This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain; the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Bahrain Government; Major Frank Holmes, Chief Local Representative at Bahrian of the Eastern and Syndicate Company Limited; and Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah; as well as copies of correspondence between the Government of India and various government departments in London.These papers concern the extension and renewal of and amendments to the Bahrain Oil Concession and prospecting licences; enquiries about the meaning and wording of the concession, particularly regards to customs and duties payments by Eastern and General Syndicate; American influence on Eastern and General Syndicate and Bahrain more generally; and dealings with other oil companies, including the Turkish Petroleum Company and Standard Oil Company of California.1 volume (365 folios)The file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: There are three inconsistent foliation sequences, which have been crossed out, 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 first folio after the front cover, on number 2, and runs through to 364, ending on the inside of the back cover.
The file contains telegrams and correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Residency at Bushire, the Director of the Royal Indian Marine at Bombay and the American Mission Hospital in Bahrain, regarding medical treatments for naval staff.1 file (52 folios)The documents in the file are arranged mostly in chronological order.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 54; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 4-53; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file contains correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf regarding supplies of coal for the Agency launches; its cost and arrangements for its shipment to Bahrain. Also discussed are difficulties in obtaining good quality coal; and a shortage of coal supplies in the Persian Gulf 1930-1931.Other correspondents in the file include the Port Director at Basra; Messrs Frank Strick and Company, Basra and the Mesopotamia Persia Corporation Limited in relation to the purchase and shipping of Coal; the Bahrain Petroleum Company; Claude de Grenier, Director of Customs at Bahrain; and Charles Dalyrmple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, regarding the storage and purchase of bags of coal in Bahrain.There is also correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Treasury Officer in Bushire regarding payment for coal supplies; correspondence regarding coal for the steam launch
John Lambert; and notes on the use of prisoners in Bahrain for the loading and unloading of coal and the sifting of it to remove excess dust, which could damage engines if not separated from the coal itself.1 file (92 folios)The correspondence in the file has been arranged chronologically according to the date it was sent from, or received by, the Political Agency in Bahrain.Foliation: The file has been foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using uncircled pencil numbers located in the top-right hand corner of the recto of each folio. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 11a, 25a. The following folios are fold-outs: 25, 48, 63. The following folio has been omitted: 67.
Document outlining the administration and history of Bahrein [Bahrain] from 1908-28. Covering:administration – control by the Government of India and titular Shaikh of the Islands, Bahrein's status as an independent Arab State, internal administration conducted by the Shaikh and a European Financial Advisor and European Director of Customs, the roles of the Bahrein Political Agent, and the responsibility for expenditure;internal History of Bahrein (including relations with His Majesty's Government), 1908-23 – concerning Sheikh Isa [Shaikh Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah] and the events leading up to his deposition;internal History of Bahrein (including relations with His Majesty's Government), 1923-28 – concerning Sheikh Hamad [Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah] and the role of the Political Agent;oil in Bahrein;external Relations of Bahrein (other than with His Majesty's Government) 1908-28 – concerning Turkey, Persia and the reassertion of Persian claim to Bahrein and appeal to the League of Nations in 1927, and Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd].It also includes a summary, notes the position in Bahrein of His Majesty's Government, lists points referred to in connection with the Persian Gulf Sub-Committee, and states the view expressed by the Government of India.Written by John Gilbert Laithwaite of the India Office.1 file (6 folios)The file consists of a single document.