The file contains correspondence and telegrams between the Sheikh of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifah, the Sheikh of Qatar, Abdullah Bin Qasim Al Thani, the Political Agent in Bahrain and representatives of the Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited (BAPCO), on the division of the sea-bed between Bahrain and Qatar, notably the Hawar Islands and Deebel and Jaradeh shoals.There are letters in Arabic and a map of Bahrain (folio 45).1 file (52 folios)The documents in the file are arranged in chronological order.The foliation is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. The numbering begins on the front cover of the file, on number 1 and it carries on until 51, which is the last number given on the last page of writing. There is another foliation, incomplete and misplaced: the numbering starts with 4 on the first page of writing (folio 2) and ends with 136 (folio 31); missing folios: 6-23; 25-35; 38-42; 43-44; 49-54; 59-65; 67-74; 82-87; 88-95; 97-129; 133-135.
The file contains correspondence relating to the discussion over the proposed return of a Shī‘a judge and cleric, Shaikh Khallaf bin Ahmad al-Asfour. The discussion was triggered by a petition from Shī‘a village headmen, presented to the Political Agent, Bahrain, that called for his return from exile. The correspondents include the High Commissioner in Iraq, the Political Agent, Bahrain, the ruler of Bahrain (Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah [Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah]), and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave).The papers cover several matters, including:a petition from Shaikh Khallaf himself, requesting permission to return and deal with his properties in the country;the question of Shaikh Khallaf's nationality;legal cases to be brought against the Shaikh in Bahrain courts.1 file (45 folios)The file is arranged in 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 47; 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 4-46; 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numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
This file contains detailed paperwork and correspondence pertaining to the appointment of wakils or representatives/court clerks at the joint courts and Agency Court. The file also contains documentation on the initiation of court proceedings by plaintiffs, usually foreign subjects, against various Bahrain subjects. Many papers pertain to the striking off of wakils from the court registers, and ensuing petitions by dismissed wakils to the agency, protesting their dismissal.1 file (120 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 122; 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 2-121; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
This file contains correspondence related to a trading blockade imposed on Kuwait by Abdul Aziz ibn Abdulrahman ibn Faisal Al Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Saud)], the King of Saudi Arabia.The correspondence is primarily between British officials attempting to mediate between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and relates to a number of agreements between them; a Bon Voisinage Agreement, an Extradition Agreement and a Trade Agreement.The file contains draft copies of this legislation (in Arabic and English) and discusses the reaction of both parties to the various proposals.1 volume (203 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file's foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at 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.The file contains the following foliation errors: 1, 1A and 1B
An introduction to the principles of alchemy spuriously ascribed to Democritus. This Democritus is not the atomist philosopher of Abdera, but the Greek alchemical authority of the same name, sometimes equated with Bolos of Mendes. The text’s style and content suggest that it is not, in fact, a Greek, pre-Islamic text translated into Arabic. The lower half of fol. 57b and the whole of 58a are taken up by tabulated descriptions of the four elements, and the remaining text is divided into three sections (
maqālāt):Section 1 (ff. 57v line 1 - 59r, line 10) describes a progression of the 4 elements from the grossest (earth) to the most refined (fire) and this progression with that of the 4 seasons;Section 2 (fols. 59a, line 10 - 64a, line 7) deals with the unity of matter; the formation of the microcosm out of opposing forces; the relationship between chemical substances and the four elements and other subjects;Section 3 (ff. 64r, line 7 - 66r, end) is divided into seven parts (
