This file contains correspondence relating to the islands of Bahrain, Tanb (also written as Tamb) [Greater and Lesser Tumb] and Abu Musa in the context of the Persian claim to these islands. The main correspondents are Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf; Political Resident Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle); H.M. Minister, Tehran (Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen); Under Secretary of State, Foreign Office (John Charles Walton); Sheikh Sultan bin Salim, ruler of Ras al Khaimah Topics of letters include:The attitude of Shaikh Sultan bin Salim, the ruler of Ras al Khaimah.The British approach to a possible Persian claim over Bahrain at the Council of League of Nations.Interception of letters from the Persian Governement to the local shaikh at Tanb.Account of a conversation between a French Admiral (Contre-Amiral Rivet) and the Shaikh of Ras al Khaimah.A firman contained in a envelope (folio 179a).The removal and replacement of the Ras al Khaimah flag on Tanb.1 volume (205 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation. The foliation sequences runs from the front cover to last folio, and consists of small circled numbers, located in the top right corner of the recto of each folio.
This file contains reports and correspondence relating to the mining of iron ore on the island of Abu Musa and Hassan Samayeh's involvements with the Germans. The correspondents include the Political Resident Persian Gulf (Major Percy Cox), Residency Agent Sharjah; Lieutenant-Commander W. Hose, H.M.S.
Redbreast, Bushire; H. Listermann, Consul for the Imperial German Government; Sheikh Sagar bin Khalid, Chief of Sharjah; Foreign Office, Government of India.Topics include:The erection of the Qawasim flag on Abu Musa.Views of the Foreign Office on Abu Musa.German Consul talks with Shaikh of Sharjah about the Wonckhaus company.Informing the German Consul that the Trucial chiefs are under British protection.Provision of guards for Abu Musa.Complaint of Nejef bin Ali against Hassan bin Samaiyeh.Persian claim to the islandThe Trucial chiefs were warned not to grant concessions without consulting the Resident.Wonckhaus agent prevented from landing at Abu Musa and to be allowed to remove all oxide already accumulated.There are many letters in Arabic including letters in Arabic from the German Consul to the Sheikh of Sharjah with translations. Also a hand written letter in English from the German Consul in Bushire to the Political Resident; and a Persian newspaper,
Nedai-e-Watan.1 volume (255 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.There are two foliation sequences. The first foliation sequence which should be used for referencing, begins on the first folio of writing, on number 1. After number 3 there is a blank folio, which is not numbered. The sequence then resumes on the next folio, on number 4 and runs through to number 255, which is the last folio of writing. This sequence is written in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio.The second foliation sequence begins on the third folio of writing and runs from number 1 through to number 248A, ending on the last folio of writing. The second sequence is written in blue crayon, in the top right corner of each folio.
The file primarily contains correspondence between the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ), the Political Agent at Kuwait (Harold Dickson and Gerald Simpson DeGaury), the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle and Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (John Charles Walton, Gilbert Laithwaite and Maurice Clausen) and the Kuwait Oil Company (abbreviated as KOC).Correspondence discusses the commencement of oil drilling operations in Kuwait following the signing of the Kuwait Oil Concession, in particular the appointment of Harold Dickson as Chief Local Officer, the need for a Customs and Passport Post, and the decision to move drilling operations from Bahra to the South of Kuwait due to the former having insufficient quantities of oil for production.Also discussed in the file is clause three of the political agreement between KOC and His Majesty's Government which relates to the appointment of non British or Kuwaiti personnel in Kuwait. Matters discussed include the process of applying for special permission for such individuals and applications for two specialist American personnel to be employed there. Further correspondence relates to the KOC's wish to send a team of sixteen American geophysical surveyors to Kuwait for six months to undertake Seismic, Magnetic and Gravimetric surveys.The file also contains correspondence between HM's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan), Foreign Office (Sir John Simon, George Rendel), India Office (Gilbert Laithwaite) and the Arabian Development Syndicate (Rex Jansen, Mr Ydlibi) on the question of the Kuwait-Nejd neutral zone and the two companies vying for the Saudi Arabian share of it, the Standard Oil Company of California and the Arabian Development Syndicate.Other correspondence of note in the file includes:A request by Paul Heath Boots, head of the geophysical survey for the KOC, to undertake terrestrial magnetic observations in Kuwait, Bahrain and surrounding countries as the last observations in these areas were made in 1909-1910. The correspondence includes detailed descriptions of the observations to be taken, the instruments to be used and how they hope to re-observe the magnitude and direction of the earth's magnetic field in order to determine in what way and direction the magnetic field had varied since the last observations were completed (Folios 166-167, 202-203);A letter from Traders Ltd to the Shaikh of Kuwait informing him that they are not willing to accept his decision to sign with the KOC and that they were referring the matter to their legal adviser;A request from the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (later the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company) for special authorisation to land their planes at Kuwait and undertake aerial surveys there;A request by the KOC to use part of the land at the Shuwaikh site, which had previously been earmarked by the RAF as a potential future airbase site, and the British Government's decision that the site was no longer required by them;The lighting of the oil derrick at Bahra for night-time work and the need to inform Imperial Airways and the Port Director at Basra as the derrick was under the air route and near the sea;Arrangements for accommodation of European women in Bahrain and Kuwait and reminders that no European women were permitted in Qatar or the Trucial coast;Assurances from the Shaikh of Kuwait to His Majesty's Government in regards to the granting of future oil concessions, following his dealings with Traders Ltd;A discussion of the use of private wireless stations by the KOC, whether these contravened international conventions and whether they would impact future post office services in Kuwait. Further correspondence relates to the need to register the wireless stations and obtain Indian telegraph service call signs for them;A request by the KOC to place temporary buoys in the Ras Khadama [Ra’s Kāz̧imah] channel and costs involved for the Port Director at Basra to arrange for the work to be done.The correspondence from the Shaikh of Kuwait is in Arabic, with English translations, and the correspondence from the Anglo-Persian Oil Company includes letterheads in Persian and English.1 file (240 folios)There is an index to the volume at folio 2 which arranges the contents by topic discussed.Folios 219-229 are notes recording each item of correspondence within the volume, and include page numbers in pencil in the margins which enable the notes to be used as a further index.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences on the title page with 1 and terminated on the last folio with 232. The numbers used for this sequence are located in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio and are indicated by a pencil number enclosed in a circle. Folio 180 has been omitted from the sequence.Foliation anomalies: 1A, 1B, 18A, 115A, 174AThe following folios need to be folded out to be read: 4, 6A former referencing system, using red crayon numbers enclosed in a circle can also be found throughout the file.
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 volume primarily consists of correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch); Political Agent at Bahrain (Tom Hickinbotham); the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Khan Sahib Abd ‘al-Razzaq) the India Office (John Charles Walton, Maurice Clauson) and Petroleum Concessions Limited (Frank Holmes, Basil Henry Lermitte, Stephen Hemsley Longrigg, Frederick Lewisohn); the main subject of discussion is the negotiations between the Shaikh Sultan bin Saqar [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Sharjah and Major Frank Holmes, negotiator for Petroleum Concessions Limited.The correspondence discusses the negotiations for a commercial concession in Sharjah, which are concluded in the beginning of July 1937 with the Shaikh agreeing to sign the concession; and his subsequent concern over the Political Agreement and Exchange of Notes relating to the concession agreement.Also discussed in connection with concession agreements is a letter drafted by the India Office which contained an ultimatum to be used should any Shaikh appear to be holding out in negotiations with Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) with the intention of opening negotiations instead with the Standard Oil Company of California. The ultimatum stated that should the Shaikh in question not wish to give his concession to PCL, he would not be permitted to negotiate with or grant a concession to, any other company. The ultimatum was issued to the Shaikh’s of Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah and Umm al Qaiwain.Further correspondence relates to PCL’s interest in exploring the territory west of the Oman mountain range and the subsequent discussion regarding which rulers claimed responsibility over the territory, whether they had actual authority there or whether it was in the hands of local shaikhs, and how PCL should approach exploring there in those circumstances.The correspondence includes a detailed assessment by the Political Agent at Bahrain, Tom Hickinbotham, of the areas in question and outlines what he knows of the areas of the tribes that claimed ownership including the Beni Kitab [Beni Qitab] (also given as Beni Chittab); Naim [Āl Na‘īm], Bu Shamis [Āl Bū Shāmis] and Duroor [Al-Durur] as well as outlining where he believed the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi and Sultan of Muscat’s areas of authority to be. The correspondence concludes by recommending that the Company be persuaded to delay their explorations into this territory until the following year in order to permit the Political Agent and Residency Agent to spend the winter visiting and exploring these areas in order to ascertain a more accurate knowledge of the situation.Other matters discussed in the volume include:an invitation from the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi to Petroleum Concessions Limited to open concession negotiations with him and the company’s wish for Khan Sahib Yusuf Kanoo to accompany their negotiator (Basil Henry Lermitte) to Abu Dhabi;copy of the Debai [Dubai] Commercial agreement (folios 53-70) signed by Major Frank Holmes (PCL), Tom Hickinbotham (Political Agent at Bahrain) and Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm (Shaikh of Dubai).the Political Agreement for the Trucial states which both the India Office and Petroleum Concessions Limited wished to amend, and subsequent negotiations to achieve this. A copy of the redrafted agreement can be found at folios 103-109.a visit by Frank Holmes to the Shaikh of Ras al Khaimah (Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī) for the purpose of opening concession negotiations, which was unsuccessful, and concerns that the Shaikh would attempt to negotiate with the Standard Oil Company despite being informed by the British Government that such negotiations would not be permitted.Petroleum Concessions Limited’s intention to employ Haji ‘Abdullah Williamson to work for them in the Persian Gulf as his employment with the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company had ended and their concern that they would not be able to do so owing to the circular issued by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf preventing Williamson from visiting the Arab Coast. Also included is discussion of the decision by the India Office and Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to make the company aware of the evidence they had in support of Williamson’s actions on the Trucial Coast in which he was seen to be working against the interest of his employers (PCL) and of the Shaikh of Dubai.Correspondence with the Trucial Coast Shaikhs is in English and Arabic; letters from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company contain Persian and English letterheads.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 191-196.1 volume (198 folios)The volume contains a table of contents on folio 4 consisting of subject headings and page references. 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, 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 5-190; 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.
The file contains correspondence related to the Iranian Government’s order known as the Tehran order, on treating people arriving at Persian ports from Bahrain, Muscat, Dubai and Oman as Persian subjects. The file also includes petitions raised by Muscat subjects whose passports were seized by the Iranian Customs.The main correspondents in the file are the British Residency and Consulate General, Bushire; the Secretary of State for India, London; His Majesty’s Minister, Tehran; the Political Agency, Muscat and the Government of Muscat and Oman.1 file (54 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 56; 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 3-54; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file contains letters sent by merchants, banks and companies to the Bahrain Political Agency asking the Agency to grant them export licences for the shipment of currency notes from one place to another, from one bank to another, or from one company to a bank. The main correspondents are the Arabian American Oil Company, the Eastern Bank Limited and the Imperial Bank of Iran.1 file (64 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Folios 57- 65 are file notes.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 66; 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 concern a request for assistance to the Political Agency, Bahrain, from the Adlieyah of Nasriyah Ahwaz) in a judicial relief case. The documents (in Arabic, Persian and English) concern a case filed by Rustam bin Ali [Rustam bin ‘Alī], a Persian resident of Bahrain, against Mohd. bin Ghluam [Muḥammad bin Ghulām], relating to a subsistance allowance for the former's daughter.1 file (11 folios)The file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: There are two incomplete foliation sequences and one complete foliation sequence. The complete foliation sequence is circled in pencil, in the top-right corner of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and runs through to 11, ending on the inside of the back cover.
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 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.
This file includes correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent at Muscat. There are also correspondence with Walter Beaupré Townley, Minister to Persia; Muhammad Amin Beg [Muḥammad Amīn Beg], the Turk; the Commissioner of Sind, Karachi; Edward Gelson Gregson, Superintendent of Police, Karachi.The file consists of three sections of correspondence:Folios 3-37 concern Persian representation at Muscat raised by the Governor of Bushire following a report of an attack on a Persian shopkeeper at Muscat in
Habl ul Matin [Ḥabl al-Matin] in 1914-1915;Folios 39-56 concern issues to do with the uprising and the Treaty of Seeb [Sīb], 1920, and includes a 'Brief survey of causes and history of the rebellion of the Oman tribes under the leadership of their elected Imam Sheikh Salim bin Rashid-al-Kharusi [Salīm bin Rāshid al-Kharūṣī] till 1915'Folios 58-115 concern Ottoman Turkish subjects, among them Muhammad Amin Beg, in Muscat and their possible influence on the Sayyid Taymūr bin Fayṣal Āl Bū Sa‘īd, the Sultan of Muscat, and includes 'List of Turks who are new, or were until recently, resident in Mascat (f 75-76) and extracts from Karachi intelligence Diary' 19 and 20 September 1914.1 file (119 folios)Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the final folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Three other incomplete foliation sequences run alongside the main sequence between ff. 1-37, ff 39-56 and ff 58-117; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. Fold out folios: 74-75, 87-88.
One photographic print: a full-length portrait of Sartip (a Persian military rank equivalent to Brigadier General) Muhammed Hossein Khán. The title is printed above the photograph in Persian, and below the photograph in English. The Persian title also bears a date: Hijri year 1301 (c.1883).1 photographic printDimensions: 170 x 99 mm, on page 237 x 150 mm.Materials: Photographic print on paper.
One photographic print: a full-length portrait of Sarhang (a rank equivalent to Colonel) Hajji Ibrahim Khán, Commandant of the Bakhtiari Horse. The title is printed above the photograph in Persian, and below the photograph in English. The Persian title also bears a date: Hijri year 1301 (c.1883).1 photographic printDimensions: 127 x 84 mm, on page 237 x 150 mm.Materials: Photographic print on paper.
This file consists of exchanges to do with events and personalities in or around Gwadur [Gwadar] on the Makran Coast of Baluchistan. The file includes a list of important personalities in Oman, and the 1882 administration report and trade returns. The end of the file consists of an extensive biographical sketch of Sultan Sayyid Sa`id ibn Sultan by Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Barrett Miles.In between these items are letters on incidents of plunder and looting in Gwadur. They include subsequent applications to the Political Agency for countermeasures or compensation by British protected subjects and responses from the Sultan of Oman's governor (Wali) in Gwadur at the time, Sayyid bin Musallem.1 file (134 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear 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 136; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
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.
The correspondence book consists of translations and substances of letters, with enclosures, addressed to Captain David Wilson, British Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, Mirza Hadayat Ullah [Mīrzā Hidāyatullāh] and Captain Samuel Hennell. The dates of the letters are given using the Gregorian calendar, but also the Hijri calendar (for example, folio 44r). Some of the letters include enclosures (for example, folios 3v and 15v). The originals are not present in the volume, but there are two notes in Persian (folios 30 and 42).The letters are sent from British Native Agents in the Persian Gulf and Persia, including:Asso [Asu], Agent at Buhrein [Bahrain] (folios 2r, 4r, 13v, 21v, 25r, 29r, 37v, 42r, 45v, 46v, 53v, 54r, 56v, 57r, 59r, 69r, 72r, 74v, 76r, 77v, 83r, 89r);Goolab [Gulab Anandas], Agent at Muscat (folios 2r, 2v, 13r, 24v, 33r, 42r, 52v, 53r, 56r, 68v, 69v, 70r, 71v, 74r, 75r, 81v, 86v, 88v);Mirza Ally Akbar [Mīrzā ‘Alī Akbār], Agent at Shiraz (folios 4v, 14r, 17r, 17v, 19r, 19v, 23r, 28v, 29v, 34r, 35r, 36r, 41r, 42v, 45r, 51v, 52r, 55r, 57v, 60r, 70r, 76v, 86r, 87r, 87v);Moullah Salh [Ṣāliḥ], Agent at Mogoo [Moguyeh] (folios 5r, 5v, 12r, 24v, 29r, 32r, 33r, 36v, 38v. 40v, 50v, 54r, 57v, 58v, 63r, 76v, 77v);Moullah Houssein [Mullā Ḥusayn], Agent at Sharjah (folios 7r, 10r, 18v, 20v, 25v, 28r, 38r, 38v, 40v, 49v, 50v, 58r, 60v, 61r, 62r, 63r, 66r, 67r, 68v, 70v, 72v, 74r, 78r, 81v, 84r, 88r);Hajee Meer Baker [Ḥājjī Mīr Bakr], Agent at Isfahan (folios 21r, 32r, 32v, 34v, 35v, 54v);Hajee Salih [Ḥājjī Ṣāliḥ], Agent at Lingah (folios 46v, 64r, 69r, 86v, 87r, 88r).And local rulers, officials, notables and rulers on both littorals of the Persian Gulf:Juleel Mirza [Jalīl Mīrzā] (folios 14r, 22v, 42v);H R H the Prince of Fars [Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mīrzā Farmānfarmā] (folios 14r, 22r, 59v, 60v);Mahomed Ally [Muḥammad ‘Alī Khān] Wauzeer [Wazīr] of Fars (folios 15r, 22r, 33v, 58r);Eel [?] Khan (folios 19v, 34r, 60r);Shaik Sooltan bin Suggur [Sulṭān bin Ṣaqr Āl Qāsimī], ruler of Sharjah (folios 22r, 26v, 39r, 40r, 48r, 49r, 55v, 62v, 67v, 82v, 87v);Shaik Tahnoon [Ṭaḥanūn bin Shakhbūṭ Āl Nahyān], ruler of Abu Dhabi (folios 26v, 38r, 48v, 73v, 84r);Shaik Rashed bin Humeed [Rāshid bin Ḥumayd Āl Nu‘aymī], chief of Ejman [Ajman] (folios 27r, 39r, 47v, 63v, 68v);Shaik Abdoolah bin Ahmed [‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], chief of Bahrein [Bahrain] (folios 45v, 75v, 87v);Mahomed bin Quzeeb [Muḥammad bin Qaḍīb?], Shaik of Lingah (folio 46r);Shaik Salih bin Suggur [Ṣāliḥ bin Ṣaqr] (folios 49r, 73v, 87v);Jabir [Jābir bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Ṣabāḥ], Shaikh of Grain [al-Qurayn?], Kuwait (folios 51, 64v);Shaik Abdool Russool [‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān], Shaikh of Bushire (folios 65r, 65v, 79r, 80r);His Royal Highness the Imaum [Imam of Muscat, Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd] (folios 69v, 77r);Abdoulla bin Rashid [‘Abdullāh bin Rāshid Āl Mu‘allā], Shaik of Umulgavine [Umm al-Qaywayn] (folio 72v).Topics and themes of the correspondence include: British relations with Persia, the Imam of Muscat and rulers on the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf; relations and conflicts between local rulers; the arrival and departure of ships; trade and piracy; maintaining the Maritime Peace; petitions and claims; slavery; and issues concerning the work of the native agents and instructions sent to them by the Residency.1 volume (96 folios)The correspondence is arranged in approximate chronological order.Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the last folio; 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 ff 2-11; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio. A third (original) foliation sequence appears uncircled at the top folio 9v, starting at number 24 and continuing on the recto and verso of each folio to number 189 on folio 89v.Physical Conditon: Insect damage, water damage and tears causing missing text on folios 2-58 and 83-89.
