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 A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.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.
This volume is a printed report, published by the Government of India Press (Calcutta: 1926), constituting a collection of assurances, undertakings and agreements made by chiefs and Khans of Southern Persia with the British Government and trading companies between 1898 and 1922. The volume is marked 'Confidential' on the front cover and contains a table of contents (folios 4-5). The agreements, some appearing in both Persian and English, are ordered by serial number and they include:No. 1: Undertaking Given by Certain Notables of Luristan in regard to the Construction of Cart Road through Part of their Territory (8 June 1911);No. 2: Correspondence regarding Right of Option Granted to Persian Railway Syndicate by Persian Government for Construction of Certain Railway Lines (9 February 1913, 4 March 1913, and 10 January 1920);No. 3: Memorandum Regarding Concessions for Roads and Railways in South-West Persia up to 1917 (1917);No. 4: Persian Transport Company's Concession for the Construction of a Commercial Road Between Ahwaz and Tehran and the Establishment of a Transport Service thereon (5 August 1890);No. 5: Compensation for Loss of Pilotage Fees, Amounting to Ts. 2000 per annum to be paid to Haidar Khan, Hayat Daudi [Ḥaydar Khān Ḥayāt Dāwūdī], C I E (12 February 1920 and 26 February 1920);No. 6: Agreement Concluded between Messrs. Lynch Bros. and certain Bakhtiari Chiefs for the Construction and Maintenace of a Road from Ahwaz to Isfahan and Shushter [Shushtār] to Isfahan (3 March 1898);No. 7: D'Arcy Oil Concession (28 May 1901);No. 7(a): Translation of the D'Arcy Oil Concession (28 May 1901);No. 8: Agreement Between D'Arcy Syndicate and the Bakhtiari (15 November 1905);No. 8(a): Refusal of Persian Government to Recognize Agreement between the D'Arcy Syndicate and the Bakhriaris (12 January 1906);No. 8(b): Notes on the Bakhtiari Agreement of November 15 1905 (20 October 1906);No. 9: Agreement between Mr W[illiam] K[nox] D'Arcy and the Kili Sayyeds (1 October 1906);No. 10: Agreement between the Oil Company and H. E. Shahab-Es-Sultaneh, Ilbegi [Shihāb al-Sulṭānah Īlbagī] of the Bakhtiar (25 March 1907);No. 11: Land Agreement between the Oil Company and the Bakhtiari Khans (15 May 1911);No. 11(a): Power-of-Attorney Appointing Sardar Muhtesham [Sardār Muḥtasham] and Sardar Bahadur [Sardār Bahādur] as Agents of the Bakhtiari Khans (1910);No. 11(b): The Bakhtiari Khans' Orders to their Tribesmen Regarding the Oil Company's Employees (May 1911);No. 11(c): Undertaking made by the Bakhtiari Khans regarding the Kili Sayyeds (May 1911);No. 12: Agreement for Protection of Pipe-Line (28 April 1911);No. 13: Supplementary Agreement between Mr W K D'Arcy and the Kili Sayyeds (10 February 1911);No. 14: Agreement between the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and Parwiz Khan, Gunduzlu [Parvīz Khān Gunduzlū] (20 February 1911);No. 15: Agreement between the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the Wali of Pusht-i-Kuh (19 September 1919);No. 16: Land Aquisition Agreement between Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the Bakhiairi Khans (20 April 1921);No. 17: Agreement between the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and Haidar Khan, C I E, of Hayat Daud (6 October 1921, 22 October 1921, and 13 November 1921);No. 18: Agreement between the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the Kashkuli [Kashkūlī] Khans (14 October 1921);No. 19: Agreement between Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the Ilkhani of the Qashgais (20 May 1922).1 volume (52 folios)The assurances, agreements and undertakings compiled in this volume are arranged according to serial number from 1 to 18. These appear roughly in chronological order.Foliation: The foliation sequence 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. The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
The volume primarily consists of correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch); Political Agent at Bahrain (Tom Hickinbotham); the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Khan Sahib Abd ‘al-Razzaq) the India Office (John Charles Walton, Maurice Clauson) and Petroleum Concessions Limited (Frank Holmes, Basil Henry Lermitte, Stephen Hemsley Longrigg, Frederick Lewisohn); the main subject of discussion is the negotiations between the Shaikh Sultan bin Saqar [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Sharjah and Major Frank Holmes, negotiator for Petroleum Concessions Limited.The correspondence discusses the negotiations for a commercial concession in Sharjah, which are concluded in the beginning of July 1937 with the Shaikh agreeing to sign the concession; and his subsequent concern over the Political Agreement and Exchange of Notes relating to the concession agreement.Also discussed in connection with concession agreements is a letter drafted by the India Office which contained an ultimatum to be used should any Shaikh appear to be holding out in negotiations with Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) with the intention of opening negotiations instead with the Standard Oil Company of California. The ultimatum stated that should the Shaikh in question not wish to give his concession to PCL, he would not be permitted to negotiate with or grant a concession to, any other company. The ultimatum was issued to the Shaikh’s of Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah and Umm al Qaiwain.Further correspondence relates to PCL’s interest in exploring the territory west of the Oman mountain range and the subsequent discussion regarding which rulers claimed responsibility over the territory, whether they had actual authority there or whether it was in the hands of local shaikhs, and how PCL should approach exploring there in those circumstances.The correspondence includes a detailed assessment by the Political Agent at Bahrain, Tom Hickinbotham, of the areas in question and outlines what he knows of the areas of the tribes that claimed ownership including the Beni Kitab [Beni Qitab] (also given as Beni Chittab); Naim [Āl Na‘īm], Bu Shamis [Āl Bū Shāmis] and Duroor [Al-Durur] as well as outlining where he believed the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi and Sultan of Muscat’s areas of authority to be. The correspondence concludes by recommending that the Company be persuaded to delay their explorations into this territory until the following year in order to permit the Political Agent and Residency Agent to spend the winter visiting and exploring these areas in order to ascertain a more accurate knowledge of the situation.Other matters discussed in the volume include:an invitation from the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi to Petroleum Concessions Limited to open concession negotiations with him and the company’s wish for Khan Sahib Yusuf Kanoo to accompany their negotiator (Basil Henry Lermitte) to Abu Dhabi;copy of the Debai [Dubai] Commercial agreement (folios 53-70) signed by Major Frank Holmes (PCL), Tom Hickinbotham (Political Agent at Bahrain) and Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm (Shaikh of Dubai).the Political Agreement for the Trucial states which both the India Office and Petroleum Concessions Limited wished to amend, and subsequent negotiations to achieve this. A copy of the redrafted agreement can be found at folios 103-109.a visit by Frank Holmes to the Shaikh of Ras al Khaimah (Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī) for the purpose of opening concession negotiations, which was unsuccessful, and concerns that the Shaikh would attempt to negotiate with the Standard Oil Company despite being informed by the British Government that such negotiations would not be permitted.Petroleum Concessions Limited’s intention to employ Haji ‘Abdullah Williamson to work for them in the Persian Gulf as his employment with the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company had ended and their concern that they would not be able to do so owing to the circular issued by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf preventing Williamson from visiting the Arab Coast. Also included is discussion of the decision by the India Office and Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to make the company aware of the evidence they had in support of Williamson’s actions on the Trucial Coast in which he was seen to be working against the interest of his employers (PCL) and of the Shaikh of Dubai.Correspondence with the Trucial Coast Shaikhs is in English and Arabic; letters from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company contain Persian and English letterheads.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 191-196.1 volume (198 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.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 5-190; 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.
This file consists of exchanges to do with events and personalities in or around Gwadur [Gwadar] on the Makran Coast of Baluchistan. The file includes a list of important personalities in Oman, and the 1882 administration report and trade returns. The end of the file consists of an extensive biographical sketch of Sultan Sayyid Sa`id ibn Sultan by Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Barrett Miles.In between these items are letters on incidents of plunder and looting in Gwadur. They include subsequent applications to the Political Agency for countermeasures or compensation by British protected subjects and responses from the Sultan of Oman's governor (Wali) in Gwadur at the time, Sayyid bin Musallem.1 file (134 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 136; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
This file contains correspondence relating to the islands of Bahrain, Tanb (also written as Tamb) [Greater and Lesser Tumb] and Abu Musa in the context of the Persian claim to these islands. The main correspondents are Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf; Political Resident Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle); H.M. Minister, Tehran (Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen); Under Secretary of State, Foreign Office (John Charles Walton); Sheikh Sultan bin Salim, ruler of Ras al Khaimah Topics of letters include:The attitude of Shaikh Sultan bin Salim, the ruler of Ras al Khaimah.The British approach to a possible Persian claim over Bahrain at the Council of League of Nations.Interception of letters from the Persian Governement to the local shaikh at Tanb.Account of a conversation between a French Admiral (Contre-Amiral Rivet) and the Shaikh of Ras al Khaimah.A firman contained in a envelope (folio 179a).The removal and replacement of the Ras al Khaimah flag on Tanb.1 volume (205 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation. The foliation sequences runs from the front cover to last folio, and consists of small circled numbers, located in the top right corner of the recto of each folio.
