The volume contains memos, reports and correspondence exchanged between the British officials in the Persian Gulf, the Political Resident and his Agents at Sharjah and Bahrein [Bahrain], the Ruler of Katr [Qatar], Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī, and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Shaikh Zayid bin Khalīfah, discussing hostilities between the two rulers, occurring between 1888 and 1889. The hostilities were initially due to the dispute on the sovereignty over Al Udaid [’Odaid, Qatar] considered to be Abu Dhabi property, and provoked attacks and raids. The main events dealt with in the volume are the attack of Bedouin from Abu Dhabi on Al Bida [Qatar] during which twenty-four men were killed including Ali, Shaikh Jasim's son, and the subsequent Qatari attack to Dhafrah [Abu Dhabi].The volume also contains copious letters in Arabic (with English translations) sent to the Political Resident in Persian Gulf at Bushire by local rulers.3 volumes (404 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically, from the earliest letter in the file at the front to the most recent letter in the file at the back.Condition: three bound volumes.Foliation: The foliation sequence runs through three volumes as a single continuous series. It commences at the title page of volume one with 1, 1A and 1B, and terminates at the last folio of volume three with 402; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The volume’s contents fall into two categories:Reports and memoranda on Bahrain, dated 1875, including a report on the rulers of Bahrain (folios 2-7); a history and genealogy of the Uttoobee [ʿUtūb] tribe (folios 9-10); names of the ʿUtūb rulers (folios 11-13); a memorandum on Bahrain (folios 15-44) covering etymologies of the islands’ names, its inhabitants, political character, and history from the earliest known period to the present day; and a list of some of the principal families in Bahrain (folios 45-46). The first three of these reports are ascribed to an individual called Hajee Abdool Cassim, and are present in the volume in Arabic original and English translation. The author of the last two reports is unclear.The second part of the volume contains correspondence relating to arrangements for the excavation of Bahrain’s tumuli. There are a number of letters dated 1879 (folios 49, 52, 53, 58, 59-60) exchanged between Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Ross, Resident in the Persian Gulf, and the Principal Librarian of the British Museum (Edward Bond), the latter being eager to initiate excavations of the tumuli at Bahrain, and forwarding funds of £100 sterling for the project. Later correspondence covers arrangements for the purchase and delivery of pickaxes to Bahrain for the excavations (folios 61-74), and arrangements and letters of recommendation to Shaikh Esau bin Khuleefah [Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah] for Theodor and Mabel Bent to visit Bahrain in 1889 to undertake excavations (folios 91-98).Note that Durand’s notes on the antiquities of Bahrain, cited in the original file title, are not themselves included in the volume.1 volume (104 folios)The volume’s contents have been arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front to the latest at the end.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 1c.
The volume contains correspondence relating to British forces sent to Bushire during the Anglo-Persian War of 1856-57. The correspondents include: Major-General Foster Stalker (later James Outram), Commander of British Forces in Persia; Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government at Bombay; Charles Augustus Murray, British Minister to Persia (in Baghdad during the war); James Rennie, Commander of the vessel
Ferooz; John Darke, Commander of the vessel
Hugh Lindsay; Arnold Burrows Kemball, Political Agent in Turkish Arabia and Consul General at Baghdad; Stratford Canning, British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople; Meerza Hassan Ally Khan [Ḥasan ‘Ali Khān], Governor of Bushire; Brigadier Honner, Commander of the Second Light Infantry Brigade; Lieutenant Thain, Commander Deputed to Karrack [Kharg] Island; Rear Admiral Henry Leeke, Commander of the Naval Squadron of the Persian Expeditionary Force; George Frederick Edmonstone, Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department; G I Fraser, Civil Surgeon at Ahmednagar, in charge of the Persian Prisoners of War; the Secret Committee, in London; the Foreign Office, in London; Lieutenant J Ballard, Intelligence Officer; Hajee Ahmed [Ḥājī Aḥmad], Arabic Secretary to the Political Resident at Bushire; and Bawkir Khan, Chief of Tungistoon [Tangestān].The volume is divided into sections, each containing correspondence pertaining to a particular topic, as follows:I. 1: This section contains no correspondence, but bears the title 'Expeditionary Force placed under the command of General Stalker, C. B.; Commander Felix Jones is nominated Political Agent to the Persian Field Force, and is further to retain the title and discharge the functions of Resident in