The volume discusses the ongoing negotiations in Constantinople between the Ottoman, British and Russian Governments through 1912 and 1913 regarding the Turco-Persian Frontier. Also discussed is the decision in July 1913 to establish a delimitation commission to which Albert Charles Wratislaw and Arnold Talbot Wilson are appointed as representatives of the British Government.Also discussed in the volume is the region of Kermanshah and in particular Qasr-i-Shirin [Qaşr-e Shīrīn], along with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company's concerns over the rights accorded to them in their 1901 concession should some of that territory be ceded to Turkey.Further discussion relates to the movements of Russian and Turkish troops near the frontier and the withdrawal of Turkish troops from certain places along the frontier.This volume is part two of two. Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 volume (334 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.The subject 1356 (Turco-Persian Frontier) consists of 2 volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/266-267. The volumes are divided into 2 parts, with each part comprising one volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 334; 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 ending flyleaves. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, and notes, relating to the status of Kuwait and the negotiations between Britain and Turkey which led to a treaty in 1913.The discussion in the volume relates to the:the proposed settlement of Kuwait question with Turkish Government;the draft Anglo-Turkish Convention;the report of Shaikh Mubarak's control over tribes, and on frontiers of Kuwait;negotiations on the draft Convention.Included in the volume is a copy of the Anglo-Turkish Agreement and the collection of documents signed on 29 July,1912.The principal correspondents in the volume include the following: the Viceroy; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Percy Zachariah Cox; the Assistant Resident, Percy Gordon Loch; the Ambassador to Constantinople, Sir Gerard Lowther.1 volume (221 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to 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 223; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Additional foliation sequences are present in parallel between ff 4-222; these numbers are also written in pencil, but, where circled, are crossed through.
The memorandum consists of printed papers on the subject of whether persons of Persian origin born in India are entitled to protection as British subjects. The question arose from the fact that Persia did not recognise British nationality in persons of Persian descent. In particular, it references the case of Agha Mehdee; a person of Persian descent who has enjoyed British subject status for a number of years. His status as a British subject is accepted by the Government of Persia, but they do not consider this to be a precedent to be conferred on others. The attitudes of France and Russia towards their subjects are considered in order to inform the British position on the matter. The papers included are outlined below.A letter (No. 1, folios 96-100) from William Taylor Thomson, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Persia, to Edward Henry Stanley, Earl of Derby, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, dated Tehran 15 February 1876, with the following enclosures:1. Translation of a memorandum from Minister for Foreign Affairs, dated 19 January 1876 respecting the position of Agha Mehdee;2. Memorandum No. 920 of 1868 respecting Nazir Mohammed Mehedee, signed W Whinvail, Acting Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay, dated Bombay Castle 16 May 1868;3. Memorandum No. 2740 of 1870 respecting Nazir Aga Ahmed bin Aga Ali, signed Herbert Henry Jacomb, Under Secretary to the Government of Bombay, dated Bombay Castle 11 November 1870;4. Letter from Colonel Lewis Pelly, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, to E [Charles] Gonne, Secretary to the Political Department, Government of Bombay, dated Bushire 27 January 1872;5. Government Resolution No. 1905 regarding the position of persons of Persian parentage born in British territory, dated Bombay Castle, 27 March 1872;6. Opinion of J W [James Sewell] White, Advocate-General, Bombay, regarding the position of persons of Persian parentage born in British territory. It is dated Bombay Castle 5 March 1872;7. Telegram from Colonel Lewis Pelly, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, to E [Charles] Gonne, Secretary to the Political Department, Government of Bombay, dated Bushire 27 May 1872;8. Telegram from E [Charles] Gonne, Secretary to the Political Department, Government of Bombay, to Colonel Lewis Pelly, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, dated Bombay 7 June 1872;9. Telegram from Colonel Lewis Pelly, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, to E [Charles] Gonne, Secretary to the Political