Anonymous and untitled treatise on mathematics containing numerous diagrams.The copy was completed at Ajmer (أجمير) on Tuesday 10 Rabī‘ I 1041/7 October 1631 by Muḥammad Amīn ibn Mirzā Muḥammad Faḍl Allāh Kāshānī (محمد أمين بن مرزا محمد فضل الله كاشاني; see colophon, f. 14v, lines 15-21 and second line of Persian inscription by hand of scribe to left of colophon, transcribed below).Contents:Begins (f. 2v, lines 2-3):بدانکه اهل این صناعت را در اخراج مسایل طریقهای بسیار است وقانونهای درست که متقدمان بدستآورده اند چون اربعه مناسب وطریق جبر ومقابله وطریق خطایی ومانند این ...Ends (f. 14v, lines 13-14):... این قدر هدایت که کردیم کفایتباشد در چگونگی بیرون کردن مسایل اکنون برین اختصار کردیم تا دراز نگردد والسلمColophon (f. 14v, lines 15-21):تمت هذه النسخة الشريفة في يوم الثلثاء عاشر شهر ربيع الأولسنة إحدى وأربعين ألف من الهجرةالنبوية المصطفوية علىيد العبد الضعيفمحمد أمين بن مرزامحمد فضل اللهكاشانيInscription to right of colophon (by hand of scribe):شبهای فقر وفنا از ما و بخت و ملک وجاه از توچو دنیا را بقائی نیست خواه از ما وخواه از توInscription to left of colophon (by hand of scribe):در محلی که انقلاب روزگار این فقیر کم بضاعت رااز نیسانی ما ببلده اجمیر انداخته بود بر سبیل استعجال نوشته شدFf. 2v-14v
The file contains correspondence related to the Iranian Government’s order known as the Tehran order, on treating people arriving at Persian ports from Bahrain, Muscat, Dubai and Oman as Persian subjects. The file also includes petitions raised by Muscat subjects whose passports were seized by the Iranian Customs.The main correspondents in the file are the British Residency and Consulate General, Bushire; the Secretary of State for India, London; His Majesty’s Minister, Tehran; the Political Agency, Muscat and the Government of Muscat and Oman.1 file (54 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 56; 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 3-54; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file contains letters sent by merchants, banks and companies to the Bahrain Political Agency asking the Agency to grant them export licences for the shipment of currency notes from one place to another, from one bank to another, or from one company to a bank. The main correspondents are the Arabian American Oil Company, the Eastern Bank Limited and the Imperial Bank of Iran.1 file (64 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Folios 57- 65 are file notes.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 66; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
This volume is a glossary of Persian military terms and was published in Lucknow by the Newul Kishore Press. The terms are listed in alphabetical order in English and the Persian translation appears next to each term.There are two appendices at the end of the volume: the first contains a list of ranks in the Persian army, the second provides a list of musketry terms.1 volume (22 folios)The information in this volume is arranged alphabetically.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description 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.
Persian translation of a treatise on geometry, the
Ashkāl al-ta’sīs(أشكال التأسيس) by Shams al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Ashraf al-Ḥusaynī al-Samarqandī (شمس الدين محمد بن أشرف الحسيني السمرقندي, d. 1302; see f. 118v, line 7). The translation was made by Maḥmūd ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Qiwām al-Qāḍī al-Wālishtānī known as Maḥmūd al-Harawī al-Hay’awī (محمود بن محمد بن محمد بن قوام القاضي الوالشتاني known as محمود الهروي الهيئوي, fl. c. 1435; see ff. 118r, lines 16-17), and dedicated to Jamāl al-Dīn Sulṭān Ḥusayn (جمال الدين سلطان حسين; see f. 119r, lines 4-6).All thirty-five propositions of the
Ashkāl al-ta’sīsare commented upon, but the copy is defective at the end, finishing abruptly in proposition thirty-five.The text is followed by notes in Arabic on geometrical terminology (f. 134r) and a bio-bibliographical note in Arabic on al-Sharīf ‘Alī ibn Muḥammad al-Jurjānī (d. 1413; f. 135r).Begins (f. 117v, line 2):حمد بی حد وثنأ بی منتها وسپاس بى قياس كه قدم شهوار ...Ends (f. 133v, lines 16-17):سطح ح ط متساوي سطح ح ع است چنانچه در لد گذشت وسطح ح عمثل سطح ح ر است چه متمان (؟) متساويا ٮٮد (؟) سطح ح ط متساوي سطح حر باشد (؟) سطحFf. 117v-133v
Treatise on practical astronomy (تقويم) divided into thirty sections (سي فصل) composed in 658/1260 (see Amīn,
Mustadrakāt a‘yān al-shī‘ah, p. 233) by Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (نصير الدين الطوسي, d. 1274). The full title of the work is
Sī faṣl dar ma‘rifat-i taqvīm(سي فصل در معرفت تقويم).The text contains thirteen complete diagrams and tables (ff. 58v, 60r, 61r, 63r, 63v, 64r, 68r, 69r, 69v, 70r, 71v, 72r, and 72v), with an unfilled space for a further diagram (f. 68v), and a table into which no data has been entered (f. 70v).The copy was completed on 25 Dhū al-Ḥijjah 1055/11 February 1646 (see colophon, f. 77r, lines 18-19, transcribed below).Begins (f. 56v, lines 10-12):الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلوة والسلم على خير خلقهمحمد وآله أجمعين وبعد اين مختصر يست در معرفتتقويم مشتمل بر سي فصل ...Ends (f. 77r, lines 13-17):... اما در بيع منصرف از سعديودر شرى بايد كه متصل بسعدي بود وبرين قاس ومادرين مختصر بد ينقدر اختيار كنيم پساکر کسى زياده ازين خواهد بحوع بهكتب مبسوطه اين علم كند واللهاعلمColophon (f. 77r, lines 18-19):... تمام شد بتاريخ 25ذي الحجة سنة 1055Ff. 56v-77r
A collection of short extracts of poetry and prose in Perisan and Arabic on various topics related to the natural sciences. The extracts are attributed to such authorities and works as Sharaf al-Dīn ‘Alī Yazdī (شرف الدين علي يزدي, d. 1454; f. 5r), the
Optica(كتاب المناظر) of Euclid of Alexandria (Εὐκλείδης; أقليدس; fl. 300 BC; f. 6r, top); the
Majma‘ al-bayān(مجمع البيان) of Abū ‘Alī Faḍl ibn Ḥasan al-Ṭabarsī (أبو علي فضل بن حسن الطبرسي, d. 1153; f. 6r, lower left).The text is arranged in irregular columns and blocks on the pages, written horizontally, vertically and diagonally.Begins (f. 4v, right column, lines 1-2):سمن برى كه سيم حرف تام او عدويتكه مال آن عدد اور است اول وثانىEnds (f. 6r, left column, 10-12):فهو قوله التعالى ولا الليل سابق النهارأي قد سبقه النهار قالهالطبرسي في مجمعه 5Ff. 4v-6r
Imprint:Lithographed in the Office of the Chief Engineer of P.W. by H Essoobyee, and F de Jesus, Bombay, 7 March 1857.Distinctive Features:Below title the note: 'by Captain Felix Jones, Resident Persian Gulf, and Captain M. Green, Sind Horse, constructed while reconnoitring the Enemy's position at Mahomerah [Khorramshahr] in Company with Commander Ethersey and Captain J.W. Young. J.N. in February 1857’.Shows the course of the Hugh Lindsay by blue line.The place names are given in English and Persian.1 mapDimensions:1130 x 425 mm; on sheet 1180 x 524 mm or smaller.Foliation: The map sheet has been foliated in the top right hand corner of the folio with a pencil number enclosed in a circle.
