The file contains correspondence sent to and from the Persian Gulf Residency (the Resident at the time being Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell), concerning the slave trade between the coast of East Africa and the Persian Gulf, and Britain's maritime efforts to suppress it. The main correspondents are Arthur Malet, Chief Secretary of the Government of Bombay, Lt-Col Sheil, Her Majesty's Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary at the Council of Persia and Commodore J.P. Porter, Commanding Indian Naval Squadron.The correspondence covers the interception of ships carrying slaves, agreements and treaties for the suppression of the slave trade and the use of native interpreters on British ships. The file contains several reports detailing the numbers of slaves imported from Africa to various parts of the Persian Gulf.1 file (41 folios)The correspondence in the file has been arranged in a rough chronological order, starting from the earliest at the front of the file to the latest at the end.Foliation: The file has been foliated from the front cover to the last page of the file, with pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto page. The inside back cover has been left unfoliated.
This file contains correspondence mostly concerning the island of Sirri [Sirrī], as well as other Persian Gulf islands, including Tanb [Ṭanb] and Lesser Tanb, Farur [Farūr] and Lesser Farur, Dalmah [Dalmā], Halul island [Ḥālūl], Sir Abu Nu'ayr [Ṣīr Abū Nu‘ayr], and Sir Bani Yas [Ṣīr Banī Yās]. These papers contain details concerning the status of these islands, as well as geographical and topographical information, including details of mineral deposits.The correspondence in this file is between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, Residency Agent at Sharjah; ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, acting Residency Agent at Sharjah; Āghā Muḥammad Amīn Badr, Residency Agent at Lingah; Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Sharjah; T J Malcolm, Bushire; and various British officials in the Foreign Department of the Government of India.There is a file index on folio 2. Subjects include: Muin's [Moin-ut-Tujjar] claims to Sirri (folios 103, 121); connection of Sirri question with that of fisheries (folio 15); Hajji Ali Akbar [Ḥājjī ‘Alī Akbār]'s attitude oxide at Sirri (folios 39-47, 79, 84, 124); Strick's enquiries on oxide at Sirri (folios 90-91); Abdullah bin Hassan Galadari [‘Abdullāh bin Ḥassan Jaladārī] (folio 55-56); German visits to Sirri (folio 73); status of Nabiyu Tanb island (folios 92, 100); status Farur and Nabiya Farur islands (folios 88, 100, 121); oxide on Dalmah island (folio 100); oxide on Sir Abu Nu'air island (folios 100, 130-131); oxide on Halul islands (folios 100, 115); manganese on Halul island (folios 130-131); Sir Bani Yas island (folios 130-131); note on Sirri island (folios 25-27); situation at Sirri Island in 1904 (folios 8-15); the Jowasimis [Āl Qawāsim] occupation of Sirri (folio 62).1 file (146 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chornological order.Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the cover and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second incomplete mixed foliation/pagination sequence runs in parallel between ff. 4-143; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio, along with the corresponding top left (sometimes) of the verso side. The file contains the following foliation amendments: 109, and 109A; 114, and 114A; 116, and 116A.
The file contains letters mainly received by the Resident in the Persian Gulf regarding Persia and the Persian coast of the Gulf, from the Secretaries to the Government at Bombay Castle. There are also two documents which become part of the file at a later stage, in 1856; they were both proclamations by the Political Agent with the Field Force and Resident in the Persian Gulf at the time, Felix Jones.The subjects of the file include: the British occupation of Bushire and the Island of Kharg; opium trade (including copies of earlier documents); employment and career progression of native servants; the Battle of Alma.1 file, 6 items (51 folios)Foliation: the foliation is written in pencil, circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The numbering begins on the first page, on number 1, and runs through to 51, ending on the final page.
This 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.
