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.
This volume contains originals and copies of correspondence between Major Adelbert Cecil Talbot, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Her British Majesty's Consul General for Fars; Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, Secretary to the Government of India; Muḥammad Amīn bin Badr, temporary Residency Agent at Bahrain; ‘Abd al-Laṭīf bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān, Residency Agent at Sharjah; Commander Hart Dyke, Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf Division, Bushire; and Shaikh Rāshid bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm.The correspondence in this volume concerns the drafting, signing and ratification of the Exclusive Treaty (1892) with the shaikhs of the Trucial Coast and the Shaikh of Bahrain. The treaty bound themselves, their heirs and successors to the following conditions: (1) On no account shall any agreement or correspondence be entered into with any power other than the British Government; (2) Without the assent of the British Government, they shall not consent to the residence within their territories of the Agent of any other Government; and (3) On no account shall they cede, sell, mortgage or otherwise give for occupation any part of their territory save to the British Government. The treaty came in response to the intrigues of Hyacinthe-Alexandre Chapuy, a French merchant, with the chief of Umm al-Qaywayn, in 1891, and a period of Persian activity on the Arab coast of the Persian Gulf between 1887 and 1888, and the subsequent signing of an agreement between Edward Charles Ross, Political Resident and the Trucial Coast chiefs in August 1888.Copies of the ratified treaty in Arabic and English appear signed as follows: Ḥumayd bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Ras-el-Khymah [Ras al-Khaymah], dated 9 Sha‘bān 1309 and 8 March 1892 (folios 15-16); Aḥmad bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Mu‘allā, ruler of Um-el-Kawain, dated 9 Sha‘bān 1309 and 8 March 1892 [Umm al-Qaywayn] (folios 17-18); Ḥumayd bin Rāshid Āl Nu‘aymī, ruler of Ajman, dated 8 Sha‘bān 1309 and 7 March 1892 (folios 19-20); Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Shargah [Sharjah], dated 8 Sha‘bān 1309 and 7 March 1892 (folios 21-22); Rāshid bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm, ruler of Debai [Dubai], dated 8 Sha‘bān 1309 and 7 March 1892 (folios 23-24); Zāyid bin Khalīfah Āl Nahyān, ruler of Abu Dhabi, dated 6 Sha‘bān 1309 and 5 March 1892 (folios 25-26); and ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain, dated 14 Sha‘bān 1309 and 14 March 1892 (folios 27-28).The correspondence includes: a letter from Talbot to Durand, dated 29 September 1891, with information concerning the intrigues of Chapuy (folios 3-4); letter from Talbot to Durand, dated 19 October 1891, concerning the agreement of 1888, the intrigues of Chapuy and the suggestion for a treaty with the chiefs of the Trucial coast (folios 6-7); approval for the treaty given by the Government of India (folio 10); copies sent for ratification (folio 12); suggestions for minor adaptations to the wording (folio 29); copies of the ratified treaty sent to the chiefs of the Trucial Coast and Bahrain with Commander Hart Dyke (folios 31-38); letter from the Shaikh of Bahrain to the Talbot confirming receipt (folios 39-40); and correspondence with the ShAikh of Dubai acknowledging receipt, questioning the ratification and criticising the Native Agent (folios 47-59).1 volume (71 folios)The volume contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest at the front of the volume to the latest at the end.Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the front cover, and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence is present between folios 3-66; these numbers are written in pencil & red crayon, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. Foliation errors: 9, and 9A; 62, and 62A; 65, and 65A. Foliation omissions: folio 2.
This file contains correspondence concerning the Persian claim to the island of Sirrī, as well as their claim to and occupation of that place. In addition there is information concerning rival claims by Trucial Coast rulers, details concerning Dubai pearl divers on the island and details concerning other Persian Gulf islands, including Abu Musa [Abū Mūsá] and Tanb [Ṭanb].The correspondence in this file is between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; ‘Abd al-Qasim and ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, Residency Agents at Sharjah; Āghā Muḥammad Amīn Badr, Residency Agent at Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh]; Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Sharjah; Maktūm bin Ḥashr Āl Maktūm, ruler of Dubai; and various British officials in the Foreign Department of the Government of India. There are also copies of correspondence between India Office and Foreign Office officials.Folio 2 is an index, and folios 4-9 are a precis of documents within the file for folios 10-115. Subjects covered include: Persian flag hoisted on Sirri [Sirrī] (folios 18, 48); Persian refusal to remove the flag (folios 127-131); Memorandum by the Resident on Persian refusal (folios 141-144); Hajji Ahmad Khan [Hājjī Aḥmad Khān]'s Report (folios 80-93); Legation correspondence with the Persian Foreign Office (folios 70-77); Documents tendered in support of the Persian claim (folio 52-59); Shaikh of Shargah [Sharjah]'s claims to Sirri (folios 27-28); Persian claim to Abu Musa island (folio 80); Shaikh of Debai [Dubai] complains of pearl divers absconding to Sirri and the Persian Coast (folios 116-118, 154-160, 167-190); Chief of Ras El Khaimah [Ras al-Khaymah]'s claim to Tanb island (folios 22, 209).Notable documents within the file include: a precis of correspondence about occupation of the island of Sirri (folios 109-113); a report entitled
Question of the status of the Island of Sirri(ff. 165-166); a report by the Residency Agent at Lingah on the island of Sirri in Persian and English translation (ff. 200-202); correspondence with Sir Mortimer Durand regarding the island of Sirri (folios 211-215); and a statement by the Shaikh of Sharjah (f. 65).1 volume (235 folios)The file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: The foliation number is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the third folio after the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 227. The file contains the following foliation amendments: folio 1 is followed by folios 1A and 1B; no folio 3; folio 92 is followed by folio 92A; folio 156 is followed by folio 156A; folio 171 is followed by folio 171A.