This letter concerns the fate of the late Mr Tasker's watch. Justin Sheil informs Samuel Hennell that he wrote to Hajee Mahomed Jaffer, requesting an explanation of the circumstances by which he came to possess Mr Tasker's watch. Sheil states that Hajee Mahomed Jaffer's reply is neither an admission nor a denial of his having disposed of the watch to the Agent at Shiraz, Meerza Mahmood. Sheil states that he also asked Prince Ferhad Meerza [Prince Farhad Mirza Mo'tamed ed-Dowleh] to write to Hajee Mahomd Jaffer, in order to ascertain the nature of the transaction that passed between him and the Agent. Sheil concludes that Hajee Mahomed Jaffer neither bought the watch nor disposed of it; he suggests that Hajee Mahomed Jaffer lied on behalf of the Agent, following the supplication of Meerza Mahmood's family. Sheil argues that there remains no doubt of the Agent's criminality and instructs Hennell to remove Meerza Mahmood from his post. The letter is followed by copies (in Perisan) of Hajee Mahomed Jaffer's replies to Sheil and Prince Ferhad Meerza respectively.6 folios
Map of Iran and its neighbours, indicating the extent of an oil concession granted to the Amiranian Oil Company. The map, with accompanying key, indicates: the Iranian frontier, the Amiranian Oil Company’s concession line; the names of countries and major settlements, given in French and Persian.The map, which has been taken from an unspecified Iranian newspaper, is referred to in (and was enclosed with) a letter dated 23 January 1937, sent by Horace James Samuel, HM’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Tehran, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Robert Anthony Eden. A copy of the letter precedes the map, along with a copy of the French text of an Iranian Government bill, granting oil concessions to US interests, including the Amiranian Oil Company (ff 32-40).1 mapMaterials:printed on paper.Dimensions:170 x 235 mm, affixed to sheet 200 x 330 mm.
The file contains papers regarding the celebration of the King's Birthday and Christmas and New Year’s Day between 1935-1939. Christmas and New Year’s Day were announced as an official holiday at the Agency in Bahrain. The King's Birthday was celebrated in June each year, but was not an official holiday.Ceremonies were arranged at the Agency for both the King's Birthday and New Year’s Day. For the King's Birthday, a notice was sent by the Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf announcing which day in June the King's Birthday would be celebrated that year. For Christmas, a memorandum was sent by the Political Agent in Bahrain with a sum of money to the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain. The memorandum instructed the Adviser to distribute sweets among the prisoners on Christmas Day.The following arrangements were made for both the King's Birthday and New Year’s Day celebrations:refreshments including biscuits (Nice), coffee, sherbet, crystallised cherries, and Mackintosh toffees were ordered mainly from Ashraf Brothers Company;invitation cards were ordered mainly from The Times Press Limited;British, European and American community members were invited as well as company staff;personal invitations were sent respectively to Shaikh Hamad Bin ‘Isa al-Khalifa, and to members and representatives of various communities in Bahrain including Arabs, Persians, and Indians;a guard was appointed to receive Shaikh Hamad and his family at the Agency;a notice specifying the time and date of each ceremony was sent by the Agency and circulated among various companies including The Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and The Eastern Bank Limited.Lists of invitees and records of absentees were drawn up. The file also includes letters of acceptance or apology from the invitees. Most of these letters were written in Arabic or in Persian. After each ceremony a report was written summarising the event. The reports could include suggestions for future ceremonies.The file contains several speeches in Arabic and in Persian that were read at the ceremonies. The speeches were delivered mainly by the Secretary of Manama Municipality, Secretary of Muharraq Municipality, Haji Yusuf Ahmad Kanoo, Haji Abdun Nabi bin Ahmad Busheri (on behalf of the Iranian Shia community), Haji Muhammad Tayeb Khunji (on behalf of the Iranian Sunni community), Meir Daoud Rouben & Sons (on behalf of the Jewish community), and Mullah Hassan bin al-Shaikh al-Majed (on behalf of Bahrainis).The correspondence is mainly between Political Agents Percy Gordon Loch and Tom Hickinbotham, the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, and Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Isa.1 file (283 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Folios 257- 284 are file notes.Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 285; 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 1-256 and ff 257-284 respectively; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Journal of the British Embassy to Persia; Embellished with Numerous Views taken in India and Persia: also a Dissertation upon the Anqituities of Persepolisby William Price.Publication Details: London, published by Kingsbury, Parbury, and Allen, Booksellers to the Honourable East India Company, Leadenhall Street.1 volume (162 pages)The volume contains an index of prints and plates giving titles and page references.Dimensions: 255mm x 340mm
This file contains letters written and received by Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire. Most of the letters written by Hennell are addressed to His Excellency Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil CB, Her Majesty's Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Persia, Tehran. In addition, there are the following items: a small number of letters addressed by Hennell to Arthur Malet, Chief Secretary to the Government, Bombay, in which Hennell forwards copies of his letters to Sheil; a couple of letters from Hennell to Commodore John Patterson Porter, Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf; a letter from Hennell to James McAlister, Civil Surgeon at Bushire; a letter from Hennell to the Assistant Collector at the Stationery Department, Bombay; and a letter from Hennell to J Malcolm, Armenian Merchant, Bushire. The received letters consist entirely of Sheil's responses to Hennell. The letters from Hennell to Sheil report on recent events in Bushire and the surrounding area. Hennell also forwards enclosures from the British Agent at Shiraz, which describe in detail events in and around Shiraz. Subjects covered in Hennell's and Sheil's letters include: a recent incident in which slaves were imported into Bushire; several acts of piracy committed in the Persian Gulf; the removal of Sheik Nasir Khan from his position as Governor of Bushire; Sheil's suspicions regarding the conduct of the British Agent at Shiraz, Mirza Mahmood.1 volume, 94 items (226 folios)The items of correspondence is in roughly chronological order. The sequence begins on 7 January 1850 and ends on 27 December 1850. Some of the letters from January 1850 appear out of chronological sequence.There is an original pagination sequence and a foliation sequence.Pagination: The pagination sequence is written in ink, in the upper left hand corner of each page. It begins on the first page after the title page. The sequence skips pages where no text is present and pages which contain only abstracts of letters and original reference numbers. The sequence repeats numbers 60-79 so these appear twice; it also skips 266.Foliation: The foliation sequence is written in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. It begins on the title page, on number 1; then 2-88; 89A and 89B; and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 225. Due to a foliation error, there is no number 157 in this sequence. This is the sequence that has been used for cataloguing this file.
Folio 12v contains six lines of unpointed Arabic text entitled
'On ascertaining the distance between countries (في معرفة قدر المسافة بين البلدين)', and a diagram showing the orbit of the moon around the earth.Folio 13r contains a short and mostly unpointed Persian text attributed to Naṣīr al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ṭūsī's (نصير الدين محمد بن محمد الطوسي; d. 1274), and a diagram.Ff. 12v-13r
The file contains applications and supporting documentation from companies applying for registration with the Kuwait Political Agency, a requirement for companies subject to British jurisdiction under the Kuwait Order in Council. The companies in question are Cable and Wireless; the Eastern Oil Company; Gray, Mackenzie and Company Limited; the Imperial Bank of Iran; the Kuwait Oil Company; and Spinney's Limited. The supporting documentation generally includes information on a company's capital, its directors, and its shareholders. Supplementary correspondence between these companies and the Political Agency has been filed within.In addition, memoranda and articles of association have been included from Gray, Mackenzie and Company Limited (folios 15-37) and Spinney's Limited (folios 84-103 under Government of Palestine and folios 123-137 under Government of Cyprus).The Persian language content is limited to Imperial Bank of Iran letterheads.1 file (146 folios)The file is loosely arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. A set of file notes can be found at the back between folios 144-147.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 148; 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 39-56, and ff 70-74; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
One photographic print: a full-length portrait of Sarhang (a rank equivalent to Colonel) Hajji Ibrahim Khán, Commandant of the Bakhtiari Horse. The title is printed above the photograph in Persian, and below the photograph in English. The Persian title also bears a date: Hijri year 1301 (c.1883).1 photographic printDimensions: 127 x 84 mm, on page 237 x 150 mm.Materials: Photographic print on paper.
The volume contains correspondence and other papers related to Persia’s claims of sovereignty over Bahrain. The first part of the volume (up to folio 44) contains confidential correspondence between the years 1906 and 1907, in which Persia’s claim over Bahrain is discussed between high-ranking British Government officials. Much of this correspondence discusses Persia’s insistence of its claim on Bahrain, which is rooted in the 1822 agreement between the Fars authorities and the then British Political Resident Captain William Bruce, which subsequent British officials insisted was “not formally ratified by the proper authorities” (folio 21).The next part of the volume (folio 45 onwards) contains correspondence from 1910 to 1913 and involves British officials’ investigations into allegations that the Persian authorities were charging Persians reduced passport rates to travel from Persia to Bahrain. These reduced rates were of a level usually reserved for persons travelling from one Persian port to another, and the levelling of the same fee on Persian travellers headed for Bahrain, was seen by British officials as a manifestation of Persian claims of sovereignty over Bahrain. British officials particularly objected to the actions of one Bahraini resident, Haji Abdul Nabi, who signed passports of Persian travellers, “thereby arrogating to himself the functions of a consular or passport official” (folios 108-09). Most of the correspondence in this part of the volume is between the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Cox), and the Political Agent (Captain Francis Prideaux until 1909, Charles MacKenzie 1909 to 1910).1 volume (109 folios)The contents of the file have been arranged in approximate chronological order, running from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the end.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. Foliation anomalies: 1a-1f, 55a, 111a. The following folios are fold-outs: 49, 66, 67, 93.
