This file consists of correspondence from various British officials in the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire to Khān Bahādur ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, the Residency Agent on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah. These letters cover the year 1930, between 13 January (12 Sha‘bān 1348) and 20 December 1930 (28 Rajab 1349). The file has its original file cover (ff. 2 and 133) which includes the title of the file in Arabic ['fīl khaṭūṭ al-bālyūz al-wāṣilah lil-wikālah ‘umān al-mutaṣāliḥ sanat 1930']. Each letter is numbered, running from No. 5 on folio 130 to 234 on folio 3. The letters are almost entirely in Arabic, while some appear in both English and Arabic (for example, ff. 38, 59 and 131). Some letters have accompanying enclosures, some of which are copies of letters to or from the Political Resident and the ruling shaikhs of the Trucial Coast, including Shaikh Shakhbūṭ bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān, ruler of Abu Dhabi; Shaikh Sa‘īd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm, ruler of Dubai; and Shaikh Sulṭan bin Ṣaqr Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Sharjah (for example, ff. 20 and 97).The file subjects of the correspondence relate to British relations with the ruler; commercial and consular matters concerning claims of British Indian subjects and other merchants, mostly residing in Dubai; and various slavery cases, mostly forwarded from the British Agency at Muscat, many of which enclose manumission statements (ff. 26-27). There is also correspondence concerning the administration of the Agency at Sharjah (ff. 38 and 123) and a tour of the Trucial Coast by the Political Resident in May 1930 (f. 93).1 file (134 folios)The file is arranged in reverse chronological order where Letter No. 234 (30 December 1930) appears on folio 3 and Letter No. 5 (13 January 1930) appears on folio 130). Two additional unnumbered letters appear on folios 131 and 132, dated 11 May 1930 and 30 April 1930 respectively.Foliation: There is one foliation sequence which appears in pencil, circled on the top right hand corner of the recto side of the page, running from the front to the back cover of the file.
This file consists mainly of original Arabic and Persian letters from various correspondents to Khān Bahādur ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, the Residency Agent on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah. The file has its original file cover (ff. 2 and 172) which includes the title of the file in Arabic ['Namr 9, hadhā fīl khaṭūṭ al-mashāyikh al-saḥil ‘umān al-mutaṣāliḥ lil-wikālah al-bālyūziyah…']. These letters cover 24 Ṣafar 1343 [24 Sept 1924] and 6 Muḥarram 1346 [6 Jul 1927], but are mostly from 1344 and 1345 AH (1925/1926 and 1926/1927). The text of the letters is almost entirely in handwritten Arabic, although there is one instance of printed Arabic (f. 38) and some letters also appear in handwritten and printed English (for example, ff. 79-80 and 159).The majority of the letters are from Sa‘īd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm, ruler of Dubai, and his brother, Jum‘ah bin Maktūm, as well as other Trucial Coast shaikhs, including: Khālid bin Aḥmad Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Dibba; Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān and Ṣaqr bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān, rulers of Abu Dhabi; Sulṭān bin Ṣaqr Āl Qāsimī, ruler Sharjah; Ḥamad bin Ibrāhīm Āl Mu‘allā and Aḥmad bin Rāshid Āl Mu‘allā, rulers of Umm al-Qaywayn; Ḥumayd bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Al Nu‘aymī, ruler of Ajman; Sulṭān bin Sālim al-Qāsimī, ruler of Ras al-Khaymah; ‘Abd al-Raḥman bin Muḥammad al-Shāmsī, ruler of Hira. In addition, there are letters from various Dubai merchants, as well as British Indian subjects mainly resident at Dubai, including ‘Abd al-Qādir bin Ḥājj Muḥammad ‘Abbās, Muḥammad Fārūk Bastakī, Hājji Muḥammad Sharīf Aḥmad, Hājji ‘Abd al-Raḥmān Bastakī, Damanmal Isardas, and Khushaldas Moolchand.1 file (185 folios)Foliation: Foliation numbers are circled in pencil in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The sequence begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 172. Foliation errors: f. 8 is followed by f. 8A; f. 59 is followed by f. 59A; f. 67 is followed by f. 67A; f. 71 is followed by f. 71A; f. 73 is followed by f. 73A; f. 74 is followed by f. 74A; f.83 is followed by f. 83A; f. 86 is followed by f. 86A; f. 149 is followed by f. 149A; f. 159 is followed by f. 159A; f. 167 is followed by f. 167A; f. 168 is followed by f. 168A; f. 171 is followed by f. 171A.