Volume regarding affairs in Muscat relating to Syed Torkee [Turkī ibn Saʻīd Āl Sa‘īd] of Sohar's rebellious actions against Syed Soweynee [Thuwaynī ibn Saʻīd Āl Sa‘īd].The volume discusses the Joasmee [Āl Qāsimī] Chief's attempts at spreading dissention in Oman; the involvement of their brothers Sayid Majed [Mājid ibn Saʻīd] Sultan of Zanzibar and Syed Burgash [Barghash ibn Sa'id]; attempts at reconciliations between the brothers; the actions of the British Agent at Muscat (Lieutenant Walter Murray Pengelly) which were not approved of by the Government of Bombay; Wahabee [Wahhabi] interests in Sohar; and Sohar eventually being given over to Syed Soweynee, with Syed Torkee being confined to a fort in Muscat, which led to a large scale rebellion against Syed Soweynee. Contained within the volume are several letters in Arabic, some with translations, and one letter with translation in Hebrew.From folio 10 onwards the volume has been divided into smaller sections, each with their own subheading:English correspondence regarding differences between H H Syed Soweynee, Imam of Muscat and H H Brother Syed Turki of Sohar 1857-1860 (ff 10-119);Correspondence regarding piracies attended with murder during hostilities between the Chief of Sohar and the Imam of Muscat (ff 120-141);H H Syed Soweynee quarrel with Syed Majid of Zanzibar, Syed Bughash and Syed Torkee [who?] figure in the compilation (ff 142-194);Correspondence about Sued Soweynee's disputes with Syed Majid. Syed Soweynee intriguing secretly with the French attended to herein, also Syed Burgesh and Syed Torkee (ff 195-225);Miscellaneous. Complaints from Bombay Native Merchants against the authorities at Muscat for demanding customs upon the cargo of the Buglah
Fath El Khair; complaints of Syed Soweynee's indifference towards British Commissariat interests at Muscat; an attack on the
Fath El Khairsouth of Ras El Had [Ra’s al Ḩadd] (ff 226-317).Also included in the volume are four folios of manifest registers for goods exported by Bugla [Buggalow] to Aden produced 17 September 1856, which were sent to Colonel Atkins Hamerton, British Consul at Zanzibar in January 1857.The principal correspondents within the volume are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Commander James Felix Jones); the Secretary to Government, Political Department, Bombay (Henry Lacon Anderson); the Native Agent at Muscat (Khoja Hiskale); the British Native Agent at Shargah [Sharjah] (Haji Yaqub); the Commander of the Persian Gulf Squadron (Commodore Griffith Jenkins, Commodore Henry Albert Matthew Drought); the British Agent at Muscat (Lieutenant Walter Murray Pengelly); the Imam of Muscat (Thuwaynī ibn Saʻīd Āl Sa‘īd); Her Majesty's Consul and British Agent at Zanzibar (Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Palmer Rigby, Colonel Atkins Hamerton).1 volume (327 folios)The file has been separated into sections, with the correspondence within each section being arranged chronologically according to the date it was received at the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences on the title page and terminates on the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Foliation anomalies: 1, 1A, 1B, 164, 164A, 165, 165A, 166, 166A.Folios 256, 257, 258 and 259 are blank.
The volume contains copies of correspondence sent and original correspondence received by the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf, Bushire, relating to Bahrein [Bahrain] and the Wahabees [Wahhabis]. The Political Resident in the Persian Gulf throughout the period was Captain (James) Felix Jones.The main correspondents are Hajee Jassem [Ḥājjī Jāsim], British Agent at Bahrein; Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government, Bombay, and Acting Secretaries to Government, Bombay; Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident in the Persian Gulf; Commanders of the Persian Gulf Squadron; Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Political Agent in Turkish Arabia, Baghdad; Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Sheikh (or Chief) of Bahrein [Muḥammed bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah]; Mahomed bin Abdullah [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh], Sheikh (or Chief) of Demaum [Dammām]; and other local rulers and officials. Correspondence from local rulers and officials is mostly translated into English, but there are two letters in the original.The papers include: reports of relations between the Sheikhs of Demaum and Bahrein; infringements of maritime peace; rules observed by the Resident in registering British subjects in Bahrein, and in defining their privileges of exemption from taxation, June - August 1861 (folios 23-27); account of 'vexatious' behaviour by the Sheikh of Bahrein towards the British Agent and British subjects trading in his territories, September 1858 - March 1861 (folios 103-127); moves by the Ottoman Empire and Persia to obtain influence over Bahrein, March 1859- January 1862 (folios 150-187); and the removal of Mahomed bin Abdullah from Demaum, and the first visit to the backwaters and shallows south of Bahrein by the steam gunboat
Hugh Rose, June 1861 - January 1862 (folios 169-220).1 volume (226 folios)The correspondence is divided into separate subject groups numbered 1-15 (excluding 11), each with an introductory page entitled 'Head IV. Bahrein & Wahabee', followed by a subject number and title, e.g. 'Subject 15 Miscellaneous' (folio 222). Within each subject group, the correspondence is recorded in chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 227 on the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomaly: ff 70A and 70B.Condition: there are holes resulting from insect damage and damage to the edges of pages throughout the volume. This occasionally results in loss of text.