Correspondence exchanged between the German Consulate at Buschär [Bushire] (Helmuth Listemann) and others: the Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh] representative of the German firm Robert Wönckhaus and Company (Herr H Rosenfeld; Herr Krumpeter); the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Zachariah Cox); German Government officials at the Auswärtiges Amt (Foreign Office) in Berlin, the German Chargé d’Affaires in Tehran (Hartmann Oswald Heinrich Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen).The correspondence refers to a dispute over a concession for the mining and shipment of red oxide at Abū Mūsá, originally awarded to Arab merchants by Shaikh Sālim bin Sulṭān Āl Qāsimī of Sharjah in 1898, and part of which was subsequently acquired by Wönckhaus and Company in 1906. The dispute was sparked by the Ruler of Sharjah, Shaikh Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qāsimī’s cancellation of the concession in 1907, and subsequent claims by Wönckhaus and Company and the German Government, over financial losses arising from the cancellation of the concession.Amongst the papers are copies of correspondence, agreements and other papers dating between 1892 and 1907, relating to the original contract to mine red oxide at Abū Mūsá. Many of these agreements are in Arabic, with most accompanied by English translations.The majority of the file’s correspondence is in German. Official letters exchanged between the German Consul at Bushire and the British Political Resident are in French.1 file (263 folios)The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end.The subject 4949 (Abu Musa oxide) consists of six volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/318-323. The volumes are divided into six parts, with each part comprising one volume. Part 6 (IOR/L/PS/10/323) is missing.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 263; these numbers are printed, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The volume contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle); the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (John Charles Walton); the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (L Lefroy, Edward Henry Ommaney Elkington, Hajji ‘Abdullah Williamson) and Petroleum Concessions Limited (John Skliros) on the subject of possible concessions with the Trucial Coast Shaikhs and the formation of a new company, Petroleum Concessions Limited to undertake negotiations for these concessions.Matters discussed include:correspondence from Hajji ‘Abdullah Williamson, negotiator for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) discussing what he had learned of the extent and boundaries of Abu Dhabi territory; his negotiations with the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi and his eventual success in securing a two year option, including a copy of the agreement signed between Shaikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (Shaikh Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān), Ruler of Abu Dhabi and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Also included in the correspondence is information on the different tribes and tribal groups within Abu Dhabi; the availability of water, livestock and food supplies; and transport options within the country;the decision by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company to form a new subsidiary company, Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) to take on the options obtained from Trucial Coast Shaikhs and exploit potential concessions should oil be found. The correspondence is primarily between Sir John Skliros, Chairman of Petroleum Concessions Limited, Langlois Massy Lefroy and Edward Henry Ommaney Elkington of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, and representatives of the India Office discussing the establishment of PCL and their interest in negotiating an extension of their options to five years and including draft concessions in those extensions. Enclosed within the volume are PCL’s proposed draft concession agreements for Ras-al-Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah], Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Kuwait Neutral Zone and Bahrain; the two year option agreement signed with Shaikh Rashid bin Homaid [Rāshid Bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī], Ruler of Ajman ; and interest in an option in Umm-ul-Quwain [Umm al Qaywayn];correspondence from Saiyid Said bin Taimur [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd], Sultan of Muscat expressing a desire to have a mineralogical survey undertaken within his territories, as although the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (now the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company) had surveyed the area in the past he wished to have a second opinion to settle the question of whether or not there might be oil;attempts by Major Frank Holmes to form a British Company to pursue possible Oil Concessions on the Trucial Coast, which failed, and his subsequent appointment by Petroleum Concessions Limited to act as their negotiator in the Persian Gulf;the question of whether an option for Kalba [Kalbā] would be of interest and discussing its complicated political status involving the Shaikh’s of Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah;discussion over the wording of the option agreement between the Shaikh of Ras-al-Khaimah and AIOC and whether it covers the island of Tamb (also given as Tanb) [Greater Tumb].Correspondence with 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 200-204.1 volume (207 folios)A table of contents is given on folio 6 with subject headings and page references. 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, 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 7-199; 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.
Memoranda, statements, forms and other papers relating to military pension payments made from the Bahrain Treasury. The principal correspondents are: the Political Agent in Bahrain; the Controller (or Deputy Controller) of Military Pension Accounts [CMPA] in the Lahore Cantonment. The file is a direct chronological continuation of ‘Miscellaneous:– Payments of Military Pensions from the Bahrain Treasury and their Correspondence regarding’ (IOR/R/15/2/1519).Papers in the file include:copies of monthly statements (submitted by the Agency) of the names of pensioners transferred from the Bahrain Treasury to other Pension Disbursing Offices, and lists of pensions brought on the Check register of the Bahrain Treasury, for months covering period August 1938 to May 1944. Most statements and lists are marked ‘nil’;monthly statements of casualties amongst members of OBI, IOM, VC and MC (Order of British India, Indian Order of Merit, Victoria Cross, Military Cross) on the Pension Establishment in the payment of the Bahrain Treasury. Statements are marked ‘nil’;circular memoranda from the CMPA and other Government administrations, concerning various aspects of pension payments, such as procedure, policy, overpayments, fraud, pay increases, cases of Indian military pensioners convicted in criminal courts;correspondence relating to checks on the identity of individuals claiming pensions, including depositions made by pensioners and supporting statements (recorded at the Agency) and certificates of verification, issued by the Political Agent;papers relating to the transfer of pension payments.The file also includes: fragments of a pension certificate (ff 131-134) and two complete pension certificates, dated 1933 (ff 283-285) and 1925 (ff 304-305) respectively, the former with an accompanying pension warrant and record of payments (f 286). The pension certificates include terms and conditions printed in English, as well as in a number of other languages used on the Indian subcontinent, including Punjabi, Hindi and Tamil.An invoice is included in the file, dated 19 May 1932 (f 339), which has no obvious relation to surrounding correspondence, and was presumably included in the file in error.1 file (366 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 347-367) 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 368; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-346; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file concerns the refusal of the Government of Persia (later referrred to as Iran) to issue visas for travel to Persia to holders of British passports bearing endorsements for Koweit [Kuwait] and Bahrain. The issue arose because of Persia's claim to sovereignty over Bahrain. This refusal by the Iranian authorities was later exetended (1938) to British passports bearing endorsements for the Trucial Coast and Muscat. The file also contains papers dated 1947 concerning the issue by the Political Agent, Bahrain of visas for Eritrea.The principal correspondents are the Foreign Office, and HM Minister, Tehran (later HM Ambassador to Iran).The Persian language content of the file consists of a single form.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, in two parts (255 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: this file consists of two physical parts. The foliation sequence commences at the first folio of part one (ff 1-129) and terminates at the last folio of part two (ff 130-255); 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 1-255; these numbers are printed, and are not circled. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers of the parts.
The file contains case correspondence, including several witness statements and a record of hearing proceedings held at the British Political Agency in Kuwait. These case papers relate to the investigation and resolution of 27 individual claims that were submitted to the Political Agent, Kuwait by resident British Indian subjects, merchants in India and others. The majority of claims concern either the non-payment of debts, goods or services, or land and property rights. The correspondence is mainly between the Political Agent at Kuwait and the individual claimants and defendants in each case. There are several letters, statements and notes in Arabic, two statements of account in Persian relating to goods purchased on credit, one letter of claim in French and one short note in Tamil.1 file (299 folios)At the front of the file is a table of contents entitled ‘Index’. It lists each civil case according to the name of the claimant and the nature of their claim, together with the folio reference (described as the ‘page’ reference) on which the case papers begin. The folio reference given in the table of contents belongs to a superseded foliation sequence, which is written in pencil, but not circled. Each set of case papers appear in the file in chronological order, based on the commencement date of the claim. Within each individual case record, the claim papers are also arranged in approximate chronological order.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 301; 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 irregular foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 8-300; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are at times crossed out. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
This file contains correspondence - primarily between the Political Agency in Bahrain and the Political Residency in Bushire - regarding the relations of Bahrain (and its ruler Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa) with other foreign powers.Topics discussed in the documents include communication between Shaikh Isa and the Ottoman governor of Qateef, rumours that Shaikh Isa had declared himself a subject of Turkey, correspondence regarding Persian claims to Bahrain and concerns of the Persian government regarding the treatment of Persian citizens resident in Bahrain, the activities of a cousin of Shaikh Isa named Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Khalifa who travelled without permission to Istanbul and correspondence between Shaikh Isa and the Ottoman governor of Basra.The file also contains copies (and translations) of anti-British articles published in Iranian newspapers and letters between Shaikh Isa and Ottoman officials.1 volume (195 folios)The file is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end. An index of subjects contained in the file is listed on folio 3. The index uses page numbers that refer to the file's foliation system in blue crayon.Previously a bound volume, its sheets have been unbound and are now all loose. Foliation starts on first page of volume. Foliation is in pencil in top right corner of recto. Additional foliation sequences in red and blue crayon are also present in the top right corner. The following foliation errors occur: 1,1A; 110,110A; 173,173A.
