The file contains correspondence sent to and from the Persian Gulf Residency (the Resident at the time being Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell), concerning the slave trade between the coast of East Africa and the Persian Gulf, and Britain's maritime efforts to suppress it. The main correspondents are Arthur Malet, Chief Secretary of the Government of Bombay, Lt-Col Sheil, Her Majesty's Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary at the Council of Persia and Commodore J.P. Porter, Commanding Indian Naval Squadron.The correspondence covers the interception of ships carrying slaves, agreements and treaties for the suppression of the slave trade and the use of native interpreters on British ships. The file contains several reports detailing the numbers of slaves imported from Africa to various parts of the Persian Gulf.1 file (41 folios)The correspondence in the file has been arranged in a rough chronological order, starting from the earliest at the front of the file to the latest at the end.Foliation: The file has been foliated from the front cover to the last page of the file, with pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto page. The inside back cover has been left unfoliated.
This file contains correspondence mostly concerning the island of Sirri [Sirrī], as well as other Persian Gulf islands, including Tanb [Ṭanb] and Lesser Tanb, Farur [Farūr] and Lesser Farur, Dalmah [Dalmā], Halul island [Ḥālūl], Sir Abu Nu'ayr [Ṣīr Abū Nu‘ayr], and Sir Bani Yas [Ṣīr Banī Yās]. These papers contain details concerning the status of these islands, as well as geographical and topographical information, including details of mineral deposits.The correspondence in this file is between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, Residency Agent at Sharjah; ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, acting Residency Agent at Sharjah; Āghā Muḥammad Amīn Badr, Residency Agent at Lingah; Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Sharjah; T J Malcolm, Bushire; and various British officials in the Foreign Department of the Government of India.There is a file index on folio 2. Subjects include: Muin's [Moin-ut-Tujjar] claims to Sirri (folios 103, 121); connection of Sirri question with that of fisheries (folio 15); Hajji Ali Akbar [Ḥājjī ‘Alī Akbār]'s attitude oxide at Sirri (folios 39-47, 79, 84, 124); Strick's enquiries on oxide at Sirri (folios 90-91); Abdullah bin Hassan Galadari [‘Abdullāh bin Ḥassan Jaladārī] (folio 55-56); German visits to Sirri (folio 73); status of Nabiyu Tanb island (folios 92, 100); status Farur and Nabiya Farur islands (folios 88, 100, 121); oxide on Dalmah island (folio 100); oxide on Sir Abu Nu'air island (folios 100, 130-131); oxide on Halul islands (folios 100, 115); manganese on Halul island (folios 130-131); Sir Bani Yas island (folios 130-131); note on Sirri island (folios 25-27); situation at Sirri Island in 1904 (folios 8-15); the Jowasimis [Āl Qawāsim] occupation of Sirri (folio 62).1 file (146 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chornological order.Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the cover and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second incomplete mixed foliation/pagination sequence runs in parallel between ff. 4-143; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio, along with the corresponding top left (sometimes) of the verso side. The file contains the following foliation amendments: 109, and 109A; 114, and 114A; 116, and 116A.
The file contains letters mainly received by the Resident in the Persian Gulf regarding Persia and the Persian coast of the Gulf, from the Secretaries to the Government at Bombay Castle. There are also two documents which become part of the file at a later stage, in 1856; they were both proclamations by the Political Agent with the Field Force and Resident in the Persian Gulf at the time, Felix Jones.The subjects of the file include: the British occupation of Bushire and the Island of Kharg; opium trade (including copies of earlier documents); employment and career progression of native servants; the Battle of Alma.1 file, 6 items (51 folios)Foliation: the foliation is written in pencil, circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The numbering begins on the first page, on number 1, and runs through to 51, ending on the final page.
