This file contains correspondence related to the development of education in Bahrain. In particular, the correspondence discusses a proposal by C.R.L Adrian-Vallance to establish a college of higher education in Bahrain for students from all of the Arab states of the Gulf.Adrian-Vallance proposed this idea as a means to combat Pan-Arab/anti-British sentiment and foster a sense of Gulf identity distinct from a broader Arab identity. A letter (from Adrian-Vallance to Charles Belgrave, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's adviser) that outlines his plan for the college is contained on ff. 7 - 15.The file also includes a detailed report on government education in Bahrain with proposals for reform (written by Adrian-Vallance in 1939) contained on ff. 52b - 126, a report on technical education in Bahrain (written by Geoffrey E. Hutchings in 1940) contained on ff. 160 - 192 and a report written by Adrian-Vallance in May 1940 that gives an update on the progress made in education in Bahrain since his appointment as Director of Education in the country in November 1939.The file also contains correspondence regarding Adrian-Vallance's appointment as Director of Education in Bahrain, including a copy of his contract with Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.1 volume (245 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Index numbers corresponding with the index at the back run through the volume; these numbers are written using red crayon and are circled.A bound correspondence volume. The main foliation sequence starts at the titlepage and terminates at the 4th sheet from the back of the volume; these numbers are written in pencil and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.An incomplete second foliation sequence (53-119) runs between ff 53-225 with a gap between ff 86-87; these numbers are also written in pencil and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.Foliation errors: 1A, 1B and 1C; 52a and 52b.
The volumes comprise trade and commerce reports, primarily for Bahrain but also for Arabistan and Bushire covering the period 1918-1924.The reports included in the volumes are:Report on the Trade of the Bahrain Islands for the year ending 31 March 1918(ff 7-39)Report on the Trade of the Bahrain Islands for the year ending 31 March 1919(ff 51-78)Report on the Trade of the Bahrain Islands for the year ending 31 March 1920(ff 108-136)Trade Report of the Province of Arabistan for the year ending March 1920(ff 145-170)Trade Report of the Port of Bushire for the year 1919-1920(ff 172-190)Report on the Trade of the Bahrain Islands for the years ending 31 March 1921 and 31st March 1922(ff 211-224)Report on the Trade of the Bahrain Islands for the year ending 31 March 1923(ff 228-256)Report on the Trade of the Bahrain Islands for the year ending 31 March 1924(ff 310-338).The volumes also include amended versions of the reports where discrepancies were noted in them; and printed copies produced by the Government of India.The correspondence in the volume primarily comprises letters from the Political Agent at Bahrain sending out copies of the reports to interested parties, and acknowledgements of receipt in reply; some correspondence with the Eastern Bank Limited, Director of Customs at Bahrain, and Yusuf Ahmed bin Kanoo relates to requests from traders, exporters and other interested parties for trade statistics and information relating to trade and commerce in Bahrain.The first folio of volume one comprises correspondence between the Political Agency at Bahrain and the Political Residency in Bushire from 1948-1950 regarding a circular issued by the Foreign Office in 1948 which outlined a new format for trade reports.2 volumes (374 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front of volume one to the rear of volume two.Foliation: This volume is in two parts. The foliation sequence commences at the first folio of the first part with 1, and terminates at the last folio of the second part with 374 (the covers have not been foliated); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The papers relate to the introduction of
The Bahrein Order in Council, 1913; the question of the levying by the Sheikh of Bahrain of
Khidma[
Khidmah, Arabic 'service' - used to mean a percentage fee on legal cases] on court cases and the introduction of court fees by the British, 1916-1919, including reports of discussions of the matter with Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, February - March 1919;
The Bahrein (Amendment) Order in Council, 1924(His Majesty's Stationery Office Press, 1924);
King's Regulation under Article 70 of The Bahrein Order in Council, 1913('The Indian Court Fees Regulation 1924'), which provided for the application of the Indian Court Fees Act 1870 to Bahrain; and
Rules of Court Under Article 61 (1) of The Bahrain Order in Council, 1913, dated 1927, setting out court fees. Includes a letter in Arabic from Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, 1923.1 volume (292 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.Foliation: the foliation system in use starts at the title page, two folios after the front cover, and continues to the last page of file notes, three folios from the end cover. The foliation system appears written in pencil, enclosed in a circle, in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. There is a second foliation sequence, also written in pencil, but not enclosed in circle, which appears in the same area of many of the folios, but is inconsistently applied.