The file contains letters received by Major Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire.The majority of letters are naval patrol reports submitted to the Resident by the following British officers in the Persian Gulf Squadron of the Indian Navy: Captain William Lowe, Commodore Thomas Grere Carless and Lieutenant Alan Hyde Gardner, all reporting from the Honourable Company (HC) sloop of war
Elphinstoneand Commodore John Croft Hawkins, reporting from the HC sloop of war
Clive. There is also a naval patrol report made by Lieutenant James Rennie, commanding the HC schooner
Constance, to Commodore Thomas Grere Carless, commanding the Persian Gulf Squadron.The naval patrol reports describe the state of relations between the Arab Chiefs of the Trucial Coast Sheikhdoms and any violations of the Maritime Truce, based on observation, enquiry, meetings and other communications while on patrol along the Arabian and Persian coasts of the Persian Gulf.The file also contains letters received from Lieutenant Colonel Francis Farrant, British Chargé d’Affaires at the Court of the Shah of Persia, Tehran regarding Persian affairs. This correspondence includes Persian transcripts of two firmans (royal decrees) issued by the Shah of Persia to the Governors of Fars and Persian Arabia respectively, prohibiting any future importation by sea of African slaves into Persia.1 file (51 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.Foliation: the contents are numbered 2 to 51, from the front to the back of the file. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled. The front cover of the file is numbered 1. The inside of the back cover is numbered 52. This is the main numbering system and should be used for referencing this file.As a result of earlier, mainly foliation sequences, the contents are also numbered in the range 2 to 346, with many gaps, from the front to the back of the file. The numbering is written in ink, usually on the recto only, in the top right corner.Condition: imperfections in the margins and along the outer edges of many folios have caused a slight loss of the text of some documents.
This file contains letters and enclosures inwards from William Newnham, Secretary to the Governor of Bombay, to Captain Ephraim Gerrish Stannus, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire between 1826 and 1827. There are letters relating to Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān, the former Governor of Bushire; relations with Persia and the Imam of Muscat; East Africa, including Mombasa and Seeuee [Siyu]; and the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf.1 file, 9 items (33 folios)Pagination: There is a pagination sequence, which is written in ink, in the top right corners of the rectos and in the top left corners of the versos.Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The sequence begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 33. This is the sequence which has been used by this catalogue to reference items within the volume.
The volume's correspondence and other papers document British officials' attempts to suppress the slave trade in the Gulf, and their procedures for dealing with liberated slaves. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Captain (James) Felix Jones), Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government in Bombay, and representatives of the Persian Gulf Squadron of the Indian Navy, primarily Commodore Griffith Jenkins, Commanding Officer of the Persian Gulf Squadron. Correspondence is grouped under subject numbers as follows:Subject no.1:Two reports on the slave trade in the Persian Gulf, written by the Residency Assistant Lieutenant Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, covering the period 1 January 1852 to 30 June 1859 (4 items, folios 3-67);2: Correspondence relating to two slaves taken kidnapped from a Sharjah boat by the Sheikh of Al Bidda (a town on the Qatar coast) the subsequent punishment of one-hundred dollars made against the Sheikh of Bahrain, who was held responsible for actions of the inhabitants of the Qatar coast, and dissent shown by the Sheikh of Bahrain towards British officials and representatives (8 items, folios 73-86a);3: Correspondence relating to a kidnapped Somali girl, and news of the departure of a Muscat boat from Keelwa [Kilwa], with fifty-four slaves on board (5 items, folios 89-96);4. Correspondence between Jones and the Honourable Company's Agent at Zanzibar, Captain Christopher Rigby, on the extent of the maritime slave trade between Zanzibar and the Persian Gulf, and the seizure of letters bound for Muscat from one slave boat, the contents of which describe the extent of the involvement of Muscat in the slave trade (7 items, folios 100-16);5: Correspondence relating to an incident in which a slave from Bahrain took refuge on the Persian Gulf Naval Squadron flagship, moored off the coast of the islands. Commodore Jenkins and Captain Jones held differing views of the incident, with the former wanting to recognise the absconded slave as free while the latter, conscious of the implications of freeing slaves under such circumstances, wished to send the slave back to Bahrain. The Advocate General of the Government of Bombay ruled in favour of Jones's proposed actions (4 items, folios 120-34);6: Correspondence concerning an Indian woman rescued from slavery in Turkish Arabia, and arrangements, in spite of her reluctance, to repatriate her to India (7 items, folios 138-45);7: Correspondence from 1861 related to an apparent change in the sea routes and ports where slaves were landed from Zanzibar, notably at Muculla [Al Makalla] (6 items, folios 149a-59);8: Letter relating to the arrival of Her Majesty's schooner
Mahiat Bushire, and news of three crew from a slave boat who have escaped Her Majesty's sloop
Falkland(1 item, folios 163-64);9: Correspondence relating to the capture of an Indian vessel flying Muscat colours, which was carrying a slave girl who had been purchased at Hodeida, and was being transported to Muscat (14 items, folios 168-91). Initial correspondence relates to the unseaworthy state of the captured boat, and the practicalities of sailing it to the nearest British Vice Admiralty Court (folios 168-69). Further correspondence between Jones and officials in the Government of India discuss whether the case is covered by existing treaties, owing to the fact that slaves could be legally exported from Hodeida (folio 185);10: Correspondence concerning the return to Bushire in 1857 of the Persian Commissioner for the Suppression of the Slave Trade, Meerza Mahmood Khan (9 items, folios 195-213). Later correspondence from 1861 refers to British concerns over Khan's mental health, and discussions over the need to find a suitable replacement.1 volume (237 folios)The contents of the volume have been divided into ten subjects, numbered 1 through to 10. Each subject has one or two types of cover pages, on which is written a description of its contents. The first of the two cover sheets are blue pieces of paper, many of which are folded sheets which entirely enclose the subject correspondence inside. These sheets have paper tabs on their outside edges, which have been damaged or torn over time. The second of these cover sheets, where they appear, are smaller sheets of white or blue paper, with the title written in ink and various pencil annotations, the meaning of which is unclear.Within each subject, the correspondence has been arranged in approximate chronological order, starting with the earliest items and finishing with the latest. Enclosures to letters are grouped together with the letters they were sent or received with.Foliation: Foliation starts on the front cover of the volume and continues until the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 1c, 33a-33m, 86a-86c, 97a, 97b, 117a, 117b, 135a, 135b, 147a, 147b, 149a, 149b, 161a, 161b, 166a, 166b, 209a, 209b, 212a, 212b. Folio 106 is a fold-out.
The volume's correspondence and other papers document British officials' attempts to suppress the slave trade in the Gulf, and their procedures for dealing with liberated slaves. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Captain Felix Jones), Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government in Bombay, and representatives of the Persian Gulf Squadron of the Indian Navy, primarily Commodore Griffith Jenkins, Commanding Officer of the Persian Gulf Squadron. Correspondence is grouped under subject numbers as follows:Subject no. 11 (folios 3-43) contains correspondence relating to the apparent inaction of the Persian slave commissioner at Bushire, over the importation from Sharjah of twenty slaves, and the reluctance of British naval officials to stop and search vessels suspected of carrying slaves at Bushire, for fear that they would be contravening international law (folios 18-19). In his covering letter to the Secretary to the Government in Bombay, dated 17 November 1858, Jones expresses his opinion that the various slave trade suppression treaties need greater clarification in order to be properly effected (folios 3-8);12: Seizure of a 'Joasmee [Qasimi] vessel' carrying one male slave and five female slaves, in the Bushire roads (folios 47-54);13: Miscellaneous papers relating to the slave trade in Persia (folios 58-80), including the appointment of Persian assistants to accompany British vessels (folios 58, 60), and a report from Lieutenant P W Tendall, the British slave agent at the Bassidore [Bāsa‘īdū] slave depot (folios 63-66);14: Correspondence relating to Commodore Jenkins's opinion that the Persian authorities are not fulfilling their obligations with regard to the Anglo-Persian slave trade suppression treaty (folios 84-111). In a letter to the Secretary to the Government in Bombay, dated 24 August 1859, Jones writes that he believes the port at Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh] has become the entrepôt for slaves brought from Africa (folios 87-88);15: Correspondence concerning the apparent lack of co-operation from the Persian slave commissioner's assistant, in a case of a slave found on a Persian boat (folios 115-61). A letter dated 16 May 1859, from Lieutenant Chester of Her Majesty's sloop
Falklandwritten to Commodore Jenkins, reports the incident (folios 119-20), leading to the incident being taken up by British officials at the Court of Persia;16: Correspondence from the Secretary of State for India related to the slave trade, forwarded to the Residency by the British Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Persia, Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson (folios 165-70). The enclosed letter, written by C Wood of the India Office, dated 15 December 1859, contains an overview of recent correspondence concerning the suppression of the slave trade, between the Persian Gulf Resident, British officials in Persia, and Indian naval authorities (folios 167-70);17: Female attendant for female slaves at Bassidore (folios 173-77);18: Suspension of the post of European slave agent at Bassidore (folios 181-87). In a letter dated 25 July 1859, Jones writes to Commodore Jenkins, stating that he is abolishing the appointment of a European slave agent at the slave depot in Bassidore, in light of there being too few slaves and no one with sufficient time to keep the post. The post at Bassidore will instead be filled by a native agent (folios 181-82);19: The chief of Debaye [Dubai] implicated in, then acquitted of, the kidnap of Somalee [Somalian] slaves (folios 192-95);20: Correspondence relating to a boat carrying slaves from Somalia, belonging to the Sheikh of Amulgavine [Umm al-Qaywayn]. The boat was captured off the Aden coast by Her Majesty's Steamer
LadyCanning, under the charge of Captain Playfair. Sixty-three slaves were liberated. (folios 199-210)The file is a continuation of 'Vol 259 Slave Trade' (IOR/15/1/171), which contains subjects 1-10. Further subjects (numbered 21-27) are contained in the file 'Vol 255 Slave Trade' (IOR/15/1/168).1 volume (225 folios)The contents of the volume have been divided into ten subjects, numbered 11 through to 20. Each subject has one or two types of cover pages, on which is written a description of its contents. The first of the two cover sheets are blue or white sheets of paper, many of which are folded sheets which entirely enclose the subject correspondence inside. Some of these sheets have paper tabs on their outside edges, which have been damaged or torn over time. The second of these cover sheets, where they appear, are smaller sheets of white or blue paper, with the title written in ink and various pencil annotations, the meaning of which is unclear.Within each subject, the correspondence has been arranged in approximate chronological order, starting with the earliest items and finishing with the latest. Enclosures to letters are grouped together with the letters they were sent or received with.Foliation: The file is foliated from the first to last page of writing with pencil numbers enclosed in circles in the top-right corner of the recto of each folio. Foliation anomalies: 20A, 45A, 55A, 69A, 109A, 162A, 164A, 164B, 178A, 196A.
The volume contains correspondence relating to plans and a proposal to build a British consulate at Ahwaz. The correspondents include: Percy Cox, Political Resident at Bushire; David Lorimer and Lieutenant James Gabriel Lancaster Ranking, Vice-Consul and Acting Vice-Consul for Arabistan at Ahwaz, respectively; William McDouall, Consul for Arabistan at Mohammerah [Korramshahr]; Arthur Hardinge, British Minister at Tehran; and the Foreign Department of the Government of India.The documents cover a prolonged discussion over the details of the plans for the site, including responsibility for the building and financing of the project, rent, and a claim by Moin ut-Tujjar that the land belongs to him. Also contained in the volume is the response to Sheikh Khazal's [Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī] request to purchase rifles from the British government.Folios 16 and 125a are sketch plans of the proposed site.1 volume (143 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically. At the beginning of the volume (folio 1c) is a subject index, in no particular order and with no folio references.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers positioned in the top-right corner of each recto. An original pagination system runs through the volume, which uses blue/black pencil numbers in the top-left corners of versos and the top-right corners of rectos.The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 1c, 41a, 103a, 103b, 103c, 105a, 125a, 130a, 130b. Folio 110 is missing.Foldouts: folios 16, 26.
The volume contains correspondence pertaining to the relatives of the late Shaikh of Khuzestan, Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī. The correspondents include the Political Resident at Bahrain, Political Agent at Kuwait, Government of India, Foreign Office, India Office, British Ambassador in Tehran, British Ambassador in Baghdad, Middle East Office at Cairo, British Consul General at Ahwaz, Vice Consul at Korramshahr, and two of Khaz‘al's sons, Abdullah [‘Abdullah bin Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī] and Chassib [Jāsib bin Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī].The matters covered in the volume include:compensation to be paid to the heirs of Sheikh Ahmad of Kuwait and Sheikh Khaz‘al for taxes [
istiḥlāk] paid on estates that they should have been exempt from;the intrigues and actions of Khaz‘al's sons, ‘Abdullah and Jāsib, including small-scale incursions into Khuzistan [Khūzestān] from Iraq and attempts to garner Arab and British support for their return to power in Khuzistan;where to settle ‘Abdullah after his return from Persia.Folios 64-69 are letters in Arabic, signed by several of the heads of leading Arab families in the region, petitioning the Political Resident for help against Persian oppression.Folios 214-228 are internal office notes.1 volume (233 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically.Foliation: There is an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete sequence, which should be used for referencing, is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the title page, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 228. There are the following irregularities: folio 1 is followed by folio 1A. It should be noted that folio 67 is contained in an envelope which is attached to the verso of folio 66, and folios 71-72 are in an envelope which is attached to the verso of folio 70.
Correspondence in the volume is related to a number of manumission cases involving Kuwaiti subjects heard between 1907 and 1909, either in Kuwait, or in another of the Political Agencies in the Gulf. A significant proportion of the file comprises correspondence between the Political Resident (Major Percy Cox) and the Political Agent in Kuwait (Captain Stuart Knox), seeking to clarify how best to proceed with manumission requests from Kuwaiti subjects, in light of the absence of a formal slave trade treaty between the British Government and the Sheikh of Kuwait.In a letter of March 1908, Knox wrote to Cox (folios 21-22), stating that the shaikh agreed that, as “a matter of expediency, it would be better for all such [manumission] cases to be referred to himself and the Political Agent at Kuwait for disposal in consultation.” Knox further proposed that, where evidence of the ill-treatment of the slave existed, the slave should be returned to the care of Political Agent, but where no evidence of ill-treatment could be seen, the slave could appeal to the shaikh and Political Agent. Correspondence was exchanged through August and September 1908 between Cox and Woods, Deputy Secretary to the Government of India, on the issue of the procedure of manumission (folios 39-42). Woods informed Cox that, for the present, “the Government of India would prefer to issue no general orders” on manumission cases, and would be content if “future cases may be dealt with satisfactorily on the merits as they arise” (folios 42).A manumission case heard at Kuwait in 1909 involved a pearl diver who claimed to be a slave, and was seeking manumission from his master (folios 49-63). In a translated statement, the master claimed that the man was not a slave, but simply owed him a diving debt. The slave and his dive master were reconciled after the intervention of Knox and shaikh Mubarak (folio 59).1 volume (66 folios)The correspondence contained in the file runs in approximate chronological order, from the earliest at the front, to the latest at the rear. The most recent item in the volume is a handwritten note, pasted onto the verso of folio 1c, which is dated on its reverse 18 Oct 1920. There is a typewritten index to the volume on folio 1b. It consists of eight subjects, for which page numbers (referring to the blue/red pencil numbering system) are given.Foliation: The volume has been foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, with circled numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. An earlier pagination system, which numbers each recto with writing on and uses larger blue or red pencil numbers in the top-right corner of pages, runs through the volume.Condition: There is a small amount of insect damage on some pages, but this does not impair the legibility or understanding of the correspondence.