This volume contains originals and copies of correspondence between Major Adelbert Cecil Talbot, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Her British Majesty's Consul General for Fars; Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, Secretary to the Government of India; Muḥammad Amīn bin Badr, temporary Residency Agent at Bahrain; ‘Abd al-Laṭīf bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān, Residency Agent at Sharjah; Commander Hart Dyke, Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf Division, Bushire; and Shaikh Rāshid bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm.The correspondence in this volume concerns the drafting, signing and ratification of the Exclusive Treaty (1892) with the shaikhs of the Trucial Coast and the Shaikh of Bahrain. The treaty bound themselves, their heirs and successors to the following conditions: (1) On no account shall any agreement or correspondence be entered into with any power other than the British Government; (2) Without the assent of the British Government, they shall not consent to the residence within their territories of the Agent of any other Government; and (3) On no account shall they cede, sell, mortgage or otherwise give for occupation any part of their territory save to the British Government. The treaty came in response to the intrigues of Hyacinthe-Alexandre Chapuy, a French merchant, with the chief of Umm al-Qaywayn, in 1891, and a period of Persian activity on the Arab coast of the Persian Gulf between 1887 and 1888, and the subsequent signing of an agreement between Edward Charles Ross, Political Resident and the Trucial Coast chiefs in August 1888.Copies of the ratified treaty in Arabic and English appear signed as follows: Ḥumayd bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Ras-el-Khymah [Ras al-Khaymah], dated 9 Sha‘bān 1309 and 8 March 1892 (folios 15-16); Aḥmad bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Mu‘allā, ruler of Um-el-Kawain, dated 9 Sha‘bān 1309 and 8 March 1892 [Umm al-Qaywayn] (folios 17-18); Ḥumayd bin Rāshid Āl Nu‘aymī, ruler of Ajman, dated 8 Sha‘bān 1309 and 7 March 1892 (folios 19-20); Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Shargah [Sharjah], dated 8 Sha‘bān 1309 and 7 March 1892 (folios 21-22); Rāshid bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm, ruler of Debai [Dubai], dated 8 Sha‘bān 1309 and 7 March 1892 (folios 23-24); Zāyid bin Khalīfah Āl Nahyān, ruler of Abu Dhabi, dated 6 Sha‘bān 1309 and 5 March 1892 (folios 25-26); and ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain, dated 14 Sha‘bān 1309 and 14 March 1892 (folios 27-28).The correspondence includes: a letter from Talbot to Durand, dated 29 September 1891, with information concerning the intrigues of Chapuy (folios 3-4); letter from Talbot to Durand, dated 19 October 1891, concerning the agreement of 1888, the intrigues of Chapuy and the suggestion for a treaty with the chiefs of the Trucial coast (folios 6-7); approval for the treaty given by the Government of India (folio 10); copies sent for ratification (folio 12); suggestions for minor adaptations to the wording (folio 29); copies of the ratified treaty sent to the chiefs of the Trucial Coast and Bahrain with Commander Hart Dyke (folios 31-38); letter from the Shaikh of Bahrain to the Talbot confirming receipt (folios 39-40); and correspondence with the ShAikh of Dubai acknowledging receipt, questioning the ratification and criticising the Native Agent (folios 47-59).1 volume (71 folios)The volume contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest at the front of the volume to the latest at the end.Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the front cover, and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence is present between folios 3-66; these numbers are written in pencil & red crayon, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. Foliation errors: 9, and 9A; 62, and 62A; 65, and 65A. Foliation omissions: folio 2.
