The file contains papers of the Political Agency, Muscat, concerning the transliteration of personal and place names in India and the Persian Gulf. The papers were compiled in response to requests from the Government of India for standardisation in the translation of vernacular names.The papers include: correspondence from the Under Secretary and the Secretary to the Government of India, drawing attention to the need for consistency in the spelling and arrangement of native Indian names in official lists, 1903-06; correspondence between the British Residency and Consulate-General, Bushire, and the Political Agent, Muscat, dated 1910-11, containing lists of transliterated names of persons, places, and tribes in Muscat, in accordance with a slightly modified Hunterian system of spelling and the system employed in Volume II of the
Persian Gulf Gazetteer; papers concerning an extract from 'A System for the Spelling of Names of Places etc. in Persia, Afghanistan, and Arabia', 1924; copies of the
First List of Names in Persia (South)and the
Second List of Names in Persia (North), by the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use, with associated correspondence, 1928-29; correspondence concerning circulars issued by the Protocol Department of the Persian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, communicating
changes to the names of certain towns in Persia [Iran], 1930-32; and correspondence concerning the new official names of the Kingdom and Ruler of Saudi Arabia, 1932.There is no correspondence in the file dated 1917-23.The other languages and scripts noted as being present in the file appear in lists of transliterated names.1 file (81 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 83; 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 2-82; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.A previous foliation sequence between ff 37-82, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
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.
Correspondence, statements and other papers relating to incidents of theft occurring at the Political Agency:in June 1933, the theft of money from drawers in an Agency office (ff 2-9);in March 1934, another incident of money stolen from Agency cash boxes (ff 10-11);in August 1937, an incident of theft from the servants’ quarters at the Agency (ff 12-17). Copies of statements and other papers relating to the case can also be found in ‘File 16/38-II Miscellaneous: Notes and orders’ (IOR/R/15/2/1546);in 1944, the discovery of a broken plate, the pattern of which matched china missing and presumed stolen during transit from the Political Residency (ff 19-23);in November 1947, the theft of money (900 Indian rupees) from a cupboard in an Agency office (ff 24-28).Some of the file’s papers are written in Persian.1 file (29 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 29-30) mirror the chronological arrangement.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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-26; these numbers are also written in pencil. Some numbers in the previous foliation sequence are also circled, and have been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The volume contains correspondence related to two specific incidents of Arab slaves absconding to the Persian territory of Henjam [Jazīreh-ye Hengām]. The first incident took place in March 1930, when four slaves absconded from Umm al Qaiwain to Jazīreh-ye Hengām, pursued by a group of armed Arabs. The majority of the correspondence in the volume deals with a second incident occurring in June 1931, in which four slaves absconded from Sharjah to Henjam on a stolen dhow. The four men sought sanctuary at the telegraph station on the island, before taking the opportunity to board the British ship HMS
Folkstone.The incident was met by protestations from the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mirza Mohamed Ali Khan Feroughi) to His Majesty's HM Chargé d'Affaires in Persia (Herbert Lacy Baggally), who insisted that British staff at the telegraph station acted incorrectly in giving the slaves refuge, and that the slaves should have been handed over to the Persian authorities instead of being allowed to board a British vessel. In response, British authorities (coordinated by the Persian Gulf Political Resident Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf Lewis Crabbe, and the British Legation in Tehran) responded by insisting that the slaves were free to do what they liked, including boarding their ship and seeking manumission papers. Much of the correspondence between British officials revolves around efforts made to ascertain whether those British subjects at the telegraph station and on board British vessels who were involved in the incident acted correctly and according to official policy. These enquiries culminated in a report from Crabbe that gave a full account of the incident, including copies of all telegram messages sent at the time (folios 102-12). By the end of 1931 the incident had escalated to a higher political level, with official British responses to complaints from the Persian Government being sent from the Foreign Office in London.1 volume (202 folios)The volume is composed of correspondence that has been arranged in rough chronological order, from the earliest at the front of the volume (Mar 1930), to the latest at the rear (Feb 1934). The correspondence ends at folio 171, and is followed by office notes that repeat the chronological order of the correspondence.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside 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; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file discusses the granting of oil concessions in Kuwait and within the Kuwait-Nejd [Najd] neutral zone (herein referred to as the neutral zone), and contains correspondence and reports from the Political Agent, Kuwait; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the India Office; the Foreign Office; the Petroleum Department; the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (A.P.O.C.); the Standard Oil Company; the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited; the Kuwait Company and the Arabian Development Syndicate.The reports in the file provide background information on the various oil companies interested in the concessions, and their various attempts to secure these concessions as well as any involvement they have previously had with concessions in Bahrain and Kuwait. Also included in the reports are opinions on the granting of concessions in Nejd by Bin Saud (also given as Ibn Saud) [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] who held an equal right to any potential concession being granted in the Kuwait-Nejd neutral zone.From folio 34 onwards the correspondence centres primarily on the formation of the Kuwait Oil Company, which is formed by A.P.O.C. and the Gulf Oil Company in an attempt to secure their oil interests in Kuwait and includes draft copies of both their proposed commercial agreement for a concession with the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) (folios 