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 17, and terminates at f 22, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, 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 file comprises correspondence from two distinct periods. Correspondence at the beginning and end of the file is dated 1909 to 1913 (ff 2-16, ff 52-87), and discusses the British protection of Bahrainis in Ottoman Turkey, in response to Ottoman Government representatives in Constantinople [Istanbul] questioning Britain’s claim of Bahrain being under its protection, and the registration and status of the increasing numbers of Bahrainis residing in the port of Mohammerah [Khorramshahr], thanks to that port’s relative stability and affluence. Some of this correspondence deals with a specific incident occurring in March 1911 in which three Bahrainis were detained by the Basra authorities, with the latter refusing to recognise that the men were under British protection (ff 56-63). The principal correspondents in these parts of the file are: the British Ambassador at Constantinople [Istanbul] (Sir Gerard Augustus Lowther); the British Consul at Bussorah [Basra] (Francis Edward Crow); the Acting British Consul for Arabistan (Arnold Talbot Wilson).The middle portion of the file (ff 17-50) comprises copies of correspondence from the Basrah [Basra] archives, dated 1873-1878, sent to the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Stuart George Knox) by Wilson in December 1910 (covering letter, f 16):letters dated 1878 from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Charles Ross), reporting of the destruction of Zobara [Zubarah] by the Shaikh of el Bidaa [Al Bidda] with ‘two or three thousand followers’, under a Turkish flag (ff 20-21);letters dated 1873-1874, chiefly between the British Consul at Baghdad (Colonel Charles Herbert) and the British Ambassador at Constantinople (Sir Henry George Elliot), discussing a disagreement between British and Turkish Government officials over the Turkish Government’s intention to conscript Bahrainis residing in Turkish-administered Iraq into the Ottoman army, including a copy and translation of a memorial from the ‘Bahrainees of Kerbulla [Karbalā']’ (ff 22-50).1 file (86 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 chronological ordering is, however, interrupted by a set of much earlier correspondence, which was sent as an enclosure to a letter contained within the chronological arrangement (ff 17-50).Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 88; 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 2-87; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.Condition: There is considerable insect damage on some pages in the file, in the form of small holes in the paper. However the damage is not sufficient to impair the legibility of any text.
This printed memorandum contains the heads of agreement of the Kuwait Civil Air Agreement between the United Kingdom and Kuwait, signed by the ruler of Kuwait [Shaikh Aḥmad bin Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ], and Captain Gerald S de Gaury, Political Agent at Kuwait dated 23 May 1938. The agreement contains seventeen numbered paragraphs with details concerning the establishment of an aerodrome or aerodromes and ancillary services, as well as landing and housing fees, supply of fuel and lubricants, appointment of agents, ,and an exemption of duty charges on petrol and oil.1 file (1 folio)Foliation: The foliation number appears circled and in pencil in the top right hand corner of the recto.
The memorandum is a report produced for the Inter-Departmental Committee on Eastern Unrest, which includes intelligence covering the period October 1922 to March 1923. It provides an overview of Russian-Persian relations and of changes made to Russian official representation at Tabriz, Tehran, and Kermanshah. It also reports on Bolshevik intrigue (and anti-British activities) in Persia, and to a lesser extent Iraq and India. This includes a brief report of anti-British articles produced by the Persian Press and efforts to suppress them, as well as reports on the Persian Communist Party.1 file (31 folios)Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio 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.
Memorandum concerning treaty rights of British ships in Persia. It covers the Anglo-Persian Agreement of 1920 and its repercussions on the coasting trade; it highlights how other powers that have treaties with Great Britain have the right to partake in the coasting trade of the United Kingdom, whereas these other powers reserve their own coasting trade to national ships. It details negotiations with Persia and the resulting Tariff Autonomy Treaty, and outlines British shipping interests in Persia. Written by the Board of Trade, 20 August 1928.An Annex is also included providing figures for the share of British shipping in the Persian coasting trade 1925-26, and lists the lines and steamers engaged in this activity.1 file (1 folio)This file consists of a single memorandum.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences and terminates at f 75, as it is part of a larger physical volume; this number is written in pencil, and is located in the top right corner of the recto side of the folio.