The volume contains official tour reports of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Captain (James) Felix Jones, with supporting correspondence and papers, for the years 1858 and 1859. There is a title page within the volume stating : 'Head IX. Subject 2, Part 1. Resident's Tour. Reports for the years 1858 & 1859' (folio 1). The volume also contains correspondence and papers concerning the tours of 1860 and 1861. This section is introduced by a second title page stating 'Head IX. Tour Reports. Subject 2, Part 2. Tour reports for 1860 ad 1861' (folio 91).The 1858 report covers the tour of Jones aboard the HC (Honourable Company's) steam frigate
Assayeto Bahrein [Bahrain], Abothubee [Abu Dhabi], Debai [Dubai], Shargah [Sharjah], Amulgawein [Umm al Qaywayn], the Pirate Coast, Bunder Abbass [Bandar-e ʻAbbās], Bassidore [Bāsa‘īdū], Lingeh [Bandar-e Lingeh], Maghoo [Bandar-e Moghūyeh], Charrack [Bandar-e Chārak], and Congoon [Bandar e-Kangan]. Issues covered include:the treatment of Mahomed ben Abdullah [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh] of Demam [Dammām] by Mahomed ben Khaleefa [Muḥammed bin Khalīfah], Chief of Bahrain (folios 4-6);the suppression of slavery;piracy;the pearl trade;the conduct of local rulers;account of internal dissensions in Shargah (folio 8);the imposition of penalties on the Joasmee [Āl Qāsimī] tribe for infractions of maritime peace (folios 8-9);reports of conversations with the Imam of Muscat [Thuwaynī ibn Saʻīd Āl Sa‘īd] at Bunder Abbass, including the conclusion of an agreement between the Resident and Imam on the complete suppression of slavery (folios 11-14; copies of the agreement in Arabic and English follow the report on folios 21-22);the poor condition of the naval station at Bassidore (folios 14-15; related correspondence: folios 24-29);the importance of the Resident's making his tour in the
Assaye, as means of impressing the maritime tribes and settling local disputes (folios 2, 19-20);instructions for HajeeYacoob [Ḥājī Ya‘qūb], Agent at Shargah, left by the Resident on 31 May 1858.The 1859 report covers Jones's tour aboard HM steam frigate
Zenobiato Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi], Debaye [Dubai], Shargah, Ejmaun [Ajman], Amulgavine [Umm al Qaywayn], Ras ul Khymah [Ras al-Khaymah] and Joasmee Chief, Sheeheyheen [Sharqiyin] Ports, Muscat, Bassidore, Lingah [Bandar-e Lingeh], Charrack, Asseloo [Bandar-e `Asaluyeh], and Bahrein. Issues covered include:internal dissensions in Shargah and the activities of the Wahabees [Wahhabis] in the area (folios 43-47);the Resident's censure and fining of Sheikh Abdullah ben Rashid [Abdullah I bin Rashid Al Mu`alla] of Amulgavine, whom he accused of fomenting the troubles at Shargah and committing other offences (folios 48-51);remarks on the pearl fishery of Bahrein and Socotra [Suqutrá] (folios 66-67);slavery;piracy.The papers relating to the tour reports of 1860 and 1861 include correspondence (June 1860-March 1863) between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government, Bombay; statement of outstanding fines adjusted by the Political Resident, Persian Gulf during tour of 1860 (folios 94-95); statement of fines etc. carried to the credit of the Government in cash accounts rendered from the Residency in the Persian Gulf between April 1858 and June 1860 (folios 100-101); and statement of complaints adjusted by HBM's Political Resident in the Persian Gulf during the tour of the Persian Gulf in 1861. Jones remarks in his correspondence with Anderson on the 'perfect tranquillity' that prevailed in the Persian Gulf in those years.1 volume (115 folios)The volume contains the tour report of 1858, consisting of an introductory page entitled 'Secret Department No. 184 of 1858, Tour Report 1858' (folio 2), the report itself (folios 3-20), and accompanying correspondence and papers (folios 21-36); the tour report for 1859, consisting of an introductory page entitled 'Secret Department No. 196 of 1859, Tour of 1858' (folio 38), the report itself (folios 39-67), and accompanying correspondence and papers (folios 69-89); and correspondence and papers relating to the tour reports for 1860 and 1861 (folios 91-112).Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the second folio after the cover and terminates at 114, the last folio before the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle, and appear in the top right corner of the recto page of each folio. This is the system used to determine the order of pages.Pagination: there is also a local pagination sequence numbered 1-54 (folios 41-67).
The majority of this volume includes letters from the Secretary to the Government of Bombay to Lieutenant John MacLeod, Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire. They concern details of his appointment following the dismissal of Captain William Bruce and various instructions, including regarding the withdrawal from the island of Qishm; the salaries of the Native Agents; claims of Raḥmah bin Jābir and ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah, the ruler of Bahrain; and providing a pension to the family of Mahdī ‘Alī Khān. There is one letter from the Secretary to the Government of India to Lieutenant-Colonel Ephraim Gerrish Stannus following the death of MacLeod.1 volume, 17 items (145 folios)Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An original pagination sequence written in ink runs between ff. 1C-141, it can be found in the top right and the top left corners of the recto and verso sides respectively. Foliation errors: 1A, 1B and 1C.
The file contains:Letters exchanged between the British Government in London, the British Government of India and the Bombay Government, the British Resident in the Persian Gulf and the British Agent Muscat, September 1840 to February 1841 about alleged French demands on the East African territories of the Imaum of Muscat in the vicinity of Zanzibar (folios 2-10);Letters exchanged between the British Envoy to Persia and the British Resident in the Persian Gulf, and an intelligence report from the British Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf, concerning Persian affairs, April 1841 (folios 23-25) and the evacuation of British troops from the Island of Karrack [Khārk, Jazīreh-ye], October 1841 (folios 40-41);Intelligence reports submitted by the British Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf to the Superintendent of the Indian Navy, February-March 1841 (folios12-19) and the British Resident in the Persian Gulf, March 1841 (folios 20-22) and which include English translations of letters from Sheikh Mucktoom [Maktūm] of Dubai (folio 19) and Sheikh Salmin ben Nassur of El Biddah [Doha] (folio 16), together with two Arabic promissory notes from the latter Sheikh (folios 23A and 23B). The reports relate to the British naval patrol of the Trucial Coast in the winter of 1841, referring to hostilities between the Chiefs of the Arab Ports and British enforcement of the Maritime Peace Treaty by the collection of money and goods from chiefs who had given protection to pirates or who had failed to take measures against any of their subjects known to have committed acts of piracy, as compensation to the rightful owners of plundered boats;Intelligence reports submitted by the British Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf to the British Resident in the Persian Gulf, July-October 1841 (folios 26-39) regarding his patrol of the Pearl Fishery banks during the summer pearling season.1 file (40 folios)The letters are arranged chronologically. Several letters incorporate copies of earlier letters (folios 16-17, 19, 23A-23B) or enclose them separately (folios 6-8).Foliation: the letters are numbered 2-50, 23A, 23B, 23, 24-41, from front to back. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right corner and encircled, on the recto. Two small documents numbered 23A and 23B form a single folio. The front of the file cover is numbered 1.Pagination: the contents of the file were originally numbered in ink as follows: 29-33, 46-53, 69-70, 87-104, 106, 118-119, 123-125, 197-203, 212-223, 245-248, 250-251, 264. Blank pages and pages containing brief details such as name and address are unnumbered.One of two Arabic seals that appear on the reverse side of two Arabic promissory notes (folios 23A and 23B) is partly obscured by the strip of paper to which both documents are attached.