The file concerns Persian claims to Bahrain (also spelled Bahrein).The correspondence is mainly between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent, Bahrain. Other correspondents include the British Consular Agent, Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh], and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave). Enclosures to correspondence from the Political Resident include copies of correspondence from senior officials in the Foreign Office, the Government of India, the Colonial Office and the India Office, and other British officials in the region, including HBM's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia, Tehran (Sir Percy Lyham Loraine), the High Commissioner, Baghdad (Major-General Sir Percy Zachariah Cox), and the Consul at Shiraz (Herbert George Chick).The main topics covered in the papers are:reports by the Political Agent and Political Resident;discussion of the issue by the British Government and Government of India;the nature of the claims made by the Persian Government and the question of the British response to those claims;the issuing by the Persian authorities of passports and passes (
Ilm-o-Khabar) for Bahrain as though it were an inland port of Persia;use of British certificates of identity;anti-British agitation in Bahrain and support for a return to Persian rule;the need for the British Passport Office to make it clear to persons wishing to travel to Bahrain that they did not need a visa from the Persian Legation, London (folios 24-26);support for the Persian claim to Bahrain in the Persian press;proposal to give Bahrain the right to return a member to the Persian Madjliss [majlis] (folio 52);the question of British jurisdiction in Bahrain over foreigners;the history of Persian claims to sovereignty over Bahrain, including analysis of records held by the Government of India;attitude of the Bahrain ruling family;the treatment of Bahraini subjects in Persia, and the question of the protection of their interests by the British.The Arabic and Persian language content of the file consists of approximately ten letters, newspaper cuttings and associated items.1 volume (341 folios)The papers are filed in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file, except where enclosures of an earlier date are filed after the relevant covering letter.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 100-111; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. A third foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 7-116; these numbers are written in blue crayon, are circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The volume contains miscellaneous slave trade correspondence, distilled from a number of original subject files, covering a disparate range of slavery related from a four-decade period.The contents of the original subject file 5/194 I relate to an incident in 1924 in which twenty-five members of the same family (the figure is initially stated as being 21) are kidnapped from Baluchistan, and sold and distributed on the Arabian Peninsula. The correspondence in the file relates to two men who are relatives of the family members, who spend several years trying to trace their relatives. In November 1925, the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Prideaux) wrote to the Residency Agent at Sharjah (‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif) requesting his help in tracing family members in the region, it being understood that two were in Dubai, were in Abu Dhabi, and a further two in Umm al-Qaywayn (folio 29). Prideaux wrote to the Shaikhs of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Umm al-Qaywayn to request their help in each case. In March 1928, ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif wrote to the Political Resident (now Lieutenant-Colonel Lionel Haworth) stating that he had managed to retrieve two of the relatives in Dubai (folios 70-73). In January 1931 he wrote to state that another one of the relatives had been retrieved, also from Dubai, and given a manumission certificate (folios 81-85);Correspondence formerly contained in the original file 5/104 IV relating to Samuel Zwemer of the Theological Seminary in New Jersey, requesting the help of the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle) in 1936, in locating the papers of a colleague of his, one William Solomon, who was manumitted from slavery by the Muscat Political Agent in 1896. In response to Zwemer’s request, the British Consulate General wrote to Zwemer, stating that all papers in Muscat dated prior to 1909 had been destroyed. This case was directly related to correspondence in ‘5/104 II, III – Miscellaneous slave trade correspondence’ (IOR/R/15/1/202, folios 67-72) in which Samuel Zwemer made the same request two years previously;Subject 4 of file 5/104 IV relates to the manumission of a slave at Bushire in 1906. The slave’s statement (folio 159) being the earliest of its type found in the Bushire Residency files.1 volume (164 folios)Correspondence from five different subject files are contained within the volume, in no obvious order. Within the contents of files 5/194, 5/195 I, 179 III and 5/169 II, the correspondence has been ordered chronologically, from the earliest at the front to the latest at the rear. Files 5/194 and 5/195 I deal with a single specific case of slavery, and all correspondence within each relates to these cases. The contents of files 179 III, 169 II and 104 IV are individual slavery or manumission cases. 179 III contains one case, 169 II three cases (contents page on folio 117), and 5/104 IV three cases (contents page on folio 140). The cases in 169 II are ordered chronologically; those compiled in 5/104 IV are not in chronological order.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover with circled numbers in the top-right corner of each front-facing page. There is evidence on some pages of an earlier foliation system using uncircled numbers.
Correspondence regarding the Persian Gulf Political Residency's responsibilities with regard to maritime peace; its relations with Persia and discussing in particular recent disorder on the Persian Coast and the decision of the Persian Authorities to cooperate for their suppression.Folio 122 is an 'anonymous friendly protest' written in Persian and translated into English, although James Charles Edwards, Accountant to the Residency in the Persian Gulf, who translated the letter has noted that the handwriting appears to be that of Mirza Syed Khuleel and that the letter was handed to Hajee [Haji] Ahmed by one of the Mirza's servants.The correspondence is primarily between Captain Felix Jones, Political Resident; the Government at Bombay; Sir Henry Rawlinson and Charles Alison, HBM's Envoy's Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary's at the Court of Persia; and Sultan Murad Mirza Isham-es-Sultanah, Prince Governor of Farsistan.The correspondence includes translations and accounts from individuals and tribes of the types of disorder, disquiet and destruction that have been occurring on the Persian Coast, and naming those responsible. The correspondence also discusses the Persian Government's disinterest and unwillingness to engage with the British Government on the matter and the question of what the Resident in the Persian Gulf's powers and responsibilities should be in preventing incidents at sea from occurring.58 folios
A Tour to Sheeraz by the Route of Kazroon amd Feerozabad with various Remarks on the Manners, Customs, Laws, Language and Literature of the Persians to which is added A History of Persia from the Death of Kureem Khan to the Subversion of the Zund Dynastyby Edward Scott Waring.Publication Details: London, printed for T Cadell and W Davies, in the Strand, by W Bulmer and Company, Cleveland Row.Physical Description: initial Roman numeral pagination (i-xiii).1 volume (329 pages)This volume contains a table of contents giving chapter headings and page references. Each chapter heading is followed by a detailed breakdown of the contents of that chapter. There is also a list of appendices.Dimensions: 315mm x 250mm
Map of Iran and its neighbours, indicating the extent of an oil concession granted to the Amiranian Oil Company. The map, with accompanying key, indicates: the Iranian frontier, the Amiranian Oil Company’s concession line; the names of countries and major settlements, given in French and Persian.The map, which has been taken from an unspecified Iranian newspaper, is referred to in (and was enclosed with) a letter dated 23 January 1937, sent by Horace James Samuel, HM’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Tehran, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Robert Anthony Eden. A copy of the letter precedes the map, along with a copy of the French text of an Iranian Government bill, granting oil concessions to US interests, including the Amiranian Oil Company (ff 32-40).1 mapMaterials:printed on paper.Dimensions:170 x 235 mm, affixed to sheet 200 x 330 mm.
The volume contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (Maurice Clausen, John Charles Walton) and Edward Henry Ommaney Elkington, General Manager of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (also referred to by their former name Anglo-Persian Oil Company) about options and concessions to explore for oil on the Trucial Coast.The volume discusses negotiations being undertaken by Hajji 'Abdullah Williamson on behalf of the D'Arcy Exploration Group (part of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company) with Shaikh Sultan ibn Salim [Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah], Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Sharjah and Shaikh Said bin Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm], Ruler of Dibai [Dubai] which resulted in the group securing two year options to explore for oil in those territories. Also discussed is the possibility of pursuing options to explore for oil in Ajman and Umm al Qaiwaim [Umm al-Qaywayn], and negotiations for a two year option in Abu Dhabi which is unsuccessful.Other matters discussed in the volume include:major Frank Holmes interest in exploring for oil on the Trucial coast, including his correspondence with the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi and his involvement in a new British oil exploration company which does not come to fruition;a trip taken by the Shaikh Shaqbut bin Sultan bin Said (Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān), Ruler of Abu Dhabi to Basrah [Basra] and Baghdad to seek medical advice, and rumours that he may also be discussing oil exploration whilst there;discussions held in the India Office regarding the British Government's future policy with regards to the Persian Gulf and the development of oil there; along with measures to be taken to safeguard British interests in the Gulf and minimise the additional workload that oil concession negotiations might add to the Political Residency;the formation of Petroleum Concessions Limited, a part of the Iraq Petroleum Company to manage non Iraqi concessions and pursue new ones. The intention was for the new company to manage the Qatar concession and to follow through exploration and negotiations for those areas that the D'Arcy exploration group had obtained options for as well as to look at possible concessions in the Kuwait neutral zone, the unallotted area of Bahrain, and the remaining areas of the Trucial Coast;possible interest by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in exploring Kalbah [Kalbā] and the island of Tunb [Greater Tumb] for oil and minerals.Other correspondents in the volume include the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf (Captain Vernon Saumarez Butler); and the British Vice-Consul at Mohammerah (also given as Khoramshahr) (Frederick Charles Leslie Chauncy) who relays correspondence and information relating to Persia, Iraq and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.The correspondence from the various Trucial Coast Shaikhs is in Arabic, with translations in English, and the letter-head for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company is in Persian and English.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 254-268.1 volume (271 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume. There is a table of contents on folio 4 which lists subjects discussed in the volume and the page references for them.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 2-272; 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.
The volume contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle); the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (John Charles Walton); the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (L Lefroy, Edward Henry Ommaney Elkington, Hajji ‘Abdullah Williamson) and Petroleum Concessions Limited (John Skliros) on the subject of possible concessions with the Trucial Coast Shaikhs and the formation of a new company, Petroleum Concessions Limited to undertake negotiations for these concessions.Matters discussed include:correspondence from Hajji ‘Abdullah Williamson, negotiator for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) discussing what he had learned of the extent and boundaries of Abu Dhabi territory; his negotiations with the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi and his eventual success in securing a two year option, including a copy of the agreement signed between Shaikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (Shaikh Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān), Ruler of Abu Dhabi and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Also included in the correspondence is information on the different tribes and tribal groups within Abu Dhabi; the availability of water, livestock and food supplies; and transport options within the country;the decision by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company to form a new subsidiary company, Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) to take on the options obtained from Trucial Coast Shaikhs and exploit potential concessions should oil be found. The correspondence is primarily between Sir John Skliros, Chairman of Petroleum Concessions Limited, Langlois Massy Lefroy and Edward Henry Ommaney Elkington of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, and representatives of the India Office discussing the establishment of PCL and their interest in negotiating an extension of their options to five years and including draft concessions in those extensions. Enclosed within the volume are PCL’s proposed draft concession agreements for Ras-al-Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah], Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Kuwait Neutral Zone and Bahrain; the two year option agreement signed with Shaikh Rashid bin Homaid [Rāshid Bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī], Ruler of Ajman ; and interest in an option in Umm-ul-Quwain [Umm al Qaywayn];correspondence from Saiyid Said bin Taimur [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd], Sultan of Muscat expressing a desire to have a mineralogical survey undertaken within his territories, as although the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (now the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company) had surveyed the area in the past he wished to have a second opinion to settle the question of whether or not there might be oil;attempts by Major Frank Holmes to form a British Company to pursue possible Oil Concessions on the Trucial Coast, which failed, and his subsequent appointment by Petroleum Concessions Limited to act as their negotiator in the Persian Gulf;the question of whether an option for Kalba [Kalbā] would be of interest and discussing its complicated political status involving the Shaikh’s of Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah;discussion over the wording of the option agreement between the Shaikh of Ras-al-Khaimah and AIOC and whether it covers the island of Tamb (also given as Tanb) [Greater Tumb].Correspondence with the various Trucial Coast Shaikhs is in Arabic, with translations in English, and the letter-head for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company is in Persian and English.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 200-204.1 volume (207 folios)A table of contents is given on folio 6 with subject headings and page references. 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, 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 7-199; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The volume discusses the intention of Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) to negotiate extensions on the options that the D’Arcy Exploration Company had acquired with the rulers of Abu Dhabi (Shaikh Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān), Ajman (Rāshid Bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī), Dibai [Dubai] (Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm), Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] (Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī) and Sharjah (Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī) and to open negotiations for concession agreements with them too.Included in the file is correspondence with the various rulers from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle) informing them of Her Majesty’s Government’s approval of the option negotiated with the D’Arcy Exploration Compan; and correspondence regarding the British Government’s knowledge and approval of the decision by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) for PCL to enter into negotiations with them through the PCL negotiator Frank Holmes. Also enclosed are copies of the proposed draft concessions for Abu Dhabi (ff 6-22), Dibai (ff 22-37), Ras al Khaimah and Sharjah.Further correspondence regarding the question of negotiations and concessions is included between Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktum, Ruler of Dubai and the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch) regarding the Shaikh’s request that Hajji ‘Abdullah Williamson accompany any surveying parties visit his territory; and his concern over the inactivity of the D’Arcy Exploration Company with regards to their two year option and subsequent reluctance to discuss any extension to the option until surveying had commenced.The volume also contains correspondence between representatives of the India Office (John Walton, Maurice Clauson), the Director of Petroleum Concessions Limited (John Skliros) and representatives of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (Langlois Massy Lefroy, Edward Henry Ommaney Elkington) discussing potential boundary issues with regard to the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s territories; the need for a special risks clause should any Company employees wish to visit or survey the interior of some of the Trucial Shaikhdoms; the procedure to be followed for Major Holmes to be permitted to commence his negotiations; and discussions around the draft concession agreements presented to the India Office and possible requirements to be included in a political agreement between the British Government and PCL.Also included in the volume are:correspondence between Sir Andrew Ryan, HM Minister at Jedda, and George Rendel of the Foreign Office explaining the Red Line Agreement, which was concluded in 1928, including the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and Iraq Petroleum Company’s expectations under it and that the Kuwait Neutral Zone was not considered to be part of Kuwait proper and was therefore included within the agreement; reports submitted by the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Abdur Razzaq) to the Political Agent at Bahrain on the movements of Frank Holmes and his agents (Muhammad Yateem, Ashrif Halim) on the Trucial Coast including details of their visits to the various Shaikhs, and the topics discussed with them where known; the agreement that Petroleum Concessions Limited could open negotiations with the Shaikh of Bahrain (Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah) for a concession in the unalloted portion of Bahrain, and guarantees made by Major Frank Holmes to the Shaikh of Bahrain that PCL had no intention of transferring any potential concession to a third party but would exploit it through a subsidiary company which would most likely be named Petroleum Concessions (Bahrain) Limited; the proposal by Petroleum Concessions Limited to appoint Ernest Vincent Packer as Local Manager for PCL at Bahrain, and follow up of Packer’s references by the India Office; correspondence around the potential need for a separate Local representative to be appointed for Muscat should any concession be granted there, as the geographic area and expected workload would be too much if the local representative at Bahrain was expected to be responsible for both the Trucial Coast and Muscat.The draft concession agreements and correspondence to and from the Trucial Coast Shaikhs is in Arabic and English; the letter-head for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company is in Persian and English.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 237-243.1 volume (246 folios)The volume contains a table of contents on folios 4-5 comprising of subject headings and page references. 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, 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 between ff 70-236; 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.