This file contains correspondence concerning the Persian claim to the island of Sirrī, as well as their claim to and occupation of that place. In addition there is information concerning rival claims by Trucial Coast rulers, details concerning Dubai pearl divers on the island and details concerning other Persian Gulf islands, including Abu Musa [Abū Mūsá] and Tanb [Ṭanb].The correspondence in this file is between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; ‘Abd al-Qasim and ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, Residency Agents at Sharjah; Āghā Muḥammad Amīn Badr, Residency Agent at Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh]; Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Sharjah; Maktūm bin Ḥashr Āl Maktūm, ruler of Dubai; and various British officials in the Foreign Department of the Government of India. There are also copies of correspondence between India Office and Foreign Office officials.Folio 2 is an index, and folios 4-9 are a precis of documents within the file for folios 10-115. Subjects covered include: Persian flag hoisted on Sirri [Sirrī] (folios 18, 48); Persian refusal to remove the flag (folios 127-131); Memorandum by the Resident on Persian refusal (folios 141-144); Hajji Ahmad Khan [Hājjī Aḥmad Khān]'s Report (folios 80-93); Legation correspondence with the Persian Foreign Office (folios 70-77); Documents tendered in support of the Persian claim (folio 52-59); Shaikh of Shargah [Sharjah]'s claims to Sirri (folios 27-28); Persian claim to Abu Musa island (folio 80); Shaikh of Debai [Dubai] complains of pearl divers absconding to Sirri and the Persian Coast (folios 116-118, 154-160, 167-190); Chief of Ras El Khaimah [Ras al-Khaymah]'s claim to Tanb island (folios 22, 209).Notable documents within the file include: a precis of correspondence about occupation of the island of Sirri (folios 109-113); a report entitled
Question of the status of the Island of Sirri(ff. 165-166); a report by the Residency Agent at Lingah on the island of Sirri in Persian and English translation (ff. 200-202); correspondence with Sir Mortimer Durand regarding the island of Sirri (folios 211-215); and a statement by the Shaikh of Sharjah (f. 65).1 volume (235 folios)The file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: The foliation number is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the third folio after the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 227. The file contains the following foliation amendments: folio 1 is followed by folios 1A and 1B; no folio 3; folio 92 is followed by folio 92A; folio 156 is followed by folio 156A; folio 171 is followed by folio 171A.
The volume contains full translations of some letters, and the translated substance of other letters addressed to the Resident in the Persian Gulf, the originals of which were in Arabic or Persian ['native letters inward'], for the year 1837.The correspondence falls mainly into two categories:(1) Letters from British Native Agents based at Bahrein [Bahrain], Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh], Muscat, Shargah [Sharjah], and Shiraz.(2) Letters from local rulers in the Persian Gulf. Those who figure most prominently include: Sultan bin Suggur [Sulṭān bin Saqr], Chief of Ras el Khymah [Ra's al-Khaymah]; Sheikh Abdollah bin Ahmed [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], Chief of Bahrein; Sheikh Kulufa bin Shakboot [Khalīfah bin Shakhbūt], Chief of Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi]; Sheikh Abdur Rahaman bin Suggur [‘Abd al-Rahman bin Saqr], Chief of Kishm [Qeshm]; Sheikh Maktoom [Maktūm bin Buṭṭī], Chief of Debay [Dubai]; Sheikh Nassir [Nāṣir], Governor of Bushire, and the Imam of Muscat [Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Sa‘īd].The correspondence concerns maritime peace and acts of piracy; trade; movements of East India Company naval vessels and other ships; the dispatch of correspondence; and local affairs, including the military operations in Nedg [Najd] of Shaikh Khalid [Khalid bin Saud] against Sheikh Fysul [Fayṣul, the Wahhabi Chief], with the assistance of Mahomed Ally Pasha [Muḥammad ‘Alī Pāshā], Ruler of Egypt, and the expedition of Sheikh Kulufa bin Shakboot against Adeed [Khor al-Udaid].Specific topics include:an approach by Sultan bin Suggur, Chief of Ras el Khymah, to renew the existing maritime truce [the Maritime Truce of 1835] (folios 27-28);news of the capture of Mombassa [Mombasa] by the Imam of Muscat (folio 29);news of the defeat of Sheikh Fysul in Nedg by Shaikh Khalid (folio 30);correspondence concerning the export of horses from Persia to Bombay, (folios 33-34);correspondence concerning Egyptian forces in Nedgd [Najd] (folios 34-36);reports submitted by the Agents at Bahrein and Shargah on the trade of those areas (folios 130-132).1 volume (141 folios)The correspondence is arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 133, the last folio of the main run of text, but note that some text written in pencil also appears on the last folio before the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle and appear in the top right corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff 1, 1A, ff 93, 93A. This is the system used to determine the sequence of pages.Pagination: the volume also contains a pagination sequence, numbered 1-261, written in ink and latterly pencil (folios 2-132). The numbers appear in the top right corners of the rectos and top left corners of the versos.Condition: the volume has suffered some damage to the edges of pages, involving slight loss of text. However, the damage does not anywhere impair the sense of the text.