The file consists of notes and appendices providing a history of the arms trade up to 1908, prepared by C M Gibbon of the Persian Section of the Intelligence Branch, Quarter Master General's Department, Government of India.A preface is included by Wilfrid Malleson, Division of Chief of General Staff, India.It discusses: the monetary value of the arms trade, attempts to stop the import of arms into Persia, reported trade routes, import and export figures, the types of rifles and ammunition imported, and firms connected with arms traffic.The appendices include the following:an outline of the scheme inaugurated by Mr New of the Indo-European Telegraph Department for the prevention of illicit arms trade on the Makran Coast;lists of arms caravans known to have made their way from the Makran Coast into Afghan territory;a precis of the action taken by the Persian Government to prohibit arms caravans through South-East Persia;statistics for the value of arms and ammunition openly imported in the Masqat [Muscat] and Persian Gulf ports, monthly exports from the United Kingdom, imports into Masqat by foreign vessels, distribution from Masqat to Persian and Arabian Coasts, and the proportion of various forms of rifles and ammunition imported monthly;a statement of the departures for and arrivals at Masqat of vessels carrying arms and ammunition, and European firms connected with Masqat arms traffic.Also includes one map on folio 17: 'PLAN TO ILLUSTRATE ROUTES TAKEN BY ARMS CARAVANS BETWEEN THE MAKRAN COAST and the AFGHAN BORDER'1 file (16 folios)The file consists of a single document.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 18; 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.
This document opens by outlining the history of the boundaries between Persia and Seistan [Sīstān] and Persia and Mekran [Makran]. It goes on to discuss the involvement of the British with the dispute during the middle of the nineteenth century, and particularly focuses on the process of British arbitration. The document is largely compiled using extracts from, or references to, the correspondence of various Foreign Office officials.It was written by Lieutenant-Colonel Owen Tudor Burne, Secretary, Political and Secret Department, on 31 March 1875.5 folios
This file consists of a number of printed reports relating to the arbitration over the granting of French flags to Muscat dhows:A printed report in 1904 by the Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India, relating to the arbitration on the issue of French flags to Omani dhows. An agreement between Britain and France in 1862 committed both governments to respect the independence of the Sultan of Muscat.Reply on behalf of the Government of His Britannic Majesty to the Supplementary Conclusions, presented on behalf of the Government of the French Republic and admitted by the tribunal on July 25, 1905.The verdict (in French) of the arbitration tribunal.Treaty Series (No. 3, 1905) - Agreements between the United Kingdom and France referring to arbitration the question of the grant of the French flag to Muscat Dhows.The section on the geography of Oman (ff 58-59A) discusses the French claim with reference to Kiepert's map of 1850. Includes a sketch map of the Persian Gulf and Arabian Coast (folio 91A).1 volume (102 folios)Description: The foliation sequence commences at the title page 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. Foliation errors: 1, and 1A; 50, and 50A; 59, and 59A; 84, and 84A-C; 88, and 88A; 91, and 91A. Pagination: A number of original typed pagination sequences are also located in the file.
This item consists of different extracts of the Bombay Public Consultations, regarding an act of piracy and murder that was reportedly committed by the native crew of the country ship
Alert. The
Alertwas bound for Bengal port laden with dispatches principally belonging to the East India Company. The letters report that part of her native crew seized the ship, murdered the European Captain and officers, and sailed the ship to the port of Mockulla [Mukalla] on the coast of Arabia.The item contains a description of the act of piracy on the
Alertship and its aftermath, including the following: measures taken by the Company to secure the return of the ship; negotiations with the Hakim regarding the restitution of the
Alertand her cargo; reports from the Customs Master at Bombay; the involvement of the
Princess Augustacruiser; the appointment of a commissioner, Samuel Sparks, to start negotiations with Hakim on the restitution of the
Alertand its cargo; a memorandum on the
Alert'scargo.Notable correspondents include the following: James Augustus Grant, Secretary to the Government of Bombay; Jonathan Duncan, Governor of Bombay; Forbes & Co; Virja Nanjis Searkrun; the East India Company's Broker in Mocha; Sir John Malcolm; Samuel Sparks, Commissioner; the Phoenix Assurance Company; John Pringle, Resident at Mocha.1 item (32 folios)The contents of the item have been arranged chronologically from the front to the rear.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 94, and terminates at f 125, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file also contains an original pagination sequence.