The volume contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (Maurice Clauson), the Foreign Office (John Cecil Sterndale Bennett), the Colonial Office (Owen Gwyn Revell Williams), representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited (Frank Holmes, Stephen Hemsley Longrigg, John Skliros, Ernest Vincent Packer), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch, Tom Hickinbotham), and the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Khan Sahib 'Abd al-Razzaq) regarding the conclusion of negotiations with Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktum Al Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm], Ruler of Dubai for an oil concession for his territory and the signing of the concession agreement on 22 May 1937.Correspondence includes discussions around the conclusion of a Political Agreement (folios 192-193) and Refinery Agreement (folios 194-195) between the British Government and Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL); the approval of drafts of an exchange of notes (folios 9-10) to be held with the Shaikh of Dubai once the agreements had been signed; and the final negotiations over the wording and clauses of the Commercial Agreement between the Shaikh of Dubai and Petroleum Concessions Limited.Also discussed are concerns by the representatives of the British Government about the movements of representatives of the California Arabian Standard Oil Company who were alleged to be attempting to persuade the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s to not sign concession agreements with PCL and to wait until the end of their option clauses to negotiate better terms with them; and attempts by the Shaikh’s of Sharjah (Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī) and Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] (Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī) to convince the Shaikh of Dubai to join with them in undertaking such an action.Also discussed in the volume is the reluctance by the Shaikh’s of Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah and Ajman (Rāshid Bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī) to accept the security undertaking owing to the inclusion of an unlimited amount of compensation liability; the proposal by the British Government to amend the undertaking so that compensation requirements would be subject to Shara’ [Sharia] Law which the Shaikh’s of Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah and Ajman ultimately agreed to, and including formal acknowledgements in Arabic and English of this undertaking.Other items of interest within the volume include:a report from Thomas Fulton Williamson and David Glynn Jones, geologists for Petroleum Concessions Limited on their survey of Ras al Khaimah, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and their cursory investigations in Ajman; also included is correspondence regarding the area of Jibal Fayah in Sharjah which the geologists were prevented from entering by the ruling Bani Kitab [Beni Qitab] tribe;meeting between the Shaikh’s of Abu Dhabi and Dubai at which Ahmad bin Khalif bin ‘Utaibah [Shaikh Aḥmad bin khalīf bin ‘Utaybah] and Shaikh Ahmad bin Hilal [Shaikh Aḥmad bin Hilāl], Ruler of Dhawahir [ Z̧awāhir] had served as mediator’s in order to settle the question of where the boundary between Abu Dhabi and Dubai should be;correspondence with Shaikh Saqar bin Sultan Al Hamid [Shaikh Saqr bin Sulṭān Āl Ḥamīd], Chief of Braimi [Al Buraymī] regarding a rumour that the Residency Agent at Sharjah was intending to visit Braimi in order to negotiate an oil concession and response from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf that they wished the Residency Agent to visit Braimi to establish personal contacts with local notables there;query from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf regarding the need for PCL to appoint a Chief Local Representative; and noting that Ernest Vincent Packer had been appointed as General Manager and whether they intended this to be the same as a Chief Local Representative or not;a request by PCL to employ Robert Sutherland Cooke as a negotiator in the Middle East and whether Cooke’s past employment difficulties in Iraq might hinder this request;the appointment of Basil Henry le Riolet Lermitte as Assistant Manager for PCL in Bahrain;a request for Mrs (Dorothy) Holmes to visit Sharjah with her husband which was initially rejected by the Political Resident over fears of setting a precedent for oil Company and Superintendent’s wives in the future but was ultimately approved as 'Um Rashid' (mother of the Shaikh of Dubai?) wished her to visit;correspondence between Major Frank Holmes and the Political Agent at Bahrain regarding his intention to commence negotiations for concessions with Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah as soon as the Dubai concession was signed;correspondence regarding the Shaikh of Umm al Qaiwain’s [Umm al Qaywayn] interest in opening negotiations with Petroleum Concessions Limited; and the possibility of opening negotiations with the Shaikh of Kalba [Kalbā] as it was now a Trucial Shaikhdom;correspondence regarding the alleged intrigues of Haji ‘Abdullah Williamson who was believed to be involving himself in local politics in the Trucial Shaikhdom’s and working for the California Arabian Standard Oil Company, whilst visiting there as an interpreter for Petroleum Concessions Limited;table detailing the amount of money being paid to each Trucial Shaikh under their Anglo-Iranian Oil Company options, including how often the payments are being made and which AIOC agent was handling the payments. The table also includes notes on instances where existing or future payments differed from the norm (ff 184-185).Correspondence with the Trucial Shaikhs and copies of agreements are in both Arabic and Engliash; letters written by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company have a Persian and English letterhead.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 288-300.1 volume (302 folios)The volume contains a table of contents on folio 4 consisting of subject headings and page references.The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.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 present in parallel between ff 5-287; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
This volume is a printed report, published by the Government of India Press (Calcutta: 1926), constituting a collection of assurances, undertakings and agreements made by chiefs and Khans of Southern Persia with the British Government and trading companies between 1898 and 1922. The volume is marked 'Confidential' on the front cover and contains a table of contents (folios 4-5). The agreements, some appearing in both Persian and English, are ordered by serial number and they include:No. 1: Undertaking Given by Certain Notables of Luristan in regard to the Construction of Cart Road through Part of their Territory (8 June 1911);No. 2: Correspondence regarding Right of Option Granted to Persian Railway Syndicate by Persian Government for Construction of Certain Railway Lines (9 February 1913, 4 March 1913, and 10 January 1920);No. 3: Memorandum Regarding Concessions for Roads and Railways in South-West Persia up to 1917 (1917);No. 4: Persian Transport Company's Concession for the Construction of a Commercial Road Between Ahwaz and Tehran and the Establishment of a Transport Service thereon (5 August 1890);No. 5: Compensation for Loss of Pilotage Fees, Amounting to Ts. 2000 per annum to be paid to Haidar Khan, Hayat Daudi [Ḥaydar Khān Ḥayāt Dāwūdī], C I E (12 February 1920 and 26 February 1920);No. 6: Agreement Concluded between Messrs. Lynch Bros. and certain Bakhtiari Chiefs for the Construction and Maintenace of a Road from Ahwaz to Isfahan and Shushter [Shushtār] to Isfahan (3 March 1898);No. 7: D'Arcy Oil Concession (28 May 1901);No. 7(a): Translation of the D'Arcy Oil Concession (28 May 1901);No. 8: Agreement Between D'Arcy Syndicate and the Bakhtiari (15 November 1905);No. 8(a): Refusal of Persian Government to Recognize Agreement between the D'Arcy Syndicate and the Bakhriaris (12 January 1906);No. 8(b): Notes on the Bakhtiari Agreement of November 15 1905 (20 October 1906);No. 9: Agreement between Mr W[illiam] K[nox] D'Arcy and the Kili Sayyeds (1 October 1906);No. 10: Agreement between the Oil Company and H. E. Shahab-Es-Sultaneh, Ilbegi [Shihāb al-Sulṭānah Īlbagī] of the Bakhtiar (25 March 1907);No. 11: Land Agreement between the Oil Company and the Bakhtiari Khans (15 May 1911);No. 11(a): Power-of-Attorney Appointing Sardar Muhtesham [Sardār Muḥtasham] and Sardar Bahadur [Sardār Bahādur] as Agents of the Bakhtiari Khans (1910);No. 11(b): The Bakhtiari Khans' Orders to their Tribesmen Regarding the Oil Company's Employees (May 1911);No. 11(c): Undertaking made by the Bakhtiari Khans regarding the Kili Sayyeds (May 1911);No. 12: Agreement for Protection of Pipe-Line (28 April 1911);No. 13: Supplementary Agreement between Mr W K D'Arcy and the Kili Sayyeds (10 February 1911);No. 14: Agreement between the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and Parwiz Khan, Gunduzlu [Parvīz Khān Gunduzlū] (20 February 1911);No. 15: Agreement between the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the Wali of Pusht-i-Kuh (19 September 1919);No. 16: Land Aquisition Agreement between Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the Bakhiairi Khans (20 April 1921);No. 17: Agreement between the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and Haidar Khan, C I E, of Hayat Daud (6 October 1921, 22 October 1921, and 13 November 1921);No. 18: Agreement between the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the Kashkuli [Kashkūlī] Khans (14 October 1921);No. 19: Agreement between Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the Ilkhani of the Qashgais (20 May 1922).1 volume (52 folios)The assurances, agreements and undertakings compiled in this volume are arranged according to serial number from 1 to 18. These appear roughly in chronological order.Foliation: The foliation sequence 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. The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
The volume is
A Dictionary, Persian, Arabic, and English; with a Dissertation on the Languages, Literature, and Manners of Eastern Nations, by John Richardson, of the Middle Temple and Wadham College, Oxford. Revised and improved by Charles Wilkins. This new edition has been enlarged by Francis Johnson. The volume was printed by J. L. Cox, London, 1829.The volume begins with a preface (folios 7-8), followed by the dissertation (folios 9-40), proofs and illustrations (folios 41-49), and an advertisement on pronunciation and verb forms (folios 50-51). The dictionary is Arabic and Persian to English, arranged alphabetically according to the Arabic and Persian alphabets. At the back of the volume are corrections and additions (folio 908).1 volume (908 folios)The dictionary is arranged alphabetically, according to the Arabic and Persian alphabets.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 910; 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.
Correspondence file containing a narrative of the events of the War with Persia (1856-1857) from the perspective of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Captain (James) Felix Jones, and his assistant Lieutenant Herbert Frederick Disbrowe.Also contained within the file are copies of correspondence between Captain Jones; Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, Her British Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia; and Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government of Bombay regarding an escalation of incidents on the Persian Coast and at sea during 1860 and 1861.1 file, 2 items (126 folios)The contents of the file have been arranged chronologically, with enclosures to letters being placed after the letter they are enclosed with.Foliation: The foliation sequence in use consists of a pencil number enclosed in a circle, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 125.Pagination: There is also a former pagination sequence which consists of numbers written in pencil, in the top right corners of the rectos and in the top left corners of the versos. It begins on the first page of writing, on number 5, and ends about halfway through the file, on number 121.
This volume is
A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume I, General(Admiralty War Staff Intelligence Division: August 1916). It is an introductory volume containing matter of a general nature giving an account of conditions in Mesopotamia. The volume includes a note on official use, title page and ''Note''. There is a page of ''Contents'' and includes the following chapters and sections:Chapter 1: Boundaries and Physical Features;Chapter 2: Climate;Chapter 3: Minerals;Chapter 4: Fauna and Flora;Chapter 5: Hygiene;Chapter 6: History;Chapter 7: Inhabitants;Chapter 8: Religions;Chapter 9: Administration;Chapter 10: Irrigation of Irak Iraq;Chapter 11: Agriculture;Chapter 12: Commerce and Industry;Chapter 13: Currency, Weights and Measures;Chapter 14: Communication and Transport;Transliteration of Arabic, Persian and Turkish Names;Vocabularies;Index.There is a List of Maps which includes:Map 1: Administrative Divisions and Chief Towns;Map 2: Racial Divisions;Map 3: Area Available for Irrigation.1 volume (186 folios)The volume is arranged according to numbered chapters. There is a page of contents and an alphabetically arranged index at the end of the volume. A list of maps appears following the table of contents.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio 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.Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
This volume is
A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume I, General(Naval Staff, Intelligence Department: November 1918). This is an updated and expanded edition of
A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume I, General(Admiralty War Staff, Intelligence Department: August 1916) (IOR/L/MIL17/15/41/1). This is an introductory volume containing matter of a general nature giving an account of conditions in Mesopotamia, for the most part as they were before the First World War.The volume includes a note on official use, a title page and 'Note'. There is a page of 'Contents' that includes the following chapters and sections:Chapter 1: Boundaries and Physical Features;Chapter 2: Climate;Chapter 3: Minerals;Chapter 4: Fauna and Flora;Chapter 5: Hygiene;Chapter 6: History;Chapter 7: Inhabitants;Chapter 8: Religions;Chapter 9: Administration;Chapter 10: Irrigation of Irak [Iraq];Chapter 11: Agriculture and Land Tenure;Chapter 12: Commerce and Industry;Chapter 13: Currency, Weights, and Measures;Chapter 14: Communications and Transport;Vocabularies;Index.1 volume (282 folios)The volume is arranged in numbered chapters. There is a contents page and an alphabetically arranged index.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio 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 of the folio.Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Imprint:Lithographed in the Office of the Chief Engineer of P.W. by H Essoobyee, and F de Jesus, Bombay, 7 March 1857.Distinctive Features:Below title the note: 'by Captain Felix Jones, Resident Persian Gulf, and Captain M. Green, Sind Horse, constructed while reconnoitring the Enemy's position at Mahomerah [Khorramshahr] in Company with Commander Ethersey and Captain J.W. Young. J.N. in February 1857’.Shows the course of the Hugh Lindsay by blue line.The place names are given in English and Persian.1 mapDimensions:1130 x 425 mm; on sheet 1180 x 524 mm or smaller.Foliation: The map sheet has been foliated in the top right hand corner of the folio with a pencil number enclosed in a circle.
Journal of the British Embassy to Persia; Embellished with Numerous Views taken in India and Persia: also a Dissertation upon the Anqituities of Persepolisby William Price.Publication Details: London, published by Kingsbury, Parbury, and Allen, Booksellers to the Honourable East India Company, Leadenhall Street.1 volume (162 pages)The volume contains an index of prints and plates giving titles and page references.Dimensions: 255mm x 340mm
Confidential notes of a journey made through Persia [Iran] from Shiraz to Jashk [Jāsk], via Fassa [Fasā], Dārāb, Bandar Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] and Mīnāb, by John Richard Preece, Assistant Superintendent of the Telegraph Department, Persia. The report was published by the Intelligence Branch, Office of the Quarter Master General in India, and printed by the Superintendent of Government Printing, India in Calcutta [Kolkata] in 1884.The report is diaristic in form, running from Preece’s departure from Shiraz on 29 January 1884, through to his arrival in Jashk on 19 March 1884. The report records: topography; settlements, including some descriptions of their size, population, condition; weather conditions on the route; the condition of roads; agricultural and industrial activity, including livestock numbers; water sources. Two tables of statistics follow the report, both dated 15 August 1884. The first contains temperature and barometer measurements taken by Preece throughout the course of his journey, the second is a list of stations along the route, and the distances between them in miles.Places referred to in the text are given their names in Persian script in the margin throughout.1 volume (26 folios)Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 28; 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 memo contains information in Persian, with English translation, regarding the Dashtee [Dashti] tribe and the villages that are subordinate to it.For the town of Dashtee (folio 8) the memo gives details of the tribute paid to the Governor of Bushire; for each subordinate village the following information is given:Under whose authority the village fallsThe amount, in Tomans, paid as tribute to the Dashti tribeThe number of households in the villageThe distance, in Fursacs, from the nearest neighbouring villageOn the rear cover of the memo (folio 1) are instructions from Lewis Pelly dated 21 February 1863 asking him to provide a translation alongside each section of the memo and a note from Joseph Charles Edwards dated 12 May 1863 noting that the translations have been completed.As the memo was written in Persian, with English translation added later it should be read from back to front (folio 8-folio1)The dates provided relate to the request for and completion of the translation into English, the memo itself may be from an earlier date.1 file (8 folios)Foliation: This file contains foliation on the top right corner of the recto of each folio, the folio number is given in pencil and is enclosed with a circle.The first folio of the file has been written on upside down.
Memoranda, statements, forms and other papers relating to military pension payments made from the Bahrain Treasury. The principal correspondents are: the Political Agent in Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch; Captain Tom Hickinbotham; Hugh Weightman); the Controller (or Deputy Controller) of Military Pension Accounts (CMPA) in the Lahore Cantonment. The file is a direct chronological continuation of ‘File 16/23 [I] Miscellaneous. Payment of Military pensions from the Bahrain Treasury and other correspondence regarding.’ (IOR/R/15/2/1518).Papers in the file include:copies of statements (submitted by the Agency) of the names of pensioners transferred from the Bahrain Treasury to other Pension Disbursing Offices, and lists of pensions brought on the Check register of the Bahrain Treasury, for months covering period January 1935 to July 1938. Most statements and lists are marked ‘nil’;circular memoranda from the Lahore CMPA concerning various aspects of pension payments, such as procedure, policy, overpayments, fraud, pay increases;CMPA objection statements detailing the particulars of the CMPA objections over pension payments, audit remarks, replies, and audit decisions. The forms are printed with instructions;correspondence relating to checks on the identity of individuals claiming pensions, including depositions and supporting statements recorded at the Agency;correspondence relating to the transfer of pension payments.The file includes a number of items written in Persian and Arabic.1 file (239 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 228-240) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 241; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 2-225, and ff 229-238; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
This volume is a glossary of Persian military terms and was published in Lucknow by the Newul Kishore Press. The terms are listed in alphabetical order in English and the Persian translation appears next to each term.There are two appendices at the end of the volume: the first contains a list of ranks in the Persian army, the second provides a list of musketry terms.1 volume (22 folios)The information in this volume is arranged alphabetically.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 24; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
This volume contains vocabularies for the following languages: English, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Armenian, Kurdish, and Syriac. It was published in London and was compiled by the Admiralty War Staff, Intelligence Division, on behalf of the Admiralty and the War Office during the First World War.As well as providing translations of common words from English into the listed languages, the volume also contains a brief note on pronunciation, basic numerals, and commonly used 'questions and answers'.1 volume (90 folios)Words are listed in alphabetical order (in English) until f 74 where numerals are listed. From ff 76v-90 'questions and answers' are arranged by theme.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 92; 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 pagination sequence.
A confidential report on the Persian region of Seistan [Sistan]. The report was compiled by Captain Edward Abadie Plunkett, 1st Battalion (Lincoln Regiment), in the Intelligence Branch, Quarter-Master General's Department. The report was printed at the Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta, India, 1903.The report contains information on geography, canal systems, communications, routes, climate, resources, ethnography, administration, agriculture, and local dialect. Included within the volume are the following:District tables for Miankangi, Pusht-I-Ab, Mahal-I-Nahrui, Mahal-I-Sharaki, and Sheb-I-Ab, with statistics on numbers of houses, ploughs, horses, oxen, sheep and goats, camels, and donkeys for each village in each district (folios 7-28)Genealogical tables for the various tribes in the region (folios 34-39)Vocabulary and useful phrases in the local dialect (folios 42-45)A map showing the cultivated areas of the region (folio 69).Part II of the report is a gazetteer (folios 46-65).1 volume (67 folios)Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 68; 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 contains manuscript draft biographical notes on Persian statesmen and notables compiled by George Percy Churchill.Many of the notes are accompanied by imprints of the subject's seal and signature (in Persian); some by typescript pages, extracts from published works and newspaper cuttings; and a few (folio 114v, folio 163v) by portrait photographs. The notes give the subject's name as heading, and various information including dates of birth and death, office and career history, family details (including members of the Shah's family), pay and financial details, interests, linguistic abilities, and some personal comments.The introductory page (folio 4v), which is signed by Churchill and dated 1904, is inscribed 'Strictly Confidential and for the Use of His Majesty's Government Officials Only'. A manuscript note states that the volume had been compiled from a variety of sources, and embodied the bulk of Colonel H Picot's biographical note of 1897, which Churchill had endeavoured 'to bring up to date and amplify'. The volume also contains a printed extract containing a list of words used in the composition of Persian titles, with a glossary of their meaning, including both the Persian forms and English transliterations; a manuscript genealogical tree of the Royal Kajar House; a manuscript list entitled 'Principal Persian Diplomatic and Consular Representation'; a manuscript list of Persian cabinet minsters and other politicians, dated 1901; list of ministers, provincial governors, etc in Persia dated 1904; and grouped cuttings of printed seals and coloured impressions of crests (folios 2v, 3r, 29v).1 volume (302 folios)The volume contains an alphabetical index of names between ff. 5-28. These refer to the main body of entries by means of pagination numbers.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 2 on the first folio after the front cover and terminates at 303, on the inside back cover. These numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomaly: ff. 4, 4A. The following folios need to be folded out to be read: f. 31, ff. 34-35.Pagination: there is an incomplete printed pagination sequence, running from 1-489 (ff. 36v-299v) which appears in the top right hand corner of each recto page, and the top left hand corner of each verso page of the main (ruled) portion of the volume. Some of the preceding pages in the volume have been numbered in pencil, but these numbers do not appear to be part of any discernible sequence.
The file contains correspondence about local affairs in Trucial Oman. These mainly focus on the hostile relations between the Shaikhs of Trucial Oman, and the involvement of some rulers in the restriction of local activities. The file also contains reports sent between the Bahrain Agency, the Sharjah Residency and the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf when any trouble, meeting or peace agreement took place between the local rulers. The reports focused on demands for reforms raised by locals, notables and merchants. These were asking for various reforms including budget, education, health and sanitation, peace and order, removal of all sorts of corruption in the various departments, and the grant of justice and freedom to the inhabitants in trade and other crafts.The representatives of the British Government in the Gulf raised their concerns to the Shaikhs of Trucial Oman regarding the safety of British subjects, and employees. The file also contains petitions raised by the notables and merchants of Iranian and Indian communities living in Trucial Oman to the British authorities. These were also concerned about their own safety.The main correspondence is between the Residency Agent in Sharjah, the Political Agent in Bahrain, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the British Agency in Trucial Oman, as well as the various Shaikhs of Trucial Oman including Shaikh Said bin Maktum, Ruler of Dubai and Shaikh Sultan bin Salim, Ruler of Ras al-Khaimah.1 file (261 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 263; 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 incomplete foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-238; 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.