abwāb), each one describing a chemical procedure.The text was copied in the middle of Rajab 925 AH (mid-July AD 1519) at Damascus by Qudrat Allāh al-Marandī al-Ādharī (see colophon, f. 66r).Begins (f. 57v, lines 2-5):قال الحكيم ذومقراطيس إنّه ينبغي لمن طلب هذه الحكمة أنْ يعرف الأركان التي وُضِعَتْعليها والأجناس والطبائع والألوان والائتلاف والبعث والثبات والقراباتوالملائمة والمخالفة والتعادي والطعوم والتمازيج والهئات والدفاع وتزويج الأركانوتركيب الأجناس ثم يضع يده بعد ذلك الصناعةَ المكرّمةَ ...Ends (f. 66r, lines 15-19):... هذه المنازل السبعة قد أفصحت بها جهدي وبالله الذيإليه معاد كلّ شيء ما كتمتُ أهلَ العلم من أصل هذا الحجر شيئًا ولا من منازل تدبيرهوما أرجو أنْ يكون قد وضح لأهل العلم والرأي ومَن أراد الله إفهامه وعميتذلك على أهل الجهل والنقص والدين (sic) وأنا أوصي مَن طلب هذا العلمأنْ لا يستخف بهذا الكتابColophon (f. 66r, lines 19-22):... تم الكتاب بحمد الله تعالىوحسن توفيقه على يدي العبد قدرة الله المرندي الأذريفي أوساط شهر رجب سنة ٩٢٥بدمشق المحروسةوصلواته على نبيه سيدنا محمدوآله وصحبه أجمينff. 57v-66rMaterial: PaperDimensions: 215 x 150 mm leaf [168 x 112 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil; Arabic foliation in the purple crayon typical of Lebanese bookdealers of the 19th centuryRuling:
Misṭarah; 19 lines per page; vertical spacing 11 lines per 10 cm (ff. 113r-158v: 29 lines per page; vertical spacing 17 lines per 10 cm)Script:
Naskhwith
nasta‘līqtendencies and some titles in
thuluth(ff. 113r-158v:
naskh)Scribes: Qudrat Allāh al-Marandī al-Ādharī (ff. 3r-112v) and Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Mawṣilī (ff. 113r-158v)Ink: Black ink, with rubricated, yellow and green headings and overlinings in red (ff. 113r-158v: black)Binding: British Museum bindingCondition: Some worm damage, foxing, and tears towards the fore edge. Folios 19, 21 and 24 have been replaced.Marginalia: Extensive marginal corrections, conjectures, glosses in Arabic and Persian and other evidence of collation and textual study (ff. 113r-158v: very few)
The volume contains secret correspondence (original correspondence received and copies of correspondence sent) within the following three separate categories: Bahrein [Bahrain]; Muscat and Bunder Abbass [Bandar Abbas] (and local); and miscellaneous and local. The Resident in the Persian Gulf during the period covered by the volumes was Commander (James) Felix Jones (acting until July 1856).The correspondence is principally with Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government, Bombay and other East India Company officials, including Commodore Richard Ethersey, Indian Navy, commanding the Persian Gulf Squadron; Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Political Agent, Turkish Arabia; and the commanders of vessels of the Indian Navy. There is also correspondence with other British officials, including Charles Augustus Murray, Envoy and Minister-Plenipotentiary to the Court of Persia, and correspondence (some of it in Arabic) with local rulers and Persian officials.General topics include:the slave trade;political intelligence;the Wahabees [Wahhabis];the operations of the Indian Navy in the Persian Gulf;Russian involvement in Persia;relations with Persia;administrative matters;appointments;the transmission of dispatches around the region;pearl fishing;the Anglo-Persian War (1856-57).Specific topics include:correspondence concerning the effect of the British suppression of the slave trade, January - May 1856 (folios 12-19);correspondence concerning the migration of the Al Ali tribe to Demaum [Dammām], March 1856 - January 1857 (folios 20-90);correspondence concerning relations between Muscat and Persia in the light of the claim of the Imam of Muscat to Bunder Abbas [Bandar Abbas], February - August 1856 (folios 92-110);letter from Jones to Henry Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident, Persian Gulf, dated 3 May 1856, briefing him on his duties at Bushire during Jones's temporary absence (folio 144);papers concerning Civil Surgeons' fees for attendance on the families of public officers of the East India Company in the light of the unhealthy nature of the climate at Bushire, June - September 1856 (folios 148-152);correspondence between Jones and the Government of Bombay and between Jones and the staff officers of the Bombay Army, concerning military operations in the Persian Gulf, September 1856 - February 1857 (folios 172-297).2 volumes (305 folios)The volumes are divided into three parts, with separate title pages: 'Secret Records 1856/57, Bushire Residency, Bahrein [Bahrain]' (ff 11-90); '1856/57 Secret Records, Bushire Residency, Muscat and Bunder Abbass [Bandar Abbas]' (ff 91-112); and '1856/57 Secret Letters, Bushire Residency, Miscellaneous' (ff 113-297). Within each section the correspondence is arranged in approximate chronological order. There is an index between ff 4-9. This is divided into three sections corresponding to the three parts of the volumes: 'Bahrein' (ff 4-5); 'Muscat and Bunder Abbass and Local' (f 5); and 'Miscellaneous and Local' (ff 5-9). The index is entered in the same order as the correspondence and has columns for number, address, subject, and page.Foliation: the foliation sequence runs across the two volumes into which this record has been bound (Part 1 ff 1-141B; Part 2 ff 142-299). The foliation sequence commences at 1 on the (modern) title page of volume one and terminates at 299, the last folio before the back cover of volume two. The numbers are written in pencil and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff 141, 141A, 141B. This is the system in use.Pagination: three original pagination sequences, which generally number only those pages bearing text, numbered 1-124 (ff 12-90); 1-30 (ff 92-111); and 1-305 (ff 113-297) are also present. The numbers are written in ink and appear in various positions at the top of each page.
