (above) Spruce; (below) Mulberry.f.257r: Fig tree.f.257v: Sycamore fig.f.258r: (above) Walnut; (below) Galingale.f.258v: (above) Castor-oil; (below) Egyptian willow.f.259r: Peach.f.259v: (above) Spiny broom; (below) Elm.f.260r: (above) Plane tree; (below) Laurel.f.260v: Pomegranate.f.261v: Olive.f.262v: Cypress.f.263r: Quince.f.263v: (above) Sumac tree; (below) Umbrella Thorn Acacia.f.264r: (above) Juniper gum tree; (below)
Shabābtree.f.264v: (above) Chestnut; (below) Sandalwood.f.265r: (above) Pine; (below) Balm that grows in Yemen.f.265v: (above) Tamarisk; (below) Juniper.f.266r: (above)
Mudarplant; (below) Gall oak (
ʻafs).f.266v: Jujube tree.f.267r: (above) Aloes wood (
ʻūd); (below) Sorbus.f.267v: (above) Desert poplar; (below) A hard wood (
fāvāniyā).f.268r: (above) Pistachio; (below) Pepper tree.f.268v: Hazlenut.f.269r: (above) Wolfberry; (below) Clove.f.269v: Sugar-cane.f.270r: Camphor.f.272r: Grapevine.f.272v: (above) Pear tree; (below) Sun spurge.f.273r: (above) Frankincense; (below) Almond tree.f.274v: Lime.f.275r: Apricot.f.275v: (above) Banana; (below) Orange.f.276r: (above) Coconut palm; (below) Buckthorn.f.277v: Date palm.f.278r: Rose.f.279r: Generic herb with purple flowers.f.279v: (above) Tarragon; (centre) Wormwood; (below) Lentil.f.280r: (above) Indigo plant; (below) Nightshade.f.281r: (above) Radish; (below) Purslane.f.281v: Vitex.f.282r: (above) Calamint; (centre) Wolf's bane; (below) Dog’s bane.f.282v: Milkvetch.f.283r: (above) Armenian cucumber; (below) Safflower.f.283v: (above) Cotton; (below) Prickly thrift.f.284r: Hemp.f.284v: (above) Cauliflower; (centre) Yarrow; (below) Bugloss.f.285r: Flax.f.285v: (above) Leek; (below) Vetch.f.286r: (above) Celery; (below) Caraway.f.286v: (above) Coriander; (centre)
Kakvāsah(?); (below) Cumin.f.287r: Mangosteen.f.287v: (above) Truffle; (centre) Bindweed; (below) Plantain (fleawort).f.288r: (above) Sacred fig; (below) Caper.f.288v: (above) Mandrake; (below) Black-eyed peas.f.289r: (above) Arum lily; (centre) Water lily; (below) Mung bean.f.290r: (above) Daphne; (centre) Māhūzānah; (below) Levant nut.f.290v: (above) Marjoram; (below) Nard.f.291r: Ajwain.f.291v: (above) Narcissus; (below) Dog rose.f.292r: Peppermint.f.292v: (above) Asparagus; (below) Chicory.f.293r: (above) Turmeric; (below) Gourd.f.345r: Horses.f.346r: Mule.f.347r: Domestic asses.f.348r: Wild asses.f.349v: Camels.f.351r: Humped white bull.f.352r: Antelopes.f.352v: Buffalo.f.353r: Giraffe.f.354r: Ram and ewe.f.355r: Goats.f.355v: Blackbuck.f.356v: Mountain goat.f.357v: Jackal.f.358r: Weasel (
ibnʻirs).f.358v: Hare.f.360r: Lion.f.360v: Tiger.f.361v: Foxes.f.362r: Unicorn (
jarīsh).f.363r: Wild boar.f.364r: Bear.f.364v: Marten (
dalaq).f.365v: Wolf.f.366r: Sinād.f.366v: Squirrels.f.367r: (above) Cats; (below) Wildcat.f.367v: Shīr-i uns.f.368r: Shādahvār.f.369r: (above) Hyena; (below) Caracal.f.369v: (above) Demonic camel killer; (below) Falā.f.370r: Cheetah.f.371v: Elephant.f.372r: Apes.f.373r: Rhinoceros.f.375r: (above) Leopard; (below) Tiger-striped horned feline.f.375v: Stag.f.376v: (above) Abū Barāqish (similar to a crane); (below) Abū Hārūn.f.377r: (border) Goose.f.377v: Hawk.f.378r: (above) Parrot; (below) Nightingale.f.378v: Owl.f.379r: (above) Pheasant; (below) Weaver bird.f.379v: (above) Vipers Nurse bird; (below) Bustard.f.380r: Kite.f.381r: Dove.f.382r: Swallows.f.383r: (above) Bats; (below) Francolin.f.384v: Cock.f.385r: Hen.f.385v: A kind of vulture (
rakhmah).f.386r: Raven.f.386v: (above) Starling; (below) A kind of vulture (zamj).f.387r: (above) Quail; (centre) Gyrfalcon; (below) Peregrine.f.387v: (above) Turtle dove; (below) Roller.f.388r: (above)
