This volume contains copies of correspondence between British officials regarding the construction of the Hedjaz [Hijaz] Railway. The correspondence discusses a number of different aspects of the railway including its route, the progress of its construction and donations made towards its construction by members of the Muslim community in India.A limited amount of the correspondence in the volume is in French, including a copy of a letter sent by Paul Cambon, the French Ambassador in London, to Sir Edward Grey, the Foreign Secretary (folio 15).The volume contains a number of reports and related information about the railway. Of particular interest are the following:A report on the Hejaz Railway by Major Francis Richard Maunsell, dated July 1907 (ff 56-69)A memorandum respecting German influence on the Hejaz Railway by George Ambrose Lloyd, 1906 (ff 95-96)A list of the principal stations on the Hejaz Railway with approximate distances between Damascus and each station (f 100)A map of the Hejaz Railway with list of stations (f 106)A report by Mr Teofani Loiso, Vice-Consul at Mersina, based on information provided to him by his son who was employed as an engineer on the railway (ff 105-107)A report by Herr Otto von Kapp Kohlstein, a German engineer who inspected the Haifa-Damascus branch of the route and worked on the construction of the Damascus-Maan branch (ff 107-109).In addition, the volume contains cuttings (and translations) of press articles related to several aspects of the railway and its construction. Also included are two maps. The Turkish (Ottoman) language material consists of the second of these two maps.The volume includes a divider which gives the year that the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in it arranged by year. This divider is placed at the front of the volume.1 volume (242 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 240; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. It should be noted that the covers of this volume have not been foliated.
The volume contains correspondence in the form of letters and telegrams related to the temporary administration of Baghdad Vilayet [province] and the question of the type of postage stamps to be used for the civil post office at Baghdad during the British occupation. The correspondence is particularly related to a small supply of Turkish stamps that was found in Baghdad after the Ottoman troops left the city. The British Government proposed to issue these stamps with the overprint 'Baghdad under British Occupation.' The volume includes correspondence with stamp printing firms and publishers to provide lists of the Turkish stamps and their values. The volume also includes correspondence between Buckingham Palace and the India Office arranging for a collection of the overprinted Turkish stamps to be sent to His Majesty King George V. Another set of stamps and envelopes was also kept aside in order to use it in an exhibition at the National/Imperial War Museum, London. The main correspondents in the volume are: John Evelyn Shuckburgh; Sir Percy Zachariah Cox, the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad; the Viceroy of India's Foreign Department; the Foreign Office; the Government of India's Department of Commerce and Industry; Harrison and Sons Limited; and Bradbury, Wilkinson and Company, Limited.The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 volume (274 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.The subject 1323 (Mesopotamia: Postage Stamps) consists of two volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/670-671. The volumes are divided into 5 parts, with part 1 comprising one volume, and parts 2-5 comprising the second volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 272; 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 leading and ending flyleaves. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.