the Persian Gulf'.I. 2: Relates to the appointments of Felix Jones as Civil Commissioner in the town of Bushire and Major Taylor as Stalker's assistant and interpreter.I. 3: Relates to the siege and capture of Bushire by British Forces, and their unopposed occupation of Kharg Island.I. 4: A diary of events at the Residency from 29 November 1856 to 5 April 1857.I. 5: Relates to the wartime policy regarding Persian and Arab merchants at Bombay who wish to trade with Persian Gulf ports.I. 6: Relates to Leeke's refusal to correspond directly with Jones, and the Government of India's disapproval of his behaviour.I. 7: Relates to where to send prisoners of war and their servants and effects. It contains several English cover letters for correspondence between prisoners and their families.I. 8: Contains extracts from Secret Committee and Foreign Office dispatches that outline on what terms Britain will agree a peace with Persia.I. 9: Contains correspondence and intelligence on the movements of Persian troops in the interior around Bushire and Shiraz, and what allegiance Britain can expect from the tribes of the area. Included are letters from several Persian and Arab leaders, most notably Bawkir Khan, Chief of Tangestān.1 volume (226 folios)The volume is firstly divided into sections relating to a specific topic. Each section is given a topic number with the letter I (ranging from I.1 to I.9), and the sections are arranged using this number. Within each section the correspondence is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the numbers in the sequence are circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio, on number 2, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 218. There are the following irregularities: f 2 is followed by f 2A; f 12 is followed by f 12A; f 26 is followed by f 26A; f 48 is followed by f 48A; f 89 is followed by f 89A; f 98 is followed by f 98A; f 111 is followed by f 111A; f 126 is followed by f 126A; f 141 is followed by f 141A.
The letter is enclosing a communication sent by Mountstuart Elphinstone, Governor of Bombay to Rahma bin Jabir [Raḥmah bin Jābir], Shaikh of the Jalahamah tribe, dated 16 January 1826, in response to a letter received from him, dated 7 November 1825. The enclosure is in Arabic and includes a translation in English.The enclosed letter explains that the British interfered with his conflict with the people of Quteef [Al-Qaṭīf] because he had targeted the boats of neutral tribes, and thus threatened the stability of trade in the region. It further urges him not to renew a system of piracy in the Persian Gulf.3 folios
The letter is acknowledging the receipt of communications sent by the Resident dated 11 December 1825, 1 and 4 January 1826. In response, it instructs the Resident to reassure Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Sa‘īd, the Imam of Muscat (also spelt Muskat), that he has nothing to fear from the activities of British agents on the African coast, and that he is fully entitled to the assistance and friendship of the British.However, it is explained that the British Government does not acknowledge the existence of an offensive and defensive alliance between the two states; the neutrality of the Imam in Britain's recent war with France is used to illustrate this point. It further explains that previous joint expeditions had had — from the British point of view — the sole aim of suppressing piracy. It also notes that it is neither possible nor desirable for the British to enforce peace over the entirety of the Persian Gulf.A number of enclosures have been included in order to inform and guide the Political Resident in his future dealings with the Imam of Muscat. The item has four enclosures:1. Two copies (one in Arabic and one in English) of a letter from Jonathan Duncan, Governor of Bombay to Sultān Āl Sa‘īd, the Imam of Muscat, dated 27 May 1807.The letter is responding to communications from the Imam respecting Sheik Mahomed bin Jaber [Shaikh Muḥammad bin Jabr] and the ship
Hajee Adbolla bin Umee Ahmed [Hājjī ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Ummī Aḥmad]
.With respect to the former, the Imam is informed that no restrictions are placed on persons pursuing peaceful trade at Bombay. In respect of the ship, it is stated that she is in the process of being returned to her rightful owners, and it is noted that she will be treated as if she is British property.The Imam is also informed that the captured French brig
Vigilantis en route to Bombay for repair, and it is explained that it is the intention of the Bombay Government to send her to Muscat with her crew. She can therefore be restored to the Government of France, and the neutrality of the Imam assured.It is further noted that the HC Cruizer
