This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding Bahrain's transit dues. The correspondence discusses negotiations with Saudi Arabia concerning transit fees and trade with Bahrain and the likelihood and possible impact (upon Bahrain) of the Saudi Arabian Government developing Ras Tanura as a rival trading port. Correspondence concerning the convening of a conference about these issues in Bahrain (attended by a Saudi delegation) is also contained in the file, as is information regarding trading activities of the Japanese in the region.A rough sketch map of a building at Ras Tanura is contained on folio 81.1 volume (209 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Originally a bound correspondence volume, the file's pages have been unbound and are now loose.The foliation system commences at the title page and continues through to the 3rd folio from the back of the volume; these numbers are written in pencil, circled and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Foliation errors: 1A and 1B; 54A and 54B.
The file consists of
The Qatar Order in Council, 1938(His Majesty's Stationery Office Press, 1938).1 file (16 folios)Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the first folio and terminates at 16 on the last folio. These numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio.
The volume contains part 1 of papers from and about the Tehran Sanitary Council (also referred to as the Conseil Sanitaire de l’Empire de Perse). It chiefly comprises copies of the proceedings (in French) of the 99 through to the 127 meetings of the Council, forwarded by the British Ambassador at Tehran (Sir George Head Barclay; Sir Walter Beaupre Townley) to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Edward Grey), and then forwarded by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, to the Under-Secretary of State for India.The proceedings detail reports of epidemics (including plague, cholera, malaria) occurring in Persia and its neighbours (including the Persian Gulf, Russia, India), and measures taken to implement quarantine and vaccination measures to prevent their spread. In the reports, recurring mention is made of epidemics in Kermanshah [Kermānshāh], Khorassan [Khorāsān], Bouchir [Bushire] and Astrakhan. Interspersed with the meeting proceedings are copies of British Government correspondence, chiefly in the form of detailed accounts of the meetings, written by Dr Anthony Richard Neligan, physician at the British Legation in Tehran, who attended meetings in his capacity as Doctor of the Legation (Médecins de Légations).The part includes a divider which gives the subject and part number, 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 (f 3).1 volume (204 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.The subject 2410 (Tehran Sanitary Council) consists of 2 volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/283-284. The volumes are divided into 2 parts, with each part comprising one volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 208; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The volume is
Selections from the records of the Bombay Government, compiled and edited by Robert Hughes Thomas, Assistant Secretary, Political Department, New Series: 24 (Bombay: Printed for Government at the Bombay Education Society's Press, 1856).1 volume (364 folios)The volume contains an abstract of contents on p. iii, a detailed list of contents on pp. vii-xx, an alphabetical index on pp. xxi-xxvii, and a list of maps etc on p. xviii.Pagination: two separate pagination sequences are present in the volume. The first sequence (pp. i-xviii) commences at the first page and terminates at the list of maps (p. xviii). A second pagination sequence then takes over (pp. 1-688), commencing at the title page and terminating at the final page. Both these pagination sequences are printed, with additions in pencil, and the numbers are found at the top (left, right or centre) of each page.The fold-outs in this volume were not paginated by the publisher. As a result, these have been foliated using the nearest page number. For example, the fold-out attached to p.51 has been numbered as 51A.Pagination anomalies: pp. 15, 15A; 45, 45A; 49, 49A; 51, 51A; 531, 531A.The following pages need to be folded out to be read: 15A, 45A, 51A, 327-328, 531A.
Administration Report on the Persian Gulf Residency and Maskat [Muscat] Political Agency for 1904-1905, published by the Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India (Calcutta).The report is divided into a number of parts:1.
