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 file provides an account of the navigation of the rivers of Mesopotamia from 1640, with a series of extracts from despatches, letters, reports, a diary, a treaty, and an order. It details agreements between England and Turkey; the movements of British steamers within the region; the question of the payment of dues and navigation rights; the maintenance costs of steamers; and highlights disturbances hindering navigation.It was written by F De Lesseps, Foreign Department, India Office.The file includes three extracts in French.1 file (4 folios)Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 28, and terminates at f 31, 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 present in parallel between ff 28-31; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
The file contains correspondence in 1928 and 1930 from the Political Agent, Bahrain and Charles Dalrymple Belgrave (Financial Adviser to the Government of Bahrain) regarding the Bahrain Government’s attitude to Persian subjects resident in Bahrain who, either travel to India on Persian passports only, or wish to apply for naturalisation as Bahraini subjects.The file also contains the following circulars and translations relating to Persian nationality law:Notification dated 1934 from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, about the procedure to be followed by British residents in Persia, to relinquish their Persian nationality, if they were born in Persia to parents who were either British subjects or British Protected Persons;English translations of the Persian Naturalisation and Nationality Acts, 1894, 1929, 1930;English translation of a circular memorandum dated 1929 from the Persian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the British Legation, Tehran providing a period of grace in which British subjects would be allowed to divest themselves of illegal ownership of Persian land and other property without penalty;French translation of the Persian Agricultural Law 1931, forbidding foreigners to own agricultural land in Persia.1 file (51 folios)File papers are arranged chronologically. They are followed by file notes (folios 50-52) which include a chronological list (folio 50) of the several most recent documents added to the file (folios 42-49), together with their unique document reference number to help identify them. The list also records the folio numbers of the documents, to help locate them in the file. The list records the earlier, secondary foliation number.Foliation: numbered 1-53. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right corner of the folio and encircled. The numbering starts at the front of the file, on the file cover (f 1) and ends on the inside cover at the back of the file (f 53). In the more complete of two earlier and secondary foliation sequences, folios 3 to 43 are also numbered 1 to 41 in pencil in the top right corner of the folio.
The volume contains correspondence pertaining to British interests and activities in the region of Arabistan in Persia. The correspondents include Eardley Peel, Vice Consul at Ahwaz, Percy Cox, High Commissioner at Baghdad, Cecil Lincoln, Acting Consul for Arabistan at Mohammerah [Korramshahr], Arthur Trevor, Political Resident at Bushire, Percy Loraine, British Minister at Tehran, and various Persian Government employees.The issues covered by the documents include:status and allegiances of tribes (especially Chanana, Bani Lam, Bakhtiyari, and Khasraj) and their leaders, including grazing rights, and payment of 'koda'
,a kind of tax levied on grazing;what is to be done with a stock of rifles left over from a voluntary 'rifle club' formed during the First World War that has now disbanded;appointment and eventual resignation of the Governor-General at Mohammerah;redefining of the Persia-Iraq border;British concern about Bolshevik influence in Persia;the conduct of Abdul Majid, Deputy Governor of Mohammerah;the attack by Kuhgilu tribesmen on a detachment of Persian troops sent to police Arabistan and the subsequent accusations against Britain for being behind it;alleged intrigues between Sheikh Khazal [Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī] of Mohammerah and Ibn Sa‘ud;the smuggling of currency out of Persia and into Iraq.1 volume (246 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically. At the beginning (folio 1c) is a subject index arranged alphabetically, with folio numbers referring to the main folio sequence described in Physical Characteristics.Foliation: sequence is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins with the first telegram, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 264. Foliation errors: there is no folio 1, just 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d; no folios 5-6, 18-19, 57-65, 68-77; folio 121 is followed by 121A.