This file relates to the renewal of the 1891 Commercial Treaty between Britain and Muscat. The original treaty was given a term of twelve years, which was extended at regular intervals afterwards, initially for several years at a time and later on an annual basis.The file concerns the replacement of the existing treaty with a new treaty, following a request from the Sultan of Muscat and Oman [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd] that the two parties enter into negotiations to revise the existing treaty. Matters covered include the following: informal discussions with the Sultan regarding the revision of the existing treaty; the Sultan's reported unwillingness to agree to any further renewals of the treaty in its existing form after 11 February 1938; amendments to the initial draft of the new revised treaty, and the preparation of signature copies, in English and Arabic; the signing and ratifying of the new treaty, on 5 and 7 February 1939 respectively; the extension of the provisions of the treaty to certain British territories.The file features the following principal correspondents: the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Secretary of State for India; the Sultan of Muscat and Oman; officials of the India Office, the Foreign Office, the Dominions Office, the Colonial Office, and the Government of India.In addition to correspondence, the file includes the following: copies of the initial draft of the revised treaty, in English and Arabic (ff 18-53 and ff 54-70 respectively); a signature copy of the draft treaty, in Arabic (ff 100-111); copies of the draft certificate of exchange of ratifications, in English and Arabic (f 177 and ff 179-180).The file's Arabic material consists of the aforementioned copies of the treaty, several items of correspondence, and a transcript of a speech given by the Political Resident on the occasion of the signing of the treaty (English translations are included).1 file (244 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 246; 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 100-241; 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.
The volume contains correspondence in the form of telegrams and letters regarding the question of the relative rank of Royal Navy Commanders and Foreign Consuls in the Gulf for special occasions such as Durbars, processions and other public ceremonies under the direct control of the Government of India. The volume also contains correspondence regarding the Queens-Empress’s Day, specifically how it was celebrated in Muscat, the number of gun salutes required, and whether to invite Foreign Consuls in Muscat to dress their flag on the day or not.The Political Agent, Muscat, the Political Resident, Bushire, and other officials of the Government of India discussed the attitude of the French Consul on the anniversary of the Proclamation of Her Majesty as Empress of India, and they also discussed the number of gun salutes to the President of the Council of Ministers, the Ministers and to the Chiefs in the Persian Gulf collectively and individually. Other correspondents in the volume are the French Consul at Muscat, and the Secretary to the Government of India, Marine Department.1 volume (106 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 108; 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 7-58; 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.
The letters, telegrams and other papers in the file relate to various forced landings or crashes of Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft, as well as other incidents involving the RAF, in and around the Gulf, during and immediately after the Second World War. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent in Bahrain, the Political Officer on the Trucial coast (both posts being occupied by numerous incumbents), and a number of RAF officials.The key events and topics discussed in the file are: reports of a crashed Blenheim aircraft near Dohah [Doha] in December 1941; reports of a missing Boston aircraft in May 1942, and the subsequent discovery of it having made a forced landing on the Persian coast while skirting prohibited airspace above Bahrain; reports of a crashed Bisley aircraft near Sharjah in March 1943; the recovery of aircrews and salvage of aeroplanes; the treatment of aircrews by local inhabitants, including payments to guards requested to protect crash sites; and an incident in February 1942 in which a man was accidentally killed at the bombing range at Sharjah.1 file (96 folios)The file is arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the end. The office notes at the end of the file (folios 93-98) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using pencil numbers written in the top-right corner of each recto. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1, 1A.