109-119, 265-275, 303-314), and of their proposed political agreement with His Majesty's Government. Minutes of meetings held at the India Office December 1933-February 1934 to discuss the proposed agreements and potential amendments to the clauses within them are also included. Some of the correspondence from A.P.O.C. is written on the company paper, the letterhead for which gives the company's contact information in both English and Persian.Also included in the file are discussions on the formation of another new group, the Arabian Development Syndicate, which includes Abdulgani Ydlibi (also given as Abdul Ghani Adlibi), a Syrian from Manchester who secures authorisation from Ibn Saud to deal with oil and mineral rights within Nejd territory and who are interested in securing the concession for the neutral zone. There are also reports on this company from the British Consul in Jedda.The file also contains expressions of the British Government's attitude towards, and opinions of, Major Frank Holmes, who had formally been the Chief Local Representative for the Bahrain Petroleum Company and was being proposed as a negotiator for the new Kuwait Oil Company, but who was not considered 'persona grata' by the British Government. Folio 346, within the office notes. contains notes written by the Political Resident relating to Major Holmes, dated 18-23 November 1923, and expressing his opinion that Holmes would at some point return to the Gulf.1 file (359 folios)The contents of this volume have been arranged in chronological order.Foliation: The file is foliated with a pencil number enclosed in a circle located in the top right recto of each folio. The foliation starts on the first folio with numbering starting with 1A, 1B, 1c, 1D and runs through to 351 on the last folio with writing.There is also a second incomplete sequence, written in pencil, in the top right corner, starting with 1A on folio 1 and ending with 342 on folio 343.
Memoranda, statements, forms and other papers relating to military pension payments made from the Bahrain Treasury. The principal correspondents are: the Political Agent in Bahrain; the Controller (or Deputy Controller) of Military Pension Accounts [CMPA] in the Lahore Cantonment. The file is a direct chronological continuation of ‘Miscellaneous:– Payments of Military Pensions from the Bahrain Treasury and their Correspondence regarding’ (IOR/R/15/2/1519).Papers in the file include:copies of monthly statements (submitted by the Agency) of the names of pensioners transferred from the Bahrain Treasury to other Pension Disbursing Offices, and lists of pensions brought on the Check register of the Bahrain Treasury, for months covering period August 1938 to May 1944. Most statements and lists are marked ‘nil’;monthly statements of casualties amongst members of OBI, IOM, VC and MC (Order of British India, Indian Order of Merit, Victoria Cross, Military Cross) on the Pension Establishment in the payment of the Bahrain Treasury. Statements are marked ‘nil’;circular memoranda from the CMPA and other Government administrations, concerning various aspects of pension payments, such as procedure, policy, overpayments, fraud, pay increases, cases of Indian military pensioners convicted in criminal courts;correspondence relating to checks on the identity of individuals claiming pensions, including depositions made by pensioners and supporting statements (recorded at the Agency) and certificates of verification, issued by the Political Agent;papers relating to the transfer of pension payments.The file also includes: fragments of a pension certificate (ff 131-134) and two complete pension certificates, dated 1933 (ff 283-285) and 1925 (ff 304-305) respectively, the former with an accompanying pension warrant and record of payments (f 286). The pension certificates include terms and conditions printed in English, as well as in a number of other languages used on the Indian subcontinent, including Punjabi, Hindi and Tamil.An invoice is included in the file, dated 19 May 1932 (f 339), which has no obvious relation to surrounding correspondence, and was presumably included in the file in error.1 file (366 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 347-367) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 368; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-346; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The volume is entitled
List Showing the Names, Titles and Modes of Address of the More Important Sovereigns, Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles etc., Having Relations with the Indian Government, Alqabnamah(New Delhi: Government of India Press, 1935). [The Alqabnamah was a register kept by the Indian Government, recording official titles and modes of address.] It is described on the front cover as 'Corrected up to the 5th October 1935'. The volume shows a number of manuscript corrections, additions and cross-references.The volume is divided into lists of independent states, protectorate rulers, ruling princes and chiefs in India, and miscellaneous. Within these divisions information is recorded in parallel columns under the following headings:name of state;name and [form] of address of ruler in English;commencement and conclusion of letter in English, and colour of crest;highest British authority by whom hitherto addressed;name and [form] of address in Persian or Arabic;number of guns [in official salute];remarks.1 volume (71 folios)There is a list of contents and an alphabetical index towards the front of the volume, on folios 3-5.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1A on the front cover and terminates at 71 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. 1A, 1B; ff. 10A, 10B. Folio 64 has been attached to the outer edge of f. 63.
The file contains a number of petitions (or 'madbatas') written by Bahraini merchants and other Bahrain inhabitants of native, Persian, Nejdi and Indian origin, praising the actions of the Bahrain Political Agent, Major Clive Daly. The original petitions in Arabic and Persian are included, along with English translations. There is a handwritten note on the inside front cover of the file, written by Daly on 14 June 1924, which indicate his thoughts on why he received the petitions.1 file (33 folios)The correspondence has been arranged in chronological order, from the earliest at the front of the volume, to the latest at the back. Two exceptions to this rule are 1) a note by Bahrain Political Agent Major Clive Daly, written in pencil on the inside front cover of the file, and dated as roughly contemporary to the final items in the file; and 2) a copy of a cover note used by Daly to send copies of the petitions enclosed in the file to the Political Resident in Bushire (folio 2).Foliation: The main foliation sequence uses circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of recto pages. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and runs through to the inside of the back cover, ending on number 35. Some items in the file are marked with blue crayon numbers, which constitute part of the original filing arrangement.