The file contains letters received by Captain Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, from the Government of Bombay, between 1843 and 1848. Some correspondents address him as Major Hennell rather than Captain Hennell. A few of the letters received in 1843 are addressed instead to Lieutenant Arnold Burrowes Kemball, the Assistant British Political Resident in charge of the Persian Gulf Residency, during the absence of Captain Hennell.Most letters received between 1846 and 1848 are from Arthur Malet, Secretary to the Government of Bombay. Letters received between 1843 and 1846 are from J P Willoughby and other secretaries to the Government of Bombay.The letters contain information, guidance and instructions from the Governor in Council of Bombay. The letters often contain or enclose separately, copies of pertinent correspondence between other British officials, including: the Governor General of India in Council, Calcutta; Captain Atkins Hamerton, British Political Agent for the dominions of the Imam of Muscat, based in Zanzibar; the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, London; Lord Aberdeen and his successor Lord Palmerston, as British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London.All file correspondence is in English, except for one letter from the Imam of Muscat to the Governor General of India, dated January 1846, for which there is an Arabic copy as well as an English translation (folios 32-34).The letters and their enclosures discuss events in East Africa and the Persian Gulf between 1843 and 1848 and the implications for British foreign policy, relations and interests in the region. The main topics discussed are the suppression of the maritime slave trade, the actions of the Imam of Muscat and the Chief of Bahrain and the territorial ambitions of Turkey and Persia, as follows:Legal opinion about the liability of British subjects to incur penalties for entering into slave transactions in Muscat, under the anti-slavery provisions in the treaties of 1822 and 1839 between Great Britain and the Imam of Muscat, 1843 (folios 2-7);Measures by the Imam of Muscat to prohibit the African slave trade between his East African ports and his ports in the Persian Gulf, 1846-1847 (folios 35-37);British response to the plans of the Imam of Muscat to invade Bahrain, 1845 (folios 19-21), blockade the Persian port of Bushire, 1846-1847 (folios 31-34, 38-39, 51-53) and take retaliatory measures against Persian ports and vessels, following Persian oppressions against his Governor of Bunder Abbas and other of his dependencies in Persia, 1848 (88-92, 95-99, 110);British cooperation with Turkey and Persia for the suppression of the maritime slave trade, following the prohibition by their rulers, on the importation of African slaves into the Persian Gulf ports under Turkish and Persian control respectively, 1847-1848 (folios 49-50; 74-78; 82, 101-105);Legal opinions and naval instructions 1847-1848, about the powers of British naval ships and courts in India to seize, condemn and confiscate African slave ships intercepted in the ports and seas of East Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf, under the terms of the treaties concluded by the British Government with the Imam of Muscat in 1845 and the Arab Chiefs of the Trucial Coast in 1847 (folios 54-57, 63-65, 69-73, 84-87, 106-109);British intentions to negotiate new trade and anti-slavery treaties, 1847-1848, with the Arab Chiefs of Bahrain (folios 76, 82, 93-94) and Sohar (folio 100) in the Persian Gulf;British suspicions about Turkish ambitions to supremacy over Bahrain and other Arab sheikdoms on the Trucial Coast, 1847 (folios 62, 74-78), British resistance to Persian involvement in the disputes between the rival Arab chiefs claiming sovereignty of Bahrain, 1844 (folios 11-18), an English translation of the claim advanced by the Persian Government to the sovereignty of Bahrain and an assessment of its legal validity by the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company in London, 1845 (folios 22-30);Opinion of Lord Palmerston, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London that British naval ships operating in the Persian Gulf do not have the right to pursue and seize pirates beyond the Restrictive Line, into the Euphrates and other rivers in Turkey, or to detain them in the open sea for offences committed within Turkish limits, 1847-1848 (folios 45-48; 58-62; 74-78);Approval by Lord Palmerston, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London given for the use of British naval ships to defend Bahrain, at the request of its chief, Sheik Mahomed bin Khuleefa, in the event of an attack by disaffected members of the Uttobee tribe, who had left Bahrain and sought refuge on the island of Kenn, near the Persian coast, 1847-1848 (folios 66-68, 79-81, 83).1 file (111 folios)The letters are arranged chronologically. Many letters incorporate copied extracts from earlier letters or enclose them separately.Foliation: numbered 2 to 112, from the front to back of the file. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled. The front of the file cover is numbered 1. The back of the file cover is unnumbered.Present in the file are remnants of earlier foliation and pagination sequences, written in ink. Most folios have been numbered twice, usually on both the recto and verso, in the top right or left hand corner respectively. The main numbering system runs from 15 to 356, with gaps, from the front to the back of the file. The other main numbering system is made up of multiple sequences between 100 and 500, in no particular order. The blank verso of any folio is usually unnumbered.
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 contains letters sent outwards and letters received from the Residency in the Persian Gulf. Outgoing correspondence was sent by the Resident of the Persian Gulf, who was Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell until April 1852. After April 1852, the Resident was Captain Arnold Kemball, who worked in the capacity of Acting Resident from April to June 1852. Outcoming correspondence is marked as coming from the 'Political Department.' Most of the Resident's correspondence was sent to Arthur Malet, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay. Much of the volume's inward correspondence is from Malet.The subject matter of the volume is as follows: Bahrain affairs (ff 2-71); Arabian coast affairs (ff 73-128); the slave trade (ff 220-96); Muscat affairs (ff 298-326).1 file in two volumes (122 items, 338 folios)There are three levels of arrangement within the file. At the top level, there is a thematic arrangement, divided into 'Bahrain', 'Arabian Coast', 'Slave Trade' and 'Muscat.' Each of these thematic sections has a title cover page. Within each thematic section, the correspondence has been arranged in rough chronological order, beginning with the earliest items and finishing with the latest. The chronological sequences are approximate rather than precise, as a result of the Resident's outward letters and accompanying enclosures, along with inward replies to them, being grouped together.This was once a single volume that has since been split into two parts.Foliation: Through both volumes of the file there is an original pagination sequence, written in ink in the top-right corner of each recto and the top-left corner of each verso. The pagination sequence is inconsistent, perhaps due to the fact that the items in the volume have been compiled from various sources. the foliation system used in both volumes is written in pencil in the top-right corner of each recto page. It runs from 1 (title page) to 164 (inside back cover) in volume 1, and from 162 (first item) to 328 (inside back cover) in the volume 2.
