This file contains correspondence between British Government officials relating to the importation of counterfeit Government of India silver coins from the Persian Gulf into India. The main correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent in Bahrain, the Residency Agent, Sharjah, and the Government of India. The discussions centre on where in the Persian Gulf the counterfeiters could be based, where the effects of counterfeit coins are being felt the most, and which individuals are suspected of counterfeiting coins. A list of suspects based in Sharjah and Dubai is provided between folios 7-8. The last folio (folio 11) is a statement taken from an unnamed passenger, travelling from Koweit [Kuwait] to Bombay on the SS
Bankura, who had purchased counterfeit coins whilst in Koweit and was caught by customs officers.1 file (10 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at inside back cover with 12; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
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 concerns the question of whether Bahrain (also referred to as Bahrein), the Trucial Coast, and Kuwait should be considered part of the British Empire for the purposes of import duties and international agreements. The issue is mainly discussed in terms of the Import Duties Act, 1932 (copy of the Act, folios 221-233), which granted exemption of general ad valorem duty and any additional duty on goods consigned from any part of the British Empire, and produced in:any part of His Majesty's dominions outside the United Kingdomany territory under His Majesty's protectionThe papers include: discussion of the status of Bahrain under the terms of the Import Duties Act, 1932; India Office and Foreign Office agreement, 1935, that Bahrain (and the Trucial Coast and Kuwait) should not be classed as part of the British Empire for the purposes of the Act; representations from a company importing red oxide from Abu Musa about the payment of such duty, 1935; the decision of the Foreign Office to reverse their earlier decision and to include Bahrain, the Trucial Coast, and Kuwait in the British Empire for the purposes of the Act, 1936; enquiries from various companies over the status of Bahrain and other British-protected states in the Persian Gulf for import purposes; a request, which the British Government declined, from the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) for imperial preference to be given to Bahrain oil for export to Australia and New Zealand, 1937; the view of the Foreign Office, 1937, that Bahrain should be counted as a British protectorate for the purposes the Narcotics Drugs Convention of 1931; and related correspondence concerning the duty on imports from the region.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (264 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 265; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
This file contains correspondence between British Government officials, representatives of British contracting and building firms (including Charles Kendall & Partners Limited and British Iron & Steel Corporation Limited) and the Adviser to the Ruler of Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave.The correspondence discusses a number of issues including the hiring of a State Engineer for the Government of Bahrain, the delivery of building materials to Bahrain and general discussions concerning the protocol for the hiring of European employees by the Government of Bahrain.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (322 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 624; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
This file contains correspondence between British officials relating to the purchase of land in Bahrain for the use of the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force as a potential replacement for Britain's naval base on Henjam [Hengam] Island in Iran.Copies of the minutes from several meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence's 'Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East' that took place throughout 1933 are also included in the file.In addition, the file contains several maps of Bahrain (on folios 119-122, 231-232, 348, 413 and 421) and the following:'Fishtrap at Bahrain' a simple illustration (folio 35)'Notes of meeting with Mr C. Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Shaikh of Bahrain, 23rd July 1934' (folios 101-105)Government of Bahrain document confirming sale of land to the British Government (folios 157-158)'Anglo Persian Relations. Naval Station in the Persian Gulf. Memorandum by the First Lord of the Admiralty', 1933 (folios 223-228)'Notes of Meeting called to consider the question of purchase of lease of land at Bahrein on 6th November 1933' (folios 245-254)'Committee of Imperial Defence. Persian Gulf Sub-Committee. The Persian Gulf. Report by Chiefs of Staff' 1928 (folios 367-371)'Oil Concession signed by the Shaikh of Bahrein in favour of the Eastern and General Syndicate on the 2nd December 1925' (folios 416-419)'Memorandum by Admiralty and Foreign Office, dated 23rd February, 1932 on the subject of the British Naval Depot at Henjam' (folios 447-458).1 file (473 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 475; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The file concerns a request to the Political Agent, Bahrain from Imperial Airways Limited (made through their agents, Mesopotamia Persia Corporation Limited, Bahrain) for a reduction in customs duty charged on the c.i.f. (cost, insurance, and freight) value of goods imported by them into Bahrain. The issue arose from the company's contention that the cost of air freight was in most cases out of all proportion to the value of the goods. The papers show that there was initial resistance to the proposal from the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain, because Imperial Airways had not up to that point paid rent or landing fees for the use of Bahrain Aerodrome. However, agreement was reached in 1934 by the British authorities and the Government of Bahrain that the state should thereafter take into account only one-third of the cost of air freight in the assessment of customs duty on the value of imports.The abbreviation in the file title appears to stand for 'Question'.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (24 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 26; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Condition: the top of portion of folio 3 has been torn off and is missing, entailing the loss of some (non-essential) text.