The file contains correspondence in the form of petitions and letters. The petitions were raised by locals of different ethnic and religious backgrounds in Bahrain to the Political Agency, Bahrain. The petitions were in the form of claims against members of Al-Khalifa family. In order to avoid dealing with the claims at court, the Political Agent passed the claims directly to the family member concerned so that they could sort out the claims with the petitions outside court.The correspondence in the file is mostly in Arabic. Folios 31-32 are file notes.1 file (31 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 33; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 4-29, and ff 30-32; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file concerns complaints made by Hirjimal Dhamanmal, and other Bahrain merchants, about the Food Controller, Bahrain (Captain Arthur Charles Byard; later Claud Cranbrook Lewis deGrenier), who was responsible for implementing food control policies (e.g. rationing and import controls) in Bahrain during the wartime conditions created by the Second World War (1939-45).The principal correspondents are the Food Controller, Bahrain; the Political Agent, Bahrain; Hirjimal Dhamanmal & Company, Bahrain; Goverdhandas Dharamdas & Company, Bahrain; Haridas Janimal & Company, Bahrein [Bahrain]; other Bahrain merchants; the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain (deGrenier); and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave).The papers include a complaint over the Food Controller's role in the import, at the Food Controller's own request, by Hirjimal Dhamanmal and seven other Bahrain merchants of 2000 bags of sugar from Karachi, which remained unsold, and which the merchants claimed would cause them a 'ruinous loss' if sold at a reduced rate; and various complaints about the working of the food control system in Bahrain, including the issuing of export permits, corruption amongst officials, and allegations of discrimination in favour of some merchants. The commodities discussed include (Rangooni) rice, Mangalore coffee, fruit and vegetables, and sugar.The Persian language content of the file consists of a petition (with English translation), dated 27 May 1944, on folio 119.The covering dates of the main run of correspondence (folios 2-113) are 3 October 1940 - 26 January 1943. The date range gives the covering dates of all the correspondence, including enclosures dated 1939-40 (folios 79-82) and the petition at the end of the file (folios 119-120).1 file (119 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file, except where enclosures of an earlier date are filed after their relevant covering letter, and terminate in a set of notes (folios 114-118), and a petition with English translation (folios 119-120).Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 121; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Correspondence related to the distribution of the text of the General Act of the Brussels Conference of 1890 throughout the Persian Gulf region. The English version of the Act is on folios 32-37. William Lee-Warner, Secretary to the Government of India in Bombay, sent Adelbert Talbot (Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, 1891-93) 100 copies of the Act in Persian (folios 5-19), and 100 in Arabic, for distribution to the Political Agencies on the Persian and Arab coasts of the Gulf respectively. Talbot sent 25 copies of the Persian translation of the Act to his Political Agent in Bandar-e Lengeh, and a further 25 copies to the Agent of the British India Steam Navigation Co. (Gray Paul & Co.) at Bandar-e Abbas. The Governor of Turkish Arabistan, Nizam-es-Sultaneh was critical of the distributed Persian translation of the Act, which had been produced under the authority of British Government staff in Bombay. In response Talbot commissioned and distributed a new translation (folios 73-88), produced under his authority at the Political Residency in Bushire.1 volume (137 folios)The contents of the volume have been arranged chronologically, with the earliest documents at the front, and the latest at the rear.Foliation: The volume has been foliated with small circled numbers in the top right corner of each front-facing page. The front cover has been foliated 1, then there are two unfoliated pages, before foliation restarts at 2 on the title sheet. After the title sheet and contents page (folio 4) there are a further three unfoliated blank pages before foliation restarts on the first piece of correspondence.). Folio 100 is missing.
The file contains correspondence, statements made by nakhudas, bills and receipts, all related to incidents in which native vessels were wrecked or damaged in the Persian Gulf (and chiefly in the waters around Bahrain) usually as a result either of storms or collision with another vessel. The correspondence relates to: reports of the initial incidents; the salvage of cargo; rescue and repatriation of crews; the recovery of costs incurred by salvage and repatriation; insurance claims. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Agent at Bahrain (numerous incumbents); the Director of Customs at Bahrain (Claud Cranbrook Lewis deGrenier); the Residency Agent at Sharjah, who reports on shipwreck and salvage incidents on the Trucial Coast, or involving boats from the Trucial Coast.The file includes details of numerous individual cases. The most significant cases in terms of paperwork involved include:the sinking of the
Surabnear Bushire in February 1931, with correspondence relating to: the repatriation of the crew back to Karachi; the Karachi authorities’ demands for repatriation costs to be paid by the
Surab’sowner, leading to a dispute between the two parties (ff 8-30);a collision between the British India Steam Navigation Company steamer, the
Varsova, and a fishing dhow in the waters between Qatar and Bahrain, with correspondence relating to: the recovery of eighteen crew from the dhow, which sank after the collision; failed attempts by the dhow’s owner, a Qatari subject, to make a claim in Bahrain over the loss; the Ruler of Qatar, Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī’s intervention in the affair (ff 95-124);the foundering of a vessel, the
Fatehkarim,off the Jazirat Shaikh Shuib in February 1941, and the repatriation to Karachi of its eight crew, with correspondence including copies of indemnity bonds for the eight crew members, to cover their passage back to Karachi (ff 181-198);in June 1943, attempts to repatriate twelve men from Um al Qaiwain [Umm al-Qaywayn] from Colombo, where their vessel was shipwrecked, with correspondence relating to the costs and difficulties of repatriating the men, presumably a result of wartime restrictions in maritime traffic (ff 219-229);enquiries, from September 1944 onwards, by a Bombay [Mumbai] company, Sopher & Company, who are attempting to make an insurance claim for a vessel lost near Khor Fakkan [Khawr Fakkān], while en route from Bombay to Basrah [Basra], with correspondence including copies of notes of protest, issued by the Government of Iraq (ff 241-261).1 file (282 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 262-283) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 283; 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 7-261; 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.
The file comprises correspondence concerning three cases involving dhows, as follows:correspondence relating to a collision between a Bahrain-registered dhow and an Anglo-Iranian Oil Company tug at Khorramshahr in November 1943. Much of the follow-up correspondence concerns the seizure by the Iranian authorities of passports belonging to two Bahrainis who travelled to Khorramshahr to assist in affairs following the collision, and the Bahrain authorities’ efforts to have the passports returned. Principal correspondents in the case include: the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Tom Hickinbotham); the British Consul at Khorramshahr; the Adviser to the Bahrain Government (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave) (ff 2-15);correspondence dated 1944 relating to an enquiry made by an Indian company, Kanayalal Deepchand Hinduja, seeking the whereabouts of their vessel, the
Fathel Rahman, missing while travelling from Bombay to Basra, with the Political Agent at Bahrain reporting, after enquiries made with the Customs Director at Bahrain and the Residency Agent at Sharjah, that nothing is known of the vessel (ff 16-21);correspondence dated June 1949 relating to an incident taking place off the coast of Sharjah/Dubai, in which a dhow engine caught fire, resulting in the death of one crew member and the injury of another, the latter taken on board HMS
Flamingofor medical care. The principal correspondent in this case is the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf (Captain P Skelton) (ff 22-27).1 file (28 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 28-29) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 30; 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 2-20; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
This is a correspondence file about the operation and impact of the quota system and export licensing restrictions that were imposed by the Government of India, on the supply of Indian tea (and to a lesser extent the supply of coffee) to Bahrain and also to Eastern Saudi Arabia and Qatar, during the Second World War (1939-1945). The main official correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain; the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain; the Food Controller, Bahrain; the Tea Controller for India, Calcutta; and other Government of India officials in the Departments of Commerce and External Affairs. Included in the file are various circular lists that give the names of Indian tea exporters and Bahrain tea importers, such as the monthly list of India tea quota allotments prepared by the Political Agent, Bahrain and similar lists, complied by the Director of Customs and Port Officer and the Food Controller on behalf of the Government of Bahrain.The file also contains merchants' correspondence between: Indian tea exporters and Bahrain tea importers about their shipping consignments; the Chairman of the Persian Gulf States Pool (an association of Indian tea exporters) and the Political Agent, Bahrain about the distribution of tea quotas among members of the Pool; Bahrain tea importers and the Political Agent, Bahrain about Indian tea importations allowed to be landed at Bahrain under the Government of India quota system.1 file (223 folios)File papers are arranged more or less chronologicallyFoliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 225; 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 incomplete foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 93-204; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. Pagination: the file notes at the back of the file (ff 204-224) are paginated in pencil. The original front file cover, containing the original file title and file reference number, is missing.
The file contains correspondence about the supply of various essential commodities from India, by sea from Bombay and Karachi to Bahrain and the Trucial Coast ports of Dubai and Sharjah for local consumption, during the Second World War (1939-1945). Several commodities are mentioned including spices, nuts, oils, cotton and leather goods, hosiery, soap, matches and cement. These goods were in short supply due to wartime conditions and subject to Government of India export restrictions and import quota arrangements in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms under British protection. The main correspondents are the Political Agent for Bahrain, the Director of Customs and Port Officer for the Government of Bahrain, the Export Trade Controllers (also referred to as Foreign Trade Controllers) in Karachi and Bombay, as well as other Government of India officials, mainly in the External Affairs Department, New Delhi. They discuss the allotment of Government of India surplus quota goods among merchants in Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah and exchange distribution lists that contain the names of all approved importers (local merchants), together with the names of their Indian exporters or shippers in Bombay and Karachi, and the type and quantity of the controlled commodity allotted to them. In addition, there are detailed submissions from the Political Agents for Bahrain, Kuwait and Muscat to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, expressing concerns about new Government of India instructions for improving the coordination of export control procedures in India with import control procedures in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms, in particular, that Export Trade Controllers in Indian ports only grant export licenses and permits to Indian exporters and shippers who appear on their established shippers lists. The file also contains merchants’ correspondence, from several importers in Bahrain and their nominated export agents or shippers in Karachi and Bombay, complaining to the Political Agent for Bahrain, about the refusal of the Export Trade Controllers in Indian ports to grant them export licences and permits.1 file (240 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 inside back cover with 242; 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 2-217 and between ff 218-241; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The file contains correspondence which mainly discusses the application of the Indian Companies Act in Bahrain. The main concern of the correspondence is the possibility of modifying the Act to allow companies’ shareholders to consist of both British subjects and Bahrain subjects. It also contains correspondence regarding a newly established motor company in Manamah called the Persian United Motor Company, Bahrain, The file includes copies in English and in Persian of the terms and agreements made by the shareholders of the Persian United Motor Company. The file also contains an agreement made between the Political Agent, Bahrain, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Shaikh Hamad bin Esa [Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, Ruler of Bahrain] for the Indian Companies Act in Bahrain to be applicable to the newly established companies in Bahrain.The correspondence is mainly between the British Residency and Consulate General in Bushire, the Political Agent in Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Esa, Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign and Political Department, Messrs Cardew, Smith and Ross in London and the Under Secretary of State, India Office.1 file (22 folios)The papers are approximately arranged in chronological order, however there are some letters attached which refer to earlier dates than the ones at the beginning 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 24; 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 mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-21; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The volume contains correspondence and other papers related to Persia’s claims of sovereignty over Bahrain. The first part of the volume (up to folio 44) contains confidential correspondence between the years 1906 and 1907, in which Persia’s claim over Bahrain is discussed between high-ranking British Government officials. Much of this correspondence discusses Persia’s insistence of its claim on Bahrain, which is rooted in the 1822 agreement between the Fars authorities and the then British Political Resident Captain William Bruce, which subsequent British officials insisted was “not formally ratified by the proper authorities” (folio 21).The next part of the volume (folio 45 onwards) contains correspondence from 1910 to 1913 and involves British officials’ investigations into allegations that the Persian authorities were charging Persians reduced passport rates to travel from Persia to Bahrain. These reduced rates were of a level usually reserved for persons travelling from one Persian port to another, and the levelling of the same fee on Persian travellers headed for Bahrain, was seen by British officials as a manifestation of Persian claims of sovereignty over Bahrain. British officials particularly objected to the actions of one Bahraini resident, Haji Abdul Nabi, who signed passports of Persian travellers, “thereby arrogating to himself the functions of a consular or passport official” (folios 108-09). Most of the correspondence in this part of the volume is between the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Cox), and the Political Agent (Captain Francis Prideaux until 1909, Charles MacKenzie 1909 to 1910).1 volume (109 folios)The contents of the file have been arranged in approximate chronological order, running from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the end.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. Foliation anomalies: 1a-1f, 55a, 111a. The following folios are fold-outs: 49, 66, 67, 93.
This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain; the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; ‘Abd al-Ḥusayn, the interpreter of the British Political Agency at Bahrain; Jāsim al-Chirāwī; Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain; and Seth Rao Sahib Tirathdas Maharaj, Director of Customs at Bahrain. These papers concern the issuing of clearance certificates in the context of the Tangistan blockade in 1916 which prohibited boats leaving Bahrain without obtaining permission from the Political Agent and other miscellaneous issues regarding shipping and smuggling.1 file (76 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: The foliation system starts at the front cover and continues through to the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled and may be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain and the British Political Resident at Bushire, as well as Sheikh ‘Isā bin ‘Alī Āl Khalifah, ruler of Bahrain, and Sheikh Qāsim bin Mahzā’, Qāḍī of Bahrain.The correspondence concerns the anti-British revolt of the Tangsiri and Qashqai tribes, headed by Ra’īs ‘Alī Dalvārī under the influence of Wilhelm Wassmuss, and the aftermath of their attack on the British Residency at Bushire on 12 July 1915. Included within the correspondence are: letters concerning the occupation of the town of Bushire, British counter-raids and the death of Ra’īs ‘Alī Delvārī; the imposition of a blockade on Tangsiri boats operating in the Persian Gulf; statements and customs papers (Acquit de Sortie and Permis de Cabotage) from various Bahraini and Persian
nākhudās (dhow boat captains) gathered by the Political Agent; the arrest and detention of Yūsuf Fakhrū on suspicion of political dealings with Germany; attacks against British diplomatic missions and residents in Persia, including Shiraz and Isfahan; and information concerning German activities in Persia during the First World War.1 file (203 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: Foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. It begins with the first item of correspondence, on number 2, and runs through to 201, ending on the inside of the back cover of the volume.
The file contains correspondence relating to two separate matters, one dating from 1932 and the other from 1940. The first matter relates to a financial claim being made by an Indian tailor residing in Bahrain, against an Anglo-Persian [Anglo-Iranian] Oil Company employee from Abadan in Persia [Iran], in which the British Vice-Consul in Mohammerah [Khorramshahr] is requested to intervene (folios 1C-15). The second matter involves an application and bond sent to the Political Agent in Bahrain (folios 19-21).1 file (24 folios)File correspondence has been arranged chronologically, from the earliest at the front to the latest at the back. There is a set of office notes accompanying the first set of correspondence (1932-33), inserted directly after the correspondence (ff 16-18), which mirrors its chronological order.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 22; these numbers are written in pencil and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The file contains three foliation anomalies: f 1a, f 1b and f 1c.
The file contains correspondence relating to the investigation and settlement of several debt recovery claims made against mainly Arab subjects of the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, by merchants of Dubai and Sharjah who are British Indian subjects. The main correspondents are the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Residency Agent at Sharjah. The correspondence includes petitions and statements made by claimants, debtors and witnesses, as well as several letters from the Ruler of Dubai [Āl Maktūm, Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm bin Hasher] and the Ruler of Sharjah [Al Qasimi, Shaikh Sultan II bin Saqr]. There are also several documents relating to debt settlements mediated either by the Residency Agent, a committee of local merchants or the Ruler.The majority of the correspondence is in both English and Arabic. The file contains one letter written in Persian. A few items of Indian merchant correspondence are signed in Gujarati as well as in English or Arabic, and in one instance in Sindhi. The earliest documents in the file are a debt bond made in 1911 and an Acknowledgement of Debt made in 1926.The following five debt cases are discussed extensively. The claims made by Khaja Habib bin Hasan Jasbani and Khojah Alli Hasan Joosbani (and other variations of their names) who are originally from Hyderabad, against: the estate of the former British Residency Agent at Sharjah, a Bahraini pearl merchant resident at Dubai, and two brothers of Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr the Ruler of Sharjah. The claim of Kishandas Nathanmal, originally from Tatta [Thatta] in Sindh Province, against a brother-in-law of Shaikh Said bin Maktum the Ruler of Dibai [Dubai]. The claim of the Dubai branch of the merchant firm Dharamdas Thawerdas against both the Ruler of Dubai and Shaikh Mohamad bin Ahmed Al Dalmook (spelt variously) as guarantors for the indebted estate of Dubai merchant Essa (also spelt Isa) bin Thani. The claims of several traders in Dubai and Sharjah against Dhamanmal Jagoomal (spelt variously) and the counter claims of the latter, including representations made on his behalf by his son Mohandas Dhamanmal Jagoomal of Bombay, about the looting of his father’s shop in Sharjah by local residents. The request of the Ruler of Dubai, for British assistance with his two debt recovery claims against the Dubai branch of the Mesopotamia Corporation Limited, and the Wali of Khasab in Oman, a subject of the Sultan of Muscat.The file also contains correspondence relating to complaints of ill-treatment made by a medical practitioner from Egypt who is resident at Dubai, and the counter-claims made against him by his in-laws in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The file ends with the investigation and recovery of possessions stolen from a Bahraini subject by a traveller from Kuwait, who is also suspected of complicity in the smuggling of goods into Dubai on behalf of a Persian merchant from Bushire.1 file (340 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 342; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Additional foliation sequences are present in parallel between ff 2-304, and ff 312-331; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file contains correspondence relating to several complaint cases investigated by the Political Agent, Bahrain. They include: the desertion of his wife by a Kuwaiti subject in 1930; the recovery of money owing to a divorced wife by her ex-husband in 1931; the alleged seizure of goods from the vessel of a Kuwaiti Nakhoda [captain or master] who had run aground in Qatar in 1934; the non-payment of a business debt to a British Indian merchant of Kuwait, by a Bahrain merchant in 1936; and the release from imprisonment in Bahrain of a convicted Government of India employee, in 1949.The correspondence also includes copies of the printed annual statement of accounts for Kuwait Municipality for the period 1936-1939, which are in Arabic.The correspondence is mainly between the Political Agents for Kuwait and Bahrain and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.There are also several petitions and witness statements made by the claimants and their representatives, including several in Arabic and one in Persian. There are also several letters in Arabic from the Ruler of Kuwait to the Political Agent, Kuwait about some of the complaints under investigation.1 file (100 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 102; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is present between ff 4-101 and is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The file contains numerous courtesy letters expressing friendship, congratulations and thanks, which are exchanged mainly between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Shaikhs of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. The majority of courtesy letters received by the Political Agent, Bahrain are from the Dubai shaikhs, particularly from Shaikh Mani bin Rashid Maktum [Āl Maktūm, Shaikh Mana bin Rashid] who is the cousin of the Ruler Shaikh Sai’d bin Maktum [Āl Maktūm, Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm bin Hasher]. Several of the letters from Shaikh Mani bin Rashid Maktum contain complaints against Sayid Abdul Razaq the Residency Agent at Sharjah.The file also contains a small amount of claims correspondence relating mainly to debt repayment. This correspondence includes petitions received from local merchants and other inhabitants of Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah, as well as letters from the Residency Agent, Sharjah to the Political Agent, Bahrain reporting his investigations into some of the claims made and any settlements reached. The majority of letters are in Arabic and are also translated into English. Included in the file are two merchant letters in Persian and a short extract from a German ornithological report in 1937, together with an English translation, about white storks.Finally, there is a small amount of correspondence in 1937 between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Government of India regarding legal opinion on the service of summonses in the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms.1 file (202 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 204; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-157; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file comprises correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior), Political Agent at Bahrain (Reginald George Evelin Alban, Edward Birkbeck Wakefield), the Sub-Postmaster at Bahrain, Secretary to the External Affairs Department of the Government of India (William Rupert Hay, Hugh Weightman), His Majesty’s Minister at Tehran (Sir Reader Bullard), and the Iranian Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the Iranian Government’s decision in 1939 to refuse to accept mail and telegrams sent from Bahrain as international mail owing to their claims to Bahrain as part of Iran and that all mail should be sent as Iranian internal mail.The correspondence discusses the various forms used to send mail on from Bahrain to Iranian ports; various procedures tested between 1939 and 1942 in an attempt to find a process which the post offices at Iranian ports would accept; and the alternative routes for mail and telegrams via Basra and Muscat owing to the ongoing difficulties. Also included are the negotiations with the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the eventual resolution of the situation in 1942.Also mentioned in the file is the temporary problem in April and May 1941 of the newly established Iraqi Censorship Office in Basra opening all mail being sent through there and the need to ensure confidential mail was not opened by them.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 194-204. These file notes relate only to the correspondence from folio 62 onwards, the correspondence on folios 2-16, and possibly also folios 17-61 appear to have been placed in the file at a later date after the file notes were compiled.1 file (203 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Circled serial numbers (red for received correspondence; blue/black for issued correspondence) refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 205; 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 incomplete foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-16 and a mixed foliation/pagination sequence between ff 17-193; these numbers are written in pencil, but are not circled. Pagination: the file notes at the back (ff 17-193) have been paginated using pencil.