Correspondence between British officials and the Sultan of Muscat concerning the granting of a coaling station to the French at Bandar Jissah which led to the British giving an ultimatum to the Sultan that he cancel the lease to the French otherwise his subsidy would be withdrawn. A letter from the Sultan protests that there is no breach of his agreement with the British. Includes a memorandum by Lieutenant G Wood Robinson, regarding Bandar Jissah harbour and a note on anchorages and harbours on the coast of Oman. Correspondents include Major Christopher Charles George Fagan , Political Agent, Muscat; Faisal bin Turki [Fayṣal bin Turkī], Sultan of Muscat; French Vice-Consul; Political Resident Persian Gulf, India Office, London.1 volume (242 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file. At the front of the file there is an index page with topics listed in alphabetical order.Foliation: the foliation system in use is the sequence of numbers appearing in a circle in the top right hand corner of each folio. The file also bears a foliation system of uncircled numbers. Foliation anomaly: 1, 1a (1a being unfoliated).
Correspondence concerning the use of French flags by dhows at Sur and the actions taken by the Sultan of Muscat and the Government of India. Includes a hand drawn map (folio 33) 'Rough sketch of Soor'.Topics covered include:The establishment of a French consulate;Representation of the Sultan of Muscat at the Hague tribunal;British documents relating to the arbitration at the Hague tribunal;Issues involving the slave trade and use of the French flag.Correspondents include Major Percy Zachariah Cox, Political Agent, Muscat; Political Resident Persian Gulf; Louis William Dane, Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department; Quarantine superintendent of the Sultan of Muscat.1 volume (249 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file. There is an index at the front of the file.Foliation: The foliaton system in use is the sequence of numbers appearing in a circle in the top right hand corner of each folio.
Correspondence relating to the Hague Arbitration Tribunal which decided on questions referred to it by Great Britain and France concerning the flying of French flags by dhows in Sur. Before the 2nd January 1892 when the Brussels Conference General Act was ratified France was entitled to authorize vessels belonging to subjects of the Sultan of Muscat to fly the French flag only and be bound by French legislative rules. Includes a list of dhows and dhow owners flying the French flag as well as printed copies of the material submitted to the tribunal and the 'Award of the Arbitration Tribunal appointed to decide on the question of the grant of the French flag to Muscat dhows'. Letters discuss the desire of the British to increase the authority of the Sultan of Muscat in Sur.Correspondents include Major William George Grey, Political Agent, Muscat; Percy Zachariah Cox, Political Resident Persian Gulf; Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department; Foreign Office, London; Saiyid Faisal bin Turki [Fayṣal bin Turkī], Sultan of Muscat; Monsieur Laronce, French Consul, Muscat.1 volume (290 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file. An index to the file is given.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are typed, with additions, clarifications and corrections written in pencil. This sequence can be found in the top right hand corner of the recto side of each folio.
The volume contains copies of correspondence sent to and from the Political Residency, concerning affairs in Muscat during the period 1921 to 1924. The chief correspondents in the file are the Political Resident, Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Prescott Trevor, and the Political Agent Muscat, chiefly Ronald Evelyn Leslie Wingate, incumbent in the post from October 1919 to October 1921, and February to September 1923. The correspondence chiefly concerns economic and domestic affairs at Muscat, as follows:Economic difficulties in Muscat, precipitated by a significant fall in the port’s customs revenue, the state’s main source of income, and options for increasing state revenue through other means, such as taxes and raising customs duties;The loan of six-and-a-half lacs [lakhs] (650,000 rupees), given by the British Government to the Muscat Government, and arrangements for the Muscat Government to open an account with the Imperial Bank of India, to facilitate the repayment of the loan in installments;The efforts of British officials to impose stringent economic policies at Muscat, and on the Sultan of Muscat, Taymūr bin Fayṣal, leading to strained relations between British officials and the Sultan. Records of conversations between Taymūr bin Fayṣal and the Political Resident and the Political Agent Muscat, over the administration of the state, and responsibilities as its ruler;The submission of financial statements for Muscat State, from the Political Agent Muscat to the Political Resident, for forwarding to the Government of India;Arrangements for the education of Taymūr bin Fayṣal’s son, Sa‘īd bin Taymūr, at Mayo College in Ajmer, India;The recruitment of the Indian Assistant at the Bahrain Political Agency, Siddiq Hassan, as a personal tutor for Sa‘īd bin Taymūr at Mayo College, and negotiations for his salary, including a personal allowance from the Sultan, and the permissibility of such an allowance under Government of India regulations;The recruitment of a British financial adviser at Muscat, including the possibilities of retaining the services of a Captain ED McCarthy (Muscat Levy Corps). Upon learning of McCarthy’s intention to remain in the service of the Army, British officials resume their search for a suitable appointment, with a recommendation made by Sir Arnold Wilson of Bertram Thomas, then working in the Palestinian Administration (folios 239-40);Thomas’s appointment as Financial Adviser at Muscat in mid-1924;The movements of Sultan Taymūr bin Fayṣal, his time spent in Muscat, and British officials’ opinions of his attitude to government and his responsibilities as Sultan;The purchase of a house by the Sultan at Dehra Dun [Dēhrādūn] in India, against the wishes of the British Government.1 volume (279 folios)The volume’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end.Foliation: There is one incomplete foliation sequence and one complete sequence. The complete sequence, which should be used for referencing, is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the title page, on number 1, and ends on the inside back cover, on 276. Foliation anomalies: ff.50A-B. The subject file number (35/87) is marked top and centre of most rectos in the file, both handwritten and typewritten.