The majority of correspondence in the file consists of letters and instructions, with enclosures, in Arabic and English, between 26 November 1900 to 1 November 1905, from the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire to Khān Bahādur ‘Abd al-Laṭīf bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān, Residency Agent on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah. Enclosures typically include copies and originals of letters to and from various members of Persian Gulf ruling families, Persian officials and notable merchants (for example, ff. 37, 45 and 198), and from British agents and native agents (for example, agent at Bandar ‘Abbās f. 108, and Lingah, f. 188). There is also correspondence to the Residency Agent from Shaikh‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain; Shaikh Maktūm bin Ḥashar Āl Maktūm, ruler of Dubai; and Shaikh Zāyid bin Khalīfah Āl Nahyān, ruler of Abu Dhabi.The Arabic or Persian text of the letters is handwritten and appears on the left hand of the folio, while the English text occasionally appears typed (for example, f. 48). The letters are numbered according to the year, for example, ‘No 287 of 1901’ (f. 34), although some letters appear unnumbered (for example, f. 36). Some letters are written on black-edged paper (for example, f. 21) indicating mourning for Queen Victoria.Folio 205 is an Arabic list of subject headings for the file ['Fihrist fīl numr khāmis'] which consists of 104 entries, some of which appear in pencil on the verso of side of the letters. The correspondence within the file deals generally with commercial and consular matters and the relations of the rulers of the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms with one another and the British. Subjects covered within the file include: relations between Trucial Coast shaikhs and with the Political Residency and Persian government officials; cases related to Jawhar bin Naṣīb; claims by various merchants and British Indian subejcts (banyans); pearling issues, including cases of runaway divers (ff. 93-94); issues concerning the correct flag to be used by the Trucial Coast shaikhs, including a small drawing of the Trucial Coast flag according to the General Maritime Treaty of 1820 (ff. 99-100); requests for intelligence, including Hermann Burchardt's travels in the Persian Gulf (ff. 128-129) and geographical information (f. 157); gathering of trade statistics on the Trucial Coast (ff. 146-147); illness of the Residency Agent (ff. 149, 151); visit by the Resident to the Trucial Coast (f. 150); importation and smuggling of arms and ammunition (f. 153); and various slavery cases, including the abduction of children (f. 159).1 file (205 folios)Foliation: There is one foliation sequence which runs from the front to the back cover and appears in pencil, circled and in the top right hand corner of the recto of the page. Foliation anomalies: number 12 is skipped.Physical Condition: Tear damage causing missing text (ff. 3-5, 7-9).