The volume contains secret correspondence (original correspondence received and copies of correspondence sent) within the following three separate categories: Bahrein [Bahrain]; Muscat and Bunder Abbass [Bandar Abbas] (and local); and miscellaneous and local. The Resident in the Persian Gulf during the period covered by the volumes was Commander (James) Felix Jones (acting until July 1856).The correspondence is principally with Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government, Bombay and other East India Company officials, including Commodore Richard Ethersey, Indian Navy, commanding the Persian Gulf Squadron; Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Political Agent, Turkish Arabia; and the commanders of vessels of the Indian Navy. There is also correspondence with other British officials, including Charles Augustus Murray, Envoy and Minister-Plenipotentiary to the Court of Persia, and correspondence (some of it in Arabic) with local rulers and Persian officials.General topics include:the slave trade;political intelligence;the Wahabees [Wahhabis];the operations of the Indian Navy in the Persian Gulf;Russian involvement in Persia;relations with Persia;administrative matters;appointments;the transmission of dispatches around the region;pearl fishing;the Anglo-Persian War (1856-57).Specific topics include:correspondence concerning the effect of the British suppression of the slave trade, January - May 1856 (folios 12-19);correspondence concerning the migration of the Al Ali tribe to Demaum [Dammām], March 1856 - January 1857 (folios 20-90);correspondence concerning relations between Muscat and Persia in the light of the claim of the Imam of Muscat to Bunder Abbas [Bandar Abbas], February - August 1856 (folios 92-110);letter from Jones to Henry Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident, Persian Gulf, dated 3 May 1856, briefing him on his duties at Bushire during Jones's temporary absence (folio 144);papers concerning Civil Surgeons' fees for attendance on the families of public officers of the East India Company in the light of the unhealthy nature of the climate at Bushire, June - September 1856 (folios 148-152);correspondence between Jones and the Government of Bombay and between Jones and the staff officers of the Bombay Army, concerning military operations in the Persian Gulf, September 1856 - February 1857 (folios 172-297).2 volumes (305 folios)The volumes are divided into three parts, with separate title pages: 'Secret Records 1856/57, Bushire Residency, Bahrein [Bahrain]' (ff 11-90); '1856/57 Secret Records, Bushire Residency, Muscat and Bunder Abbass [Bandar Abbas]' (ff 91-112); and '1856/57 Secret Letters, Bushire Residency, Miscellaneous' (ff 113-297). Within each section the correspondence is arranged in approximate chronological order. There is an index between ff 4-9. This is divided into three sections corresponding to the three parts of the volumes: 'Bahrein' (ff 4-5); 'Muscat and Bunder Abbass and Local' (f 5); and 'Miscellaneous and Local' (ff 5-9). The index is entered in the same order as the correspondence and has columns for number, address, subject, and page.Foliation: the foliation sequence runs across the two volumes into which this record has been bound (Part 1 ff 1-141B; Part 2 ff 142-299). The foliation sequence commences at 1 on the (modern) title page of volume one and terminates at 299, the last folio before the back cover of volume two. The numbers are written in pencil and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff 141, 141A, 141B. This is the system in use.Pagination: three original pagination sequences, which generally number only those pages bearing text, numbered 1-124 (ff 12-90); 1-30 (ff 92-111); and 1-305 (ff 113-297) are also present. The numbers are written in ink and appear in various positions at the top of each page.
Correspondence regarding relations between the people of Bahrein [Bahrain] and the Wahabees [Wahhabis] and the involvement of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Captain (James) Felix Jones, in affairs.The correspondence consists of letters and reports sent by Captain Jones to the Secretary to Government at Bombay (Henry Lacon Anderson, Alexander Kinloch Forbes) describing the situation in Bahrein in which an atmosphere of anxiety and alarm had arisen over reports that Mahomed ben Abdullah, Chief of Demaum [Dammam] was amassing men and boats for an attack on Bahrein, and detailing the response by Captain Jones to these reports, including the decision to send British vessels of war to help boost morale and assist in the defence of Bahrein; investigations made by these vessels into the forces massing to attack Bahrein; and the seizing of boats and vessels belonging to the Chief of Demaum and his supports. Also included is a copy of the Government resolution permitting Captain Jones to have Mahomed ben Abdullah and his supporters forcibly removed from Demaum.Enclosed with them are copies of correspondence and reports on affairs at Bahrein including accounts of the forces massing at ports including Demaum and Katiff [Al Qaţīf], which were sent to and from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf by Hajee Jassem [Haji Jasim], British Agent at Bahrain; Shaikh Mahomed ben Khalifah (also written bin Khuleefa) [Muḥammed bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah], Chief of Bahrein; Sheikh Alee bin Khuleefa [‘Alī bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah]; [Sheikh Mahomed ben Abdullah [Muḥammed bin‘Abdullāh], Chief of Demaum; Ameer Fysul ben Torkee [Faisal ibn Turki], Ruler of Nedjd [Najd]; The Senior Naval Officer Commanding the Persian Gulf Squadron (Charles Golding Constable, Charles John Cruttenden) ; Commander Philip William Fendell of HMS
Falkland; Commander Richard William Whish of HM Schooner
Mahi; and Commander William Balfour of HM Steam Frigate
Semiramis.Also included in the file is correspondence with Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson and Charles Alison, Her British Majesty's Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia, and Lewis Pelly, Charge d'Affaires at the Court of Persia, regarding Mirza Mehdi, Persian Agent for Foreign Affairs at Bushire, who is sent by the Prince Governor of Farsistan [Fārs] on a special mission to meet Ameer Fysul, Ruler of Nedjd [Najd] to discuss safe passage for Persian Pilgrims to Mecca, which the Political Resident believes is also being used as an opportunity to discuss Bahrein, which the Persians and the Wahabees have both laid claim to. Further correspondence on the matter includes intelligence reports from the British Agent at Bahrein, Hajee Jassem, including the arrival of Turkish emissaries at Bahrein and the decision by the Shaikh of Bahrein to hoist the Persian Flag at his forts.Later correspondence includes letters to and from Richard Rogers, Officiating Political Agent at Basreh [Basra], John McAdam Hyslop, Officiating Political Agent in Turkish Arabia, and Sir Henry Lytton Bulwer, HBM's Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire regarding Turkish functionaries who had been sent on a mission from Basreh to Bahrein; and the raising of the Turkish flag at Bahrein. This correspondence also includes letters written in both English and Ottoman Turkish to the Governor-General of Baghdad, and copies of letters in Arabic from the Shaikh of Bahrein to the Pasha of Baghdad.The file concludes with correspondence relating to Mahomed ben Khuleefa's attempts at retaliation, including blockading the Wahabee ports of Demaum and Katiff; and the decision in May 1861 to sign a convention and bond with the British Government:Terms of a friendly convention entered into between Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa, independent ruler of Bahrein on the part of himself and successors, and Captain Felix Jones, Her Majesty's Indian Navy, Political Resident of Her Britanic Majesty in the Gulf of Persia on the part of the British Government, 1 May 1861, in Arabic and English (ff 321-326).Translation of a bond sealed by Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa of Bahrein and entered into by him with Captain Felix Jones, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, 31 May 1861, in Arabic and English (ff 327-328).2 volumes (354 folios)The correspondence has been arranged chronologically according to the date of its receipt or despatch from the Political Residency in Bushire.Foliation: The foliation sequence runs across the two volumes, and is therefore split into two ranges ff. 1-182 & ff. 183-341. It commences at the first folio of writing in volume one and terminates at the last folio of writing in volume two. These numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right hand corner of the recto side of each folio. Foliation errors: 1, 1A.