This file contains correspondence regarding alleged smuggling activities from Kuwait into Iraq. Primarily, the file contains internal correspondence between British officials but it also includes correspondence between British officials and Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, the ruler of Kuwait.As well as general discussions regarding British attempts to mediate between Iraq and Kuwait, the correspondence also discusses a number of specific incidents including an alleged incursion into Kuwaiti territory made by Iraqi Government armoured cars, the shooting of two Kuwaiti subjects by Iraqi police and shots being fired by Iraqi Customs officials at a Kuwaiti vessel near Warba Island.The file contains a write-up of an interview that took place in September 1934 between Shaikh Aḥmad and Ralph Ponsonby Watts, the acting Political Agent in Kuwait (ff 122-126) as well as a write-up of an informal conversation, that also took place in September 1934, between Percy Gordon Loch, the acting Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Tahsin Beg 'Ali, the Mutasarrif [Governor] of Basrah, and Dr Naji Beg Al Asil, the Director General of Foreign Affairs for the Government of Iraq (ff 127-132).The file also contains a note on Iraqi-Kuwaiti Smuggling written in July 1934 by Trenchard Craven William Fowle, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (ff 65-66) and a bi-lingual Arabic/English copy of suggestions proposed to Shaikh Ahmad by the Government of Iraq in September 1934 (f 145).1 volume (246 folios)The file is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Serial numbers in red crayon refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Condition: Formerly a bound correspondence volume, the majority of the file's folios are now loose and unbound.Foliation: The file's foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The foliation sequence, which should be used for referencing, begins with the first item of correspondence, on number 1, and ends on the last folio with text, on number 235. The file contains the following foliation errors: f 115 is followed by f 115A; f 151 is followed by ff 151A-B; the following numbers are missing from the sequence: f 11, f 160.
This file contains correspondence regarding alleged smuggling activities from Kuwait into Iraq. The correspondence discusses a number of topics including incursions into Kuwaiti territory made by Iraqi Customs and Police Forces, arms smuggling, the demarcation of the Kuwait-Iraq frontier, the possibility of Kuwait constructing frontier posts and an idea for the creation of a British-led armed force in Kuwait.Primarily, the file contains internal correspondence between British officials, but it also contains translated copies of correspondence between Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, the ruler of Kuwait and the British Political Agent in Kuwait, as well as correspondence between the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the British Embassy in Baghdad.1 volume (225 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Serial numbers in red crayon refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file's main foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence is present between ff 3-89A; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.The file contains the following foliation errors: 2, 2A, and 2B; 89, and 89A and the following folio is omitted: 190.