Department, Government of Bombay, dated Bushire 7 June 1872;10. Letter from Colonel Lewis Pelly, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, to E [Charles] Gonne, Secretary to the Political Department, Government of Bombay, dated Bushire 26 June 1872;11. Government Resolution No. 5446 regarding the position of persons of Persian parentage born in British territory, dated Bombay Castle 14 December 1872;12. Opinion of C J Mayhew, Acting Advocate-General, Bombay (No. 34), regarding the position of persons of Persian parentage born in British territory, dated Bombay 2 September 1872;13. Letter from Charles Umpherston Aitchison, Secretary to the Government of India, to Colonel Ross, dated Fort William 5 September 1874;14. Letter from G C Paul, Assistant Advocate-General, Bengal, to Charles Umpherston Aitchison, Secretary to the Government of India, dated Fort William 21 August 1874;15. Telegram from the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs to the Governor of Bushire, dated 22 Zuhejjeh 1292 (20 January 1876);16. Letter from William Taylor Thomson, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Persia, to B Schimanovsky, Russian Chargé d'Affaires, dated Tehran 25 January 1876 (enclosure in French);17. Letter from B Schimanovsky, Russian Chargé d'Affaires, to William Taylor Thomson, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Persia, dated 31 January 1876 (enclosure in French);18. Memorandum of a conversation between Mr Larcom and B Schimanovsky, Russian Chargé d'Affaires, respecting the laws regulating Nationality in Russia, dated Tehran 10 February 1876;19. Letter from William Taylor Thomson, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Persia, to R de Balloy, French Chargé d'Affaires, dated Tehran 10 February 1876 (enclosure in French);20. Letter from R de Balloy, French Chargé d'Affaires, to William Taylor Thomson, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Persia, dated Tehran 11 February 1876 (enclosure in French);21. Extract from "Les Codes Français" (enclosure in French);22. Extract from a law modified 7 February 1851 concerning persons born in France to foreign parents (enclosure in French).A memorandum (No. 2, folios 100-101) as to the protection to be granted to persons of Persian origin born in India, signed by A Walmisley, dated Foreign Office 20 April 1876. It considers a couple of cases; the case of 'Bagio', a Jew born to Ottoman parents; and 'Schlizzi', a man born in Ottoman territory, but who had resided for a time in England.1 file (6 folios)Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 96, and terminates at f 101, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, 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.
A historical memorandum relating to Egyptian claims to sovereignty over the Somali coast, written by A W Moore, Assistant Secretary to the India Office, in two parts, submitted 26 February 1876 and 11 October 1879.The first part of the memorandum provides a historical narrative of events leading from the discovery in June 1870 of an Egyptian warship at Berbera on the Somali coast, with consequent suspicions that the Egyptian Government wished to occupy that place, up to the production of a draft Somali Coast Convention in 1876. The memorandum reproduces correspondence between the Resident at Aden, the Secretary of State for India, and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in which the authors consider the impact of Egyptian and Turkish influence at Berbera on British trade interests at Aden; on the independence of local Somali tribes; and on British efforts to suppress the slave trade. The memorandum also includes the terms by which HM Government agree to recognise Egyptian sovereignty.Appendices to the first part of the memorandum reproduce several 'Treaty Relations with Tribes on the African Coast' and 'Geographical Notes'.The second part of the memorandum opens with an account of events which preceded the signing in 1877 of the Somali Coast Convention by the British Government and by the Egyptian Khedive, describing the Khedive's attempts to extend the limit of proposed Egyptian sovereignty as far south as the Juba River, and subsequent British threats to enter into agreements with Somali chiefs independently of the Khedive.The memorandum goes on to describe renewed discussions in connection with the procedure in Constantinople necessary to give validity to the Convention after it was signed by the Khedive, and reproduces a note issued by the Ottoman Porte, which asserts Turkish sovereignty over the territory covered by the Convention, but falls short of providing assurances against ceding any of that territory to other foreign powers.The memorandum closes with the reproduction of correspondence discussing the text of a proposed firman, to be issued by the Ottoman Porte, which would give validity to the Convention signed by the Khedive.Appendices to the second part of the memorandum reproduce the text of the 'Somali Coast Convention' and an 'Agreement in regard to the Island of Socotra'.31 foliosThis file is in two parts - the first part consists of a historical narrative (ff 1-9), followed by two appendices (ff 10-12); the second part consists of a historical narrative (ff 13-29), followed by two appendices at the end (ff 30-31).