Ṣāfir(bird which sings at night); (below) Falcon.f.388v: Sea bird.f.389r: (above) Peacock; (below) Grouse.f.389v: Sparrows.f.390v: Eagle.f.391r: Magpies.f.391v: Simurgh (
ʻanqā).f.392v: (above) Crow; (below) Cranes.f.393r: Diver.f.393v: Laughing dove.f.394r: (above) Partridge; (below) Lark.f.394v: Sandgrouse.f.395r: (above) Barbary dove; (centre) Phoenix; (below) Grus.f.395v: Curlew.f.396r: (above) Egret; (below) Desert lark.f.396v: Vulture.f.397r: (above) Ostrich; (below) Hoopoe.f.398r: (above) Diving bird; (below) Gold firebird.f.400v: Viper.f.402r: Dragon.f.402v: Locust.f.403r: (above) Chameleon; (centre) Flea-like insect (
Ḥurqūṣ); (below) Snails.f.404v: Bird-eating snakes.f.405r: Earthworm.f.405v: Black beetle.f.406r: (above) Silkworm (dūd al-qazz) drawn as a beetle; (below) Worms.f.407r: Flies.f.407v: (above) Cantharides; (below) Tarantulas.f.408r: (above) Hornet; (below) Gecko in text but drawn as a fly.f.408v: Turtle.f.409r: (above) A moth called bint Warwar which resembles a green plant; (below)
Ṣannājah.f.410r: (above) Uromastyx; (below) Polecat.f.410v: Lizard.f.411r: Scorpion.f.412r: Spider.f.413r: Coin-stealing mouse.f.413v: (above) Mole; (centre) Musk mouse; (below) Black and white mouse; (below) Wolfsbane mouse.f.414r: Jerboas and holes.f.414v: Salamanders.f.416v: (above) Hedgehog; (below) Ticks.f.418r: Bees.f.419v: Monitor lizard (damaged).f.420r: Giant man and woman from the Land of Gog and Magog.f.420v: (above) Elephant-eared people from the Land of Mansuk; (centre) Black pygmies; (below) Tree-dwellers of Sumatra.f.421r: (above) Naked dwellers of Ramni; (below) One-eyed inhabitants of an island of Zanj.f.421v: (above) Dog-headed people of Zanj; (below) Beautiful people of Zanj who had no bones in their legs.f.422r: (above) Winged people with elephants' trunks; (centre) Winged people with horses' heads; (below) Two-headed people with tails.f.422v: (above) Two-headed people with many legs; (centre) Human-headed serpents; (below) People with their faces on their chests.f.423r: (above) Split people; (centre) Human-headed turtle; (below) A 'Giraffe' (Cross between a camel and an ox).f.423v: (above) Cross between a horse and a wild ass; (centre) Cross between a camel and a dromedary; (below) Cross between men and bears.f.424r: (above) Cross between a wolf and a hyena; (centre) Cross between a dog and a wolf; (below) Cross between a domestic pigeon and a wild pigeon.f.424v: The giant Ūj ibn ʼAnaq.f.425r: A giant from the land of the Bulgars.f.425v: (border) Two fish inscribed with the Basmala; (above) A giant of Mosul; (below) A person from Yemen with two conjoined bodies from the waist up.f.426r: (above) Human-headed bird; (centre) The winged fox which was presented to Nūḥ ibn Manṣūr; (below) A woman with the double-headed child she gave birth to in Khurāsān.f.426v: The horned horse presented to Nūḥ ibn Manṣūr.Codex; ff. iv+466+iiMaterial: PaperDimensions: 310 x 210 mm leaf [ 210 x 146 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil; Arabic foliation in red and black ff. 2 (i.e. f.8)-416 (ie. f.426)Ruling: 19 lines per page; vertical spacing 9 lines per 10 cmScript: NaskhInk: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings in redDecoration:
Sarlawḥ; opening (ff.7v-8r) text block in white cloud-bands against gilt background with floriated decoration (red and green); text illustrated with 457 mid-17th century Deccani paintings.Binding: Red leather oriental binding without flap; stamped and pasted central medallion with pendants, corners, and cartouchesCondition: Waterstains, torn edges.Marginalia: Extensive.Seals: f.7r: round seal of Muḥammad ʻĀdil Shāḥ; f. iv verso: red British museum stamp.