The initial part of the file concerns the negotiations for the installation of a telephone service between the wireless station of Imperial and International Communications Ltd at Manamah and the landing ground at Muharraq, in 1934-35. The second part contains correspondence from 1944, focusing on costs of the line installation, and on its operation by Cable and Wireless Limited.The file also contains later correspondence regarding the installation of an Automatic Telephone System in Bahrain, in 1946. These include estimated annual charges. The file includes two copies of a deed between the Ruler of Bahrain and Cable and Wireless Limited to maintain telecommunications in Bahrain for a period of 50 years, 1947 (a draft on folios 40-47 and original, in English and Arabic, on folios 5-11).There are no papers in the file dated 1936-43.The file contains correspondence between: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agency at Bahrain; the Foreign Office; the India Office; HM Air Ministry; Imperial Airways Limited; the State Engineer of the Government of Bahrain; Claud Cranbrook Lewis de Grenier, for the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain; Sir Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain; Cable and Wireless Limited; the General Post Office; and the Board of Trade.1 file (214 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 215; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
A memorandum, written by Adolphus Warburton Moore, Assistant Secretary of the Political and Secret Department of the India Office, 1 September 1879.The document is a continuation of 'Persian Gulf - Turkish jurisdiction along the Arabian coast (Part I)' (IOR/L/PS/18/B19/1) and broadly addresses the same issues, namely, what to do about Turkish claims to sovereignty along the southern coast of the Gulf that could potentially impinge on Britain's treaty commitments with local rulers and their security responsibilities at sea (the suppression of piracy), and whether to come to some kind of comprehensive arrangement with the Ottoman Government to settle the matter. To support this, the document gives a history of recent affairs in the region, making extensive use of correspondence and memoranda mostly written between 1874 and 1879. The principal correspondents are from the Government of India, the Foreign Office, the India Office, and various political and diplomatic offices in the Persian Gulf, Turkish Arabia, and Constantinople. The matters covered by the document concern events at Bahrein [Bahrain], Guttur [Qatar] - including Zobarah [Al Zubarah], Odeid [al-‘Udaid], and El Bidaa [Doha] - Lahsa [al-Hasa], and the Trucial states.The memorandum concludes by outlining the position of the Foreign Office, the Government of India, and the India Office (represented by the author) on the following four matters:1. The status of Odeid;2. The need to better define areas of responsibility and jurisdiction with the Porte, and whether to hold them responsible for order along the coast under their authority;3. A revision of Britain's treaties with Bahrain, the Trucial chiefs, and Muscat;4. The arrangement of Persian Gulf business between the Bushire Residency and the Baghdad Political Agency.The author quotes extensively from the correspondence and other sources, notes on which are to be found in the margin throughout.1 file (21 folios)Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 148 and terminates at folio 168, 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. The main foliation sequence commences at the front cover, and terminates at the back cover; 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 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 papers in this file relate to the grievances of the Baharnah (the native population of Bahrain). The papers include: The petition of the Baharnah to the Ruler of Bahrain Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa requesting the adoption of a
Qanun(code of laws) in the courts, proportional representation in the
Majalis al Tujjarahand
Baladiyyahat Manama and Muharraq, and restoration of their rights on the Board of Education, 30 December 1934-21 April 1936; the reservations of the Secretary of State for India the 2nd Marquess of Zetland about providing constitutional advice to the Gulf principalities, 20-27 September 1935; the instructions from the Government of India on reforming the courts of Bahrain, proportional representation, education, and pasturage of the Ruler’s camels, 6 November 1935-22 February 1936; the growth of popular movements in Kuwait, Debai [Dubai], and Bahrain, 18 July-16 November 1938; the agitation against the Shi’a
Shar’Court, Bahraini courts, and the educational system in Bahrain, a strike on the premises of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO), and a demonstration in the bazaar at Manama, 31 October-24 November 1938; a request by Shaikh Hamad for the recruitment of two Egyptian or Sudanese magistrates to compile a civil and criminal ‘Bahrain Code’ from all previously issued
a’lansand to provide practical advice to current magistrates inside and outside the courts of Bahrain, 24 November 1938-5 August 1939; the report of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf Lieutenant Colonel T C W Fowle to the Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department Sir Herbert Aubrey Francis Metcalfe on future policy towards popular agitation in Bahrain, 14 April-23 May 1939; and the Ruler of Dubai Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktoum Al Maktoum’s forcible dissolution of the
Majlisin Dubai, 5-15 June 1939.The correspondence in this file is primarily between the British Political Agent in Bahrain; Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire [Bushehr]; Deputy Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign and Political Department; Foreign Secretary to the Government of India; Secretary of State for India; India Office; Secretary of the Government of India in the External Affairs Department; Foreign Office; HM Ambassador to Egypt; and the Ruler of Bahrain.1 file (100 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 101; 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 76-101; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.