The volume contains copies of letters sent by Major Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, mainly to Arthur Malet, Secretary (later Chief Secretary) to the Government of Bombay in the Secret Department, at Bombay Castle.Their correspondence discusses events in the Persian Gulf between 1847 and 1849 and their significance for British foreign policy, relations and interests in the region. The main topics of discussion are: anti-slavery measures and the ambitions of both the Ottoman Turkish Government and the Persian Government, to extend their influence and authority over Bahrain and other Arab Maritime Chiefdoms of the Trucial Coast.Many of the enclosures referred to by the Resident in his letters to the Bombay Government and others, are present in the volume. Copies of the Resident’s Arabic correspondence with British Government native agents and ruling sheikhs, as well as his copies of correspondence between Ottoman Turkish and Persian officials, are in the form of English translations only and comprise:Letter of friendship from the Ottoman Governor of Bussorah [Basra] to Sheikh Mahomed bin Khuleefa [Shaikh Muḥammed bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah] the Chief of Bahrein, inviting the latter to put himself under the protection of Turkey (folios 10-11);Letter from Hajee Yacoob, British Government Pilot at Kharg [Khārk], reporting the intelligence gathering activities of Ottoman Turkish officials in Koweit [Kuwait] (folios 11-12);Letter from the Governor of Bunder Abass [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] enquiring about an alleged request made by the Imam of Muscat, to transfer to British protection, Bunder Abass and other lands in the Persian Gulf leased to him by Shah of Persia (folio 31);Letters from the British Government Native Agent at Muscat, reporting cases of public sale and purchase of slaves in the ports of Muscat, in contravention of the anti-slavery provisions of the Treaty of 1845 between Muscat and Great Britain (folios 36-38, 48-49);Letters from Mirza Abdool Jubbar [Mirza Abdul Jabbar], the Persian Consul at Bagdad [Baghdad] to Abdullah ben Ahmed [‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah] the former Chief of Bahrein, to Ali and Mahomed [Alī bin Muḥammed Āl Khalīfah and Muḥammed bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Khalīfah] the sons of the present ruler of Bahrein, Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa about the desire of the Persian Government to establish its authority over Bahrein (folios 51-55);Letter from the British Government Native Agent at Shargah [Sharjah] reporting the renewed importation of slaves into Lingah, in contravention of the Imperial firmans (royal decrees) and orders issued by the Persian authorities, prohibiting the maritime slave trade in their ports on the Persian Gulf (folios 61-62);Exchange of letters between the British Political Resident and Syed Soweynee [Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd] Governor of Muscat, regarding alleged Persian aggression against Bunder Abass and other lands on the Persian coast of the Gulf, belonging to the Imam of Muscat (folios 66-68);Exchange of letters of friendship between the British Political Resident and Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Chief of Bahrein (folios 74-76, 84);Exchange of letters between the British Political Resident and Sheikh Syed Humood ben Azan [Ḥamūd bin Azan Āl Bū Sa‘īd] the Chief of Sohar [Ṣuḥār] and the agreement with the British Government, signed by his son Syed Syf ben Humood [Sayyid Syf bin Ḥamūd Āl Bū Sa‘īd] on 22 May 1849, prohibiting the African slave trade in the ports of Sohar (folios 79-81).The volume also contains copies of several letters from the Resident to: Major Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, British Political Agent for Turkish Arabia at Baghdad; Lieutenant-Colonels Justin Sheil and Francis Farrant, British Minister Plenipotentiary and British Chargé d’Affaires respectively, at the Court of the Shah of Persia, Tehran; Commodore Hawkins, commanding the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf. The correspondence discusses similar topics, including the merits of seeking an extension of the anti-slavery orders issued by the Ottoman Porte, to allow for the confiscation of foreign Persian and Arab slave ships in Turkish waters, as well as native Turkish slave ships.1 volume (140 folios)The letters are arranged more or less chronologically. Most letters are either followed by copies or extracts from earlier letters that were enclosed with them or, are followed by a cross-reference to other pages in the volume, to see the enclosures mentioned. The index at the front of the volume (folio 2), which continues at the back of the volume (folios 134-135) provides a chronological list of the contents, including their original page number.Foliation: the contents are numbered 2 to 140, from the front to the back of the volume. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right hand corner and encircled. Folios 42, 71, 87-133 and 136-140 are blank. The front cover of the volume and the inside back cover of the volume are unnumbered. This is the main numbering system and should be used for referencing this volume.Pagination: the contents were originally numbered 1-101, 103-167, from the front to the back of the volume. Pages 78-80 and 136-138 are blank. The number 102 has been omitted, resulting in an unnumbered page between pages 101 and 103. The numbering is written in ink in the top right or left corner of the recto and verso respectively. Unnumbered pages: the index at the front and back of the volume and the numerous blank pages towards the end of the volume.Condition: broken spine cover. Folio 26 and the unnumbered folio adjoining it have been stuck together at the corners. This does not obscure any text, since the inaccessible side of both folios is blank.