The file contains the following title deeds: title deed in Arabic, with plan on reverse, and accompanying translation in English, recording exchange of land by the British Government of a piece of land at Ghosaibia, Manamah [Manama] with the Government of Bahrain, for a plot of land situated at Ummul Hassam, Manamah for a sum of 3304 rupees dated 1 February 1944, by which the piece of land situated at Ghosaibia became the property of the Bahrain Government; and title deed in Arabic, with plan on reverse, and accompanying translation in English, recording transfer by the Bahrain Government of a piece of land situated at Umm al Hasam, Manamah to the British Government in exchange for a plot of land owned by them at Qadhaibieh, Manamah for a sum of 3304 rupees, dated 3 February 1944, by which the piece of land situated at Umm al Hasam became the property of the British Government;The file also contains a covering memorandum from the Political Agent, Bahrain, Major Tom Hickinbotham, to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, dated 15 April 1944, explaining that in order to provide the necessary separation between transmitters and receivers situated in the Royal Navy base [at Jufair] it had been necessary to acquire a transmitting site in the area by exchanging a piece of land at Qudhaibia belonging to the Royal Air Force for a property belonging to the Sheikh of Bahrain at Umm al Hassan.1 file (7 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file, with a covering letter of later date at the front of these papers. A red serial number enclosed in circle, indicating an item of incoming correspondence, would have referred to an entry in the notes, but these are not present.Foliation: the foliation system in use commences at 1 on the front cover, and continues through to 7 on the back cover. The sequence is written in pencil, enclosed in a circle, and appears in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. A second sequence, numbered 24-30, appears on all the pages bearing text between ff. 2-6. This sequence is also written in pencil, and appears in a similar position to the main sequence.
This item consists of extracts from political letters received from the Government of Bombay by the Court of Directors, containing enclosures regarding the measures taken to secure the return of East India Company property that was seized from the country ship
Hectorin the Persian Gulf by the Shaikh of Busheab [Shaikh of Nakhīlū].The enclosures, which discuss the Company's claim for restitution and negotiations for the return of the vessel, mainly consist of the following: letters received at Bombay from Samuel Manesty, Resident at Bussora [Basra]; letters from Lieutenant Charles Pasley of the Persian Mission to Neil Benjamin Edmonstone, Secretary to the Government in the Secret, Political and Foreign Departments, Fort William; correspondence between Manesty and Pasley.1 item (30 folios)The contents of the item have been arranged chronologically from the front to the rear.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 58, and terminates at f 87, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file also contains an original pagination.
This volume is a report by Samuel Butcher, a superintendent and clerk in the Indo-European Telegraph Department, documenting the route from Rishir, a village near Bushire, to Bunder Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās]. The report describes the different cities that Butcher went through on his way to Bunder Abbas. Each description contains information on supplies, water, fuel, cultivation, grazing and camping grounds.Folio 2 of the volume contains a dedication from the author, Samuel Butcher, to George Curzon. The report was the property of Curzon.The volume contains five lithographic prints of drawings (folios 13, 16, 19, 21, and 25) and one map in a pocket at the end of the book (f 33).1 volume (32 folios)The papers in the volume proceed in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates on a map 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.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Administration Report on the Persian Gulf Residency and Maskat [Muscat] Political Agency for 1904-1905, published by the Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India (Calcutta).The report is divided into a number of parts:1.