The file’s contents relate to the introduction, maintenance and withdrawal of air services operated by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in the Gulf, stopping at Bahrain, Sharjah or Dubai. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent in Bahrain (numerous incumbents during the period covered by the file), the Persian Gulf Political Resident (principally Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay), and various representatives of BOAC, chiefly Geoffrey F W Parker, Station Manager at Bahrain.Specific subjects covered in the file include:In 1932/33, the use of wireless communications by Imperial Airways aircraft during emergencies, and instructions for aerodrome officers in the event of distress signals received from aircraft (ff 2-19);Damage to rubber mooring buoys in Dubai creek, by wildlife and launch/steamer propellers, 1938 (ff 21-28);Wartime changes to BOAC services at Bahrain, including notice of the British Government’s taking over of BOAC operations (ff 36-37); increased services at Bahrain to maintain essential supplies in the region (ff 41-47); an assessment of all aspects of the aerodrome facilities at Muharraq, Bahrain, with the prospect of further flying-boat operations between Cairo and Calcutta [Kolkata] (ff 51-64); customs and censorship in relation to luggage searches, and security clearance for an individual who will be handling diplomatic mail (ff 77-79);The post-war cessation of flying-boat services at Bahrain, and the concern of the Government of Bahrain and the oil companies working in Bahrain and Qatar at the prospective lack of passenger services at Bahrain (ff 80-89, 120, 132); lists of passenger numbers embarking/disembarking at Bahrain for the years 1942 to 1946 (ff 125, 128, 130, 137); confirmation of a new Plymouth flying-boat service operating between the UK and Bahrain, with timetables (ff 141, 157-158);The announcement of additional post-war air services intended to stop at Bahrain, including services between Britain and Hong Kong and between Britain and Bombay, with timetables.1 file (226 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 211-227) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-210; these numbers are written in pencil and ink, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.
Intermediate recension (وسطى) of a zoological encyclopedia by Kamāl al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Mūsá al-Damīrī (كمال الدين محمد بن موسى الدميري, d. 1405). The work, arranged in alphabetical order, deals not only with strictly zoological material, but also with lexical and legal considerations of animals, their medical uses and appearances in proverbs, hadith and dream interpretation.The copy was completed, for the scribe's own use, on 10 Shawwāl 821/10 November 1418 by Shihāb Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Raslān ibn Naṣīr al-Kitābī al-Bulqīnī al-Shāfi‘ī (شهاب أحمد بن محمد بن أبي بكر بن رسلان بن نصير الكتابي البلقيني الشافعي), descendent of a well-known and influential Cairene family of Shāfi‘ī legal scholars and judges (see see colophon, f. 224r, lines 14-16 and 30-33, transcribed below; and Petry,
The Civilian Elite of Cairo in the Later Middle Ages[Princeton University Press: Princeton, 1981] pp. 232-40). The scribe tells us that he copied the text from two manuscripts. The first portion of the text, up to the letter
ẓā’, he copied from a manuscript of Shaykh Tāj al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Muhammad al-Samannūdī al-Muqri’, known as Ibn Tamrīyah (تاج الدين محمد بن أبي بكر بن محمد السمنودي المقرئ الشهير بابن تمرية, d. 1433), who was Qur‘ān reciter (
muqri’), preacher (
khaṭīb) at the Mosque of Bashtāk (جامع بشتاك) in Cairo and associate of al-Damīrī (see colophon, f. 224r, lines 18-19, transcribed below; and Ibn Ḥajar al-ʻAsqalānī,
Inbā’ al-ghumr bi-anbā’ al-‘umr, ed. by Ḥasan Ḥabashī, vol. 3 [Lajnat Iḥyā al-Turāth al-Islāmī : al-Qāhirah, 1972] p. 529). The second portion of the text, from the letter
‘aynto the end of the work, he copied from a copy copied from the author's autograph copy (see colophon, f. 224r, lines 19-20, transcribed below) in a volume at Mecca. The copy was collated with the author's autograph copy read by the legal scholar (
faqīh) Shaykh Zayn al-Dīn ‘Ubād ibn ‘Alī al-Mālikī al-Anṣārī al-Khazrajī al-Zarzarā’ī (زين الدين عباد بن علي المالكي الأنصاري الخزرجي الزرزرائي, d. 1443; see Suyūṭī,
Bughyat al-wuʿāh fī ṭabaqāt al-lughawīyīn wa-al-nuḥāh, ed. by Muḥammad Abū al-Faḍl Ibrāhīm [(al-Qāhirah): Maṭbaʿat ʿĪsá al-Bābī al-Ḥalabī, 1964-65] vol. 2, p. 26 [no. 1341]), and the collation was completed on 14 Dhū al-Qa‘dah 810/11 April 1408 (see colophon, f. 224r, lines 24-27, transcribed below).The upper cartouche on the illuminated title page (f. 2r) contains the title of the text (كتاب حياة الحيوان الوسطى) and the lower cartouche contains the name of the author (للشيخ العلامة كمال الدين الدميري). Between these two catouches is a