The file contains correspondence in the form of petitions and letters mainly between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Ruler of Qatar. The two exchanged petitions on behalf of locals from Bahrain and Qatar respectively. The petitions were mainly regarding claims of debts, properties, stolen boats and inheritance. Debtors from Qatar fled to Bahrain, hence the Ruler of Qatar requested for them to be seized. The Political Agent in turn replied with the available information about the named subjects at his end. The same procedure was done with the Bahraini debtors who fled to Qatar.The file includes correspondence regarding the arrangement of visits of the Political Agent, Bahrain to Doha. It also includes correspondence regarding the progress the British Army was making during The Second World War in which the Ruler of Qatar sent his congratulations to the Political Agency in Bahrain.Most of the correspondence in the file is in Arabic. Folios 143-151 are file notes.1 file (150 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 152; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Additional irregular foliation sequences are present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is present between ff 4-41 and ff 98-151 and is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The majority of correspondence in the file consists of miscellaneous letters and instructions, with enclosures, in Arabic and English, between 9 February 1884 to 24 February 1914, from the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire and ‘Abd al-Qāsim, Khān Bahādur ‘Abd al-Laṭīf bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān and ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, Residency Agents on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah. There are also letters from Messrs A & T J Malcolm & Company (f. 9) and the Residency Agent at Lingah (f. 49). Enclosures typically include copies and originals of letters to and from various Persian Gulf rulers (for example, ff. 69, 70-77) and from British native agents at Bahrain and Lingah (for example, f. 151). Also included within the file are copies of responses from the Residency Agent to the Political Residency (for example, f. 67) and list of claims of various residents of Abu Dhabi (ff. 78-87).The Arabic and Persian text of the letters is handwritten and appears on the left hand of the folio, while the English text occasionally appears typed (for example, ff. 191-192). Some letters have strips of paper attached to them indicating the subject of the letter (for example, ff. 141-144), while on the recto side of some folios the subject of the letter is written in Arabic in pencil or pen (for example, f. 26v). The letters are numbered according to the year, for example, ‘No 389 of 1886’ (f. 107), although some letters appear unnumbered (for example, f. 171).The correspondence within the file deals generally with commercial and consular matters and the relations of the rulers of the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms with one another and the British. Subjects covered within the file include: the islands of Dalmā, Sīrī, Sir Bu Neir [Ṣīr Bū Nu‘ayr] and Abū Mūsá and red oxide mines; the status and claims of British Indian subjects (
banyans) in the Persian Gulf; pearl diving matters and cases of absconding divers; relations between Aḥmad bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Mu‘allā, the ruler of Umm al-Qaywayn, and his son Muḥammad; the transport of armed men and munitions by sea, and the preservation of maritime peace; relations between Shaikh Zāyid bin Kahlīfah Āl Nahyān of Abu Dhabi and Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī of Qatar; attack on an al-Wakrah boat and correspondence from ‘Alī bin Rāshid, the shaikh of al-Wakrah; various slavery cases, including one related to the shaikhs of Abu Dhabi and Qatar; relations between Shaikh Zāyid and al-Qubaysāt, al-Manāṣīr and Banī Hājir tribes; relations between Oman and Persia vis-à-vis the Trucial Coast; and a breach of the maritime peace by the people of al-Ḥamrīyah against ports on the Persian littoral of the Gulf.1 file (241 folios)Foliation: The foliation numbers are circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. They begin on the front cover, on number 1, and end on the inside of the back cover, on number 241. Foliation errors: f. 78 is followed by f. 78A; no f. 211.
This file consists of correspondence from various British officials in the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire to Khān Bahādur ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, the Residency Agent on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah. These letters cover the year 1930, between 13 January (12 Sha‘bān 1348) and 20 December 1930 (28 Rajab 1349). The file has its original file cover (ff. 2 and 133) which includes the title of the file in Arabic ['fīl khaṭūṭ al-bālyūz al-wāṣilah lil-wikālah ‘umān al-mutaṣāliḥ sanat 1930']. Each letter is numbered, running from No. 5 on folio 130 to 234 on folio 3. The letters are almost entirely in Arabic, while some appear in both English and Arabic (for example, ff. 38, 59 and 131). Some letters have accompanying enclosures, some of which are copies of letters to or from the Political Resident and the ruling shaikhs of the Trucial Coast, including Shaikh Shakhbūṭ bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān, ruler of Abu Dhabi; Shaikh Sa‘īd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm, ruler of Dubai; and Shaikh Sulṭan bin Ṣaqr Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Sharjah (for example, ff. 20 and 97).The file subjects of the correspondence relate to British relations with the ruler; commercial and consular matters concerning claims of British Indian subjects and other merchants, mostly residing in Dubai; and various slavery cases, mostly forwarded from the British Agency at Muscat, many of which enclose manumission statements (ff. 26-27). There is also correspondence concerning the administration of the Agency at Sharjah (ff. 38 and 123) and a tour of the Trucial Coast by the Political Resident in May 1930 (f. 93).1 file (134 folios)The file is arranged in reverse chronological order where Letter No. 234 (30 December 1930) appears on folio 3 and Letter No. 5 (13 January 1930) appears on folio 130). Two additional unnumbered letters appear on folios 131 and 132, dated 11 May 1930 and 30 April 1930 respectively.Foliation: There is one foliation sequence which appears in pencil, circled on the top right hand corner of the recto side of the page, running from the front to the back cover of the file.
This file consists mainly of original Arabic and Persian letters from various correspondents to Khān Bahādur ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, the Residency Agent on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah. The file has its original file cover (ff. 2 and 172) which includes the title of the file in Arabic ['Namr 9, hadhā fīl khaṭūṭ al-mashāyikh al-saḥil ‘umān al-mutaṣāliḥ lil-wikālah al-bālyūziyah…']. These letters cover 24 Ṣafar 1343 [24 Sept 1924] and 6 Muḥarram 1346 [6 Jul 1927], but are mostly from 1344 and 1345 AH (1925/1926 and 1926/1927). The text of the letters is almost entirely in handwritten Arabic, although there is one instance of printed Arabic (f. 38) and some letters also appear in handwritten and printed English (for example, ff. 79-80 and 159).The majority of the letters are from Sa‘īd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm, ruler of Dubai, and his brother, Jum‘ah bin Maktūm, as well as other Trucial Coast shaikhs, including: Khālid bin Aḥmad Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Dibba; Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān and Ṣaqr bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān, rulers of Abu Dhabi; Sulṭān bin Ṣaqr Āl Qāsimī, ruler Sharjah; Ḥamad bin Ibrāhīm Āl Mu‘allā and Aḥmad bin Rāshid Āl Mu‘allā, rulers of Umm al-Qaywayn; Ḥumayd bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Al Nu‘aymī, ruler of Ajman; Sulṭān bin Sālim al-Qāsimī, ruler of Ras al-Khaymah; ‘Abd al-Raḥman bin Muḥammad al-Shāmsī, ruler of Hira. In addition, there are letters from various Dubai merchants, as well as British Indian subjects mainly resident at Dubai, including ‘Abd al-Qādir bin Ḥājj Muḥammad ‘Abbās, Muḥammad Fārūk Bastakī, Hājji Muḥammad Sharīf Aḥmad, Hājji ‘Abd al-Raḥmān Bastakī, Damanmal Isardas, and Khushaldas Moolchand.1 file (185 folios)Foliation: Foliation numbers are circled in pencil in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The sequence begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 172. Foliation errors: f. 8 is followed by f. 8A; f. 59 is followed by f. 59A; f. 67 is followed by f. 67A; f. 71 is followed by f. 71A; f. 73 is followed by f. 73A; f. 74 is followed by f. 74A; f.83 is followed by f. 83A; f. 86 is followed by f. 86A; f. 149 is followed by f. 149A; f. 159 is followed by f. 159A; f. 167 is followed by f. 167A; f. 168 is followed by f. 168A; f. 171 is followed by f. 171A.
The majority of correspondence in the file consists of letters and instructions, with enclosures, in Arabic and English, between 26 November 1900 to 1 November 1905, from the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire to Khān Bahādur ‘Abd al-Laṭīf bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān, Residency Agent on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah. Enclosures typically include copies and originals of letters to and from various members of Persian Gulf ruling families, Persian officials and notable merchants (for example, ff. 37, 45 and 198), and from British agents and native agents (for example, agent at Bandar ‘Abbās f. 108, and Lingah, f. 188). There is also correspondence to the Residency Agent from Shaikh‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain; Shaikh Maktūm bin Ḥashar Āl Maktūm, ruler of Dubai; and Shaikh Zāyid bin Khalīfah Āl Nahyān, ruler of Abu Dhabi.The Arabic or Persian text of the letters is handwritten and appears on the left hand of the folio, while the English text occasionally appears typed (for example, f. 48). The letters are numbered according to the year, for example, ‘No 287 of 1901’ (f. 34), although some letters appear unnumbered (for example, f. 36). Some letters are written on black-edged paper (for example, f. 21) indicating mourning for Queen Victoria.Folio 205 is an Arabic list of subject headings for the file ['Fihrist fīl numr khāmis'] which consists of 104 entries, some of which appear in pencil on the verso of side of the letters. The correspondence within the file deals generally with commercial and consular matters and the relations of the rulers of the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms with one another and the British. Subjects covered within the file include: relations between Trucial Coast shaikhs and with the Political Residency and Persian government officials; cases related to Jawhar bin Naṣīb; claims by various merchants and British Indian subejcts (banyans); pearling issues, including cases of runaway divers (ff. 93-94); issues concerning the correct flag to be used by the Trucial Coast shaikhs, including a small drawing of the Trucial Coast flag according to the General Maritime Treaty of 1820 (ff. 99-100); requests for intelligence, including Hermann Burchardt's travels in the Persian Gulf (ff. 128-129) and geographical information (f. 157); gathering of trade statistics on the Trucial Coast (ff. 146-147); illness of the Residency Agent (ff. 149, 151); visit by the Resident to the Trucial Coast (f. 150); importation and smuggling of arms and ammunition (f. 153); and various slavery cases, including the abduction of children (f. 159).1 file (205 folios)Foliation: There is one foliation sequence which runs from the front to the back cover and appears in pencil, circled and in the top right hand corner of the recto of the page. Foliation anomalies: number 12 is skipped.Physical Condition: Tear damage causing missing text (ff. 3-5, 7-9).
The majority of correspondence in the file consists of letters and instructions, with enclosures, in Arabic and English, between 27 March 1897 to 3 December 1903, from the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire to Khān Bahādur ‘Abd al-Laṭīf bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān, Residency Agent on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah. Enclosures typically include copies and originals of letters to and from various Persian Gulf ruling families, Persian officials and notable merchants (for example, ff. 158, 241), and from British native agents (for example, the native agent at Lingah, f. 222). Letter No 39 of 1901 encloses facsimiles of English telegrams in received at Bushire from the Secretary for the Government of India Home Department (ff. 117-119) and folios 138-140 are copies of Persian letters from the Residency to the Residency Agent at Bandar ‘Abbās.The Arabic or Persian text of the letters is handwritten and appears on the left hand of the folio, while the English text occasionally appears typed (for example, f. 5). The letters are numbered according to the year, for example, ‘No. 315 of 1900’ (f. 22), although some letters appear unnumbered (for example, f. 171). Some letters are written on black-edged paper (for example, f. 44) indicating mourning for Queen Victoria. The subject of the letter occasionally appears in pencil or pen in Arabic on the verso side letter (for example, f. 137v).The correspondence within the file deals generally with commercial and consular matters and the relations of the rulers of the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms with one another and the British. Subjects covered in the file include: attacks on boats, including those of Ahmed bin Delmuk [Aḥmad bin Dalmūk]; status, claims and petitions of British Indian subjects (banyans) and others on the Trucial Coast; announcements of the birthday of Queen Victoria and her death in 1901 (ff. 116-119) ; relations with the Persian government and the presence and movements of the Persian gunboat
Persepolis; quarantine and epidemics (for example, smallpox, f. 3); French relations with Muscat and the Trucial Coast; Persian Gulf islands, including Ghāghah, Dalmā, Sirī, Ṣir Bū Nu‘ayr, Abū Mūsá, Ṭanb; gathering trade statistics of Sharjah; pearling issues, including a dispute over the sale of a pearl of great value (f. 174), a ban on Arab divers proceeding to Marichichikaddi in the north-west coast of Ceylon in 1903 (f. 252) and runaway divers from Kuwait (ff. 240-241 and 274-275); Resident and Residency staff visits to Persian Gulf shaikhs; illness of the Residency Agent at Sharjah, in 1899 and 1903 (ff. 31 and 276); relations between shaikhs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Shaikh Maktūm bin Ḥashar Āl Maktūm and Shaikh Zāyid bin Khalīfah Āl Nahyān; administrative issues of Sharjah Residency Agent, including salary and allowance (ff. 88-89); 1899 uprising in Lingah (f. 70); various slavery cases and notifications; murder of a Persian shopkeeper in Umm al-Qaywayn; death of Shaikh Humeid bin Abdullah [Ḥumayd bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Qāsimī], chief of Ras al-Khaymah (f. 47); relations between the Trucial Coast shaikhs and the Sultan of Muscat; issues relating to Zowra [al-Zawrā’]; relations between the Shaikh of Sharjah and the Shaikh of Fujeira, Hamed bin Abdulla [Ḥamad bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Sharqī] (1902); and importation and smuggling of arms and ammunition into the Trucial Coast.1 file (287 folios)Foliation: File foliated from cover to cover with pencil number enclosed in circle in top right of recto of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 68A, 93A, 110A, 123A, 125A, 159A.Physical Condition: Water damage (ff. 111, 172) and tear damage causing missing text (ff. 3, 141).
The file concerns the seizure of, or interference with, Arab merchant vessels (dhows, jolly-boats, booms) by ships of the Iranian Navy, and the Iranian (often referred to as the Persian) authorities. The pretext was generally the prevention of smuggling.The correspondence is mainly between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent, Bahrain; and the Residency Agent, Sharjah. There is also some correspondence from Gulf rulers. Enclosed or forwarded correspondence includes correspondence from the Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf (SNOPG); HM Minister, Tehran; the Political Agent, Kuwait; the India Office; the Foreign Office; and other British officials in the region.The papers include: reports of individual cases of seizure of boats from Kuwait, Dubai, Sharjah, Muscat, Bahrain, and elsewhere, including statements by crew members, and naval messages issued by the Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf; activities of the Iranian Navy gunboats
Palangand
Babr; British emphasis on the need for Gulf rulers to ensure that their subjects were carrying the correct registration papers and flying their national flag, November 1933 and September 1934, and to report cases of interference as quickly as possible, November 1934 - March 1935; discussion by British officials of the Iranian right of search, March 1937; the recommendation that the Rulers of Muscat, Kuwait and Bahrain should withdraw certain rights of search conferred on the Persian Government in 1898 and 1900, and that such rights should be allowed solely to British naval vessels, July - August 1937; and the implications of the seizure at Khorramshahr of a Bahrain dhow flying the Bahrain flag, in view of the Persian claim to Bahrain, September - November 1937. The dates given refer to main, chronologically-filed items of correspondence, which may include enclosures of an earlier date.The Arabic language content of the file consists of approximately twenty-five individual items of correspondence, with English translations (mainly letters from the Political Resident; the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Residency Agent, Sharjah; and Gulf rulers). There are also approximately three items of correspondence in Persian (with English translations).The date range gives the covering dates of the main items of correspondence. The earliest dated document is an enclosure to the first item of correspondence, dated 8 April 1933.1 volume (254 folios)The papers are filed in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file, except where enclosures of an earlier date are filed after the relevant covering letter, and terminate in a set of notes (folios 235-251). Serial numbers written in pencil and (circled) in red and blue crayon (red for incoming, blue for outgoing correspondence), which occur occasionally in the papers, refer to entries in the notes.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 256; 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 4-251; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in same position as the main sequence.