General Summary, prepared by Major Percy Zachariah Cox, Officiating Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (pages 1D-16), including reports on: the year’s rainfall and harvest, governorship of Bushire; public peace and tranquillity in and around Bushire; quarantine and public health, with details of plague and cholera epidemics in the region; administration of customs in the Persian Gulf, including new posts created in the Imperial Customs Administration; postal service; events in the ports of the Trucial coast, including an assessment of the year’s pearling season, comments about the character of each ruling shaikh’s administration, changes of rulers, visits made on shaikhs by the Resident; events in Bahrain [referred to as Bahrein], including the taking over of Political Agent’s duties by Captain Francis Beville Prideaux from John Calcott Gaskin, assessment of the year’s pearling season, the character of Shaikh Esa’s [Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah] administration, and unrest and violent incidents; unsafe conditions and customs at El Hassa [Al-Hasa] and El Katif [Al-Qaṭīf]; events in Koweit [Kuwait] and Nejd, including Captain Stuart George Knox’s appointment as Political Agent for Kuwait, Ibn Saood’s [Ibn Sa‘ūd] territorial gains in Nejd, and subsequent meetings between Wahhābī and Turkish representatives, and friction between Turkish officials and Shaikh Mubarak bin Ṣabāḥ Āl Ṣabāḥ’s Land Agent over the Shaikh’s date gardens; events in Persian Arabistan, including the appointment of governor, security in the region and violent incidents, including assaults on a Lieutenant Lorimer and Colonel Douglas; events in Kermānshāh, chiefly the appointments of British officials; events in Fārs and on the Persian coast, including restrictions on movement as a result of the cholera epidemic; events in Kermān and Persian Baluchistan, including the appointment of officials, epidemics of smallpox and cholera; the slave trade, with numbers of slaves freed; incidents of piracy; cases of arms trafficking; details of the Resident’s annual tour; the movements of British naval vessels, and changes of British and foreign official personnel. The appendix to part 1 contains statistical tables of meteorological data.2.
Annual Administration Report of the Maskat[Muscat]
Political Agency for the Year 1904-1905, prepared by Major William George Grey, Officiating Political Agent (pages 17-20) including reports on inter-tribal quarrels; the political situation in Muscat; the cholera epidemic; fires caused by the hot weather in Muscat; customs administration at Muscat, Soor [Sur] and Gwadur [Gwadar]; arms trafficking; rainfall; the acquisition and construction of new government buildings; the slave trade, including measures taken to suppress the trade, and numbers of slaves seeking manumission at Muscat; the marriage of the Sultan’s son, Sayyid Taimoor [Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr]; events at sea, including the wrecking of the British vessel
Baron Inverdaleand the murder of its crew.3.
Report on the Trade and Commerce of Bushire for the Year 1904, prepared by R A Richards, His Britannic Majesty’s Vice-Consul (pages 21-128), with general remarks on imports and exports, with additional notes on tea, wheat, and vegetables; rates of exchange for London and Bombay; cost of freight and transport; customs, and the effect of the new Customs Tariff on small traders; advice to shippers and steamship companies; and total figures on the numbers and tonnage of shipping at Bushire. Appendix A is comprised of tabular data showing trade figures for the years 1902-04, indicating: the value and quantities of all goods imported and exported between Bushire and England, and between Bushire and other countries in the world; imports and exports to and from to other ports in the Gulf, with details of the nationalities and tonnage of vessels, and volumes and values of the different categories of goods traded.4.
Trade Report for Maskat[Muscat],
1904-05, prepared by Major William George Grey, Officiating Political Agent, Muscat (pages 129-32), with an overview of trade, included value of imports and exports, and chief items traded; and percentages of Muscat trade to other countries. Appendix A includes tabular data of imports and exports into Muscat for the years 1902-04, indicating the quantities of goods and their value in dollars, and the tonnage and nationality of vessels visiting Muscat.5.
Report on the Trade and Commerce of Arabistan for the Year 1904, prepared by William McDouall, His Britannic Majesty’s Consul for Arabistan (pages 133-40), with a general overview of trade; rate of exchange; shipping; details of the local cotton trade, caravan trade routes; agriculture (wheat, dates and wool); public works; health; and customs. Appendix A contains tabular data of trade into the port of Mohammerah [Khorramshahr] and other Kārūn ports for 1904.6.