The volume contains a mix of inward and outward letters, received and sent from the Residency. Most of the letters are outward letters, sent by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Ephraim Gerrish Stannus, Resident in the Persian Gulf, to various representatives of the Government of Bombay.The letters in the volume fall into three main categories:Reports on events in the Gulf, primarily concerning the hostilities being waged and peace deals brokered between the various tribes. Intelligence on the activities of Rahma bin Jaber [Raḥmah bin Jābir] appear extensively throughout the volume;The financial administration of the Residency, including such matters as disbursements and bills of exchange, which are sent onwards to the Accountant General in Bombay;Letters confirming the receipt of despatches, or covering notes forwarded with onward despatches, often sent between Basra or Tehran and Bombay.1 volume, 59 items (92 folios)The items in the file, as outlined in a handwritten note made on the front cover made by an archivist in 1955 (folio 1), originally comprised three separate files (volumes 37, 38 and 40), but have been merged together and arranged into a complete chronological order, from the earliest item at the front of the file, to the latest at the end. A number of the letters included are incomplete.1 volume in one slipcaseFoliation: The foliation system starts on the first page of content and runs to the last page of content, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The front cover, front fly-leaf, rear fly-leaf and inside back cover are unfoliated.There is an earlier, possibly original pagination system that runs inconsistently throughout the volume, located in either the top-right or top-left of recto and some verso pages. The inconsistency of this pagination sequence is likely a result of the volume being comprised of three original volumes (each with their own pagination sequences) being merged into one volume.
The file consists of miscellaneous official and demi-official correspondence relating to the outbreak of World War One and its impact on Bahrain (which is generally referred to in the papers as Bahrein). Most of the correspondence dates from 1914.The papers largely consist of correspondence from the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, but also includes correspondence in Arabic and English between Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa [Sheikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah], Ruler of Bahrain and the Political Agent. The papers include regular reports by the Political Agent on general conditions in Bahrain. Specific topics include: proposed increase in Agency guard, June 1914; proposed regulations covering foodstuffs, pearls and security [1914]; Turkey, and the possibility of Turkish support for Bin Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Sa‘ūd)], July 1914; the pearl trade, August 1914; prohibition of export of foodstuffs, August 1914; food prices, August, October 1914; effect on customs receipts, September 1914; problems caused by unemployed Kurds and Basris in Bahrain, September - October 1914; distress among pearl divers, September 1914; currency issues, October 1914; rumours of German ships in the Persian Gulf, October 1914; the services rendered by Sheikh Abdullah [Sheikh ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah] to the British, the statement that he had been the moving spirit behind the donation of 9600 rupees by Sheikh Isa's family to British charitable war funds, and the recommendation that he receive an honour, November 1914; and hardship caused by the infrequent arrival of mails, March 1917.1 file (81 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1A on the front cover and terminates at 81 on the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 1A, 1B; ff. 16A, 16B; ff. 78A, 78B, 78C, 78D, 78E. In some places the foliation system has numbered versos as well as rectos, with the result that folios 35, 41, 49 and 63 are missing from the recto pages. The following folio needs to be folded out to be read: 78E.