shamsahin which there is an erased inscription.Begins (f. 2v, lines 2-3):الحمد لله الذي شرف نوع الإنسان بالأصغرين القلب واللسان وفضله على غير الحـ[ـيوان]بنعمتي المنطق والبيان ورجحه بالعقل الذي وزن به قضايا القياس في أحسن [ميزان]Ends (f. 224r, lines 10-13):... هذا ما أنتهى إليهالغرض مما يحصل به في هذا الشأن الأكتفاء وختم بملك النحل الذي استخرج الله منلعابة العسل والشمع وجعل أحدهما ضياء والآخر شفاء وابتدئ بملك الوحشالذي منه الشجاعة تقتفي وحسبنا الله تعالى وكفي وصلى الله على محمد النبي المصطفىColophon (f. 224r, lines 14-33):علقه لنفسه وإن شاء الله تعالى من بعده أقل عبيد الله وأفقرهم إلى رحمةالمعترف بالتقصير الراجي عفو ربه القدير أحمد بن محمد بن أبي بكر بن رسلان بن نصيرالكتابي نسبًا البلقيني بلدًا الشافعي مذهبًا غفر الله تعالى له ولوالدهولمن نظر فيه ودعا له بالمغفرة ولجميع المسلمين وكان تعليق ذلك مننسختين فمن الأول إلى الآخر باب الظاء المشالة من نسخة الشيخالفاضل الخطيب تاج الدين السمنودي الشهير بابن تمريّة ومن بابالعين إلى آخر الكتاب من نسخة نقلت من نسخة مؤلفها رحمه اللهالمجلدة بمكة المشرفة شرفها الله تعالى وعظمها معانا (؟)عليها مجررة حسبما يعرض لذكر ذلك كاتب النسخة المذكورة فيآخرها بما مثاله (؟) بلغ مقابلة على خط المؤلف وكانالقارئ الشيخ زين الدين عباده (!) المالكي الأنصاريالخزرجي وكان الممسك له محمد كاتبه يعهدهماالله رحمته حسب الطاقة في رابع عشر ذا (!) القعدة الحرامسنة عشر ثمانمائة انتهى وكان الفراغ من تعليقهذه النسخة المباركة في يوم الأربعاءالعاشر من شوال المباركسنة 821Codex; ff. i+225+iMaterial: Eastern laid paperDimensions: 264 x 170 mm leaf [210 x 135 mm written]Foliation: Eastern Arabic foliation in black ink; British Museum foliation in pencilRuling:
Misṭarah; 35 lines per page; vertical spacing 17 lines per 10 cmScript:
Naskh; the scribe is Shihāb Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Raslān ibn Naṣīr al-Kitābī al-Bulqīnī al-Shāfi‘ī (شهاب أحمد بن محمد بن أبي بكر بن رسلان بن نصير الكتابي البلقيني الشافعي; see colophon, f. 224r, lines 15-16)Ink: Black ink, with rubricated headings and some words filled in redDecoration: Illuminated title page, with central
shamsahBinding: British Museum half-leather binding in redCondition: Minor insect damage, lower margins repared towards front of volumeMarginalia: Marginal notes, many by the hand of the main scribe; see in particular ff. 54r and 116Seals: f. 2r
This is a correspondence file about the operation and impact on the population and economy of Bahrain and the Trucial Coast sheikhdoms, of Government of India export licensing restrictions for the supply of tea and to a lesser extent, coffee, sugar, dates and cotton piece goods, to the Persian Gulf, during the Second World War (1939-1945). Letters, telegrams and memoranda are exchanged mainly between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Adviser to the Bahrain Government, and also between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent, Bahrain and several Government of India officials, particularly the Tea Controller for India, the Export Trade and Foreign Trade Controllers in Bombay and Calcutta and other officials, mainly in the Departments of Commerce and External Affairs.The file contains numerous supply and trade statistics, mainly for tea, and in particular the regular lists compiled by the Director of Customs and Port Officer for Bahrain, acting in his wartime capacity as the Food Controller, Bahrain. His lists show the monthly distribution of licenses for the export of tea quotas, and to a lesser extent coffee, from India to Bahrain, together with the names of the Bombay exporters and the Bahrain importers for each consignment. Throughout the correspondence, British officials discuss their several enquiries into Indian tea exports to Arab countries that they suspect are re-exported or smuggled into Germany and other enemy countries. The Political Resident in the Persian Gulf also raises his concerns about the potential impact of Government of India export controls on the economy of the Arab Gulf States and shaikhdoms if he should strictly enforce them, since they would inhibit normal trade with Iran (Persia) in essential commodities subject to severe wartime shortages, such as fresh food and firewood. The file also includes numerous letters exchanged between Bahrain importers, Indian exporters and the Political Agent, Bahrain about shipments of tea and other commodities to Bahrain.1 file (372 folios)Files papers are arranged more or less chronologically.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 374; 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 2-373; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.