Trade Report of Bunder Abbas[Bandar-e ʻAbbās]
for the Year 1904, prepared by Lieutenant William Henry Irvine Shakespear, His Majesty’s Britannic Consul, Bandar-e ʻAbbās (pages 141-49), including: general remarks on the year’s trade; customs tariff and duties; opportunities for British trade and the progress of rival trade; difficulties faced in trade at Bandar-e ʻAbbās, including a lack of banking facilities and inadequate landing and storage facilities; rate of exchange; freight; and shipping. Appendix A contains tabular data presenting comparative data on trade between the years 1903 and 1904, value of trade, and nationalities and tonnage of trading vessels at the port.7.
Report on the Trade of the Bahrein[Bahrain]
Islands for the Year 1904, prepared by Captain Francis Beville Prideaux, Assistant Political Agent (pages 150-56), with reports on trade, including: the activities of Messrs Gray Paul & Co. of London, and the German company of Robert Wonckhaus; trade in cotton, rice, coffee and dates; assessment of the pearl fishing season; export of oyster shells. Appendix A contains tabular data presenting an overview of Bahrain’s principal imports and exports during 1903-04.8.
Trade Report for Koweit[Kuwait]
, 1904-05, prepared by Captain Stuart George Knox, Political Agent (pages 157-62), including estimated figures for the year’s trade. Appendix A contains tabular data of import and exports at Kuwait for the year ending 31 March 1905. Appended to the trade report is a medical report, prepared by Daudur Rahman, Assistant Surgeon at Kuwait, dated 2 April 1905, which reports on the work of the Kuwait dispensary, with an overview of the prevalence of diseases in the town (including eye diseases, tuberculosis, rheumatism, skin diseases, venereal diseases, and cholera epidemic), sanitation measures, and mortality.1 volume (89 folios)The report is arranged into a number of parts with subheadings, with statistic data in tabular format following each written part as appendices. There is a contents page at the front of the report (page 1B) which lists each part of the report with its page number.Foliation: The volume contains an original printed pagination sequence, which starts on the title page and ends on the last page; these numbers are located in the top outermost corners of each page. Additions to this sequence have been made in pencil to account for any pages not originally labelled. In consequence, the following pagination anomalies occur: 1, and 1A-D.
Report marked strictly confidential, prepared in the Intelligence Branch of the Quarter Master General’s Department in India, by the Assistant Quarter Master General, Major and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Sever Bell, Royal Engineers. The volume was published by the Government Central Branch Press, Simla, 1885.The contents of the volume are as follows:part I, a narrative description of a journey from India to Muhammerah [Khorramshahr], through to the Luristán [Lorestān] hills, to Kúm [Qom]; from Kúm to Gulpaigán [Golpāyegān ], Chaman-i-Sultán [Chaman Solţān], Ali-Gúdar [Alīgūdarz], Imámzádá-Ishmail [Emāmzādeh Esmā‘īl], and the Zaindarúd River [Zāyandeh Rūd] to Isfahán; from Isfahán through the Kúhgehlú [Kohgīlūyeh] hills to Behbahán and Bandar-Dilám [Bandar-e Deylam]; from Bandar-Dilám to Bushirepart II, a detailed account of southwest Persia, compiled from Sever’s own observations and other available sourcespart III, commercial considerations. A further section in this chapter on strategic observations, which is mentioned on the contents page and marked as secret, is not present in the volumepart IV, detailed road reportsappendix A, road reports, Isfahan to Shústar [Shūshtar], Shústar to Shíráz [Shīrāz], compiled in 1881 by Captain Henry Lake Wells, Assistant Director of Persian Telegraphs, with additional annotations by Bellappendix B, a list of plant specimens collected in Luristán during April and May 1884appendix C, extracts of a paper on the geology of the Turko-Persian frontier, written by William Kennett Loftus, June 1854appendix D, meteorological observations at Bushire, from 20 March to 20 June 1885The volume includes eight maps, two photographic plates, and illustrations throughout (topographical, architectural, anthropological). The two photographic plates and some of the maps are of an earlier date than the volume’s publication date of 1885.1 volume (231 folios)A contents page (f 7) and index (ff 222-226) refer to the volume’s original printed pagination.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 233; 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.
