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.
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 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.
Correspondence related to the distribution of the text of the General Act of the Brussels Conference of 1890 throughout the Persian Gulf region. The English version of the Act is on folios 32-37. William Lee-Warner, Secretary to the Government of India in Bombay, sent Adelbert Talbot (Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, 1891-93) 100 copies of the Act in Persian (folios 5-19), and 100 in Arabic, for distribution to the Political Agencies on the Persian and Arab coasts of the Gulf respectively. Talbot sent 25 copies of the Persian translation of the Act to his Political Agent in Bandar-e Lengeh, and a further 25 copies to the Agent of the British India Steam Navigation Co. (Gray Paul & Co.) at Bandar-e Abbas. The Governor of Turkish Arabistan, Nizam-es-Sultaneh was critical of the distributed Persian translation of the Act, which had been produced under the authority of British Government staff in Bombay. In response Talbot commissioned and distributed a new translation (folios 73-88), produced under his authority at the Political Residency in Bushire.1 volume (137 folios)The contents of the volume have been arranged chronologically, with the earliest documents at the front, and the latest at the rear.Foliation: The volume has been foliated with small circled numbers in the top right corner of each front-facing page. The front cover has been foliated 1, then there are two unfoliated pages, before foliation restarts at 2 on the title sheet. After the title sheet and contents page (folio 4) there are a further three unfoliated blank pages before foliation restarts on the first piece of correspondence.). Folio 100 is missing.
The file contains correspondence, statements made by nakhudas, bills and receipts, all related to incidents in which native vessels were wrecked or damaged in the Persian Gulf (and chiefly in the waters around Bahrain) usually as a result either of storms or collision with another vessel. The correspondence relates to: reports of the initial incidents; the salvage of cargo; rescue and repatriation of crews; the recovery of costs incurred by salvage and repatriation; insurance claims. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Agent at Bahrain (numerous incumbents); the Director of Customs at Bahrain (Claud Cranbrook Lewis deGrenier); the Residency Agent at Sharjah, who reports on shipwreck and salvage incidents on the Trucial Coast, or involving boats from the Trucial Coast.The file includes details of numerous individual cases. The most significant cases in terms of paperwork involved include:the sinking of the
Surabnear Bushire in February 1931, with correspondence relating to: the repatriation of the crew back to Karachi; the Karachi authorities’ demands for repatriation costs to be paid by the
Surab’sowner, leading to a dispute between the two parties (ff 8-30);a collision between the British India Steam Navigation Company steamer, the
Varsova, and a fishing dhow in the waters between Qatar and Bahrain, with correspondence relating to: the recovery of eighteen crew from the dhow, which sank after the collision; failed attempts by the dhow’s owner, a Qatari subject, to make a claim in Bahrain over the loss; the Ruler of Qatar, Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī’s intervention in the affair (ff 95-124);the foundering of a vessel, the
Fatehkarim,off the Jazirat Shaikh Shuib in February 1941, and the repatriation to Karachi of its eight crew, with correspondence including copies of indemnity bonds for the eight crew members, to cover their passage back to Karachi (ff 181-198);in June 1943, attempts to repatriate twelve men from Um al Qaiwain [Umm al-Qaywayn] from Colombo, where their vessel was shipwrecked, with correspondence relating to the costs and difficulties of repatriating the men, presumably a result of wartime restrictions in maritime traffic (ff 219-229);enquiries, from September 1944 onwards, by a Bombay [Mumbai] company, Sopher & Company, who are attempting to make an insurance claim for a vessel lost near Khor Fakkan [Khawr Fakkān], while en route from Bombay to Basrah [Basra], with correspondence including copies of notes of protest, issued by the Government of Iraq (ff 241-261).1 file (282 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 262-283) 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 283; 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 7-261; 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 correspondence relating to the investigation and settlement of several debt recovery claims made against mainly Arab subjects of the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, by merchants of Dubai and Sharjah who are British Indian subjects. The main correspondents are the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Residency Agent at Sharjah. The correspondence includes petitions and statements made by claimants, debtors and witnesses, as well as several letters from the Ruler of Dubai [Āl Maktūm, Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm bin Hasher] and the Ruler of Sharjah [Al Qasimi, Shaikh Sultan II bin Saqr]. There are also several documents relating to debt settlements mediated either by the Residency Agent, a committee of local merchants or the Ruler.The majority of the correspondence is in both English and Arabic. The file contains one letter written in Persian. A few items of Indian merchant correspondence are signed in Gujarati as well as in English or Arabic, and in one instance in Sindhi. The earliest documents in the file are a debt bond made in 1911 and an Acknowledgement of Debt made in 1926.The following five debt cases are discussed extensively. The claims made by Khaja Habib bin Hasan Jasbani and Khojah Alli Hasan Joosbani (and other variations of their names) who are originally from Hyderabad, against: the estate of the former British Residency Agent at Sharjah, a Bahraini pearl merchant resident at Dubai, and two brothers of Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr the Ruler of Sharjah. The claim of Kishandas Nathanmal, originally from Tatta [Thatta] in Sindh Province, against a brother-in-law of Shaikh Said bin Maktum the Ruler of Dibai [Dubai]. The claim of the Dubai branch of the merchant firm Dharamdas Thawerdas against both the Ruler of Dubai and Shaikh Mohamad bin Ahmed Al Dalmook (spelt variously) as guarantors for the indebted estate of Dubai merchant Essa (also spelt Isa) bin Thani. The claims of several traders in Dubai and Sharjah against Dhamanmal Jagoomal (spelt variously) and the counter claims of the latter, including representations made on his behalf by his son Mohandas Dhamanmal Jagoomal of Bombay, about the looting of his father’s shop in Sharjah by local residents. The request of the Ruler of Dubai, for British assistance with his two debt recovery claims against the Dubai branch of the Mesopotamia Corporation Limited, and the Wali of Khasab in Oman, a subject of the Sultan of Muscat.The file also contains correspondence relating to complaints of ill-treatment made by a medical practitioner from Egypt who is resident at Dubai, and the counter-claims made against him by his in-laws in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The file ends with the investigation and recovery of possessions stolen from a Bahraini subject by a traveller from Kuwait, who is also suspected of complicity in the smuggling of goods into Dubai on behalf of a Persian merchant from Bushire.1 file (340 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 342; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Additional foliation sequences are present in parallel between ff 2-304, and ff 312-331; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
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.