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. Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, and notes, relating to a loan made to the Persian Government in April 1903, and further advances made during 1904 and 1905.The discussion in the volume relates to the terms of the loan agreements including possible concessions and collateral that could be secured against them; and agreements with the Imperial Bank of Persia through whom the money was loaned. Also discussed is the definition of the term 'Fars and the Persian Gulf' in relation to customs duties, as this was one of the concessions that the 1903 loan was secured against.Further discussion surrounds loans and advances which the Persian Government were negotiating with the Russian Government; and a proposal for an irrigation scheme on the Karun River which was considered as a possible concession in return for a further loan advance.Included in the volume is a copy of the
Règlement Douaniersigned on the 29 August 1904 between representatives of the Persian Government and His Majesty's Government (ff 193-232).The principal correspondents in the volume include the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Lord Lansdowne, Sir Edward Grey), the British Minister to Persia (Sir Arthur Henry Hardinge), the Under Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Charles Hardinge, Sir Thomas Henry Sanderson), and for India (Earl Percy, Sir Arthur Godley), the Viceroy of India (Lord Curzon of Keddleston), the Secretary to the Political and Secret Department of the India Office (Sir Richmond Richie) and the London Manager of the Imperial Bank of Persia (George Newell).The volume is part 1 of 4. Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, year the subject file was opened, subject heading, and list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 volume (526 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.The subject 2410 (Persia Loans) consists of 4 volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/8-11. The volumes are divided into 4 parts with each part comprising one volume.The foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 526; 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.
The volume comprises correspondence, telegrams, despatches, notes and memoranda relating to financial loans made by the Governments of Great Britain and Russia to the Government of Persia from 1901 to 1905; and potential loans to be made during 1906 and 1907.The volume discusses the failure of the Persian Government to meet repayment schedules for existing loans and the securities such as customs revenue and concessions which the loans were guaranteed against.Also discussed in the volume are a possible joint Anglo-Russian loan to the Persian Government, which was eventually dismissed owing to the illness and subsequent death of the Shah (Muẓaffari’d-Dīn Shāh Qājār) in January 1907.The principal correspondents in the volume are the British Ambassador to Persia (Sir Cecil Spring Rice), the British Ambassador to Russia (Sir Arthur Nicolson), the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Edward Grey), and representatives of the India Office, Foreign Office, and Treasury.Other correspondents include the Chargé d’Affaires for the British Legation at Tehran (Evelyn Grant Duff), the Russian Imperial Minister for Foreign Affairs (Count Alexander Petrovich Izvolsky) and his Assistant Minister (Count Alexander Petrovich Izvolsky), and the Secretary of State for India (Sir John Morley). Also included is correspondence with the Manager (George Newell) and Chairman (Sir Lepel Griffin) of the Imperial Bank of Persia through whom British loans to the Persian Government had been arranged.The volume is part 2 of 4. Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, year the subject file was opened, subject heading, and list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 volume (527 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.The subject 2410 (Persia Loans) consists of 4 volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/8-11. The volumes are divided into 4 parts with each part comprising one volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 527; 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 comprises telegrams, correspondence, notes, reports, and memoranda regarding the question of the settlement of the French flag dispute between the British and French governments following the award of the arbitration tribunal at The Hague on the question of the grant of the French flag to Muscat dhows.The principal subject of discussion is the negotiations which took place at Muscat between the British and French Consuls to finalise and