This confidential memorandum, compiled by the General Staff, India, and printed at the Government Central Branch Press at Simla, 1915, concerns the action on 9 September 1915, in which a strong body of Tangistani raiders was ousted from Bushire. The memorandum contains a covering letter (folio 2) from General Sir John Eccles Nixon, commanding the Indian Expeditionary Force 'D', to the Chief of the General Staff, Army Head Quarters, India, dated 12 September 1915, and encloses two reports by Brigadier-General H T Brooking (folios 3v-5), dated 10 September 1915. The first contains details of those killed, died of wounds, and wounded; the second report contains details of those deserving special notice. A second covering letter (folio 2v), also dated 12 September 1915, encloses a 'Roll of Indian officers and men recommended for the awards therein for gallantry and devotion to duty'. The report also includes a map on folio 6 entitled 'Rough Sketch of Action, 9th September'.1 file (7 folios)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.
This bundle consists of summaries, and partial transcripts, of secret letters received from both the Governor General of India (8 September 1856, Numbers 35-40) and the Government of Bombay (12 September 1856, Numbers 66-70). The amount of detail for each entry therefore varies.The despatches from the Governor General (folios 43-49r) are concerned with the release of Kashmiri prisoners held by Thibet [Tibet], and the motivations of Jung Bahadoor [Jung Bahadur Rana] in accepting the title of Maharaj of Kaski and Lamjung. They also discuss the proceedings of the Persian Army against Kelat [Kalat], the possibility of providing British assistance for the Khan of Kelat, and the size of the force required from India to occupy Karrack [Khārk] and Bushire.The section from Bombay (folios 43-52) includes reports of the situation at Bushire, and the successful conclusion of negotiations between the Imam of Muscat and the Government of Persia for the rent to be paid by the former for Bunder Abbass [Bandar-e ʻAbbās]. It also includes discussion of the particulars surrounding the supply of British weapons and ammunition to Dost Mahomed [Dost Mohammad Khan, Amir of Afghanistan], the position at Herat, and the size of the force proposed by the Commander-in-Chief for the proposed expedition against Persia.1 item (10 folios)
This bundle consists of summaries, and partial transcripts, of secret letters received from both the Governor General of India (8 April 1856, Number 14) and the Government of Bombay (14 and 16 April 1856, Numbers 25 and 30). The amount of detail for each entry therefore varies.The despatch from the Governor General (folio 113r) is concerned with a manifesto issued by the Persian Government regarding its policy over Herat.The section from Bombay (folios 113v-114) outlines the Government's policy on sending an expedition to the Persian Gulf, and the difficulties being experienced by the staff of the Bushire Residency.1 item (2 folios)
This bundle consists of summaries, and partial transcripts, of secret letters received from both the Governor General of India (8 October 1856, Numbers 46-50) and the Government of Bombay (17 October 1856, Numbers 77-79). The amount of detail for each entry therefore varies.The despatches from the Governor General (folios 90-94r) are concerned with Persian progress against Herat and Kelat [Kalat], the return of Futteh Khan from Afghanistan with the ratified Anglo-Afghan Treaty of Friendship (1855), the critical position of Herat and pleas for help from Eesa Khan [Isa Khan Bardorani, Minister-Regent of Herat].The section from Bombay (folios 94v-99) is also concerned with the critical position of Herat and Dost Mahomed's [Dost Mohammad Khan, Amir of Afghanistan] inability to capitalise on the situation, the evacuation of British staff officers from Bushire, and discussion over objections raised in 1799 to the occupation of Perim Island in the Red Sea.1 item (10 folios)