The majority of correspondence in the file consists of letters and instructions, with enclosures, in Arabic and English, between 27 March 1897 to 3 December 1903, from the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire to Khān Bahādur ‘Abd al-Laṭīf bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān, Residency Agent on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah. Enclosures typically include copies and originals of letters to and from various Persian Gulf ruling families, Persian officials and notable merchants (for example, ff. 158, 241), and from British native agents (for example, the native agent at Lingah, f. 222). Letter No 39 of 1901 encloses facsimiles of English telegrams in received at Bushire from the Secretary for the Government of India Home Department (ff. 117-119) and folios 138-140 are copies of Persian letters from the Residency to the Residency Agent at Bandar ‘Abbās.The Arabic or Persian text of the letters is handwritten and appears on the left hand of the folio, while the English text occasionally appears typed (for example, f. 5). The letters are numbered according to the year, for example, ‘No. 315 of 1900’ (f. 22), although some letters appear unnumbered (for example, f. 171). Some letters are written on black-edged paper (for example, f. 44) indicating mourning for Queen Victoria. The subject of the letter occasionally appears in pencil or pen in Arabic on the verso side letter (for example, f. 137v).The correspondence within the file deals generally with commercial and consular matters and the relations of the rulers of the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms with one another and the British. Subjects covered in the file include: attacks on boats, including those of Ahmed bin Delmuk [Aḥmad bin Dalmūk]; status, claims and petitions of British Indian subjects (banyans) and others on the Trucial Coast; announcements of the birthday of Queen Victoria and her death in 1901 (ff. 116-119) ; relations with the Persian government and the presence and movements of the Persian gunboat
Persepolis; quarantine and epidemics (for example, smallpox, f. 3); French relations with Muscat and the Trucial Coast; Persian Gulf islands, including Ghāghah, Dalmā, Sirī, Ṣir Bū Nu‘ayr, Abū Mūsá, Ṭanb; gathering trade statistics of Sharjah; pearling issues, including a dispute over the sale of a pearl of great value (f. 174), a ban on Arab divers proceeding to Marichichikaddi in the north-west coast of Ceylon in 1903 (f. 252) and runaway divers from Kuwait (ff. 240-241 and 274-275); Resident and Residency staff visits to Persian Gulf shaikhs; illness of the Residency Agent at Sharjah, in 1899 and 1903 (ff. 31 and 276); relations between shaikhs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Shaikh Maktūm bin Ḥashar Āl Maktūm and Shaikh Zāyid bin Khalīfah Āl Nahyān; administrative issues of Sharjah Residency Agent, including salary and allowance (ff. 88-89); 1899 uprising in Lingah (f. 70); various slavery cases and notifications; murder of a Persian shopkeeper in Umm al-Qaywayn; death of Shaikh Humeid bin Abdullah [Ḥumayd bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Qāsimī], chief of Ras al-Khaymah (f. 47); relations between the Trucial Coast shaikhs and the Sultan of Muscat; issues relating to Zowra [al-Zawrā’]; relations between the Shaikh of Sharjah and the Shaikh of Fujeira, Hamed bin Abdulla [Ḥamad bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Sharqī] (1902); and importation and smuggling of arms and ammunition into the Trucial Coast.1 file (287 folios)Foliation: File foliated from cover to cover with pencil number enclosed in circle in top right of recto of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 68A, 93A, 110A, 123A, 125A, 159A.Physical Condition: Water damage (ff. 111, 172) and tear damage causing missing text (ff. 3, 141).
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.
This volume contains correspondence and contractual agreements signed between 1924 and 1926 on oil exploration and export rights in Kuwait, and to a lesser extent, other Gulf territories. The correspondence is primarily between the Anglo-Persian Oil Company based in Abadan, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent in Kuwait, the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited, and the Ruler of Kuwait. The file contains one foldout map of Kuwait's territory drawn for oil exploration at folio 157. The file contains Arabic documents that are primarily letters to the Ruler of Kuwait from the Political Agent in Kuwait, as well as a multi-language pamphlet outlining the history of the Anglo Persian Oil Company in French, Persian, and English.1 Volume (379 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 inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 381; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The file contains correspondence regarding providing letters of good offices. These were sent between the Political Agents in Bahrain and Kuwait, the Residency Agent in Sharjah, merchants and rulers of the Gulf. The sender would raise a case to the recipient and ask for his help mostly in mediating between the sender and another person. Most of the raised cases relate to starting up debt recovery proceedings for sums of money as little as 4 rupees and as much as 7,000 rupees, in 1928 to 1931. The claimants are merchants, sailors and others living in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar or Trucial Coast. Claimants’ letters are mainly in Arabic and occasionally in Persian.The main correspondence is between the Residency Agent in Sharjah, the Political Agent in Bahrain, the Political Agency in Kuwait, and Gulf Rulers.1 file (136 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 138; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which was also written in pencil and circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The volume contains confidential correspondence related to specific cases of slavery. The key correspondents in the volume are the Political Resident of the Persian Gulf (a post occupied by six incumbents during the time frame covered), and Government of India and Foreign Office officials in India and London.The contents of the volume can be categorised under the following sub-headings:Armenian Slaves – British reports and responses to the appearance of Armenian slave girls in Kuwait and Qatar in 1924. The Political Agent in Bahrain (Major Clive Daly) wrote to the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Prideaux), stating that the women were likely 'sold by the Turks to the tribes as children' (folio 9), as part of the expulsion of women and children from the Armenian provinces in 1915/16. Fuller detail on this specific case can be found in the Bahrain Political Agency file IOR/R/15/2/124.Slavery in Hejaz/Nejd – Negotiations in 1926 between British officials in Jeddah and Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd], who had recently been recognised as King of the Hejaz/Nejd territories, on steps to be taken to abolish slavery and the slave trade in the King's realm. The Acting British Consul in Jeddah (Lancelot Oliphant) noted in 1926 that 'Ibn Saud’s attitude towards both the slave trade and domestic slavery in the Hejaz appears to be more enlightened than that of his predecessors' (folio 117). However, a major obstacle to an agreement over the slave trade was Ibn Saud's insistence of the difficulties involved in abolishing a longstanding and traditional practice, and Britain's refusal to accede to his request that the Political Agency in Jeddah abandon its right to slave manumission.Persia – Between 1928 and 1929, discussions took place between the Persian Gulf Political Resident (Sir Frederick Johnston until November 1928, Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Barrett thereafter) and Government of India and Foreign Office officials, on a potential redraft of Britain's 1882 slave trade treaty with Persia, which the latter, under the rule of Reza Shah, now rejected. Johnston's concern was that if it 'were not for this [the 1882] Convention slavery would recommence on the coasts of the Persian Gulf [... ] In Persian Baluchistan slavery is rife and it is only the constant watch we exercise which prevents its becoming more than an individual trade' (folio 151).1 volume (216 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 215; 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. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. The sequence contains two foliation anomalies, missing out f 40 and including f 192a.
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.
The file contains correspondence between the Bahrain Political Agent (Colonel Barrett, from November 1927 to April 1929), representatives of the Hindu community in Manama, and the Khalifa ruling family. The correspondence refers to the ownership and use of freshwater pools (referred to as
chauchub) by the town's Hindu (Banyan) community for bathing, drinking and washing, and by the Al Khalifa family as a source of water for the irrigation of their date gardens. The file contains notes made by Political Agency staff, based on visits to the baths, which record the arrangement of the baths, their different uses, and the condition of the water found within them. In a letter dated 6 May 1929, the Political Agent (now Captain Prior) writes to the Hindu community (folio 10), requesting that they refrain from using soap in the baths, which is producing white slime in the water, presumably making it unsuitable for irrigation purposes.1 file (14 folios)Correspondence in the file is arranged in chronological order, from the earliest piece at the front of the file to the latest at the end.Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, with pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each front-facing page. Foliation anomalies: 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D.
Memoranda, statements, forms and other papers relating to military pension payments from the Bahrain Treasury, including to former employees of the State Police in Bahrain. The principal correspondents include: the Political Agent in Bahrain (Captain Charles Geoffrey Prior; Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); the Controllers (or Deputy Controllers) of Military Pension Accounts (CMPA) in various administrative districts of British India (Southern and Western Command, Mhow; Lahore).Papers in the file include:correspondence relating to arrangements for the recording of depositions by pensions who have stopped receiving their pension payments;CMPA objection statements, detailing the particulars of the CMPA objections over pension payments, audit remarks, replies, and audit decisions. The forms are printed with instructions (ff 23-25, ff 48-50, ff 80-82, ff 115-117);printed payment sheets for ‘Indian Military, Family and Uncovenanted Pensions’ (ff 29-32);circular memoranda from CMPAs, concerning various aspects of pension payments, such as procedure, policy, overpayments, pay increases.The file includes two telegraphic messages written in Persian.1 file (187 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 187-188) refer to only a small portion of correspondence in the file, dated 1933-1934.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 189; 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 3-187; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
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.