The majority of correspondence in the file consists of letters and instructions, with enclosures, in Arabic and English, between 27 March 1897 to 3 December 1903, from the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire to Khān Bahādur ‘Abd al-Laṭīf bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān, Residency Agent on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah. Enclosures typically include copies and originals of letters to and from various Persian Gulf ruling families, Persian officials and notable merchants (for example, ff. 158, 241), and from British native agents (for example, the native agent at Lingah, f. 222). Letter No 39 of 1901 encloses facsimiles of English telegrams in received at Bushire from the Secretary for the Government of India Home Department (ff. 117-119) and folios 138-140 are copies of Persian letters from the Residency to the Residency Agent at Bandar ‘Abbās.The Arabic or 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, f. 5). The letters are numbered according to the year, for example, ‘No. 315 of 1900’ (f. 22), although some letters appear unnumbered (for example, f. 171). Some letters are written on black-edged paper (for example, f. 44) indicating mourning for Queen Victoria. The subject of the letter occasionally appears in pencil or pen in Arabic on the verso side letter (for example, f. 137v).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 in the file include: attacks on boats, including those of Ahmed bin Delmuk [Aḥmad bin Dalmūk]; status, claims and petitions of British Indian subjects (banyans) and others on the Trucial Coast; announcements of the birthday of Queen Victoria and her death in 1901 (ff. 116-119) ; relations with the Persian government and the presence and movements of the Persian gunboat
Persepolis; quarantine and epidemics (for example, smallpox, f. 3); French relations with Muscat and the Trucial Coast; Persian Gulf islands, including Ghāghah, Dalmā, Sirī, Ṣir Bū Nu‘ayr, Abū Mūsá, Ṭanb; gathering trade statistics of Sharjah; pearling issues, including a dispute over the sale of a pearl of great value (f. 174), a ban on Arab divers proceeding to Marichichikaddi in the north-west coast of Ceylon in 1903 (f. 252) and runaway divers from Kuwait (ff. 240-241 and 274-275); Resident and Residency staff visits to Persian Gulf shaikhs; illness of the Residency Agent at Sharjah, in 1899 and 1903 (ff. 31 and 276); relations between shaikhs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Shaikh Maktūm bin Ḥashar Āl Maktūm and Shaikh Zāyid bin Khalīfah Āl Nahyān; administrative issues of Sharjah Residency Agent, including salary and allowance (ff. 88-89); 1899 uprising in Lingah (f. 70); various slavery cases and notifications; murder of a Persian shopkeeper in Umm al-Qaywayn; death of Shaikh Humeid bin Abdullah [Ḥumayd bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Qāsimī], chief of Ras al-Khaymah (f. 47); relations between the Trucial Coast shaikhs and the Sultan of Muscat; issues relating to Zowra [al-Zawrā’]; relations between the Shaikh of Sharjah and the Shaikh of Fujeira, Hamed bin Abdulla [Ḥamad bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Sharqī] (1902); and importation and smuggling of arms and ammunition into the Trucial Coast.1 file (287 folios)Foliation: File foliated from cover to cover with pencil number enclosed in circle in top right of recto of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 68A, 93A, 110A, 123A, 125A, 159A.Physical Condition: Water damage (ff. 111, 172) and tear damage causing missing text (ff. 3, 141).
The letter and its enclosures relate to British pressure on the Persian authorities to suppress the slave trade in Persian ports.The following enclosures are included with Kemball's letter:A letter (folios 260-62) from Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil, Her Majesty's Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Persia, to Kemball, dated 10 December 1852;The translation of document (folios 262v-263)Letter no.426 of 1852 (folios 264-66) from Kemball to Sheil, dated 14 December 1852;Letter no.11 of 1853 (folios 267-68) from Kemball to Sheil, dated 11 January 1853.11 folios
The file contains correspondence relating to two separate matters, one dating from 1932 and the other from 1940. The first matter relates to a financial claim being made by an Indian tailor residing in Bahrain, against an Anglo-Persian [Anglo-Iranian] Oil Company employee from Abadan in Persia [Iran], in which the British Vice-Consul in Mohammerah [Khorramshahr] is requested to intervene (folios 1C-15). The second matter involves an application and bond sent to the Political Agent in Bahrain (folios 19-21).1 file (24 folios)File correspondence has been arranged chronologically, from the earliest at the front to the latest at the back. There is a set of office notes accompanying the first set of correspondence (1932-33), inserted directly after the correspondence (ff 16-18), which mirrors its chronological order.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 22; these numbers are written in pencil and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The file contains three foliation anomalies: f 1a, f 1b and f 1c.
Correspondence in Arabic, mostly with translations in English, from Thuwaini bin Said, Sultan of Muscat; Zayid I bin Khalifah Al-Nahyan, Chief of Abu Dhabi; Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki al-Saud, Ruler of Najd; Majid bin Said Al-Busair, Sultan of Zanzibar; the British native agent at Sharjah, Haji Ya'qub; and other individuals.The topics discussed in the letters includes the historic rights of ownership of the Arab Coast by individual tribes; movements of Arab tribes and their choice of settlement; attempts by the Wahhabis to extend their influence along the Arab Coast; allegations of acts of piracy on merchant vessels; and the British Government's attack on al-Qatif in response to disturbances which led to damage to British subjects property.1 file, 9 items (17 folios)There does not appear to be any discernable arrangement to the fileFoliation: The file has been foliated using small pencil numbers located in the bottom right hand corner of the recto of each folio
The file contains numerous courtesy letters expressing friendship, congratulations and thanks, which are exchanged mainly between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Shaikhs of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. The majority of courtesy letters received by the Political Agent, Bahrain are from the Dubai shaikhs, particularly from Shaikh Mani bin Rashid Maktum [Āl Maktūm, Shaikh Mana bin Rashid] who is the cousin of the Ruler Shaikh Sai’d bin Maktum [Āl Maktūm, Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm bin Hasher]. Several of the letters from Shaikh Mani bin Rashid Maktum contain complaints against Sayid Abdul Razaq the Residency Agent at Sharjah.The file also contains a small amount of claims correspondence relating mainly to debt repayment. This correspondence includes petitions received from local merchants and other inhabitants of Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah, as well as letters from the Residency Agent, Sharjah to the Political Agent, Bahrain reporting his investigations into some of the claims made and any settlements reached. The majority of letters are in Arabic and are also translated into English. Included in the file are two merchant letters in Persian and a short extract from a German ornithological report in 1937, together with an English translation, about white storks.Finally, there is a small amount of correspondence in 1937 between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Government of India regarding legal opinion on the service of summonses in the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms.1 file (202 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 204; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-157; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file concerns the seizure of, or interference with, Arab merchant vessels (dhows, jolly-boats, booms) by ships of the Iranian Navy, and the Iranian (often referred to as the Persian) authorities. The pretext was generally the prevention of smuggling.The correspondence is mainly between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent, Bahrain; and the Residency Agent, Sharjah. There is also some correspondence from Gulf rulers. Enclosed or forwarded correspondence includes correspondence from the Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf (SNOPG); HM Minister, Tehran; the Political Agent, Kuwait; the India Office; the Foreign Office; and other British officials in the region.The papers include: reports of individual cases of seizure of boats from Kuwait, Dubai, Sharjah, Muscat, Bahrain, and elsewhere, including statements by crew members, and naval messages issued by the Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf; activities of the Iranian Navy gunboats
Palangand
Babr; British emphasis on the need for Gulf rulers to ensure that their subjects were carrying the correct registration papers and flying their national flag, November 1933 and September 1934, and to report cases of interference as quickly as possible, November 1934 - March 1935; discussion by British officials of the Iranian right of search, March 1937; the recommendation that the Rulers of Muscat, Kuwait and Bahrain should withdraw certain rights of search conferred on the Persian Government in 1898 and 1900, and that such rights should be allowed solely to British naval vessels, July - August 1937; and the implications of the seizure at Khorramshahr of a Bahrain dhow flying the Bahrain flag, in view of the Persian claim to Bahrain, September - November 1937. The dates given refer to main, chronologically-filed items of correspondence, which may include enclosures of an earlier date.The Arabic language content of the file consists of approximately twenty-five individual items of correspondence, with English translations (mainly letters from the Political Resident; the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Residency Agent, Sharjah; and Gulf rulers). There are also approximately three items of correspondence in Persian (with English translations).The date range gives the covering dates of the main items of correspondence. The earliest dated document is an enclosure to the first item of correspondence, dated 8 April 1933.1 volume (254 folios)The papers are filed in 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, and terminate in a set of notes (folios 235-251). Serial numbers written in pencil and (circled) in red and blue crayon (red for incoming, blue for outgoing correspondence), which occur occasionally in the papers, refer to entries in the notes.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 256; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 4-251; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in same position as the main sequence.