General Summary, prepared by Major Percy Zachariah Cox, Officiating Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (pages 1D-16), including reports on: the year’s rainfall and harvest, governorship of Bushire; public peace and tranquillity in and around Bushire; quarantine and public health, with details of plague and cholera epidemics in the region; administration of customs in the Persian Gulf, including new posts created in the Imperial Customs Administration; postal service; events in the ports of the Trucial coast, including an assessment of the year’s pearling season, comments about the character of each ruling shaikh’s administration, changes of rulers, visits made on shaikhs by the Resident; events in Bahrain [referred to as Bahrein], including the taking over of Political Agent’s duties by Captain Francis Beville Prideaux from John Calcott Gaskin, assessment of the year’s pearling season, the character of Shaikh Esa’s [Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah] administration, and unrest and violent incidents; unsafe conditions and customs at El Hassa [Al-Hasa] and El Katif [Al-Qaṭīf]; events in Koweit [Kuwait] and Nejd, including Captain Stuart George Knox’s appointment as Political Agent for Kuwait, Ibn Saood’s [Ibn Sa‘ūd] territorial gains in Nejd, and subsequent meetings between Wahhābī and Turkish representatives, and friction between Turkish officials and Shaikh Mubarak bin Ṣabāḥ Āl Ṣabāḥ’s Land Agent over the Shaikh’s date gardens; events in Persian Arabistan, including the appointment of governor, security in the region and violent incidents, including assaults on a Lieutenant Lorimer and Colonel Douglas; events in Kermānshāh, chiefly the appointments of British officials; events in Fārs and on the Persian coast, including restrictions on movement as a result of the cholera epidemic; events in Kermān and Persian Baluchistan, including the appointment of officials, epidemics of smallpox and cholera; the slave trade, with numbers of slaves freed; incidents of piracy; cases of arms trafficking; details of the Resident’s annual tour; the movements of British naval vessels, and changes of British and foreign official personnel. The appendix to part 1 contains statistical tables of meteorological data.2.
Annual Administration Report of the Maskat[Muscat]
Political Agency for the Year 1904-1905, prepared by Major William George Grey, Officiating Political Agent (pages 17-20) including reports on inter-tribal quarrels; the political situation in Muscat; the cholera epidemic; fires caused by the hot weather in Muscat; customs administration at Muscat, Soor [Sur] and Gwadur [Gwadar]; arms trafficking; rainfall; the acquisition and construction of new government buildings; the slave trade, including measures taken to suppress the trade, and numbers of slaves seeking manumission at Muscat; the marriage of the Sultan’s son, Sayyid Taimoor [Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr]; events at sea, including the wrecking of the British vessel
Baron Inverdaleand the murder of its crew.3.
Report on the Trade and Commerce of Bushire for the Year 1904, prepared by R A Richards, His Britannic Majesty’s Vice-Consul (pages 21-128), with general remarks on imports and exports, with additional notes on tea, wheat, and vegetables; rates of exchange for London and Bombay; cost of freight and transport; customs, and the effect of the new Customs Tariff on small traders; advice to shippers and steamship companies; and total figures on the numbers and tonnage of shipping at Bushire. Appendix A is comprised of tabular data showing trade figures for the years 1902-04, indicating: the value and quantities of all goods imported and exported between Bushire and England, and between Bushire and other countries in the world; imports and exports to and from to other ports in the Gulf, with details of the nationalities and tonnage of vessels, and volumes and values of the different categories of goods traded.4.
Trade Report for Maskat[Muscat],
1904-05, prepared by Major William George Grey, Officiating Political Agent, Muscat (pages 129-32), with an overview of trade, included value of imports and exports, and chief items traded; and percentages of Muscat trade to other countries. Appendix A includes tabular data of imports and exports into Muscat for the years 1902-04, indicating the quantities of goods and their value in dollars, and the tonnage and nationality of vessels visiting Muscat.5.
Report on the Trade and Commerce of Arabistan for the Year 1904, prepared by William McDouall, His Britannic Majesty’s Consul for Arabistan (pages 133-40), with a general overview of trade; rate of exchange; shipping; details of the local cotton trade, caravan trade routes; agriculture (wheat, dates and wool); public works; health; and customs. Appendix A contains tabular data of trade into the port of Mohammerah [Khorramshahr] and other Kārūn ports for 1904.6.
Trade Report of Bunder Abbas[Bandar-e ʻAbbās]
for the Year 1904, prepared by Lieutenant William Henry Irvine Shakespear, His Majesty’s Britannic Consul, Bandar-e ʻAbbās (pages 141-49), including: general remarks on the year’s trade; customs tariff and duties; opportunities for British trade and the progress of rival trade; difficulties faced in trade at Bandar-e ʻAbbās, including a lack of banking facilities and inadequate landing and storage facilities; rate of exchange; freight; and shipping. Appendix A contains tabular data presenting comparative data on trade between the years 1903 and 1904, value of trade, and nationalities and tonnage of trading vessels at the port.7.
Report on the Trade of the Bahrein[Bahrain]
Islands for the Year 1904, prepared by Captain Francis Beville Prideaux, Assistant Political Agent (pages 150-56), with reports on trade, including: the activities of Messrs Gray Paul & Co. of London, and the German company of Robert Wonckhaus; trade in cotton, rice, coffee and dates; assessment of the pearl fishing season; export of oyster shells. Appendix A contains tabular data presenting an overview of Bahrain’s principal imports and exports during 1903-04.8.