This file contains correspondence - primarily between the Political Agency in Bahrain and the Political Residency in Bushire - regarding the relations of Bahrain (and its ruler Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa) with other foreign powers.Topics discussed in the documents include communication between Shaikh Isa and the Ottoman governor of Qateef, rumours that Shaikh Isa had declared himself a subject of Turkey, correspondence regarding Persian claims to Bahrain and concerns of the Persian government regarding the treatment of Persian citizens resident in Bahrain, the activities of a cousin of Shaikh Isa named Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Khalifa who travelled without permission to Istanbul and correspondence between Shaikh Isa and the Ottoman governor of Basra.The file also contains copies (and translations) of anti-British articles published in Iranian newspapers and letters between Shaikh Isa and Ottoman officials.1 volume (195 folios)The file is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end. An index of subjects contained in the file is listed on folio 3. The index uses page numbers that refer to the file's foliation system in blue crayon.Previously a bound volume, its sheets have been unbound and are now all loose. Foliation starts on first page of volume. Foliation is in pencil in top right corner of recto. Additional foliation sequences in red and blue crayon are also present in the top right corner. The following foliation errors occur: 1,1A; 110,110A; 173,173A.
This file contains correspondence concerning relations between Bahrain and other foreign powers, primarily Persia.The correspondence discusses the following topics:Agitation in the Persian press regarding the alleged oppression of Persians in Bahrain. This includes examples of this type of reporting, including a cutting from the Persian newspaper Asar Azadi (f. 229b & 229c).The Persian Government's claim to sovereignty over Bahrain (this includes correspondence between British and Persian officials, some of which is in French).Details regarding British jurisdiction over foreigners in Bahrain.The political agitation of a Persian tally clerk (named Abu Talib) at the Mesopotamia Persian Corporation Limited in Bahrain.The activities of Shaikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and his son Shaikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa.Measures to restrict the entry of undesriable foreigners into Bahrain.The file also includes two petitions (to the British Consulate General in Arabistan) from Bahrainis resident in Muhammarah concerning the conduct of the Persian Government and a cutting entitled 'Alleged British Repression in Bahrain' from a newspaper published in Lahore called 'The Muslim Outlook' (f.197).1 volume (243 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.A bound correspondence volume. Foliation starts with the first folio and runs to the last folio. Folio 1 is split into four parts (1, 1A, 1B and 1C), folio 157 into two parts (157A and 157B), folio 206 into two parts (206A and 206B) and 229 into three parts (229A, 229B and 229C). The foliation is written in pencil, circled and positioned in the top right hand corner of the recto side (with the exception of 229B and 229C) which are numbered on the top left hand side in arabic language fashion).A secondary foliation system, also written in pencil but not circled, starts on folio 3. This system skips folios and sometimes labels a single folio as multpile folios, so it moves in and out of sync with the primary system.Folios 229B and 229C are a newsprint insert contained within an envelope which has been attached to folio 229A.
File contains correspondence regarding the access requirements of Persians entering Bahrain (from Persia), correspondence regarding reports of Bahrainis resident in Persia being pressured to adopt Persian nationality and several discussions related to the logistics and legality of travel in the region.The broader political context of these issues, complicated by Persia’s continued claim to sovereignty over Bahrain, is discussed in detail in the file.1 volume (298 folios)Arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of file to latest at end. There is an index page by topic on folio 2. The numbers in the index appear to refer to the inconsistent, uncircled foliation system.Originally a bound correspondence file but sheets have been unbound and are now all loose. The volume is foliated from the first page with text to last page with text, with small circled numbers in the top-right corner of each front-facing page. There is an inconsistent, uncircled, foliation system also in the top-right corner of each front-facing page until folio 120.
Order issued by the British Minister at Tehran, Charles Alison, instructing Pelly to return to India overland from Persia through Afghanistan.The letter instructs Pelly on the British Government's preferred route for him through Meshed [Mashhad], Herat and Cabul [Kabul], weather permitting, and encloses fowling pieces and pistols to be presented as gifts Sultan Ahmed Khan [Soltan Ahmad Khan] of Herat and correspondence and friendly assurances to be given on behalf of the British Government to Dost Mahomed Khan [Dost Mohammad Khan] of Cabul.The letter also instructs Pelly to gather reliable information on the Persian expedition to Mero [Marv], and in particular on the state of the Persian Army as well as asking for any practicable information he can obtain on the condition and prospects of Aghanistan as he is passing through it.Alongside the instructions for him when visiting Cabul is a paragraph written in pencil which appears to be a brief outline of the mission order translated into Persian.1 file (6 folios)Foliation: This file has been foliated in the front top right hand corner of each page 1-6, with the folio number in pencil enclosed in a circle