Mornington, currently protecting the Port of Muscat, has been ordered to leave the Persian Gulf. If the Imam still feels the port requires the protection of a cruizer, he is asked to inform Lieutenant Hamilton.2. Two copies (one in Arabic and one in English) of a letter from George Brown, Governor of Bombay to Syyed Saeed [Sultān Āl Sa‘īd], Imam of Muscat, dated 20 November 1811.The letter is a response to a request sent by the Imam for an auxiliary force of troops to be dispatched to Muscat to assist him against the Wahabee [Wahhabi]. It explains that as no hostilities have taken place between the British and the Wahabee, the Bombay Government is not willing to accede to this request. It further notes that that if it did, the Imam would be expected to defray the cost of such a force.It does however state that the Bombay Government would be willing to send an expert bombardier to Muscat, if one volunteered; it is explained that the climate of Muscat has proven fatal to many Europeans, and as a result the Government is not willing to compel anyone to serve there.3. A copy of a letter from Francis Warden, Chief Secretary to the Government, Bombay to Captain Thomas Perronet Thompson, HM 17Dragoons and late Political Agent at Kishma [Qeshm], dated 10 January 1821.The letter blames the Captain for the failed expedition against the Beni Bow Alli [Banī Bū ‘Alī] tribe and accuses him of having over stepped his remit to suppress piracy by getting involved in the internal affairs of other powers; the Political Agent is accused of having worked against British interests and over stepped his authority by promising too much to the Imam of Muscat, Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Sa‘īd. The Captain's choice of recruiting a messenger from Muscat in order to communicate with the tribe is also considered to be highly questionable. The letter also announces the Captain's removal from his post and impending court martial.4. Extract from the summary of relations between Muscat and the British Government.The extract provides details on the history of Oman from 1798, and the state's interactions with the British. It covers British efforts to diminish French influence in Oman, and their respect for the Imam's neutrality during their war with France. It also details the extent of British co-operation in tackling piracy, and their reluctance to become embroiled in the Imam of Muscat's conflict with the Wahabee.25 folios
This letter refers to William Newnham's letter dated 22 February and transmits an original letter from the Governor of Bombay to Sooltan bin Suggur [Sulṭān bin Ṣaqr Āl Qāsimī, the ruler of Sharjah] together with English and Arabic copies for the Resident's information. Only the Arabic copy is enclosed and is dated 4 Sha‘bān 1242 [2 March 1827].2 folios
The volume contains letters sent to the British Resident at Bushire. The subject matter of the correspondence centres around the administration of the Bushire Residency, and company operations in the area. It therefore covers the wider commercial and political interests of the East India Company in the Persian Gulf, alongside those of the British Government during this period. This includes international relations between the British and the principal powers of the region; e.g. Persia, the Ottoman Empire, Muscat and Oman. It also concerns itself with piracy (as defined by British authorities) in the Persian Gulf; details of a British expedition which attacked Ra's al-Khaymah in 1819, and aimed to suppress 'piratical acts' in the region, can be found within.The volume does not cover the full time span indicated by the date range with the majority of the correspondence being from the period between 20 November 1816 to 29 December 1819. There are also a few letters inserted into the back of the volume of a much later date — January and February 1874 — sent to the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf via the office of the Assistant Resident. This correspondence concerns the financial affairs of the bin Rejubs [Bin Rajab] in Bahrain. The period from 1820 and 1873 is therefore not represented in this volume.The majority of the correspondence is in English with only a few items in Arabic towards the end of the volume.1 volume 272 items (162 folios)The letters are arranged chronologically by date received at Bushire, from 22 November 1816 to 29 December 1819. The last few letters in the volume are unrelated to this arrangement, and date January and February 1874; they are arranged in reverse order by date created. There is therefore a chronological jump near the end of the volume from 29 December 1819 to 22 February 1874.Foliation: The file has been foliated in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio with a pencil number. The foliation begins on the first folio of writing and ends on the last folio of writing.Pagination: The volume also has an original incomplete pagination sequence which consists of numbers in the top outermost corner of each page. The sequence which uses both ink and pencil numbers starts on the first folio of writing, with the number 1, and runs through to 151 (folio 76). The sequence continues on the verso of folio 77, with page number 152 and continues to folio 146 with number 283, however the numbering omits folios 80v-81v, 96v-97 and 130v-131.Condition: The file has suffered some pest damage, the individual folios which have been affected are recorded in the item level descriptions.