A collection of five astronomical and mathematical treatises in Persian and Arabic. Folios 77v and 78r have been left blank.Contents:(1) al-Qūshjī (القوشجي),
Risālah dar ‘ilm-i hay’ah(رسالة در علم هيئة; ff. 1v-46r)(2) al-‘Āmilī (العاملي),
Tashrīḥ al-aflāk(تشريح الأفلاك; ff. 46v-56v);(3) al-Ṭūsī (الطوسي),
Risālah sī faṣl(رساله سي فصل; ff. 56v-77r);(4) al-Ṭūsī (الطوسي),
Bīst bāb dar ma‘rifat asṭurlāb(بيست باب در معرفت اسطرلاب; ff. 78v-103r);(5) al-‘Āmilī (العاملي),
Khulāṣat al-ḥisāb(خلاصة الحساب; ff. 103v-135v).Codex; ff. iv+135+vMaterial: Eastern laid paper; blue paper ff. 94-101Dimensions: 195 x 90 mm leaf [ff. 1v-79r 140 x 45 mm written; ff. 79v-135v 140 x 50 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencilRuling:
Misṭarah; 18 lines per page; vertical spacing 13 lines per 10 cmScript:
NaskhInk: Black ink, with rubrications and some diagrams and overlinings in redDecoration: Illuminated opening ff. 1v-2r; illuminated
‘unwānsff. 46v and 56v; titles in gold ink ff. 78v and 103vBinding: red leather binding mixing European and Islamic styles; blind-tooled medallion and pendantsCondition: Very good; some margins repaired (ff. 94-113); lower corner torn from f. 110Marginalia: Occasional notes and corrections; many on ff. 46v-59v and 104r-105rSeals: f. 1r
The file is in two sections. The first section contains correspondence and the minutes of a public meeting regarding desecration of British graves at Bushire by some Persians, covering attempts to secure agreement with Persian authorities to respect the sanctity of such things and permission to make repairs to those damaged.The second section pertains to the visit of the Prince-Governor of Farsistan, Sultan Murad Mirza, to Bushire. It covers preparations for the event and a trip taken by the Prince-Governor to Karrack [Kharg] Island aboard the
Semiramis, accompanied by Felix Jones. It also covers the positive results for Anglo-Persian relations that the visit engendered.The correspondents include: Felix Jones, Political Resident at Bushire; Charles Murray (later Henry Rawlinson), British Envoy and Minister at Tehran; Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government at Bombay; William Doria, British Chargé d'Affaires at Tehran; Prince Sultan Murad Mirza, Prince-Governor of Farsistan; William Balfour, Commander of the Persian Gulf Squadron; Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident at Bushire.1 file (62 folios)The file is arranged firstly by subject number, in this instance number 5 and 6. How the numbers were assigned is unclear. Each subject section is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the numbering is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on inside of the back cover, on number 58. There are the following irregularities: f 12 is followed by f 12A; f 15 is followed by f 15A; f 21 is followed by f 21A; f 22 is followed by f 22A; f 27 is followed by f 27A; f 28 is followed by f 28A.
File contains correspondence regarding the access requirements of Persians entering Bahrain (from Persia), correspondence regarding reports of Bahrainis resident in Persia being pressured to adopt Persian nationality and several discussions related to the logistics and legality of travel in the region.The broader political context of these issues, complicated by Persia’s continued claim to sovereignty over Bahrain, is discussed in detail in the file.1 volume (298 folios)Arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of file to latest at end. There is an index page by topic on folio 2. The numbers in the index appear to refer to the inconsistent, uncircled foliation system.Originally a bound correspondence file but sheets have been unbound and are now all loose. The volume is foliated from the first page with text to last page with text, with small circled numbers in the top-right corner of each front-facing page. There is an inconsistent, uncircled, foliation system also in the top-right corner of each front-facing page until folio 120.
Second part of a collection of Naṣīr al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ṭūsī's (نصير الدين محمد بن محمد الطوسي; d. 1274) editions (تحارير) of the so-called 'intermediate [books] (متوسطات)', Arabic versions of ancient Greek mathematical and astronomical texts and Arabic responses to them which were meant to be read after Euclid's
Elementsand in preparation for Ptolemy's
Almagest. The first part of this collection is found in manuscript IO Islamic 1249.The script, ornamentation and binding of the volume indicate that it is part of a set comprising also manuscripts IO Islamic 924 and IO Islamic 1249. Since the latter was transcribed in 1198/1784, probably for Warren Hastings, Governor-General of Bengal from 1772 to 1785 (see front paper ii recto), the collation notes in this manuscript dated to the months of Jumādá I and Sha‘bān without indication of the year probably refer to 1198 (March-April and June-July 1784).A descriptive title in Persian is found on front paper ii recto, and tables of contents in Persian and English are given on front paper iii recto.Contents:(1) Autolycus (أوطولوقس),
De sphaera quae movetur(تحرير كتاب الكرة المتحركة; ff. 1v-10r);(2) Theodosius (ثاوذوسيوس),
De habitationibus(تحرير كتاب المساكن; ff. 11v-21r);(3) Theodosius (ثاوذوسيوس),
De diebus et noctibus(كتاب في الأيام والليالي; ff. 23v-51r);(4) Aristarchus (أرسطرخس),
De magnitudinibus et distantiis solis et lunae(في جرمي النيرين وبعديهما; ff. 52v-69r);(5) Euclid (أقليدس),
Elements, Book 1 (مقالهٔ اولى از كتاب اقليدس; ff. 71v-95r)(6) Euclid (أقليدس),
De levi et ponderoso(في الثقل والخفة وقياس الأجرام بعضها إلى بعض; ff. 98v-101r).Codex; ff. vi+101+ivMaterial: PaperDimensions: 209 x 120 mm leaf [130 x 58 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencilRuling:
Misṭarah; 12 lines per page; vertical spacing 9 lines per 10 cmScript:
Nasta‘līqInk: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings in redDecoration: Every opening and every page has a border in gold, black and red ink; the first opening (ff. 1v-2r) is extensively illuminated in gold, red, green and blueBinding: Hybrid binding with European and Islamic-style features; gilt tooled; leather doublureCondition: Excellent condition; book block re-sewn, boards reattached and spine replacedMarginalia: Very few and all appear to be by copyistSeals: Ff. 1r and 101v
Letter in Persian, with English translation, from Farukh Khan (a Persian Government Official) thanking Pelly for his letter of friendly greetings following his arrival in Bushire and for the information provided by Pelly about his career and appointment as Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.The letter itself is undated, however the date of its receipt at the Residency in Bushire is included in the translation.The letter also includes the ink seal of Farukh Khan.1 folio
Popular textbook of astronomy written in Samarqand in 1458 by Abū al-Qāsim ‘Alā’ al-Dīn ‘Alī ibn Muḥammad al-Qūshjī (أبو القاسم علاء الدين علي بن محمد القوشجي; d. 1474).The text contains 22 diagrams in red and black ink (ff. 2r, 2v, 3r, 5r, 11r, 14r, 15v, 17r, 21v, 23r, 26v, 32v, 33r, 34r, 34v and 44r).Begins (f. 1v, lines 2-4):الحمد لله رب العالمين و حمد الشاكرين وصلوة والسلمعلى خير خلقه محمد وآله آجمعين أما بعد اين كتابيست مشتمل بر مقدمهودو مقاله ...Ends (f. 46r, lines 2-4):... وبسيت ودو برابرقطر زمين است واصغر توابت مرصوده بسيت وسهبرابر جرم زمين تست والله سبحانه وتعالى اعلمColophon (f. 46r, lines 5-6):تمت الرسالة بعون الملكالجليلFf. 1v-46r
This volume is
A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume I, General(Naval Staff, Intelligence Department: November 1918). This is an updated and expanded edition of
A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume I, General(Admiralty War Staff, Intelligence Department: August 1916) (IOR/L/MIL17/15/41/1). This is an introductory volume containing matter of a general nature giving an account of conditions in Mesopotamia, for the most part as they were before the First World War.The volume includes a note on official use, a title page and 'Note'. There is a page of 'Contents' that includes the following chapters and sections:Chapter 1: Boundaries and Physical Features;Chapter 2: Climate;Chapter 3: Minerals;Chapter 4: Fauna and Flora;Chapter 5: Hygiene;Chapter 6: History;Chapter 7: Inhabitants;Chapter 8: Religions;Chapter 9: Administration;Chapter 10: Irrigation of Irak [Iraq];Chapter 11: Agriculture and Land Tenure;Chapter 12: Commerce and Industry;Chapter 13: Currency, Weights, and Measures;Chapter 14: Communications and Transport;Vocabularies;Index.1 volume (282 folios)The volume is arranged in numbered chapters. There is a contents page and an alphabetically arranged index.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto of the folio.Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Concise handbook of medicine by Abū al-Ḥasan Saʿīd ibn Hibat Allāh ibn al-Ḥusayn (أبو الحسن سعيد بن هبة الله بن الحسين; d. 1101), personal physician to the Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadī (المقتدي, reg. 1056-1094) to whom this work is dedicated (f. 4v, line 7). The title of the text is often abbreviated to