Bushire Residency correspondence, inwards and outwards. The correspondence is mainly concerned with the recovery of fines exacted against the rulers of the Trucial Coast. The reasons for the fines include breaching the maritime peace, abducting of slaves, and plundering of pearls. Topics include:Recovery of financial penalties levied for breach of maritime peace from various rulers on the Gulf coast including the Sharjah Chief; Himreeah [Hamriyah] Chief; Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh] Chief; Shaikh of Koomjar; Charrack. A table 'Return of Cash received from Shaikhs between 28th January and 17th February 1860' is given on folio 207;Joasmee [Qasimi] Chiefs dispute with the Sharkeeyeen [Sharqiyin] tribe at Dibba. The Joasmee chief Shaikh Sultan bin Saggar [Saqr] attempted to correspond with the Indian Government who referred him to the Resident in the Persian Gulf, Commander Felix Jones, who refuted his complaint;Commendations passed by Captain Felix Jones, Resident in the Persian Gulf, on Lieutenant Carpendale, Commander, Her Company's Corvette
Falklands, for recovery of fines from the Shaikhs of Sharjah and Himriyah;Correspondence directing the 'Aboothabee chief not to aid the Imaum of Oman against his brother, the Sohar Chief' (subject 14);Attack on Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi] in 1856 (subject 18);Slave traffic connected with Joasmee Chief and East Coast of Oman.The correspondence is mainly in English except for the following letters in Arabic: f 152; copy of letter from Senior Officer to Shaikh Zaid bin Khalifah, Aboothabee (f. 177); copy of letter from Senior Officer to Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashid of Oomulqawein [Umm al Qaywayn]; letter from Sheikh Sultan bin Saggar [Saqr] to Haji Yakoob (ff 179-180) ; Haji Ahmad (f. 181); Correspondents include: Commander Felix Jones, Resident in the Persian Gulf; Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government, Bombay; Commodore Griffith Jenkins, Commander, Persian Gulf Squadron; Hajee Yakoob, British Agent in Sharjah; rulers of Trucial Coast.1 volume (334 folios)The volume is arranged in 18 subject headings which give further details on the content contained in the subject: headingSubject 1 (folio 10);Subject 2 (folio 25);Subject 3 (folio 68);Subject 4 (folio 113);Subject 5 (folio 124);Subject 6 (folio 139);Subject 7 (folio 149);Subject 8 (folio 197);Subject 9 (folio 205);Subject 10 (folio 210);Subject 11 (folio 218);Subject 12 (folio 227);Subject 13 (folio 239);Subject 14 (folio 215);Subject 15 (folio 250);Subject 16 (folio 262);Subject 17 (folio 266);Subject 18 (folio 275).Foliation: Foliated with pencil number in top right front corner of each folio from front to back excluding covers and blank pages. Foliation anomalies: 1A,1B,1C,1D
The file comprises letters and their enclosures, sent under the heading of ‘Secret Department’, to the Resident in the Persian Gulf (Captain Samuel Hennell). The letters are sent by LR Reid, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay.The file’s contents include correspondence relating to:the Imam of Muscat’s desire to return the yacht
Prince Regent, given to him by King William the Fourth, and arrangements for its repairs at Bombay (folios 2-13, 76-77);praise for and costs associated with Captain Hamerton’s journey to Brymee [Al Buraymī] (folio 14);the ratification of the Convention of Commerce agreed between the British Government and the Imam of Muscat at Zanzibar on 31 May 1839 (folios 14-39), including a copy of a letter (in English and Arabic) from Lord Palmerston (Henry John Temple) to Sultan Said Syeed bin Sultan [Sa‘id bin Sulṭān] the Imam of Muscat, dated 2 April 1840 (folios 18-22);Egyptian designs on Arabia and Muscat, with details of a discussion between Colonel Hodges, Her Majesty’s Consul in Alexandria, and Mahomed Alli Pasha [Muḥammad ‘Alī Bāshā] (folios 40-43, 52-55);Commander Brucks’s orders for the prohibition of gun salutes in the Gulf, and regulations for the use of gun salutes (folios 44-51);disapproval of the East India Company Board of Directors of Hennell’s pledge to the Sultan of Muscat to protect his territory from invasion (folios 56-57);the granting of permission by Government for the British Agent at Muscat ‘to remove at the unhealthy season from that place’ (folios 61-62);British response to the blockade at Kateef [Al-Qaṭīf], Sohat [Sayhat] and Ajeer (folios 63, 78);British policy to not interfere in differences between the Maritime Arab Chiefs (folios 64-66);a letter sent by Lord Palmerston to the Imam of Muscat, dated 4 October 1840, on French designs on Oman (folios 67-68);the Imam of Muscat’s proposed trip to Zanzibar (folios 69-72);the Imam of Muscat’s designs on Bahrain (folios 73-75).1 file (79 folios)The incoming letters are arranged chronologically in the order they were received, from the earliest at the front of the file to the latest at the back. Enclosures to letters are arranged after the letter they were enclosed with.Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, 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 before the back cover, on number 80. Foliation anomalies: no ff 21-22.Pagination: There is an incomplete pagination sequence, which is written in ink, in the top-right corners of the rectos and in the top-left corners of the versos.
This file concerns the conclusion of the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation with the Sultan of Muscat, Sayyid Fayṣal bin Turkī Āl Bū Sa‘īd on 19 March 1891. The new treaty was modelled on a recently concluded treaty with Zanzibar. It superseded the Treaty of Commerce of May 1839 and its main purpose was to shut out French interests and influence in Muscat.Correspondence in the volume is between the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire and the Political Agent at Muscat, as well as British officials in the Foreign Department of the Government of India, the Foreign Office and at Zanzibar. There are also copies of correspondence from the Sultan of Muscat.The file has an index on folio 2A. Subjects within the file include: the exclusion of Cape of Good Hope from the Treaty (folios 88, 94); importation of arms and ammunition (folio 37); the expiration of the Treaty (folios 108, 112-114); British protection for Goanese subjects under the Treaty (folios 144-148, 154-156); modifications to the Treaty (folios 119-120); accession to Natal (folios 88, 94); accession to Newfoundland (folios 95-96); draft of the Treaty (folios 8-17, 22-31); draft protocol (folios 74-77); accession to Queensland (folios 95-96); draft of Revised Treaty (1904-1905) (folios 138-170); Separate Declaration by Sultan as to non-cession of his dominions (folios 54-57, 61-62); treaty executed but not-ratified (folios 49-53); Zanzibar Commercial Treaty (1886) (folios 18-21, 40-48).1 volume (180 folios)This volume is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: Foliation numbers are circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. They begins on the title page, on number 1B, and end on the last folio of writing, on number 170. The file contains the following foliation amendments: folios 1A-B; folios 2A-C; folios 4A-B; folios 78A-B; folios 79A-B.
The volume contains copies of incoming and outgoing correspondence for the Persian Gulf Residency. At the start of 1852 Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell is Resident, before being superseded in March by Captain Arnold Kemball.The volume includes:Correspondence with the British Envoy at the Court of Persia, Colonel Justin Sheil, reporting on affairs in Persia, on the construction of an upper story for the house of John Malcolm at Bushire, and requesting for information on the history of Bahrain before 1716;Correspondence with the Secretaries to the Government at Bombay regarding affairs in Persia, the Persian Gulf slave trade, commerce, the 1853 occupation of the Island of Carrack [Kharg, Iran] and the conversion of an Armenian to Islam in Basra;Correspondence with the British Envoy at the Court of Persia and the Political Agents at Muscat and Shiraz, in regard to the dispute between the Imam of Muscat and Feerooz Meerza, the Prince Governor of Fars Province, over Bandar-e ʻAbbāsThe volume contains letters in Arabic, one from the Imam of Muscat (folios 57 and 133).1 volume (146 folios)The correspondence is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The numbering begins on the first folio with 2, and runs through to the final folio with 146.Pagination: there is also an original pagination sequence, which is not complete; only the pages with writing have been paginated.