This volume contains correspondence and contractual agreements signed between 1924 and 1926 on oil exploration and export rights in Kuwait, and to a lesser extent, other Gulf territories. The correspondence is primarily between the Anglo-Persian Oil Company based in Abadan, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent in Kuwait, the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited, and the Ruler of Kuwait. The file contains one foldout map of Kuwait's territory drawn for oil exploration at folio 157. The file contains Arabic documents that are primarily letters to the Ruler of Kuwait from the Political Agent in Kuwait, as well as a multi-language pamphlet outlining the history of the Anglo Persian Oil Company in French, Persian, and English.1 Volume (379 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 381; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The file contains correspondence regarding providing letters of good offices. These were sent between the Political Agents in Bahrain and Kuwait, the Residency Agent in Sharjah, merchants and rulers of the Gulf. The sender would raise a case to the recipient and ask for his help mostly in mediating between the sender and another person. Most of the raised cases relate to starting up debt recovery proceedings for sums of money as little as 4 rupees and as much as 7,000 rupees, in 1928 to 1931. The claimants are merchants, sailors and others living in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar or Trucial Coast. Claimants’ letters are mainly in Arabic and occasionally in Persian.The main correspondence is between the Residency Agent in Sharjah, the Political Agent in Bahrain, the Political Agency in Kuwait, and Gulf Rulers.1 file (136 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 138; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which was also written in pencil and circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The volume contains confidential correspondence related to specific cases of slavery. The key correspondents in the volume are the Political Resident of the Persian Gulf (a post occupied by six incumbents during the time frame covered), and Government of India and Foreign Office officials in India and London.The contents of the volume can be categorised under the following sub-headings:Armenian Slaves – British reports and responses to the appearance of Armenian slave girls in Kuwait and Qatar in 1924. The Political Agent in Bahrain (Major Clive Daly) wrote to the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Prideaux), stating that the women were likely 'sold by the Turks to the tribes as children' (folio 9), as part of the expulsion of women and children from the Armenian provinces in 1915/16. Fuller detail on this specific case can be found in the Bahrain Political Agency file IOR/R/15/2/124.Slavery in Hejaz/Nejd – Negotiations in 1926 between British officials in Jeddah and Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd], who had recently been recognised as King of the Hejaz/Nejd territories, on steps to be taken to abolish slavery and the slave trade in the King's realm. The Acting British Consul in Jeddah (Lancelot Oliphant) noted in 1926 that 'Ibn Saud’s attitude towards both the slave trade and domestic slavery in the Hejaz appears to be more enlightened than that of his predecessors' (folio 117). However, a major obstacle to an agreement over the slave trade was Ibn Saud's insistence of the difficulties involved in abolishing a longstanding and traditional practice, and Britain's refusal to accede to his request that the Political Agency in Jeddah abandon its right to slave manumission.Persia – Between 1928 and 1929, discussions took place between the Persian Gulf Political Resident (Sir Frederick Johnston until November 1928, Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Barrett thereafter) and Government of India and Foreign Office officials, on a potential redraft of Britain's 1882 slave trade treaty with Persia, which the latter, under the rule of Reza Shah, now rejected. Johnston's concern was that if it 'were not for this [the 1882] Convention slavery would recommence on the coasts of the Persian Gulf [... ] In Persian Baluchistan slavery is rife and it is only the constant watch we exercise which prevents its becoming more than an individual trade' (folio 151).1 volume (216 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 first folio 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. The sequence contains two foliation anomalies, missing out f 40 and including f 192a.
The file contains papers regarding the celebration of the King's Birthday and Christmas and New Year’s Day between 1935-1939. Christmas and New Year’s Day were announced as an official holiday at the Agency in Bahrain. The King's Birthday was celebrated in June each year, but was not an official holiday.Ceremonies were arranged at the Agency for both the King's Birthday and New Year’s Day. For the King's Birthday, a notice was sent by the Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf announcing which day in June the King's Birthday would be celebrated that year. For Christmas, a memorandum was sent by the Political Agent in Bahrain with a sum of money to the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain. The memorandum instructed the Adviser to distribute sweets among the prisoners on Christmas Day.The following arrangements were made for both the King's Birthday and New Year’s Day celebrations:refreshments including biscuits (Nice), coffee, sherbet, crystallised cherries, and Mackintosh toffees were ordered mainly from Ashraf Brothers Company;invitation cards were ordered mainly from The Times Press Limited;British, European and American community members were invited as well as company staff;personal invitations were sent respectively to Shaikh Hamad Bin ‘Isa al-Khalifa, and to members and representatives of various communities in Bahrain including Arabs, Persians, and Indians;a guard was appointed to receive Shaikh Hamad and his family at the Agency;a notice specifying the time and date of each ceremony was sent by the Agency and circulated among various companies including The Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and The Eastern Bank Limited.Lists of invitees and records of absentees were drawn up. The file also includes letters of acceptance or apology from the invitees. Most of these letters were written in Arabic or in Persian. After each ceremony a report was written summarising the event. The reports could include suggestions for future ceremonies.The file contains several speeches in Arabic and in Persian that were read at the ceremonies. The speeches were delivered mainly by the Secretary of Manama Municipality, Secretary of Muharraq Municipality, Haji Yusuf Ahmad Kanoo, Haji Abdun Nabi bin Ahmad Busheri (on behalf of the Iranian Shia community), Haji Muhammad Tayeb Khunji (on behalf of the Iranian Sunni community), Meir Daoud Rouben & Sons (on behalf of the Jewish community), and Mullah Hassan bin al-Shaikh al-Majed (on behalf of Bahrainis).The correspondence is mainly between Political Agents Percy Gordon Loch and Tom Hickinbotham, the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, and Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Isa.1 file (283 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Folios 257- 284 are file notes.Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 285; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 1-256 and ff 257-284 respectively; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The file contains correspondence between the Bahrain Political Agent (Colonel Barrett, from November 1927 to April 1929), representatives of the Hindu community in Manama, and the Khalifa ruling family. The correspondence refers to the ownership and use of freshwater pools (referred to as
chauchub) by the town's Hindu (Banyan) community for bathing, drinking and washing, and by the Al Khalifa family as a source of water for the irrigation of their date gardens. The file contains notes made by Political Agency staff, based on visits to the baths, which record the arrangement of the baths, their different uses, and the condition of the water found within them. In a letter dated 6 May 1929, the Political Agent (now Captain Prior) writes to the Hindu community (folio 10), requesting that they refrain from using soap in the baths, which is producing white slime in the water, presumably making it unsuitable for irrigation purposes.1 file (14 folios)Correspondence in the file is arranged in chronological order, from the earliest piece at the front of the file to the latest at the end.Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, with pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each front-facing page. Foliation anomalies: 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D.
Memoranda, statements, forms and other papers relating to military pension payments from the Bahrain Treasury, including to former employees of the State Police in Bahrain. The principal correspondents include: the Political Agent in Bahrain (Captain Charles Geoffrey Prior; Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); the Controllers (or Deputy Controllers) of Military Pension Accounts (CMPA) in various administrative districts of British India (Southern and Western Command, Mhow; Lahore).Papers in the file include:correspondence relating to arrangements for the recording of depositions by pensions who have stopped receiving their pension payments;CMPA objection statements, detailing the particulars of the CMPA objections over pension payments, audit remarks, replies, and audit decisions. The forms are printed with instructions (ff 23-25, ff 48-50, ff 80-82, ff 115-117);printed payment sheets for ‘Indian Military, Family and Uncovenanted Pensions’ (ff 29-32);circular memoranda from CMPAs, concerning various aspects of pension payments, such as procedure, policy, overpayments, pay increases.The file includes two telegraphic messages written in Persian.1 file (187 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 187-188) refer to only a small portion of correspondence in the file, dated 1933-1934.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 189; 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 3-187; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
This file consists largely of correspondence concerning stationery supplied to the Political Agency, Bahrain. Items ordered include rubber stamps, notepaper, envelopes, and printed forms. Much of the correspondence relates to the details of orders and the granting of export permits (from the Government of India) for those orders. Correspondents include the following: the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Secretary to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Officer, Trucial Coast, Sharjah; the Times Printing and Publishing Company Ltd; Thacker and Company, Bombay (booksellers, publishers, stationers and printers); the British Consulate, Khorramshahr; Gale and Polden Limited (printers, publishers and stationers).In addition to correspondence the file includes two folders (requested from Gale and Polden by the Political Agent) of specimens of Christmas cards produced for embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic missions, as well as colonial protectorates. In a letter, dated 2 June 1949 and addressed to the Christmas Card Manager at Gale and Polden (folio 105), the Political Agent requests 200 Christmas cards, similar in style to the card for the British Embassy, Washington DC, which features in one of the specimen folders. The file contains a photograph (and its negative) of the Political Agency, Bahrain. In the aforementioned letter, the Political Agent specifies that this photograph should be included on the Christmas card.1 file (185 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 187; 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 2-66; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file contains papers of the Political Agency, Muscat, concerning the transliteration of personal and place names in India and the Persian Gulf. The papers were compiled in response to requests from the Government of India for standardisation in the translation of vernacular names.The papers include: correspondence from the Under Secretary and the Secretary to the Government of India, drawing attention to the need for consistency in the spelling and arrangement of native Indian names in official lists, 1903-06; correspondence between the British Residency and Consulate-General, Bushire, and the Political Agent, Muscat, dated 1910-11, containing lists of transliterated names of persons, places, and tribes in Muscat, in accordance with a slightly modified Hunterian system of spelling and the system employed in Volume II of the
Persian Gulf Gazetteer; papers concerning an extract from 'A System for the Spelling of Names of Places etc. in Persia, Afghanistan, and Arabia', 1924; copies of the
First List of Names in Persia (South)and the
Second List of Names in Persia (North), by the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use, with associated correspondence, 1928-29; correspondence concerning circulars issued by the Protocol Department of the Persian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, communicating
changes to the names of certain towns in Persia [Iran], 1930-32; and correspondence concerning the new official names of the Kingdom and Ruler of Saudi Arabia, 1932.There is no correspondence in the file dated 1917-23.The other languages and scripts noted as being present in the file appear in lists of transliterated names.1 file (81 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 83; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-82; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.A previous foliation sequence between ff 37-82, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The file contains applications and supporting documentation from companies applying for registration with the Kuwait Political Agency, a requirement for companies subject to British jurisdiction under the Kuwait Order in Council. The companies in question are Cable and Wireless; the Eastern Oil Company; Gray, Mackenzie and Company Limited; the Imperial Bank of Iran; the Kuwait Oil Company; and Spinney's Limited. The supporting documentation generally includes information on a company's capital, its directors, and its shareholders. Supplementary correspondence between these companies and the Political Agency has been filed within.In addition, memoranda and articles of association have been included from Gray, Mackenzie and Company Limited (folios 15-37) and Spinney's Limited (folios 84-103 under Government of Palestine and folios 123-137 under Government of Cyprus).The Persian language content is limited to Imperial Bank of Iran letterheads.1 file (146 folios)The file is loosely arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. A set of file notes can be found at the back between folios 144-147.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 148; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 39-56, and ff 70-74; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Correspondence, statements and other papers relating to incidents of theft occurring at the Political Agency:in June 1933, the theft of money from drawers in an Agency office (ff 2-9);in March 1934, another incident of money stolen from Agency cash boxes (ff 10-11);in August 1937, an incident of theft from the servants’ quarters at the Agency (ff 12-17). Copies of statements and other papers relating to the case can also be found in ‘File 16/38-II Miscellaneous: Notes and orders’ (IOR/R/15/2/1546);in 1944, the discovery of a broken plate, the pattern of which matched china missing and presumed stolen during transit from the Political Residency (ff 19-23);in November 1947, the theft of money (900 Indian rupees) from a cupboard in an Agency office (ff 24-28).Some of the file’s papers are written in Persian.1 file (29 folios)The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The file notes at the end of the file (ff 29-30) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 31; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-26; these numbers are also written in pencil. Some numbers in the previous foliation sequence are also circled, and have been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The volume contains correspondence related to two specific incidents of Arab slaves absconding to the Persian territory of Henjam [Jazīreh-ye Hengām]. The first incident took place in March 1930, when four slaves absconded from Umm al Qaiwain to Jazīreh-ye Hengām, pursued by a group of armed Arabs. The majority of the correspondence in the volume deals with a second incident occurring in June 1931, in which four slaves absconded from Sharjah to Henjam on a stolen dhow. The four men sought sanctuary at the telegraph station on the island, before taking the opportunity to board the British ship HMS
Folkstone.The incident was met by protestations from the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mirza Mohamed Ali Khan Feroughi) to His Majesty's HM Chargé d'Affaires in Persia (Herbert Lacy Baggally), who insisted that British staff at the telegraph station acted incorrectly in giving the slaves refuge, and that the slaves should have been handed over to the Persian authorities instead of being allowed to board a British vessel. In response, British authorities (coordinated by the Persian Gulf Political Resident Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf Lewis Crabbe, and the British Legation in Tehran) responded by insisting that the slaves were free to do what they liked, including boarding their ship and seeking manumission papers. Much of the correspondence between British officials revolves around efforts made to ascertain whether those British subjects at the telegraph station and on board British vessels who were involved in the incident acted correctly and according to official policy. These enquiries culminated in a report from Crabbe that gave a full account of the incident, including copies of all telegram messages sent at the time (folios 102-12). By the end of 1931 the incident had escalated to a higher political level, with official British responses to complaints from the Persian Government being sent from the Foreign Office in London.1 volume (202 folios)The volume is composed of correspondence that has been arranged in rough chronological order, from the earliest at the front of the volume (Mar 1930), to the latest at the rear (Feb 1934). The correspondence ends at folio 171, and is followed by office notes that repeat the chronological order of the correspondence.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 204; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file discusses the granting of oil concessions in Kuwait and within the Kuwait-Nejd [Najd] neutral zone (herein referred to as the neutral zone), and contains correspondence and reports from the Political Agent, Kuwait; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the India Office; the Foreign Office; the Petroleum Department; the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (A.P.O.C.); the Standard Oil Company; the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited; the Kuwait Company and the Arabian Development Syndicate.The reports in the file provide background information on the various oil companies interested in the concessions, and their various attempts to secure these concessions as well as any involvement they have previously had with concessions in Bahrain and Kuwait. Also included in the reports are opinions on the granting of concessions in Nejd by Bin Saud (also given as Ibn Saud) [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] who held an equal right to any potential concession being granted in the Kuwait-Nejd neutral zone.From folio 34 onwards the correspondence centres primarily on the formation of the Kuwait Oil Company, which is formed by A.P.O.C. and the Gulf Oil Company in an attempt to secure their oil interests in Kuwait and includes draft copies of both their proposed commercial agreement for a concession with the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) (folios 109-119, 265-275, 303-314), and of their proposed political agreement with His Majesty's Government. Minutes of meetings held at the India Office December 1933-February 1934 to discuss the proposed agreements and potential amendments to the clauses within them are also included. Some of the correspondence from A.P.O.C. is written on the company paper, the letterhead for which gives the company's contact information in both English and Persian.Also included in the file are discussions on the formation of another new group, the Arabian Development Syndicate, which includes Abdulgani Ydlibi (also given as Abdul Ghani Adlibi), a Syrian from Manchester who secures authorisation from Ibn Saud to deal with oil and mineral rights within Nejd territory and who are interested in securing the concession for the neutral zone. There are also reports on this company from the British Consul in Jedda.The file also contains expressions of the British Government's attitude towards, and opinions of, Major Frank Holmes, who had formally been the Chief Local Representative for the Bahrain Petroleum Company and was being proposed as a negotiator for the new Kuwait Oil Company, but who was not considered 'persona grata' by the British Government. Folio 346, within the office notes. contains notes written by the Political Resident relating to Major Holmes, dated 18-23 November 1923, and expressing his opinion that Holmes would at some point return to the Gulf.1 file (359 folios)The contents of this volume have been arranged in chronological order.Foliation: The file is foliated with a pencil number enclosed in a circle located in the top right recto of each folio. The foliation starts on the first folio with numbering starting with 1A, 1B, 1c, 1D and runs through to 351 on the last folio with writing.There is also a second incomplete sequence, written in pencil, in the top right corner, starting with 1A on folio 1 and ending with 342 on folio 343.
Memoranda, statements, forms and other papers relating to military pension payments made from the Bahrain Treasury. The principal correspondents are: the Political Agent in Bahrain; the Controller (or Deputy Controller) of Military Pension Accounts [CMPA] in the Lahore Cantonment. The file is a direct chronological continuation of ‘Miscellaneous:– Payments of Military Pensions from the Bahrain Treasury and their Correspondence regarding’ (IOR/R/15/2/1519).Papers in the file include:copies of monthly statements (submitted by the Agency) of the names of pensioners transferred from the Bahrain Treasury to other Pension Disbursing Offices, and lists of pensions brought on the Check register of the Bahrain Treasury, for months covering period August 1938 to May 1944. Most statements and lists are marked ‘nil’;monthly statements of casualties amongst members of OBI, IOM, VC and MC (Order of British India, Indian Order of Merit, Victoria Cross, Military Cross) on the Pension Establishment in the payment of the Bahrain Treasury. Statements are marked ‘nil’;circular memoranda from the CMPA and other Government administrations, concerning various aspects of pension payments, such as procedure, policy, overpayments, fraud, pay increases, cases of Indian military pensioners convicted in criminal courts;correspondence relating to checks on the identity of individuals claiming pensions, including depositions made by pensioners and supporting statements (recorded at the Agency) and certificates of verification, issued by the Political Agent;papers relating to the transfer of pension payments.The file also includes: fragments of a pension certificate (ff 131-134) and two complete pension certificates, dated 1933 (ff 283-285) and 1925 (ff 304-305) respectively, the former with an accompanying pension warrant and record of payments (f 286). The pension certificates include terms and conditions printed in English, as well as in a number of other languages used on the Indian subcontinent, including Punjabi, Hindi and Tamil.An invoice is included in the file, dated 19 May 1932 (f 339), which has no obvious relation to surrounding correspondence, and was presumably included in the file in error.1 file (366 folios)The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The file notes at the end of the file (ff 347-367) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 368; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-346; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Inscriptions:Signed by Felix Jones, British Political Resident in the Gulf of Persia, and Political Agent to the Persian Expeditionary Forces.1 plan sheetMaterials:Pen and ink with wash on paperDimensions:446 x 560 mm, on sheet 466 x 580 mm
The volume is entitled
List Showing the Names, Titles and Modes of Address of the More Important Sovereigns, Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles etc., Having Relations with the Indian Government, Alqabnamah(New Delhi: Government of India Press, 1935). [The Alqabnamah was a register kept by the Indian Government, recording official titles and modes of address.] It is described on the front cover as 'Corrected up to the 5th October 1935'. The volume shows a number of manuscript corrections, additions and cross-references.The volume is divided into lists of independent states, protectorate rulers, ruling princes and chiefs in India, and miscellaneous. Within these divisions information is recorded in parallel columns under the following headings:name of state;name and [form] of address of ruler in English;commencement and conclusion of letter in English, and colour of crest;highest British authority by whom hitherto addressed;name and [form] of address in Persian or Arabic;number of guns [in official salute];remarks.1 volume (71 folios)There is a list of contents and an alphabetical index towards the front of the volume, on folios 3-5.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1A on the front cover and terminates at 71 on the back cover. These numbers are written in pencil. are enclosed in a circle, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 1A, 1B; ff. 10A, 10B. Folio 64 has been attached to the outer edge of f. 63.