The volume contains correspondence relating to a meeting between King Faisal of Iraq and King Ibn Sa‘ud of Najd and Hejaz, overseen by the British. The main correspondents are Sidney Webb, Secretary of State for the Colonies, Francis Humphrys, High Commissioner of Iraq, Harold Dickson, Political Agent at Kuwait, Hugh Biscoe, Political Resident at Bushire, the Government of India, British Chargé d'Affaires at Jeddah, Charles Prior, Political Agent at Bahrain, Robert Clive, British Minister at Tehran, Captain Boyes, Commander of the
Triad(at one point Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf), Captain Marr, Commander of the
Patrick Stewart, Captain J. M. Alleyne, Commander of the
Lupin(also at one point Senior Naval Officer), members of the Iraqi Government, and Ibn Sa‘ud.The documents cover the following matters:the planning and preparations for the meeting, including transporting attendees overland and by sea;the costs of the meeting and who will bear them;what subjects are suitable for discussion during the meeting, in particular the repatriation of a rebel leader, Ibn Mashhur;the outcome of the meeting;an unplanned visit to Bahrain by Ibn Sa‘ud, against British wishes.Notable within the volume are the following documents:a report by Alleyne, Senior Naval Officer, on the meeting (folios 164-172);Humphrys' report on the meeting (folios 182-84);a translation of an article in the Najd and Hejaz newspaper
Umm al-Qura,dated 28 November 1930, that contains a detailed account of the meeting (folios 192-98).Folios 199-201 are internal office notes.1 volume (208 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the main foliation sequence runs from front to back (excluding covers), with encircled, pencilled numbers written in the top right corner of each folio. Foliation anomalies: 1, 1A, 1B, 1C; 104, 104A. An earlier and intermittent foliation sequence appears in the same position, in which the numbers are not circled.
The volume contains correspondence, memorandums, and newspaper cuttings relating to a proposed Baghdad to Basra railway, an extension of the German Berlin to Baghdad Railway. Much of the correspondence has been forwarded to the Residency by the Foreign Department of the Government of India and is between Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Francis Bertie, British Ambassador to France, Louis Mallet, Assistant Under-secretary of State for Near and Middle Eastern Affairs, Charles Marling, British Ambassador to Persia, Arthur Nicolson, Permanent Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Henry Babington Smith, President of the National Bank of Turkey, Gerard Lowther, British Ambassador to Constantinople, Rifaat Pasha, Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Edgar Speyer, railway financier, George Buchanan, British Ambassador to Russia, Edward Goschen, British Ambassador to Berlin, Henry Cumberbatch, British Consul General in Turkey, George Barclay, British Minister to Persia, the Board of Trade, and William Graham Greene, Permanent Secretary to the Board of Admiralty. There is also correspondence between Percy Cox, Political Resident at Bushire, Rear-Admiral Edmond Slade, Stuart Knox, Political Agent at Bahrain, and William Shakespear, Political Agent at Kuwait.The volume covers the discussions prior to formal negotiations between Britain and the Ottoman Turks brought about by the Baghdad Railway and its proposed extension to the Persian Gulf. The issues and subjects involved are:the proposed route of the railway;control and ownership of the section between Baghdad and Basra;location of the terminus, and who will control it, including Slade's report (ff. 64-74) on the suitability of Basra;a proposed increase to customs duty in the region;irrigation of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers;the contract to transport rail materials by the rivers;the status of Kuwait, particularly regarding Turkish and British suzerainty and influence.Throughout the volume there are newspaper cuttings from English periodicals that relate to the Baghdad Railway and negotiations around it.Folio 47 is a rough sketch map of the peninsula Ras Tanurah. Folio 230 is a fold-out map of the proposed route of the railway and irrigation of the rivers.2 volumes (334 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically. At the beginning (folios 2-5) is a subject index. It is in no particular order and organised under a few broad headings. The numbers refer to folio numbers of the secondary, earlier sequence.Foliation: The file consists of two volumes (parts one and two) and the foliation runs through both. The main foliation sequence commences at the title page of part one and terminates at the fifth folio from the back of part two; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be predominantly found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence runs between ff. 8-291A; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. There are the following irregularities: 7 and 7A; 13 and 13A; 15 and 15A; 16, 16A and 16B; 17 and 17A; 18, 18A and 18B; 20, 20A and 20B; 21, 21A and 21B; 52, 52A, 52B, 52C; 53, 53A, 53B and 53C; 54, 54A, 54B and 54C; 55, 55A and 55B; 56, 56A and 56B; 57 and 57A; 290 and 290A.