This volume includes miscellaneous draft correspondence in English with accompanying Arabic and Persian (with the presence of
siyāqaccountancy script) translations from 9 August 1856 (7 Dhū al-Ḥijjah 1272) to 28 January 1859 (23 Jumādá II 1275).The letters are between the British Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, during Captain James Felix Jones's residency, and various correspondents, most prominent among them are:British native agents: Hajee Yacoob [Ḥājjī Ya‘qūb], British Agent at Sharjah; Hajee Jassem [Ḥājjī Jāsim], British Agent at Bahrain; Khojah Hiskal, British Agent at Muscat; Mullah Ahmed [Mullā Aḥmad], British Agent at Lingah; [Mīrzā Muḥammad ‘Alī?], British Agent at Shiraz; Khodādad, Bassidore Native Agent; Hajee Mahomed Bushire [Ḥājjī Muḥammad Bushir, Agent at Karrack [Bandar-e Chārak]; Ḥājjī Muḥammad Khalīl, government agent at Shiraz;Persian officials: Mirza Ahmad Khan [Mīrzā Aḥmad Khān], Derya Begge [Daryā-Begi] and Governor of Bushire; the Prince of Fars; Mirza Muhammad Khan [Mīrzā Muḥammad Khān], Persian Slave Commissioner; Sayyid Muḥammad Tāhir, mojtahid [mujtahid] of Bushire;Rulers: Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain; Jābir bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Ṣabāḥ, ruler of Kuwait; Zāyid bin Khalīfah Āl Nahyān, ruler of Abu Dhabi; Sulṭān bin Saqr, ruler of Ras al-Khaymah and Sharjah; Khalīfah bin Sa‘īd, chief of Lingah; Sa‘īd bin Buṭṭī, chief of Dubai; Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh, chief of Dammam; Sayyid al-Thuwaynī, Imam of Muscat; Ḥusayn bin ‘Abdullāh, chief of Chārak; Jābir [al-Ka‘abī] bin Maurdo [Mardū], chief of Muhammarah; Ḥassan bin Jābir, chief of Kagan [?]; ‘Abdullāh bin Rāshid, chief of Umm al-Qaywayn; Ṣaqr bin ‘Abdullāh, chief of Kishm; Amir Fayṣal, chief of Najd; chief of Khasab; chief of Bu Samit tribe; chief of Ajman [Ḥumayd bin Rāshid]; chief of Tangistan; chief of Kumzar; chief of Mogoo; chief of Bukhā; chief of Ḥamayrah; Sayyid Turkī, governor of Sohar; chief of Ka‘ab; governor of Ṣaḥam;General subjects covered throughout the volume include relations between the British Residency at Bushire and the Persian government; communications with their native agents, local rulers and merchants on both littorals of the Persian Gulf; relations with other powers including the Wahhabis and the rulers of Najd, the Sultanate of Oman and the Persians; the status and claims of British Indian protected subjects; trade, exports, imports and customs; preservation of the maritime peace; pearling issues; and slavery cases. This volume also covers the period of Anglo-Persian War and the Battle of Bushire.Specific events and details include: the affairs of Ibrāhīm Maymanī; passes and duty on horses and donkeys at Bushire (ff. 125r, 123v, 71r); presents for the ruler of Kuwait (f. 120r); death of Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd, Sultan of Muscat (f. 116r); congratulations from Shaikh of Kuwait on fall of Bushire (f. 121r); commemorations for the Day of Ashura at Bushire (f. 96); murder committed by ‘Īsá bin Jarrāḥ of the Āl Bin ‘Alī tribe (ff. 94r, 93v); shipwrecks (ff. 92v, 66v); pension for widow of Mullā Ḥusayn, deceased Native Agent at Sharjah (f. 91v); evacuation of troops of Karrack island, December 1857 (ff. 71r, 63v, 59r); recognising national festivals by hoisting a flag (f. 67v); the state of the Bushire customs house (ff. 67v, 67r); excavation of certain mounds near Bushire (f. 64v); announcement of the marriage of Victoria, the Princess Royal of the United Kingdom, to Prince Frederick of Prussia, later Frederick III, Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia (f. 53v); invitation to the Daryā-Begi for an evening of entertainment at the Residency (f. 49v); facilitating watch repair for Zāyid bin Khalīfah Āl Nahyān, shaikh of Abu Dhabi (f. 12r); notice of English New Year (f. 10r); and request for British protection by Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah, shaikh of Bahrain (f. 7v).Miscellaneous notes in Arabic and Persian appear on the verso of the front cover and folios 1r-6v and 135v-136v. A stamp reading '[Received] In [Political Department]' dated 4 December 1907 appears on the inside of the front cover with 'from Mr Wollaston on retirement' written below in pencil. Also on the inside of the front cover there is a Persian inscription that appears to be verses of the poet Shihāb Turshīzī.1 volume (140 folios)The volume is arranged from right to left with the earliest correspondence appearing on folio 135r and the latest on folio 6v. Both the recto and verso of the folio are divided into a grid with the English appearing running vertically down the folio in the right hand column and the Arabic or Persian appearing in the left hand column. The text of some letters are crossed out (for example, folio 115r) indicating they were cancelled. Letters for the year 1856 run from 9 August on folio 135r to 27 December on folio 121vv; for the year 1857 from 2 January on folio 121v to 31 December on folio 67r; for the year 1858 from 1 January on folio 67r to 30 December on folio 10r; and for 1859 from 3 January on folio 9r to 28 January on folio 6v.Foliation: The foliation number is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio after the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 137. Foliation errors: f. 6 is followed by ff. 6A-B.
