The volume contains records of correspondence (abstracts, lists, copies and originals) concerning relations between Russia and Persia during the period 1837-1875. The papers are as follows:Papers relating to Russian proceedings on the island of Ashoorada [Ashuradeh] covering the years 1837-1854 (but compiled at an unspecified later date):abstract of correspondence covering the years 1837-1854 (folios 1-13);lists of dispatches and correspondence covering the years 1837-1852 (folios 14-21A).Papers relating to Russo-Persian relations, c1860-1862:abstract of a memoir on the general policy of Russia in the East by M. Sawarykielwiez (folios 22-33). The abstract is signed WHB. A note in blue crayon on folio 22 reads '?About 1860';letter from Charles Alison, Tehran to John Russell, Earl Russell, dated 14 June 1862, enclosing a translation of a draft [not transcribed] of a secret treaty between Persia and Russia proposed during the Crimean War (original manuscript copy and two typescript copies) (folios 34-37).Copies of secret dispatches from the British Embassy at St Petersburg to the British Government, dated 1874-1875, relating to Russian activities in Transcaspia and Central Asia, with copies of supporting correspondence (folios 38-146). Many of the dispatches are in French.1 volume (173 folios)The papers are bound in chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the first folio after the front cover and terminates at 157 on the back cover. These numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 21, 21A; ff. 74, 74A; ff. 114, 114A; ff. 115, 115A; ff. 116, 116A; ff. 127, 127A; ff. 130, 130A; ff. 131, 131A; ff. 132, 132A; ff. 136, 136A; ff. 137, 137A; ff. 139, 139A; ff. 140, 140A; ff. 141, 141A; ff. 146, 146A; ff. 151, 151A; ff, 152, 152A.
This file is a Foreign Office memorandum regarding the right of the Euphrates and Tigris Steam-ship Company to sail their barges on those rivers, written by Foreign Office Librarian, Edward Hertslet.The file contains a summary of negotiations between the British and Ottoman Governments and as such, also contains extracts from Ottoman Government documents in French.1 volume (8 folios)Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 97, and terminates at f 104, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
This file is a short memorandum that summarises the legal situation regarding the right of English mail ships to sail on the Tigris River. The memorandum was written by Foreign Office Librarian, Edward Hertslet.On folio 106 the file contains an extract from a letter (from an Ottoman Government official) that is in French.1 volume (2 folios)Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 105, and terminates at f 106, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
This file contains a selection of correspondence related to the right of British Merchant-Vessels to use the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This correspondence is primarily between British officials but also includes copies of letters between Ottoman officials including one letter in French (ff 110r-111).1 volume (5 folios)Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 107, and terminates at f 112, as it is part of a larger physical volume, 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 5-128; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
The volume contains correspondence in the form of letters, memoranda and telegrams related to the supply of overprinted stamps of Mesopotamia/Iraq. The main issues discussed in the volume are the following:The question of whether to continue using the overprinted Turkish stamps after the declaration of peace or notThe currency to be adopted in Mesopotamia and the preparation of new designs for postage and revenue stampsThe required supply of overprinted Turkish stamps to the Civil Post Office in BaghdadBradbury, Wilkinson and Company, Limited to provide the monthly supply of the overprinted stampsHarrison and Sons Limited to provide the overprinted Ottoman Government envelopes and reply letter cards/postal stationeryThe increase of charges on printing stamps and currencyThe reopening of the Turkish civil post office at Mosul Vilayet [province]The question of which overprint to use on the available Turkish stampsThe arrangement of four sets of stamps of each variety to be sent to His Majesty King George V, the Imperial War Museum, and to the General Post OfficeThe request of certain stamp dealers to buy parcels of the overprinted stamps of Mesopotamia.The main correspondents in the volume are: John Evelyn Shuckburgh; the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad; the Foreign Office; Bradbury, Wilkinson and Company, Limited; Harrison and Sons Limited; the Imperial War Museum; the General Post Office, London; and a number of stamp dealers such as, Edwin Healey and Company and Whitfield King and Company.This volume consists of four parts. 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 (344 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.The subject 1323 (Mesopotamia) consists of two volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/670-671. The volumes are divided into 5 parts, with part one 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 342; 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.