The file contains a number of petitions (or 'madbatas') written by Bahraini merchants and other Bahrain inhabitants of native, Persian, Nejdi and Indian origin, praising the actions of the Bahrain Political Agent, Major Clive Daly. The original petitions in Arabic and Persian are included, along with English translations. There is a handwritten note on the inside front cover of the file, written by Daly on 14 June 1924, which indicate his thoughts on why he received the petitions.1 file (33 folios)The correspondence has been arranged in chronological order, from the earliest at the front of the volume, to the latest at the back. Two exceptions to this rule are 1) a note by Bahrain Political Agent Major Clive Daly, written in pencil on the inside front cover of the file, and dated as roughly contemporary to the final items in the file; and 2) a copy of a cover note used by Daly to send copies of the petitions enclosed in the file to the Political Resident in Bushire (folio 2).Foliation: The main foliation sequence uses circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of recto pages. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and runs through to the inside of the back cover, ending on number 35. Some items in the file are marked with blue crayon numbers, which constitute part of the original filing arrangement.
This file contains correspondence - primarily between the Political Agency in Bahrain and the Political Residency in Bushire - regarding the relations of Bahrain (and its ruler Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa) with other foreign powers.Topics discussed in the documents include communication between Shaikh Isa and the Ottoman governor of Qateef, rumours that Shaikh Isa had declared himself a subject of Turkey, correspondence regarding Persian claims to Bahrain and concerns of the Persian government regarding the treatment of Persian citizens resident in Bahrain, the activities of a cousin of Shaikh Isa named Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Khalifa who travelled without permission to Istanbul and correspondence between Shaikh Isa and the Ottoman governor of Basra.The file also contains copies (and translations) of anti-British articles published in Iranian newspapers and letters between Shaikh Isa and Ottoman officials.1 volume (195 folios)The file is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end. An index of subjects contained in the file is listed on folio 3. The index uses page numbers that refer to the file's foliation system in blue crayon.Previously a bound volume, its sheets have been unbound and are now all loose. Foliation starts on first page of volume. Foliation is in pencil in top right corner of recto. Additional foliation sequences in red and blue crayon are also present in the top right corner. The following foliation errors occur: 1,1A; 110,110A; 173,173A.
This file contains correspondence concerning relations between Bahrain and other foreign powers, primarily Persia.The correspondence discusses the following topics:Agitation in the Persian press regarding the alleged oppression of Persians in Bahrain. This includes examples of this type of reporting, including a cutting from the Persian newspaper Asar Azadi (f. 229b & 229c).The Persian Government's claim to sovereignty over Bahrain (this includes correspondence between British and Persian officials, some of which is in French).Details regarding British jurisdiction over foreigners in Bahrain.The political agitation of a Persian tally clerk (named Abu Talib) at the Mesopotamia Persian Corporation Limited in Bahrain.The activities of Shaikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and his son Shaikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa.Measures to restrict the entry of undesriable foreigners into Bahrain.The file also includes two petitions (to the British Consulate General in Arabistan) from Bahrainis resident in Muhammarah concerning the conduct of the Persian Government and a cutting entitled 'Alleged British Repression in Bahrain' from a newspaper published in Lahore called 'The Muslim Outlook' (f.197).1 volume (243 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.A bound correspondence volume. Foliation starts with the first folio and runs to the last folio. Folio 1 is split into four parts (1, 1A, 1B and 1C), folio 157 into two parts (157A and 157B), folio 206 into two parts (206A and 206B) and 229 into three parts (229A, 229B and 229C). The foliation is written in pencil, circled and positioned in the top right hand corner of the recto side (with the exception of 229B and 229C) which are numbered on the top left hand side in arabic language fashion).A secondary foliation system, also written in pencil but not circled, starts on folio 3. This system skips folios and sometimes labels a single folio as multpile folios, so it moves in and out of sync with the primary system.Folios 229B and 229C are a newsprint insert contained within an envelope which has been attached to folio 229A.
File contains correspondence regarding the access requirements of Persians entering Bahrain (from Persia), correspondence regarding reports of Bahrainis resident in Persia being pressured to adopt Persian nationality and several discussions related to the logistics and legality of travel in the region.The broader political context of these issues, complicated by Persia’s continued claim to sovereignty over Bahrain, is discussed in detail in the file.1 volume (298 folios)Arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of file to latest at end. There is an index page by topic on folio 2. The numbers in the index appear to refer to the inconsistent, uncircled foliation system.Originally a bound correspondence file but sheets have been unbound and are now all loose. The volume is foliated from the first page with text to last page with text, with small circled numbers in the top-right corner of each front-facing page. There is an inconsistent, uncircled, foliation system also in the top-right corner of each front-facing page until folio 120.
Composite volume containing two manuscripts on drugs.Contents:(1) Isfarāyīnī, Muḥammad (إسفراييني، محمد),
Taqwīm al-adwīyah(تقويم العدوية; ff. 1r-135v);(2) Taqī al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Ṣadr al-Dīn ‘Alī (تقي الدين محمد ابن صدر الدين علي), Treatise on drugs (ff. 136r-237v).Codex; ff. i+237+iMaterial: 1r-135v: Eastern laid paper; 136r-237v: Western laid paperDimensions: 275 x 155 mm leaf [1r-135v: 170 x 85 mm written (untabulated folios), 136r-237v: 165 x 90 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencilRuling: 1r-135v: no ruling visible, 14 lines per page, vertical spacing 9 lines per 10 cm; 136r-237v (untabulated folios):
Misṭarah, 19 lines per page, vertical spacing 12 lines per 10 cmScript: 1r-135v:
Nasta‘līq; the scribe is Ibn ‘Abd Allāh Abū al-Ḥasan al-Shīrāzī (ابن عبد الله أبو الحسن الشيرازي, see colophon, f. 134r, lines 8-9); 136r-237v:
Nasta‘līqInk: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings in redDecoration: 1r-135v: illuminated opening (ff. 3v-4r) with head piece in blue and gold with floral and foliate design in red, yellow, green and white, floral and foliate pattern in gold, blue green and red in margins and between lines of text; subsequent folia framed in blue and gold; 136r-237v: all folia framed in blue, red, and goldBinding: British Museum red buckram binding; leather covers of previous binding of red leather with multicoloured medallion and pendants pasted to inside current right and left boardsCondition: Minor tidemarks to lower edge corners towards front and back of volume; lower edge corners of ff. 134 and 135 mutilated and repairedMarginalia: Very fewSeals: 3r, 40r, 134r, 135r
Contents:(1) al-Lāhūrī (اللاهوري),
al-Taṣrīḥ fī sharḥ al-tashrīḥ(التصريح في شرح التشريح; ff. 1r-16r);(2) al-Landanī (اللندني),
al-Ijābah ʿalá taʿ
līq al-Jawnbūrī(الإجابة على تعليق الجونبوري; ff. 16v-22r);(3) Anonymous,
Tarjamah-’i Sab‘ shidād(ترجمه سبع الشداد; ff. 23r-44v);(4) al-Ṭūsī (الطوسي),
Risālah fī kayfīyat al-ʿamal bi-al-asṭurlāb(رسالة في كيفية العمل بالأسطرلاب; ff. 47r-60v).Codex; ff. ii+62+iiMaterial: Eastern laid paperDimensions: 295 x 175 mm leaf [200-30 x 110 mm written]Foliation: India Office Library foliation stamped in black inkRuling:
Misṭarah; 23-25 lines per page; vertical spacing 12 lines per 10 cmScript:
Nasta’līqInk: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings in redDecoration: NoneBinding: Case binding; boards with red leather at edges and spine and marbled paper in centreCondition: Minor insect damage, some holes repaired; extensive pre-digitisation conservation work to spine and bindingMarginalia: Almost noneSeals: 1r, 16r, 22v, 23r, and 60v
Anonymous and untitled treatise on mathematics containing numerous diagrams.The copy was completed at Ajmer (أجمير) on Tuesday 10 Rabī‘ I 1041/7 October 1631 by Muḥammad Amīn ibn Mirzā Muḥammad Faḍl Allāh Kāshānī (محمد أمين بن مرزا محمد فضل الله كاشاني; see colophon, f. 14v, lines 15-21 and second line of Persian inscription by hand of scribe to left of colophon, transcribed below).Contents:Begins (f. 2v, lines 2-3):بدانکه اهل این صناعت را در اخراج مسایل طریقهای بسیار است وقانونهای درست که متقدمان بدستآورده اند چون اربعه مناسب وطریق جبر ومقابله وطریق خطایی ومانند این ...Ends (f. 14v, lines 13-14):... این قدر هدایت که کردیم کفایتباشد در چگونگی بیرون کردن مسایل اکنون برین اختصار کردیم تا دراز نگردد والسلمColophon (f. 14v, lines 15-21):تمت هذه النسخة الشريفة في يوم الثلثاء عاشر شهر ربيع الأولسنة إحدى وأربعين ألف من الهجرةالنبوية المصطفوية علىيد العبد الضعيفمحمد أمين بن مرزامحمد فضل اللهكاشانيInscription to right of colophon (by hand of scribe):شبهای فقر وفنا از ما و بخت و ملک وجاه از توچو دنیا را بقائی نیست خواه از ما وخواه از توInscription to left of colophon (by hand of scribe):در محلی که انقلاب روزگار این فقیر کم بضاعت رااز نیسانی ما ببلده اجمیر انداخته بود بر سبیل استعجال نوشته شدFf. 2v-14v
(1) Anonymous, Untitled treatise on mathematics (ff. 2-14);(2) Jamshīd al-Kāshī (جمشيد الكاشي),
Miftāḥ al-ḥisāb(مفتاح الحساب; ff. 15-122).Codex; ff. ix+123+ixMaterial: Eastern laid paperDimensions: 240 x 135 mm leaf [150 x 75 mm written]Foliation: India Office Library foliation in pencilRuling:
Misṭarah; 18 lines per page; vertical spacing 12 lines per 10 cmScript:
Nasta‘līq; the scribe of ff. 2v-14v is Muḥammad Amīn ibn Mirzā Muḥammad Faḍl Allāh Kāshānī (محمد أمين بن مرزا محمد فضل الله كاشاني; see f. 14v, lines 19-21)Ink: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings and diagrams in redBinding: Red leather binding, blind-tooled with stamped medallions and pendants, corner pieces and cartouche all of which contain inscriptions; leather doublures and first flyleaf marbled at front and back; bound in Seringapatam (Srirangapatna) at library of Tīpū Sulṭān (ٹیپو سلطان) of Mysore (reg. 1782-1799) (see Stewart, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Oriental Library of the Late Tippoo Sultan of Mysore. To which are Prefixed, Memoirs of Hyder Aly Khan, and his Son Tippoo Sultan [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1809], p. v)Condition: Minor insect damageMarginalia: Few by more than one handSeal: ff. 1r and 122v
Order issued by the British Minister at Tehran, Charles Alison, instructing Pelly to return to India overland from Persia through Afghanistan.The letter instructs Pelly on the British Government's preferred route for him through Meshed [Mashhad], Herat and Cabul [Kabul], weather permitting, and encloses fowling pieces and pistols to be presented as gifts Sultan Ahmed Khan [Soltan Ahmad Khan] of Herat and correspondence and friendly assurances to be given on behalf of the British Government to Dost Mahomed Khan [Dost Mohammad Khan] of Cabul.The letter also instructs Pelly to gather reliable information on the Persian expedition to Mero [Marv], and in particular on the state of the Persian Army as well as asking for any practicable information he can obtain on the condition and prospects of Aghanistan as he is passing through it.Alongside the instructions for him when visiting Cabul is a paragraph written in pencil which appears to be a brief outline of the mission order translated into Persian.1 file (6 folios)Foliation: This file has been foliated in the front top right hand corner of each page 1-6, with the folio number in pencil enclosed in a circle
The file contains a private journal kept by Lewis Pelly from January to February 1865; notes taken by him during his journey to Riyadh January to March 1865; sketches, correspondence, financial accounts and other papers.Included within the file are:Extract showing a record of posting from the Bushire Post Office 16 January 1865 (f. 45)Letter from Austin Layard, Foreign Office to Sir Andrew Buchanan, 1 September 1865 regarding Pelly's intention of returning to Bushire through Russia, the Caspian and Persia and asking that Pelly be enabled to travel through these regions (f. 46-47)Letter from Austin Layard, Foreign Office to Colonel Pelly, 6 September 1865 informing him of rumours from Cairo that Sultan Feysul [Faisal ibn Turki al-Sa'ud], the Nejdean Chief has been assassinated [f. 48]Ink sketch 'H.M's Residency Steamer
May Frerefor the Persian Gulf' 1867 - possibly drawn by Captain Edwin Dawes [f. 49]Two accounts of a story of a king and his Persian slave, one written by Henry Byam Abbott 5 June 1873 and the other by Charles Allan Baylay 6 June 1873 as well as two documents in Persian, one of which is the story of a death in a bazaar in Persia. These papers appear to be attempts at translation to and from Persian being undertaken by Baylay and Abbott [ff. 50-55]Ink sketch of a building atop cliff with shoreline - possibly drawn by Captain Edwin Dawes [f. 56]List of letters to be sent by Lewis Pelly to Bushire to Captain Carew, Charles Alison and Captain Henry W Warner and briefly outlining the topics for discussion in the letters [ff. 57-58]A folio of notes titled 'explore vast solitudes and call them Russia' which contains notes about England's mission in Asia and Russian interests there [ff. 59-60]Papers containing financial accounts: one for coal, camels and horses and the other giving an exchange rate for Dollars to Rupees for an amount to be paid to Ebrahim ibn Sayed Hossein as well as detailing deductions from an account including the purchase of a horse and waterskin and an advance to camelersTwo undated letters, either in Urdu or Persian.1 file, 2 items (66 folios)The file has been arranged in chronological order, those folios without dates have been placed at the rear of the file.Foliation: The contents of the file have been foliated in the top right corner of each folio with a pencil number enclosed in a circle.Condition: There is damage to the lower portion of the first three folios, which has made some of the text difficult to read.
Collection of unbound folios comprising four codicological units.Contents:(1) Abū al-Barakāt al-Baghdādī (أبو البركات البغدادي),
Risālah fī sabab ẓuhūr al-kawākib laylan wa-khafā’ihā nahāran(رسالة في سبب ظهور الكواكب ليلًا وخفائها نهارًا; ff. 1v-3v);(2) al-Ṭūsī (الطوسي), Treatise on heat (ff. 4v-7r);(3) al-‘Āmilī (العاملي),
Khulāṣat al-ḥisāb(خلاصة الحساب; f. 10v).The first two texts in this manuscript (ff. 1-7) form a single codicological unit, and previously were part (probably a single quire) of a larger collection as indicated by the Persian labels written before each text: 'Third treatise, three folios' (رساله سوم سه 3 ورق, f. 1r) and 'Fourth treatise, four folios' (رساله چهارم چهار 4 ورق, f. 4r).Folios 8-10 form a second codicological unit. Folios 8r-10r appear to be the front flyleaves of the volume of which f. 10v is the first page of text, and they (ff. 8r-10r) contain assorted notes in Arabic and Persian with diagrams.Unfoliated leaves i and ii came from a further two volumes, and contain notes in Arabic and Persian. Unfoliated leaf i-v contains what appears to be the fragmentary beginning of a text, while unfoliated leaf ii-r contains the fragmentary ending of another.This entire collection of unbound folios was wrapped in a single printed quarto sheet with the title 'Act No. XIV. Of 1850. Passed by the Governor General of India in Council on the 22nd March, 1850' (Calcutta: Bengal Military Orphan Press, 1850).Codex [without binding]; ff. 10+iiMaterial: Eastern laid paperDimensions: 230 x 145 mm leaf [150 x 80 mm written] (ff. 1-7) / 220 x 135 mm leaf [130 x 80 mm written (f. 10v)] (ff. 8-10) / 203 x 130 leaf [143 x 100 written (i-v)] (i) / 230 x 123 mm leaf [150 x 50 written (ii-r)] (ii)Foliation: Eastern Arabic foliation in black ink (each text foliated separately); India Office Library foliation stamped in black inkRuling: No ruling visible; 17 lines per page; vertical spacing 12 lines per 10 cm (ff. 1-7) / vertical spacing 7 lines per 10 cm (f. 10v) / vertical spacing 10 lines per 10 cm (i-v) / vertical spacing 12 lines per 10 cm [extrapolated] (ii-r)Script: NaskhInk: BlackBinding: NoneCondition: Insect damage; binding and all stitching lost; of the main folios, ff. 6-5 and 8-9 are the only intact bifolia. Many historic repairs removed during conservation now stored separately with volumeMarginalia: On flyleaves only (i.e. ff. 8r, 8v, 9r, 9v, 10r, i-r, ii-r and ii-v)Seals: ff. 1r, 7v, 8r, flyleaf i-r