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.
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.
The volume contains manuscript draft biographical notes on Persian statesmen and notables compiled by George Percy Churchill.Many of the notes are accompanied by imprints of the subject's seal and signature (in Persian); some by typescript pages, extracts from published works and newspaper cuttings; and a few (folio 114v, folio 163v) by portrait photographs. The notes give the subject's name as heading, and various information including dates of birth and death, office and career history, family details (including members of the Shah's family), pay and financial details, interests, linguistic abilities, and some personal comments.The introductory page (folio 4v), which is signed by Churchill and dated 1904, is inscribed 'Strictly Confidential and for the Use of His Majesty's Government Officials Only'. A manuscript note states that the volume had been compiled from a variety of sources, and embodied the bulk of Colonel H Picot's biographical note of 1897, which Churchill had endeavoured 'to bring up to date and amplify'. The volume also contains a printed extract containing a list of words used in the composition of Persian titles, with a glossary of their meaning, including both the Persian forms and English transliterations; a manuscript genealogical tree of the Royal Kajar House; a manuscript list entitled 'Principal Persian Diplomatic and Consular Representation'; a manuscript list of Persian cabinet minsters and other politicians, dated 1901; list of ministers, provincial governors, etc in Persia dated 1904; and grouped cuttings of printed seals and coloured impressions of crests (folios 2v, 3r, 29v).1 volume (302 folios)The volume contains an alphabetical index of names between ff. 5-28. These refer to the main body of entries by means of pagination numbers.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 2 on the first folio after the front cover and terminates at 303, on the inside back cover. These numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomaly: ff. 4, 4A. The following folios need to be folded out to be read: f. 31, ff. 34-35.Pagination: there is an incomplete printed pagination sequence, running from 1-489 (ff. 36v-299v) which appears in the top right hand corner of each recto page, and the top left hand corner of each verso page of the main (ruled) portion of the volume. Some of the preceding pages in the volume have been numbered in pencil, but these numbers do not appear to be part of any discernible sequence.
The file contains correspondence about the supply of various essential commodities from India, by sea from Bombay and Karachi to Bahrain and the Trucial Coast ports of Dubai and Sharjah for local consumption, during the Second World War (1939-1945). Several commodities are mentioned including spices, nuts, oils, cotton and leather goods, hosiery, soap, matches and cement. These goods were in short supply due to wartime conditions and subject to Government of India export restrictions and import quota arrangements in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms under British protection. The main correspondents are the Political Agent for Bahrain, the Director of Customs and Port Officer for the Government of Bahrain, the Export Trade Controllers (also referred to as Foreign Trade Controllers) in Karachi and Bombay, as well as other Government of India officials, mainly in the External Affairs Department, New Delhi. They discuss the allotment of Government of India surplus quota goods among merchants in Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah and exchange distribution lists that contain the names of all approved importers (local merchants), together with the names of their Indian exporters or shippers in Bombay and Karachi, and the type and quantity of the controlled commodity allotted to them. In addition, there are detailed submissions from the Political Agents for Bahrain, Kuwait and Muscat to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, expressing concerns about new Government of India instructions for improving the coordination of export control procedures in India with import control procedures in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms, in particular, that Export Trade Controllers in Indian ports only grant export licenses and permits to Indian exporters and shippers who appear on their established shippers lists. The file also contains merchants’ correspondence, from several importers in Bahrain and their nominated export agents or shippers in Karachi and Bombay, complaining to the Political Agent for Bahrain, about the refusal of the Export Trade Controllers in Indian ports to grant them export licences and permits.1 file (240 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 242; 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 2-217 and between ff 218-241; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
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 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 contains correspondence in the form of petitions and letters mainly between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Ruler of Qatar. The two exchanged petitions on behalf of locals from Bahrain and Qatar respectively. The petitions were mainly regarding claims of debts, properties, stolen boats and inheritance. Debtors from Qatar fled to Bahrain, hence the Ruler of Qatar requested for them to be seized. The Political Agent in turn replied with the available information about the named subjects at his end. The same procedure was done with the Bahraini debtors who fled to Qatar.The file includes correspondence regarding the arrangement of visits of the Political Agent, Bahrain to Doha. It also includes correspondence regarding the progress the British Army was making during The Second World War in which the Ruler of Qatar sent his congratulations to the Political Agency in Bahrain.Most of the correspondence in the file is in Arabic. Folios 143-151 are file notes.1 file (150 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 152; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Additional irregular foliation sequences are present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is present between ff 4-41 and ff 98-151 and is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.