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 contains correspondence related to the Persian Government's claim of sovereignty over Bahrain and the actions of some its agents in connection to operations taken by the British Government against the chiefs of Bahrain that it had accused of acts of piracy.The correspondence includes original copies of letters from Persian Government officials (in both Persian and Arabic) to Mahomed bin Abdullah [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Khalīfah] the Chief of Bahrain. English translations of these letters are also included.1 volume (56 folios)The file is arranged chronologically. An index of the correspondence contained in the file is included on folios 3-5.Condition: Previously bound, the file's pages have been de-bound and are now loose in the file's original cover.Foliation: The file's foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; 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 errors: 1, and 1A and the following foliation omissions: 6-7, and 10-11.
This file contains correspondence between British officials and the various chiefs of the Trucial Coast regarding arrangements concerned with runaway sailors and divers in the area.The file contains several letters and other documents in Arabic (with English translations) sent from the British Agent at Sharqah [Sharjah], Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed, to the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Edward Charles Ross.The file also contains original letters in Arabic (with some English translations) from the following regional rulers:Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Chief of AjmanZayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Chief of Abu DhabiHumayd bin Abdullah Al Qasimi, Chief of Ras Al KhaimahAhmad bin Abdullah Al Mu'alla, Chief of Umm Al QaiwainSalim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chief of SharjahHushr bin Maktoum, Chief of DubaiThe file contains an English translation of an agreement between the British and the chiefs of Sharjah, Ajman, Dubai, Umm Al Qaiwain, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah signed in June 1879 (folios 117-118).1 volume (230 folios)The file is arranged chronologically, with the earliest letter at the beginning of the file and the most recent letter at the end.Condition: A bound volume.Foliation: The file's main foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second mixed foliation/pagination sequence runs in parallel between ff 3-227; these numbers are written in either blue or red crayon, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio, along with sometimes the corresponding top left of the verso side.The file contains the following foliation errors: 81, and 81A; 113, and 113A; 179, and 179A and the following omissions: 142.
The volume comprises correspondence between the Ruler of Katr [Qatar], Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī, and British officials, concerning relations between Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad and a variety of parties on the Arab coast, including Indian subjects in Qatar, the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi, and the British and Turkish Governments. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Colonel Edward Ross, Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī, and the Residency Agent at Sharjah, Hajjī ‘Abd Āl Qāsim.The principal subjects discussed in the volume are:Relations between Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī of Qatar and Shaikh Zayid bin Khalīfah of Abu Zhabi [Abu Dhabi] including: Shaikh Jāsim’s intention to occupy the village of ’Odaid, considered to be Abu Dhabi property, with the Resident’s response to the move (folios, 5, 14), raids by Qatar tribes (folios 130-31) and subsequent reprisals (folios 134-35), reconciliation (folios 137-38), and a later deterioration of relations between Qatar and Abu Dhabi in 1885/86 (folios 189-91);Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad’s intentions to attack the Ajman tribes at El Katiff [Al-Qaṭīf] (folios 34-35);The actions of Butuye bin Khadim and his people (the Kubeysat). The Kubeysat originated from ’Odaid and were indebted to Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad. Butuye bin Khadim subsequently moved from Al Bidda to Wakrah [Wukrah] without repaying his debts, and was accused of stealing pearls at Wukrah (folios 59-61, 66-67);Reports of ill-treatment by the inhabitants of Al Bidda against Indian banians (folios 121-22);A report on a discussion between Commander Nesham of HMS
Woodlarkand Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī, dated 7 February 1882, covering: the 1868 treaty between Great Britain and Qatar, and Shaikh Jāsim’s desire to break relations with the Turks and have relations with Britain similar to that enjoyed by Abu Dhabi; Shaikh Jāsim’s relations with the Turkish authorities; and the treatment of Indian subjects [banians] in Qatar (folios 164-75);Reports of Turkish activities at Al-Hasa and Al-Qaṭīf (folios 176-80).Correspondence on these subjects throughout the volume, exchanged between Ross and the Government of India, includes discussion on the ambiguous jurisdictional nature of Britain’s relationship with Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī who, in spite of having signed a treaty with the British in 1868 (folios 52-53, 57-58), had aligned himself with Turkey in 1871. A copy of a letter from the Assistant Political Agent at Basrah [Basra] to the Political Resident and Consul General in Baghdad, dated 2 September 1886 (folios 214-15), indicates Abu Dhabi’s status as Britain’s most westerly protectorate on the Arab coast, and its close proximity to Qatar, the most southerly domain in Arabia under nominal Turkish control.1 volume (221 folios)The contents of the volume are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the volume to the latest at the end. As a general rule, translations into English of letters received in Arabic are arranged immediately before the original Arabic item.Foliation: The volume’s foliation starts on the first page after the front cover and finishes on the last page of the volume, using pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a.Some pages are damaged at the edges, through tears or water damage, resulting in the loss of a small amount of text.
This file contains correspondence discussing the concerns of British officials regarding the movement of Persian Government officials in the Gulf and their supposed attempts to challenge British power in the region.The movements of Haji Ahmed Khan (also given as Hajee Ahmed Khan and Hajee Ahmed bin Mohamad Ali), the Governor of Bushire, are discussed in detail throughout the file and copies of some of his correspondence with local rulers and the British are contained in the file.The file also contains letters in Arabic (with English translations) from British agents in Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh] and Sharjah that were sent to the Political Resident in Bushire and correspondence between the Political Resident and the following local rulers:Zayed bin Khaleefah [Khalifa], Chief of Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi]Rashid bin Huamid, Chief of AjmanHumaid bin Abdullah bin Sultan, Chief of Ras El Khaymah [Ras Al Khaimah]Ahmad bin Abdullah, Chief of Ummal Kaiwain [Umm Al Quwain]Rashed [Rashid] bin Maktoum, Chief of Debay [Dubai]1 volume (162 folios)The file 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: a bound volume.Foliation: The file's foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; 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 errors: 1, and 1A; 28, and 28A; 91, and 91A.Pagination: A pagination sequence is also present between ff 2-160; these numbers are written in blue/red crayon, and are located in the top outermost corner of each page.