A volume of letters sent outwards. Most of the correspondence is from Nicholas Hankey Smith, Resident at Bushire, mainly to various company officials in India or elsewhere in the Gulf and surrounding regions. Correspondence is also frequently sent to Jaffer Ali Khan [Ja‘afar ‘Alī Khān], the Resident's native agent at Shiraz, along with various other Persian officials. From July 1808, correspondence is sent out by William Bruce, who becomes Acting Resident following the departure of Nicholas Hankey Smith. The volume also contains some letters inwards, mainly as enclosures to letters outward.The subject matter of the correspondence is the administration of the Bushire Residency, company trade and political matters in the Gulf. French diplomatic activity, and plans to advance on British India is also a frequent topic in the correspondence.The following abbreviations have been used:HCC - Honourable Company's CruizerHMS - His Majesty's Ship2 volumes, 314 items (212 folios)This was once a single volume that has since been split into two parts.Part 1: ff.1-96Part 2: ff.97-1942 volumes in one slipcaseFoliation: The foliation sequence runs through two volumes as a continuous sequence. It commences at the title page of volume one and terminates at the last folio of volume two; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The file contains the following foliation corrections: 1 is followed by 1A; 11 is followed by 11A; 117 is followed by 117A; 193 is followed by 193A.Pagination: An original pagination sequence also runs through both volumes between ff 1-194; these numbers are written in ink, and are located in the top outermost corner of each page. The pagination is intermittent in places as numbers have been lost as a result of damage to the folios.Condition: The volumes have suffered from extensive pest damage resulting in the loss of a significant amount of text, and as a result the content can be difficult to read in places.
Most of the letters are written by Lieutenant William Bruce, who was the Resident at this time. A handful of letters are written by James Orton, Assistant Surgeon at Bushire, who took temporary charge of the Residency while Bruce was away from Bushire. Subjects relating directly to the Residency include: accounts; stationery; military and marine expenses; and the sending of arms from Bombay to the Court of Persia, via Bushire. Broader themes within the letters include the procurement of sulphur for its use in India, the woollen and silk trades in Persia, and the threat of Āl Qāsimī pirates to British trade in the Persian Gulf.1 volume, 254 items (142 folios)The items are arranged in chronological order, beginning on 1 April 1813 and ending on 28 December 1814.1 volume in one slipcasePagination: This file has an original pagination sequence, which is written in ink, in the top right corner of each recto and the top left corner of each verso. This sequence runs until page 100. A later pagination sequence, which is written in pencil, begins at page 101. This sequence is inconsistent, with many numbers repeated out of sequence.Foliation: The volume has been foliated for referencing purposes by circling numbers in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. The sequence begins with the first letter, on number 1, and runs through to 138, ending on the inside of the back cover of the volume. This is the sequence that has been used by this catalogue to reference items within the volume.
This file is divided into two sections. The first section (folios 2-21) consists of fourteen letters from Bushire to Tehran, two letters from Bushire to Baghdad and two letters from Tehran to Bushire. The letters from Bushire are written by Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Resident in the Persian Gulf, to one of the following: His Excellency Colonel Justin Sheil CB, Her Majesty's Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Persia, Tehran; William Taylour Thomson, Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at the Court of Persia, Tehran; Colonel Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, Political Agent in Turkish Arabia, Baghdad. In addition, there are two letters from William Taylour Thomson to Arnold Burrowes Kemball. Subjects covered in the first section include: British relations with the Persian Government; the state of affairs in Tangestān and Bandar-e 'Abbās; the retrieval of consignments of indigo, which formed part of the plundered cargo of the
Centaur. The second section (folios 24-59) consists of fourteen letters from Commodore George Robinson, Commander of the Persian Gulf Squadron, to Kemball and eight letters addressed by Kemball to Robinson. Many of Robinson's letters include enclosed copies of letters from various officers of the Naval Squadron (namely Lieutenants James Tronson, Robert Anstice Stradling, Charles Golding Constable and David Rose Dakers), which include not only accounts of duties carried out in the lower end of the Gulf but also reports of intelligence received from the native agents at Sharjah and Bandar-e Lengeh respectively. Subjects covered include: attempts made by Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah Āl Sa‘ūd, ruler of the Second Saudi State, to obtain a tribute from the Governor of Muscat, Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘id al-Sa‘id, for the Al-Bāṭinah coast; the various duties carried out by officers of the Squadron, such as seizing boats that have imported slaves into ports along the Arab coast.1 volume, 39 items (60 folios)For the most part, the letters within the two divided sections proceed in chronological order, although there are several exceptions. The first section ranges in date from 6 January to 2 December 1853 while the second section ranges in date from 22 March to 8 November 1853.Pagination: There is an original pagination sequence which is written in ink, in the top right corners of the rectos and in the top left corners of the versos. The sequence is consistent, although not all of the pages have been paginated.Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. This sequence begins on the third folio after the front cover, on number 1A, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 62. It should be noted that the sequence begins on f 1A and is followed by f 1B and f 2. This is the sequence used by this catalogue to reference items within this file.