Kitāb al-mughnī fī al-ṭibb(كتاب المغني في الطبّ).The text is arranged by illness, and each one is assigned to a table. Each table takes up a page, and all pages of the text except for 4v, 5r and 104r contain tables. the tables are divided into four cells containing information about (1) the illness (مرض); (2) its cause (سبب); (3) its symptoms (عرض); and (4) the regimen (تدبير) recommended for its cure, often including a prescription (صفة).Folios 1r-3v contain medical notes in Persian and Arabic.The completion date in the colophon of this manuscript is barely legible (f. 104r, lines 9-10), but appears to read Jumādá I 307/September-October 919. This can hardly be the true transcription date since the author was not born until 436 AH/AD 1101. The reading of the date in this colophon has been the subject of controversy, and two Persian notes below the colophon discuss the date. The first reads the date in the colophon as 309 AH/AD 921-22 and notes that this does not conincide with the regnal dates of caliph al-Muqtadī; the second correctly dates the end of al-Muqtadī's reign to 487 AH/AD 1094. The two printed catalogues in which this manuscript appears read the date in the colophon as 534 AH/AD 1139, just 38 years after the death of the author.Begins (f. 4v, lines 2-3):[...] الخبير أبو الحسن سعيد بن هبة الله بن الحسن الفيلسوف إنّ أولى ما نطق به اللسان وثبت برهانه في الجنان (؟)[...] الأزمان التي أوجد المخلوقات بقدرته وفضل الإنسان على جميعها بحكمته وجعله عالمًا متوسطًا ...End and colophon (f. 104) are mutilated and mostly illegible.Codex; ff. i+104+iMaterial: PaperDimensions: 225 x 170 mm leaf [200 x 145 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil; eastyern Arabic foliation in black inkRuling: No ruling visible; average of 20 lines per page; vertical spacing 10 lines per 10 cmScript:
NaskhInk: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings in redBinding: British Museum bindingCondition: Badly water damaged; many leaves mutilated and repaired especially towards front and back of volumeMarginalia: Infrequent, by more than one handSeals: Ff. 4r, 104v
This file consists mainly of original Arabic and Persian letters from various correspondents to Khān Bahādur ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, the Residency Agent on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah. The file has its original file cover (ff. 2 and 172) which includes the title of the file in Arabic ['Namr 9, hadhā fīl khaṭūṭ al-mashāyikh al-saḥil ‘umān al-mutaṣāliḥ lil-wikālah al-bālyūziyah…']. These letters cover 24 Ṣafar 1343 [24 Sept 1924] and 6 Muḥarram 1346 [6 Jul 1927], but are mostly from 1344 and 1345 AH (1925/1926 and 1926/1927). The text of the letters is almost entirely in handwritten Arabic, although there is one instance of printed Arabic (f. 38) and some letters also appear in handwritten and printed English (for example, ff. 79-80 and 159).The majority of the letters are from Sa‘īd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm, ruler of Dubai, and his brother, Jum‘ah bin Maktūm, as well as other Trucial Coast shaikhs, including: Khālid bin Aḥmad Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Dibba; Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān and Ṣaqr bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān, rulers of Abu Dhabi; Sulṭān bin Ṣaqr Āl Qāsimī, ruler Sharjah; Ḥamad bin Ibrāhīm Āl Mu‘allā and Aḥmad bin Rāshid Āl Mu‘allā, rulers of Umm al-Qaywayn; Ḥumayd bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Al Nu‘aymī, ruler of Ajman; Sulṭān bin Sālim al-Qāsimī, ruler of Ras al-Khaymah; ‘Abd al-Raḥman bin Muḥammad al-Shāmsī, ruler of Hira. In addition, there are letters from various Dubai merchants, as well as British Indian subjects mainly resident at Dubai, including ‘Abd al-Qādir bin Ḥājj Muḥammad ‘Abbās, Muḥammad Fārūk Bastakī, Hājji Muḥammad Sharīf Aḥmad, Hājji ‘Abd al-Raḥmān Bastakī, Damanmal Isardas, and Khushaldas Moolchand.1 file (185 folios)Foliation: Foliation numbers are 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 172. Foliation errors: f. 8 is followed by f. 8A; f. 59 is followed by f. 59A; f. 67 is followed by f. 67A; f. 71 is followed by f. 71A; f. 73 is followed by f. 73A; f. 74 is followed by f. 74A; f.83 is followed by f. 83A; f. 86 is followed by f. 86A; f. 149 is followed by f. 149A; f. 159 is followed by f. 159A; f. 167 is followed by f. 167A; f. 168 is followed by f. 168A; f. 171 is followed by f. 171A.
Confidential notes of a journey made through Persia [Iran] from Shiraz to Jashk [Jāsk], via Fassa [Fasā], Dārāb, Bandar Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] and Mīnāb, by John Richard Preece, Assistant Superintendent of the Telegraph Department, Persia. The report was published by the Intelligence Branch, Office of the Quarter Master General in India, and printed by the Superintendent of Government Printing, India in Calcutta [Kolkata] in 1884.The report is diaristic in form, running from Preece’s departure from Shiraz on 29 January 1884, through to his arrival in Jashk on 19 March 1884. The report records: topography; settlements, including some descriptions of their size, population, condition; weather conditions on the route; the condition of roads; agricultural and industrial activity, including livestock numbers; water sources. Two tables of statistics follow the report, both dated 15 August 1884. The first contains temperature and barometer measurements taken by Preece throughout the course of his journey, the second is a list of stations along the route, and the distances between them in miles.Places referred to in the text are given their names in Persian script in the margin throughout.1 volume (26 folios)Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 28; 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 file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
The volume consists of substances of, and translations of native letters (i.e. correspondence in Arabic or Persian) sent to the British Resident in the Persian Gulf. The majority of these are from various native agents serving the British in the Gulf at Bahrein [Bahrain], Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh], Muscat, and Sharjah respectively. They provide updates on the local political situation; relay local news; report incidents of, enquiries into, and restitution for acts of piracy; and forward any intelligence that the agents perceive to be of interest to the Resident. It also includes incidents where the agents report ill treatment at the hands of local subjects, or the local authorities.Also included are communications from local rulers in the Gulf region. These are much less common, but include communications from Shaikh Abdollah bin Ahmed [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], Chief of Bahrein; Sultan ben Sugger [Sulṭān bin Saqr], Chief of the Joasmees [Qawāsim]; and Shaikh Khuleefa ben Shakboot [Khalīfah bin Shakhbūṭ], Chief of the Beniyas [Bani Yas].Some specific topics covered include a war between the Wahabees [Wahhabis] and Bahrein; a dispute between Humood bin Azan, Chief of Sohar [Ṣuḥār], and the Governors of Muscat; and political instability in Persia following the death of Fatḥ ‘Alī Shāh Qājār (such as Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mirzā's declaring himself King of Shiraz). The murder of Shaikh Toorky bin Saood [Turki bin Sa‘ūd], Wahabee Chief, is also reported within.1 volume, (145 folios)The correspondence is arranged chronologically from 8 January to 28 December 1834. A single loose letter in Persian can be found at the back of the volume (see f 137).Foliation: The foliation sequence 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.The file contains the following foliation corrections; 14, and 14A.Pagination: The file also contains an original pagination sequence; these numbers are written in ink between ff 3-135, and are located in the top outermost corners of each page.