The volume contains correspondence in the form of telegrams, and confidential papers sent between British officials in the Gulf regarding Iraqi propaganda against Kuwait. Communications were made with former Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Pasha al-Said and the Ruler of Kuwait, in this regard. The correspondence also contains reports about members of Al-Naqib family from Basra who were appointed as envoys from Baghdad with instructions to offer official advice to the Ruler of Kuwait. A particular name that appears in the volume is Sayid Hamid Bey Al-Naqib, Basra Deputy to the Ruler of Kuwait.The correspondence also discusses the following: the refusal by Ibn Saud of any form of unity between Iraq and Kuwait, the issue of encouraging Persian immigration to Kuwait, and the petitions raised by members of the Legislative Council in Kuwait, to the Political Agent, Kuwait, to assist in releasing political prisoners in Kuwait.The correspondence also contains letters and newspaper extracts regarding Khalid Sulaiman al-‘Adsani, Secretary of the dissolved Legislative Council in Kuwait, and about the Arab Youth movement called al-Ansar, which calls for Arab unity. Most of the correspondence in the volume (ff 2-136) is dated 1939.The main correspondence is between the British Embassy, Baghdad, the Political Agency, Kuwait, the Political Residency, Bushire, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London, and the British Embassy, Jeddah.1 volume (154 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 156; 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 3-154; these numbers are also written in pencil, but, where circled, are crossed through.
This file contains correspondence related to the internal politics and foreign relations of Iraq between 1933 and 1945. The majority of this correspondence is from the British Embassy in Baghdad to the Foreign Office in London (with the Political Residency at Bushire copied in).The file contains detailed discussions regarding political developments in the country including a report about the 1936 military coup that contains a summary of events, an assessment of the strength of the Iraqi armed forces, a translation of the coup's manifesto, and a discussion of the coup's significance.The file also contains a pamphlet published by the Iraqi Government entitled
'Documents relating to the adherence of Iraq to the Declaration of the United Nations, Signed at Washington on 2nd January, 1942'.1 volume (276 folios)Circled index numbers written in red crayon are also present in the volume and the index pages (ff 252-262) at the rear of the volume have been paginated using a combination of pencil, ink and type.A bound correspondence volume.The main foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled and can be found in the top right of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence runs between ff 2B-251; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.Foliation anomalies: 1A and 1B; 82A and 82B; 86A and 86B; 149A, 149B and 149C; 179A and 179B; 185A and 185B; 206A and 206B; 233A and 233B.
The file comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, and notes, relating to the rebellion in Iraq 1941.The discussion in the file concerns measures to restore public order in Iraq following the British military occupation of the country which was instigated after a coup d'état by Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani in April 1941. It covers the following:further discussion surrounding the Kurdish rebel leader Shaikh Mahmoudsupport for the restored Iraqi government to enforce public ordermeasures to purge the Iraqi civil service of officials sympathetic to Rashid Ali Al-Gaylanijudicial process for the 'Golden Square' military officials who supported the coup d'etatIncluded in the file is a copy (folio 62) of a paper purporting to be the text of a secret treaty between Rashid Ali and the Axis powers.The principal correspondents in the volume include HM Ambassador to Iraq (Sir Kinahan Cornwallis) and HM Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (108 folios)The papers are arranged in rough chronological order from the rear to the front 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 110; 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 80-83; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled
The file contains papers relating to communications between London and the Middle East. It mainly consists of copies of correspondence sent to the India Office from the Foreign Office. This largely consists of copies of correspondence between the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and the British Consulate, Aleppo, regarding the railway service, and improved mail service, between London and Aleppo and other places by the Simplon Orient Express and the Taurus Express.It also includes:copies of correspondence between HM Representative, Tehran, and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, concerning the establishment of a through service to Europe via Nisibin and Istanbul, by the International Sleeping Car Company, Cairoa copy of a letter from the