This file consists of letters written and received by James Felix Jones, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire. Aside from Jones, the two most prominent correspondents are Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government of Bombay, and Commodore Griffith Jenkins, Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf. Other correspondents include: Henry Young, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay; Cecil Beadon, Secretary to the Government of India, Fort William; and George Frederick Edmonstone, Secretary to the Government of India, Allahabad.The two main subjects of this file are the condition of the naval station at Bassidore [Bāsaʻīdū] and Britain's assumption of the sovereignty of India. The letters received from Griffith Jenkins are primarily concerned with the status of the naval station at Bassidore. In one of his letters to Jones (ff 5-8), dated 18 March 1858, Griffith Jenkins remarks on the total inefficiency of the naval establishment at Bassidore and solicits Jones's aid in presenting this issue to the Government so that arrangements can be made for its repair. The file includes a letter to Griffith Jenkins from a committee which has been appointed to report on the condition of the public buildings at Bassidore. This letter (ff 28-33), dated 18 March 1859, submits the committee's report on the condition of the port, the water tanks, the storehouses, the houses for liberated slaves, the smithy, the hospital and the sepoys' quarters at Bassidore.In his letters to Henry Lacon Anderson, Jones discusses the distribution of the ships of the Indian Naval Squadron and expresses his opinion on whether it is advisable for British subjects to engage in pearl fishing in the Persian Gulf.Jones's correspondence with Henry Young concerns the dissemination throughout the Gulf of copies of Her Majesty's proclamation on Britain's assumption of the sovereignty of India. Included with the received letters from India are printed extracts from the Government of India Act (1858) (ff 54-62), as well as translations of the aforementioned proclamation in Persian (handwritten, ff 43-46), Arabic (printed, f 48) and English (printed, ff 63-64).Further items on this subject include letters, both in Arabic (it is not clear whether the letters in Arabic are originals or transcriptions) and in English, from the Imam of Muscat, Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘id Āl Bū Sa‘īd, to Felix Jones (see ff 74-77 and f 80), in which Jones is informed that Her Majesty's assumption of the sovereignty of India was marked with the decoration and illumination of Muscat for three successive nights. In addition, there is a copy of a letter to the Resident which is written in Persian (ff 78v-79, name of correspondent unclear). These items are followed by translated purports of letters from the British Agents at Muscat and Sharjah (Khojeh Hiskale and Hajee Yacoob – see f 81 and ff 84-85 respectively), which convey the acknowledgements of the Imam of Muscat and other local rulers.1 volume (94 folios)For the most part, the letters in this file have been arranged in chronological order, proceeding from 25 February 1858 to 24 December 1859.Foliation: This file has a foliation sequence, which is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio of writing, on number 1, and ends on the final folio before the back cover, on number 96. This is the sequence that has been used to reference items within the file.
The file consists of a few letters sent to Ephraim Gerrish Stannus, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, by William Newnham, Chief Secretary to the Bombay Government. The subject is the status of the diplomatic relationship between the British Government and Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Sa‘īd, the Imam of Muscat; the British are willing to co-operate with the Imam in operations to suppress piracy, but are unwilling to get involved in wars between Muscat and other regional powers, such as the Wahhabi. The correspondence in the file, and its various enclosures, is intended to guide and inform the Resident's future conduct and decision making with regard to the Imam of Muscat.1 volume, 4 items (31 folios)The correspondence in the file is arranged chronologically by date created from 6 January to 11 February 1826.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the cover and terminates at the final sheet; 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 remains of a pagination sequence are also present between ff 2-32; these numbers are written in ink and are located in the top outermost corners of each page.