The volumes consist of original correspondence sent to and copies of letters sent from the Bushire Residency; the principal correspondents being Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball, followed by Captain James Felix Jones as Resident in the Persian Gulf at the time, the Assistant Resident in Charge, Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, Sir Charles Augustus Murray, British Ambassador at Tehran, and the Secretaries to the Government at Bombay.The main subjects covered are the diplomatic and commercial relations with Persia and the Persian Coast. Another subject covered is the siege of Sevastopol, and other events that occurred during the Crimean War. The book contains translations of letters from the Persian Shah.2 volumes (293 folios)This was once a single volume that has since been split into two parts. The letters are not in chronological order. There is an index by date, page and subject at the beginning of the book, on folios 2-4v.Foliation: the foliation is in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. The numbering sequence runs across two volumes (volume one ff 1-141 and volume two ff 142-283), commencing at the third sheet of volume one with 1, 1A and 1B and terminating at the third sheet from the back of volume two with 283.
Volume regarding affairs in Muscat relating to Syed Torkee [Turkī ibn Saʻīd Āl Sa‘īd] of Sohar's rebellious actions against Syed Soweynee [Thuwaynī ibn Saʻīd Āl Sa‘īd].The volume discusses the Joasmee [Āl Qāsimī] Chief's attempts at spreading dissention in Oman; the involvement of their brothers Sayid Majed [Mājid ibn Saʻīd] Sultan of Zanzibar and Syed Burgash [Barghash ibn Sa'id]; attempts at reconciliations between the brothers; the actions of the British Agent at Muscat (Lieutenant Walter Murray Pengelly) which were not approved of by the Government of Bombay; Wahabee [Wahhabi] interests in Sohar; and Sohar eventually being given over to Syed Soweynee, with Syed Torkee being confined to a fort in Muscat, which led to a large scale rebellion against Syed Soweynee. Contained within the volume are several letters in Arabic, some with translations, and one letter with translation in Hebrew.From folio 10 onwards the volume has been divided into smaller sections, each with their own subheading:English correspondence regarding differences between H H Syed Soweynee, Imam of Muscat and H H Brother Syed Turki of Sohar 1857-1860 (ff 10-119);Correspondence regarding piracies attended with murder during hostilities between the Chief of Sohar and the Imam of Muscat (ff 120-141);H H Syed Soweynee quarrel with Syed Majid of Zanzibar, Syed Bughash and Syed Torkee [who?] figure in the compilation (ff 142-194);Correspondence about Sued Soweynee's disputes with Syed Majid. Syed Soweynee intriguing secretly with the French attended to herein, also Syed Burgesh and Syed Torkee (ff 195-225);Miscellaneous. Complaints from Bombay Native Merchants against the authorities at Muscat for demanding customs upon the cargo of the Buglah
Fath El Khair; complaints of Syed Soweynee's indifference towards British Commissariat interests at Muscat; an attack on the
Fath El Khairsouth of Ras El Had [Ra’s al Ḩadd] (ff 226-317).Also included in the volume are four folios of manifest registers for goods exported by Bugla [Buggalow] to Aden produced 17 September 1856, which were sent to Colonel Atkins Hamerton, British Consul at Zanzibar in January 1857.The principal correspondents within the volume are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Commander James Felix Jones); the Secretary to Government, Political Department, Bombay (Henry Lacon Anderson); the Native Agent at Muscat (Khoja Hiskale); the British Native Agent at Shargah [Sharjah] (Haji Yaqub); the Commander of the Persian Gulf Squadron (Commodore Griffith Jenkins, Commodore Henry Albert Matthew Drought); the British Agent at Muscat (Lieutenant Walter Murray Pengelly); the Imam of Muscat (Thuwaynī ibn Saʻīd Āl Sa‘īd); Her Majesty's Consul and British Agent at Zanzibar (Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Palmer Rigby, Colonel Atkins Hamerton).1 volume (327 folios)The file has been separated into sections, with the correspondence within each section being arranged chronologically according to the date it was received at the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences on the title page and terminates on the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Foliation anomalies: 1, 1A, 1B, 164, 164A, 165, 165A, 166, 166A.Folios 256, 257, 258 and 259 are blank.