Five passages in Persian supposedly taken from the writings of Jābir ibn Ḥayyān. The main bulk of the corpus of texts attributed to this semi-legendary figure, however, are thought to have been composed between the second half of the 9th century and first half 10th century. Since this text begins with the
Testament of Ṭughrāʾī(d. 515/1121), it cannot be true that these passages were all extraced from writings attributed to Jābir ibn Ḥayyān.Begins (f. 66v, lines 2-5):فصل وصية مؤيد الدين أبو اسمعيل الطغرائی از تدابير جابرميگويد اي پسر من چون از درويشی بترسيد بران كوه شويد كه بربالای شماستوتوانگري ميروياند بگيريد آنرا وبا اصل خودش يريد كه پیس از ان رسته استوبالا گرفته جزوهاى لطيف كه ثفلش واین نشيند وآبى زندگانی بزرگ قدروبهاEnds (f. 67v, lines 11-15):... ونفس وروحوجسد وزحل وجسدش ومشتری وارزپر سياه بس چون باز سبيد شدنامهاى ديگر تهند (؟) آتش حكيمان وزيبق مصعّد وقمر مكلّس ونحاس وآنكه تاريكىاز دبشده باشد گويند كه شرمۀ سفيد ومغنيسياى سفيد ومرد اسنگ سبيدوقمر وزیل القمر وزیل الشمس خوانندff. 66v-67vMaterial: PaperDimensions: 215 x 150 mm leaf [168 x 112 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil; Arabic foliation in the purple crayon typical of Lebanese bookdealers of the 19th centuryRuling:
Misṭarah; 19 lines per page; vertical spacing 11 lines per 10 cm (ff. 113r-158v: 29 lines per page; vertical spacing 17 lines per 10 cm)Script:
Naskhwith
nasta‘līqtendencies and some titles and in
thuluth(ff. 113r-158v:
naskh)Scribes: Qudrat Allāh al-Marandī al-Ādharī (ff. 3r-112v) and Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Mawṣilī (ff. 113r-158v)Ink: Black ink, with rubricated, yellow and green headings and overlinings in red (ff. 113r-158v: black)Binding: British Museum bindingCondition: Some worm damage, foxing, and tears towards the fore edge. Folios 19, 21 and 24 have been replaced.Marginalia: Extensive marginal corrections, conjectures, glosses in Arabic and Persian and other evidence of collation and textual study (ff. 113r-158v: very few)
The volume's correspondence and other papers document British officials' attempts to suppress the slave trade in the Gulf, and their procedures for dealing with liberated slaves. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Captain Felix Jones), Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government in Bombay, and representatives of the Persian Gulf Squadron of the Indian Navy, primarily Commodore Griffith Jenkins, Commanding Officer of the Persian Gulf Squadron. Correspondence is grouped under subject numbers as follows:Subject no. 11 (folios 3-43) contains correspondence relating to the apparent inaction of the Persian slave commissioner at Bushire, over the importation from Sharjah of twenty slaves, and the reluctance of British naval officials to stop and search vessels suspected of carrying slaves at Bushire, for fear that they would be contravening international law (folios 18-19). In his covering letter to the Secretary to the Government in Bombay, dated 17 November 1858, Jones expresses his opinion that the various slave trade suppression treaties need greater clarification in order to be properly effected (folios 3-8);12: Seizure of a 'Joasmee [Qasimi] vessel' carrying one male slave and five female slaves, in the Bushire roads (folios 47-54);13: Miscellaneous papers relating to the slave trade in Persia (folios 58-80), including the appointment of Persian assistants to accompany British vessels (folios 58, 60), and a report from Lieutenant P W Tendall, the British slave agent at the Bassidore [Bāsa‘īdū] slave depot (folios 63-66);14: Correspondence relating to Commodore Jenkins's opinion that the Persian authorities are not fulfilling their obligations with regard to the Anglo-Persian slave trade suppression treaty (folios 84-111). In a letter to the Secretary to the Government in Bombay, dated 24 August 1859, Jones writes that he believes the port at Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh] has become the entrepôt for slaves brought from Africa (folios 87-88);15: Correspondence concerning the apparent lack of co-operation from the Persian slave commissioner's assistant, in a case of a slave found on a Persian boat (folios 115-61). A letter dated 16 May 1859, from Lieutenant Chester of Her Majesty's sloop
Falklandwritten to Commodore Jenkins, reports the incident (folios 119-20), leading to the incident being taken up by British officials at the Court of Persia;16: Correspondence from the Secretary of State for India related to the slave trade, forwarded to the Residency by the British Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Persia, Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson (folios 165-70). The enclosed letter, written by C Wood of the India Office, dated 15 December 1859, contains an overview of recent correspondence concerning the suppression of the slave trade, between the Persian Gulf Resident, British officials in Persia, and Indian naval authorities (folios 167-70);17: Female attendant for female slaves at Bassidore (folios 173-77);18: Suspension of the post of European slave agent at Bassidore (folios 181-87). In a letter dated 25 July 1859, Jones writes to Commodore Jenkins, stating that he is abolishing the appointment of a European slave agent at the slave depot in Bassidore, in light of there being too few slaves and no one with sufficient time to keep the post. The post at Bassidore will instead be filled by a native agent (folios 181-82);19: The chief of Debaye [Dubai] implicated in, then acquitted of, the kidnap of Somalee [Somalian] slaves (folios 192-95);20: Correspondence relating to a boat carrying slaves from Somalia, belonging to the Sheikh of Amulgavine [Umm al-Qaywayn]. The boat was captured off the Aden coast by Her Majesty's Steamer
LadyCanning, under the charge of Captain Playfair. Sixty-three slaves were liberated. (folios 199-210)The file is a continuation of 'Vol 259 Slave Trade' (IOR/15/1/171), which contains subjects 1-10. Further subjects (numbered 21-27) are contained in the file 'Vol 255 Slave Trade' (IOR/15/1/168).1 volume (225 folios)The contents of the volume have been divided into ten subjects, numbered 11 through to 20. Each subject has one or two types of cover pages, on which is written a description of its contents. The first of the two cover sheets are blue or white sheets of paper, many of which are folded sheets which entirely enclose the subject correspondence inside. Some of these sheets have paper tabs on their outside edges, which have been damaged or torn over time. The second of these cover sheets, where they appear, are smaller sheets of white or blue paper, with the title written in ink and various pencil annotations, the meaning of which is unclear.Within each subject, the correspondence has been arranged in approximate chronological order, starting with the earliest items and finishing with the latest. Enclosures to letters are grouped together with the letters they were sent or received with.Foliation: The file is foliated from the first to last page of writing with pencil numbers enclosed in circles in the top-right corner of the recto of each folio. Foliation anomalies: 20A, 45A, 55A, 69A, 109A, 162A, 164A, 164B, 178A, 196A.
Circular N. 5445 from the Secretary to the Government at Bombay Castle, Henry Lacon Anderson, to the Resident in the Persian Gulf, transmitting the printed copy of a translation to Persian of a general order issued by the Governor General of India in Council announcing the victory gained by the Allied Forces over the Russian troops in the Battle of Alma.10 folios
Correspondence, memoranda, maps and other papers relating to the establishment of a precise position of the frontier between Persia [Iran], British Baluchistan [in present-day Pakistan], and Afghanistan, arising in response to the proposed transfer to Persian ownership of the Mirjawa [Mīrjāveh] to Duzdap [Zahedan] stretch of the North Western Railway, and territorial claims made by the Khan of Kalat, Mir Mohammad Azam Jan Khan, and the Persian Government. The volume’s correspondents include: Foreign Office and India Office officials; the British Legation at Tehran (Reginald Hervey Hoare; Charles Dodd); the Government of India (Francis Verner Wylie); the Agent to Governor-General and Chief Commissioner for Baluchistan (Alexander Norman Ley Cater); the British Consul for Sīstān and Kain [Ka’īn] (Clive Kirkpatrick Daly).The correspondence covers:The historical basis for negotiations, being surveys carried out in the 1870s, and a demarcation agreement concluded on 24 March 1896 by Colonel Thomas Hungerford Holdich, later referred to as the Holdich Line. Papers include correspondence from the 1930s in response to uncertainties about the precise position of the line (including extracts of the agreement in Persian), and copies of correspondence from 1895-1896 relating to the conclusion of Holdich’s agreement.Arrangements in 1932 for a joint British and Persian survey party to map the frontier, with Captain Guy Bomford of the Survey of India leading the British party. The results of Bomford’s survey are summarised in a copy of a secret letter, dated 9 June 1932, with accompanying maps (ff 113-119).1 volume (323 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 first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 321; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and two ending flyleaves.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.