This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain; the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; ‘Abd al-Ḥusayn, the interpreter of the British Political Agency at Bahrain; Jāsim al-Chirāwī; Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain; and Seth Rao Sahib Tirathdas Maharaj, Director of Customs at Bahrain. These papers concern the issuing of clearance certificates in the context of the Tangistan blockade in 1916 which prohibited boats leaving Bahrain without obtaining permission from the Political Agent and other miscellaneous issues regarding shipping and smuggling.1 file (76 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: The foliation system starts at the front cover and continues through to the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled and may be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Commentary by Abū al-Qāsim ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʻAlī Ibn Abī Ṣādiq al-Nīsābūrī (أبو القاسم عبد الرحمن بن علي ابن أبي صادق النيسابوري, d. ca 1068) on the Aphorisms (كتاب الفصول) of Hippocrates (أبقراط, d. ca 370 BC). The commentary is based on Galen of Pergamon's (جالينوس, d. ca 216) commentary on the Aphorisms.The copy was completed on the morning of Tuesday 3 Ramaḍān 1094/26 August 1683, the 28th year of the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (reg. 1658-1707), in the
takīyahof Shah Sayyid Aḥmad at Burhanpur by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir Qurashī (شيخ عبد القادر قرشي, see colophon, f. 177r, lines 6-8, transcribed below).The text is followed by a brief note by a later hand and an incomplete horoscope diagram (f. 177v).Begins (f. 2v, lines 1-4):... قال عبد الرحمن بن عليبن أبي صادق رحمة (!) بعد حمد الله تعا[لى] بجميع محامده والصلوة علىرسوله محمد وآله إن العناية تبعث الخلق على اقتناء باب من أبواب العلوممن أشرف الفضائل الإنسانية سيما ما كان الناس كافةً ...Ends (f. 177r, lines 2-5):... وأما الفصول المدالة والتي قد اعتد ذكرهابآخره من الكتاب فركنا ذكرها شفقة على فواتالزمان بما لا يجدي نفعًا والله تعالى والسالمة وهوحسبنا ونعم الوكيلColophon (f. 177r, lines 6-13):تمت بالخير بوقت ضحى روز سه شنبه بتأريخ سيوم ماهرمضان المبارك في تكيه ميان شاه سيد أحمد قدس سرهسنة 28 جلوس سنة 1094 هجري كاتب فقير شيخ عبد القادرقرشي ساكن برهانپور هركس كه بدركاه توآيد به تيازمحروم زدركاه توكي كردربازاي آله من وآله همه كرم تست عذرخواه همقطره [آ]ز آب رحمت توبه است شستن نامه سياه هموالسلام والإكرامFf. 2v-177r
The volume contains correspondence pertaining to the relatives of the late Shaikh of Khuzestan, Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī. The correspondents include the Political Resident at Bahrain, Political Agent at Kuwait, Government of India, Foreign Office, India Office, British Ambassador in Tehran, British Ambassador in Baghdad, Middle East Office at Cairo, British Consul General at Ahwaz, Vice Consul at Korramshahr, and two of Khaz‘al's sons, Abdullah [‘Abdullah bin Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī] and Chassib [Jāsib bin Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī].The matters covered in the volume include:compensation to be paid to the heirs of Sheikh Ahmad of Kuwait and Sheikh Khaz‘al for taxes [
istiḥlāk] paid on estates that they should have been exempt from;the intrigues and actions of Khaz‘al's sons, ‘Abdullah and Jāsib, including small-scale incursions into Khuzistan [Khūzestān] from Iraq and attempts to garner Arab and British support for their return to power in Khuzistan;where to settle ‘Abdullah after his return from Persia.Folios 64-69 are letters in Arabic, signed by several of the heads of leading Arab families in the region, petitioning the Political Resident for help against Persian oppression.Folios 214-228 are internal office notes.1 volume (233 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically.Foliation: There is an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete sequence, which should be used for referencing, is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the title page, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 228. There are the following irregularities: folio 1 is followed by folio 1A. It should be noted that folio 67 is contained in an envelope which is attached to the verso of folio 66, and folios 71-72 are in an envelope which is attached to the verso of folio 70.