Trade Report for Koweit[Kuwait]
, 1904-05, prepared by Captain Stuart George Knox, Political Agent (pages 157-62), including estimated figures for the year’s trade. Appendix A contains tabular data of import and exports at Kuwait for the year ending 31 March 1905. Appended to the trade report is a medical report, prepared by Daudur Rahman, Assistant Surgeon at Kuwait, dated 2 April 1905, which reports on the work of the Kuwait dispensary, with an overview of the prevalence of diseases in the town (including eye diseases, tuberculosis, rheumatism, skin diseases, venereal diseases, and cholera epidemic), sanitation measures, and mortality.1 volume (89 folios)The report is arranged into a number of parts with subheadings, with statistic data in tabular format following each written part as appendices. There is a contents page at the front of the report (page 1B) which lists each part of the report with its page number.Foliation: The volume contains an original printed pagination sequence, which starts on the title page and ends on the last page; these numbers are located in the top outermost corners of each page. Additions to this sequence have been made in pencil to account for any pages not originally labelled. In consequence, the following pagination anomalies occur: 1, and 1A-D.
This file contains correspondence regarding relations between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.The topics discussed in the file include the signing of a Treaty of Extradition between the Government of Bahrain and the Government of Hejaz-Nejd, a visit made by Amir Saud to Bahrain, visits made by Ibn Saud to Kuwait and Bahrain and territorial issues between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia related to a number of islands between their coasts. The activities of the Bahrain Petroleum Company and the Californian Arabian Standard Oil Company are also discussed.Two maps of Bahrain and its vicinity are contained on folio 156b and folio 157b. The maps contain information related to oil deposits and facilities.A bi-lingual (Arabic and English) copy of the Treaty of Extradition between the Government of Bahrain and the Government of Hejaz-Nejd is contained on folios 6-9.1 volume (207 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.An index of topics contained in the file is contained on folio 2a. The index utilises the uncircled foliation system.A bound correspondence volume. The main foliation sequence commences at the titlepage and terminates at the 5th sheet from the back of the volume; 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 runs between f 3 and f 193; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled and are located in the same position as the main sequence.A set of index numbers corresponding with the index at the back run through the volume; these numbers are written in red crayon and are circled. Foliation errors: 2A and 2B; 156A and 156B; 157A and 157B; 164A and 164B.
The file contains correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Political Agent at Kuwait, the Government of India, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Adviser to the Government at Bahrain, the Medical Department of the Government of Bahrain, the Residency Surgeon & Chief Quarantine Medical Officer for the Arab Coast at Bushire, the American Consulate at Basra, and British Overseas Airways Corporation.The main subjects are:episodes of smallpox in Abadan, Bushire, Khorramshahr, and other places in the Gulf;cases of typhus in Abadan, and reports of the number of cases of the disease recorded in Bahrain in 1943 and 1944;yellow fever vaccines supply and lists of vaccinations given in Bahrain;quarantine regulations;suspected case of cerebrospinal fever;weekly health statements for Bahrain in 1950.The file also contain letters from Gray, Mackenzie & Co, requesting all passengers to produce smallpox vaccination certificates before leaving Bahrain; and a report from Arabian American Oil Company regarding a case of infantile paralysis in Dhahran.1 file (209 folios)The documents in the file are arranged in chronological order.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 211; 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 2-156; these numbers are written in a combination of pencil and ink, but are not circled.
The volume contains copies of covering letters sent with copies of the 1873 Slave Trade Proclamation, which was reissued on an annual basis. The letters were sent by Bushire Political Residency staff to a range of British representatives around the Gulf, including the Political Agents (Bahrain, Muscat, Trucial Coast, Consulates), representatives at the region’s telegraph stations (including Jask), and a representative of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company at Ganawah [Bandar Ganaveh]. The volume also contains numerous replies from recipients of the treaty, responding that they have posted or distributed it as requested.The volume also contains two copies of the treaty (folios 93 and 148). The treaty is printed in five languages (English, Arabic, Marathi, Gujarati and Kanarese). In a letter of 1926 to the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Prideaux), the Political Agent in Kuwait (James More) notes the poor quality of the Arabic translation of the treaty. In response, Prideaux arranges for an improved Arabic translation be sent to him by More, for use on future reprints of the treaty. The revised translation is distributed for the first time in 1929. The two copies of the treaty enclosed reflect the ‘before’ (folio 93) and ‘after’ (folio 148) versions of the Arabic treaty text.One volume (158 folios)Arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of file to latest at end.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to last folio, with small numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. Folio number 7 is omitted, and that there are some instances where the reverse side of pages are numbered if they are written or printed on.