General Post Office to the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, regarding the mail service to Syria, Iraq and Persia [Iran] by Simplon Orient Express and Taurus Expressand a copy of a letter from HM Acting Consul-General, Beirut, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, regarding the delay in the mail service from England to SyriaThe correspondence includes enclosures in French (folios 12-14 and 32-37).1 file (38 folios)The papers are arranged in reverse chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 38; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding the trading activities of the U.S.S.R. in the Persian Gulf, primarily in Iraq, Persia, Kuwait and Bahrain.These officials are from the Department of Overseas Trade; the Political Residency in Bushire; the British Consulates in Bandar Abbas, Shiraz, Baghdad and Basra; the Political Agencies in Kuwait and Bahrain; the British Legation in Tehran.The correspondence discusses exact details concerning imports from the USSR and as such includes relevant tables and statistical information but also contains broader political discussions around the political context of these activities and how they may impact on Britain's interests in the region.Alongside correspondence, the file also contains a number of relevant newspaper clippings from British and Persian publications including a number from
Le Messager de Teheranthat are in French.1 file (280 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio 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.
The file contains papers related to an Air Transit Agreement being negotiated between the United Kingdom (UK) and France to enable scheduled military aircraft to fly over, and land at airfields within, each other's territories. A number of drafts of this agreement can be found throughout the file; some of these copies contain French language content. A great deal of correspondence in the file concerns airfields in territories not under direct British political control (e.g. Bahrain, Iraq, Egypt, and Sharjah), independent states (Muscat and Oman), and states becoming independent dominions of the Commonwealth (India and Pakistan). Much correspondence discusses if and how these governments should be approached for consent for French aircraft to utilise their territory: in particular, whether France should make a direct request to the Government of India for transit rights or make an application via the British Government.The file also covers proposals for the servicing of French aircraft in India by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) following the withdrawal of Royal Air Force (RAF) bases in India.The main correspondents in the file are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (William Rupert Hay), officials of the Air Ministry, officials of the Foreign Office, officials of the India Office (Commonwealth Relations Office from August 1947), and officials from the British Embassy to France.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (265 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 266; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Part 2 of the volume is comprised of copies of correspondence and other papers relating to the proposed merger of the Turkish-Government-operated Hamidieh Steamship Company and the British company, the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation Company (also referred to as the Lynch Company, ETSNC). The item’s principal correspondents are: representatives of the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation Company (hereafter ETSNC, chiefly the Company Secretary, H W Maclean), the Director of the ETSNC (Henry Finnis Blosse Lynch); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Edward Grey); the Private Secretary to Sir Edward Grey (Louis Du Pan Mallet); the British Ambassador at Constantinople [Istanbul] (Sir Gerard Augustus Lowther); the Political Resident for Turkish Arabia (Captain John Gordon Lorimer).The majority of the correspondence is dated 1909 to 1910, and focuses on the controversial nature of the proposed merger of the two steamship operators, which bore more of the character of a takeover by the British concern of its Turkish counterpart. While many Turkish commentators understood the prospect of a likely British monopoly of navigation rights on the Tigris and Euphrates in Irak [Iraq], the British Government feared having their commercial activities in Iraq diminished, possibly to the advantage of competing German commercial interests. The controversy, which acquired the sobriquet the ‘Affaire Lynch’ in the British press, precipitated a local popular uprising in Iraq, and in part led to the resignation of the Grand Vizier Hüseyin Hilmi Pasha, who had supported the merger, in December 1909. The correspondence is thus split between the contractual negotiations over the navigation concession, and the political consequences of its controversy, including cuttings of articles published in the press in Britain (
The Times,
The Morning Post) and copies of articles published in Ottoman Turkey (
Tanin,
Truth).1 item (315 folios)