agree a list of dhow-owners who would continue to be permitted to carry French papers and fly the French flag under the arbitration award.Also discussed in the volume is an attempt by the French Government to claim that Omanis in the service of French subjects should also be permitted to fly the French flag and the British Government’s dispute of this claim.The volume concludes with the issuing of a proclamation by the Sultan of Muscat (Fayṣal bin Turkī Āl Bū Sa‘īd) regarding the settlement of the French flag question.The principal correspondents in the volume are the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Edward Grey); the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat (William George Grey, and William Henry Irvine Shakespear); the Viceroy of India (Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Percy Zachariah Cox); the French Ambassador to the United Kingdom (Paul Cambon); the French Consul at Muscat (Lucien-Ernest-Roger Laronce); and representatives of the Foreign Office and the India Office.The volume is part 2 of 3. Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, year the subject file was opened, subject heading, and list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 volume (336 folios)The subject 733 (Muscat Arbitration) consists of 3 volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/25-27. The volumes are divided into 6 parts with parts 1 and 2 comprising one volume each, and parts 3, 4, 5, and 6 comprising the third volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 334; 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 comprises correspondence, despatches, memoranda, notes and reports on the financial situation in Persia and the possibility of a joint Anglo-Russian loan to the Persian Government. The terms of the joint loan, including financial reforms which would have to be undertaken by the Persian Government, are discussed in detail.Included in the volume are summaries of the financial situation from 1903 onwards, records of the loans made to the Persian Government in 1903 and 1904 and repayments made against them, and discussion on the Persian Government’s difficulties in paying their debts. Also discussed is a request from the Persian Government in 1910 for a conversion loan from the Imperial Bank of Persia in order to consolidate their debts.The principal correspondents are the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Edward Grey), the British Minister in Tehran (Sir Charles Murray Marling, Sir George Heard Barclay) and the British Ambassador to Russia (Sir Arthur Nicolson), along with representatives of the India Office, Foreign Office and Treasury.Other correspondents include the Russian Imperial Minister for Foreign Affairs (Count Alexander Petrovich Izvolsky), the French Financial Adviser to the Persian Government (Eugène Bizot) and the Belgian Administrator-General of Persian Customs (Joseph Mornard).The correspondence from the Government departments from May 1910 onwards contains a thick black border according to official mourning protocol following the death of King Edward VII on 6 May 1910.The volume is part 3 of 4. Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, year the subject file was opened, subject heading, and list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 volume (605 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.The subject 2410 (Persia Loans) consists of 4 volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/8-11. The volumes are divided into 4 parts with each part comprising one volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 605; 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 discusses the financial situation in Persia and proposals put forward in 1910 and 1911 for loans to the Persian Government from private sources.Initial offers of loans to the Persian Government were made by Messrs M Samuel and Company, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, a consortium led by Charles William Wallace, Messrs Seligman Brothers, and the Imperial Bank of Persia. The offers from Messrs Seligman Brothers and the Imperial Bank of Persia were taken forward and put to the Persian Mejdliss [Majlis] in 1911.Also discussed in the volume are loans made by the British Government and Government of India in 1903 and 1904, including their agreed repayment schedule and interest rates.Further discussion also relates to relations between Great Britain and Russia in respect to Persia and both Countries' attitudes towards the financial situation there.The principal correspondents include the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Edward Grey); the British Ambassador to Persia (Charles Murray Marling, Sir George Head Barclay, Sir Walter Beaupre Townley); the British Ambassador to Russia (Sir Arthur Nicolson, Sir George William Buchanan, Hugh O’Beirne); representatives of the Foreign Office and India Office; Messrs Seligman Brothers; and the Imperial Bank of Persia (George Newell, Sir Thomas Jackson, Augustus Ottiwell Wood).This volume is part 4 of 4. Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, year the subject file was opened, subject heading, and list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.The subject continues in files IOR/L/PS/10/220 and IOR/L/PS/10/353-355.1 volume (511 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.The subject 2410 (Persia Loans) consists of 4 volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/8-11. The volumes are divided into 4 parts with each part comprising one volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 511; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The item consists of a declaration concerning the Turco-Persian boundary, and how the boundary line should be fixed. It was signed by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Edward Grey) and the Grand Vizier of Ottoman Empire (Ibrahim Hakki Pasha) on 29 July 1913.The main body of the document is in French.Also includes three maps:IOR/W/L/PS/18/B381 (iii) – 'SKETCH MAP SHOWING TURCO-PERSIAN FRONTIER WEST AND SOUTH OF HAWIZEH'.IOR/W/L/PS/18/B381 (iv) - 'SKETCH MAP OF MUHAMMAREH TO INDICATE THE TURCO-PERSIAN BOUNDARY'.IOR/W/L/PS/18/B381 (v-vi) – 'MAP OF THE SHATT-AL-'ARAB & BAHMANSHĪR, INCLUDING MUHAMMAREH & 'ABBÁDÁN'.1 item (2 folios)
The item consists of a collection of documents signed by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Edward Grey) and the Grand Vizier of Ottoman Empire (Ibrahim Hakki Pasha) on 29 July 1913.It contains the following: a convention concerning the establishment of a commission to improve the conditions of navigation from Shatt al-Arab; a list of lighthouses and buoys on Shatt al-Arab; a series of declarations concerning the question of the border that separates the Persian and Ottoman territories from the region of Haouizé [Hoveyzeh] to the sea, and navigation on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; and agreements between the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and the Grand Vizier of Ottoman Empire on Koueit [Kuwait], El Katr [Qatar], Bahreine [Bahrain], Golfe Persique [Persian Gulf], and the commission of delimitation.It also includes translations of agreements with the Sheikh of Koweit [Shaikh of Kuwait] dated 1899, 1900, and 1904, on protecting British interests, along with correspondence between Edward Grey and Tewfik Pasha regarding these agreements and railways in Asiatic Turkey.The majority of text is in French, with some English.Also includes two maps:IOR/W/L/PS/18/B381 (i) – 'MAP TO SHOW THE LIMITS OF KOWEIT AND ADJACENT COUNTRY'.IOR/W/L/PS/18/B381 (ii) – 'SKETCH MAP OF THE PERSIAN GULF & ARABIAN COAST'.1 item (8 folios)
The file contains correspondence, reports and memoranda relating to the Baghdad Railway, and papers relating to Britain’s relations with Persia [Iran], and to a lesser extent, the Persian Gulf.Papers relating to the Baghdad Railway include the following memoranda: ‘Memorandum on the Baghdad Railway, and possible British participation therein’; ‘Memoranda containing a Brief Account of the Negotiations relating to the Baghdad Railway, 1898-1905’; and ‘Report (with Maps) on the country adjacent to the Khor Abdullah, and places suitable as Termini of the proposed Baghdad Railway’ (which includes two maps: Mss Eur F111/360, f 32 and Mss Eur F111/360, f 33).The file also includes:Copies of printed despatches from the Marquess of Lansdowne (Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice), Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, to Sir Charles Louis des Graz, Secretary of the British Legation, Tehran, dated August 1902, reporting conversations between himself and the Shah of Persia and the Atabeg-i-Azam (also spelled Atabek-i-Azam) concerning Britain’s relations with Persia, including the increase in the Persian Customs TariffHandwritten notes by George Nathaniel Curzon relating to Persia (folios 43 to 50)Newspaper extracts from
The Times, dated January 1902 and May 1903, relating to British interests in Persia and the Persian Gulf, and Russian relations with Persia (folios 54 to 63).The file includes a copy of a letter from Sir Nicholas Roderick O’Conor, British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, to the Marquess of Lansdowne, enclosing an extract from the
Moniteur Orientalof 15 August 1905, regarding the working of the recently completed section of the Baghdad Railway from Konia to Eregli and Boulgourlou, which is in French. The file also includes a copy of a letter from Joseph Naus to Sir Arthur Hardinge, HM Minister to Persia, 3 May 1903, relating to the export of cereals, which is also in French.1 file (64 folios)The papers from folios 1 to 42 are arranged in no apparent order, Curzon’s handwritten notes from folios 44 to 51 are enclosed in an envelope - folio 43, and the newspaper cuttings from folios 54 to 63 are enclosed in an envelope - folio 52.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 64; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.