Report marked strictly confidential, prepared in the Intelligence Branch of the Quarter Master General’s Department in India, by the Assistant Quarter Master General, Major and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Sever Bell, Royal Engineers. The volume was published by the Government Central Branch Press, Simla, 1885.The contents of the volume are as follows:part I, a narrative description of a journey from India to Muhammerah [Khorramshahr], through to the Luristán [Lorestān] hills, to Kúm [Qom]; from Kúm to Gulpaigán [Golpāyegān ], Chaman-i-Sultán [Chaman Solţān], Ali-Gúdar [Alīgūdarz], Imámzádá-Ishmail [Emāmzādeh Esmā‘īl], and the Zaindarúd River [Zāyandeh Rūd] to Isfahán; from Isfahán through the Kúhgehlú [Kohgīlūyeh] hills to Behbahán and Bandar-Dilám [Bandar-e Deylam]; from Bandar-Dilám to Bushirepart II, a detailed account of southwest Persia, compiled from Sever’s own observations and other available sourcespart III, commercial considerations. A further section in this chapter on strategic observations, which is mentioned on the contents page and marked as secret, is not present in the volumepart IV, detailed road reportsappendix A, road reports, Isfahan to Shústar [Shūshtar], Shústar to Shíráz [Shīrāz], compiled in 1881 by Captain Henry Lake Wells, Assistant Director of Persian Telegraphs, with additional annotations by Bellappendix B, a list of plant specimens collected in Luristán during April and May 1884appendix C, extracts of a paper on the geology of the Turko-Persian frontier, written by William Kennett Loftus, June 1854appendix D, meteorological observations at Bushire, from 20 March to 20 June 1885The volume includes eight maps, two photographic plates, and illustrations throughout (topographical, architectural, anthropological). The two photographic plates and some of the maps are of an earlier date than the volume’s publication date of 1885.1 volume (231 folios)A contents page (f 7) and index (ff 222-226) refer to the volume’s original printed pagination.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 233; 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 file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
The volume is entitled
Report on Najd Mission, 1917-1918(Baghdad: Government Press, 1918).The report describes the mission headed by Harry St John Bridger Philby to Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥman bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Sa‘ūd)], ruler of Najd and Imam of the Wahahbi [Wahhabi] sect of Islam, 29 October 1917 - 1 November 1918. The report contains a section on the previous relations between Britain and Najd; describes the personnel, objects and itinerary of the mission; and includes sections on relations between Najd and Kuwait, the Ajman problem, Ibn Saud's operations against Hail [Ha'il], the Wahhabi revival, arms in Najd, and pilgrimage to the Shia Holy Places.1 volume (28 folios)There is a summary of contents on folio 2.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 30 on the back cover. These numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle, and can be found in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. An original printed pagination sequence is also present.
This file documents the Bahrain Political Agent's efforts to find a new owner for some electric generating equipment that was ordered from England by the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf. In order to avoid having to cancel the order (and pay a large cancellation fee) the Residency requests that the Political Agent make enquiries in Bahrain and elsewhere in the Gulf, in the hope of finding a buyer for the equipment, which was intended for the consulates at Bunder Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] and Bushire but is now no longer required. The file contains the Political Agent's correspondence with the following: the Secretary to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bahrain; the Residency Agent, Sharjah; the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain; the Manager of Petroleum Development (Qatar) Ltd; the Secretary to the Ruler of Qatar, Salih Al-Mani' [Ṣāliḥ Āl Māni‘].1 file (13 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 15; 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 2-6; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file begins with a letter in 1944 from the Under Secretary to the Government of India, External Affairs Department, New Delhi to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, refusing the latter’s request for an increase in the amount of coffee made available for export from India to Bahrain, due to heavy internal demand. The request had been made as a result of discussions by merchants in Bahrain about an increase in Saudi Arabia’s coffee quota. Most of the remaining correspondence dates from 1945 and concerns the refusal of the Iranian Customs authorities to permit an Aden merchant to reship coffee consignments originally landed at Bushire, to Bahrain, Basra or back to Aden, to avoid financial loss. The file also includes a list of the names and addresses of Bahrain importers of Indian coffee and spices, compiled by the Bahrain Customs, in response to a request from an Indian exporter. The file ends with a letter from the Political Agent, Bahrain to the branch manager of the Imperial Bank of Iran, Bahrain, authorising the opening of foreign exchange credit facilities in favour of a Singapore exporter who had agreed the sale and shipment of a consignment of coffee to a Bahrain merchant.1 file (31 folios)Files papers are arranged chronologically.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 33; 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 2-29; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.