The volume contains copies of correspondence sent and original correspondence received by the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf, Bushire, relating to Bahrein [Bahrain] and the Wahabees [Wahhabis]. The Political Resident in the Persian Gulf throughout the period was Captain (James) Felix Jones.The main correspondents are Hajee Jassem [Ḥājjī Jāsim], British Agent at Bahrein; Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government, Bombay, and Acting Secretaries to Government, Bombay; Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident in the Persian Gulf; Commanders of the Persian Gulf Squadron; Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Political Agent in Turkish Arabia, Baghdad; Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Sheikh (or Chief) of Bahrein [Muḥammed bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah]; Mahomed bin Abdullah [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh], Sheikh (or Chief) of Demaum [Dammām]; and other local rulers and officials. Correspondence from local rulers and officials is mostly translated into English, but there are two letters in the original.The papers include: reports of relations between the Sheikhs of Demaum and Bahrein; infringements of maritime peace; rules observed by the Resident in registering British subjects in Bahrein, and in defining their privileges of exemption from taxation, June - August 1861 (folios 23-27); account of 'vexatious' behaviour by the Sheikh of Bahrein towards the British Agent and British subjects trading in his territories, September 1858 - March 1861 (folios 103-127); moves by the Ottoman Empire and Persia to obtain influence over Bahrein, March 1859- January 1862 (folios 150-187); and the removal of Mahomed bin Abdullah from Demaum, and the first visit to the backwaters and shallows south of Bahrein by the steam gunboat
Hugh Rose, June 1861 - January 1862 (folios 169-220).1 volume (226 folios)The correspondence is divided into separate subject groups numbered 1-15 (excluding 11), each with an introductory page entitled 'Head IV. Bahrein & Wahabee', followed by a subject number and title, e.g. 'Subject 15 Miscellaneous' (folio 222). Within each subject group, the correspondence is recorded in chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 227 on the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomaly: ff 70A and 70B.Condition: there are holes resulting from insect damage and damage to the edges of pages throughout the volume. This occasionally results in loss of text.
The volume contains official tour reports of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Captain (James) Felix Jones, with supporting correspondence and papers, for the years 1858 and 1859. There is a title page within the volume stating : 'Head IX. Subject 2, Part 1. Resident's Tour. Reports for the years 1858 & 1859' (folio 1). The volume also contains correspondence and papers concerning the tours of 1860 and 1861. This section is introduced by a second title page stating 'Head IX. Tour Reports. Subject 2, Part 2. Tour reports for 1860 ad 1861' (folio 91).The 1858 report covers the tour of Jones aboard the HC (Honourable Company's) steam frigate
Assayeto Bahrein [Bahrain], Abothubee [Abu Dhabi], Debai [Dubai], Shargah [Sharjah], Amulgawein [Umm al Qaywayn], the Pirate Coast, Bunder Abbass [Bandar-e ʻAbbās], Bassidore [Bāsa‘īdū], Lingeh [Bandar-e Lingeh], Maghoo [Bandar-e Moghūyeh], Charrack [Bandar-e Chārak], and Congoon [Bandar e-Kangan]. Issues covered include:the treatment of Mahomed ben Abdullah [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh] of Demam [Dammām] by Mahomed ben Khaleefa [Muḥammed bin Khalīfah], Chief of Bahrain (folios 4-6);the suppression of slavery;piracy;the pearl trade;the conduct of local rulers;account of internal dissensions in Shargah (folio 8);the imposition of penalties on the Joasmee [Āl Qāsimī] tribe for infractions of maritime peace (folios 8-9);reports of conversations with the Imam of Muscat [Thuwaynī ibn Saʻīd Āl Sa‘īd] at Bunder Abbass, including the conclusion of an agreement between the Resident and Imam on the complete suppression of slavery (folios 11-14; copies of the agreement in Arabic and English follow the report on folios 21-22);the poor condition of the naval station at Bassidore (folios 14-15; related correspondence: folios 24-29);the importance of the Resident's making his tour in the
Assaye, as means of impressing the maritime tribes and settling local disputes (folios 2, 19-20);instructions for HajeeYacoob [Ḥājī Ya‘qūb], Agent at Shargah, left by the Resident on 31 May 1858.The 1859 report covers Jones's tour aboard HM steam frigate
Zenobiato Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi], Debaye [Dubai], Shargah, Ejmaun [Ajman], Amulgavine [Umm al Qaywayn], Ras ul Khymah [Ras al-Khaymah] and Joasmee Chief, Sheeheyheen [Sharqiyin] Ports, Muscat, Bassidore, Lingah [Bandar-e Lingeh], Charrack, Asseloo [Bandar-e `Asaluyeh], and Bahrein. Issues covered include:internal dissensions in Shargah and the activities of the Wahabees [Wahhabis] in the area (folios 43-47);the Resident's censure and fining of Sheikh Abdullah ben Rashid [Abdullah I bin Rashid Al Mu`alla] of Amulgavine, whom he accused of fomenting the troubles at Shargah and committing other offences (folios 48-51);remarks on the pearl fishery of Bahrein and Socotra [Suqutrá] (folios 66-67);slavery;piracy.The papers relating to the tour reports of 1860 and 1861 include correspondence (June 1860-March 1863) between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government, Bombay; statement of outstanding fines adjusted by the Political Resident, Persian Gulf during tour of 1860 (folios 94-95); statement of fines etc. carried to the credit of the Government in cash accounts rendered from the Residency in the Persian Gulf between April 1858 and June 1860 (folios 100-101); and statement of complaints adjusted by HBM's Political Resident in the Persian Gulf during the tour of the Persian Gulf in 1861. Jones remarks in his correspondence with Anderson on the 'perfect tranquillity' that prevailed in the Persian Gulf in those years.1 volume (115 folios)The volume contains the tour report of 1858, consisting of an introductory page entitled 'Secret Department No. 184 of 1858, Tour Report 1858' (folio 2), the report itself (folios 3-20), and accompanying correspondence and papers (folios 21-36); the tour report for 1859, consisting of an introductory page entitled 'Secret Department No. 196 of 1859, Tour of 1858' (folio 38), the report itself (folios 39-67), and accompanying correspondence and papers (folios 69-89); and correspondence and papers relating to the tour reports for 1860 and 1861 (folios 91-112).Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the second folio after the cover and terminates at 114, the last folio before the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle, and appear in the top right corner of the recto page of each folio. This is the system used to determine the order of pages.Pagination: there is also a local pagination sequence numbered 1-54 (folios 41-67).
The majority of this volume includes letters from the Secretary to the Government of Bombay to Lieutenant John MacLeod, Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire. They concern details of his appointment following the dismissal of Captain William Bruce and various instructions, including regarding the withdrawal from the island of Qishm; the salaries of the Native Agents; claims of Raḥmah bin Jābir and ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah, the ruler of Bahrain; and providing a pension to the family of Mahdī ‘Alī Khān. There is one letter from the Secretary to the Government of India to Lieutenant-Colonel Ephraim Gerrish Stannus following the death of MacLeod.1 volume, 17 items (145 folios)Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An original pagination sequence written in ink runs between ff. 1C-141, it can be found in the top right and the top left corners of the recto and verso sides respectively. Foliation errors: 1A, 1B and 1C.