The volume contains full translations of some letters, and the translated substance of other letters addressed to the Resident in the Persian Gulf, the originals of which were in Arabic or Persian ['native letters inward'], for the year 1837.The correspondence falls mainly into two categories:(1) Letters from British Native Agents based at Bahrein [Bahrain], Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh], Muscat, Shargah [Sharjah], and Shiraz.(2) Letters from local rulers in the Persian Gulf. Those who figure most prominently include: Sultan bin Suggur [Sulṭān bin Saqr], Chief of Ras el Khymah [Ra's al-Khaymah]; Sheikh Abdollah bin Ahmed [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], Chief of Bahrein; Sheikh Kulufa bin Shakboot [Khalīfah bin Shakhbūt], Chief of Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi]; Sheikh Abdur Rahaman bin Suggur [‘Abd al-Rahman bin Saqr], Chief of Kishm [Qeshm]; Sheikh Maktoom [Maktūm bin Buṭṭī], Chief of Debay [Dubai]; Sheikh Nassir [Nāṣir], Governor of Bushire, and the Imam of Muscat [Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Sa‘īd].The correspondence concerns maritime peace and acts of piracy; trade; movements of East India Company naval vessels and other ships; the dispatch of correspondence; and local affairs, including the military operations in Nedg [Najd] of Shaikh Khalid [Khalid bin Saud] against Sheikh Fysul [Fayṣul, the Wahhabi Chief], with the assistance of Mahomed Ally Pasha [Muḥammad ‘Alī Pāshā], Ruler of Egypt, and the expedition of Sheikh Kulufa bin Shakboot against Adeed [Khor al-Udaid].Specific topics include:an approach by Sultan bin Suggur, Chief of Ras el Khymah, to renew the existing maritime truce [the Maritime Truce of 1835] (folios 27-28);news of the capture of Mombassa [Mombasa] by the Imam of Muscat (folio 29);news of the defeat of Sheikh Fysul in Nedg by Shaikh Khalid (folio 30);correspondence concerning the export of horses from Persia to Bombay, (folios 33-34);correspondence concerning Egyptian forces in Nedgd [Najd] (folios 34-36);reports submitted by the Agents at Bahrein and Shargah on the trade of those areas (folios 130-132).1 volume (141 folios)The correspondence is arranged 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 133, the last folio of the main run of text, but note that some text written in pencil also appears on 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. Foliation anomalies: ff 1, 1A, ff 93, 93A. This is the system used to determine the sequence of pages.Pagination: the volume also contains a pagination sequence, numbered 1-261, written in ink and latterly pencil (folios 2-132). The numbers appear in the top right corners of the rectos and top left corners of the versos.Condition: the volume has suffered some damage to the edges of pages, involving slight loss of text. However, the damage does not anywhere impair the sense of the text.
The volume contains copies of letters sent by Major Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, mainly to Arthur Malet, Secretary (later Chief Secretary) to the Government of Bombay in the Secret Department, at Bombay Castle.Their correspondence discusses events in the Persian Gulf between 1847 and 1849 and their significance for British foreign policy, relations and interests in the region. The main topics of discussion are: anti-slavery measures and the ambitions of both the Ottoman Turkish Government and the Persian Government, to extend their influence and authority over Bahrain and other Arab Maritime Chiefdoms of the Trucial Coast.Many of the enclosures referred to by the Resident in his letters to the Bombay Government and others, are present in the volume. Copies of the Resident’s Arabic correspondence with British Government native agents and ruling sheikhs, as well as his copies of correspondence between Ottoman Turkish and Persian officials, are in the form of English translations only and comprise:Letter of friendship from the Ottoman Governor of Bussorah [Basra] to Sheikh Mahomed bin Khuleefa [Shaikh Muḥammed bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah] the Chief of Bahrein, inviting the latter to put himself under the protection of Turkey (folios 10-11);Letter from Hajee Yacoob, British Government Pilot at Kharg [Khārk], reporting the intelligence gathering activities of Ottoman Turkish officials in Koweit [Kuwait] (folios 11-12);Letter from the Governor of Bunder Abass [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] enquiring about an alleged request made by the Imam of Muscat, to transfer to British protection, Bunder Abass and other lands in the Persian Gulf leased to him by Shah of Persia (folio 31);Letters from the British Government Native Agent at Muscat, reporting cases of public sale and purchase of slaves in the ports of Muscat, in contravention of the anti-slavery provisions of the Treaty of 1845 between Muscat and Great Britain (folios 36-38, 48-49);Letters from Mirza Abdool Jubbar [Mirza Abdul Jabbar], the Persian Consul at Bagdad [Baghdad] to Abdullah ben Ahmed [‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah] the former Chief of Bahrein, to Ali and Mahomed [Alī bin Muḥammed Āl Khalīfah and Muḥammed bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Khalīfah] the sons of the present ruler of Bahrein, Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa about the desire of the Persian Government to establish its authority over Bahrein (folios 51-55);Letter from the British Government Native Agent at Shargah [Sharjah] reporting the renewed importation of slaves into Lingah, in contravention of the Imperial firmans (royal decrees) and orders issued by the Persian authorities, prohibiting the maritime slave trade in their ports on the Persian Gulf (folios 61-62);Exchange of letters between the British Political Resident and Syed Soweynee [Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd] Governor of Muscat, regarding alleged Persian aggression against Bunder Abass and other lands on the Persian coast of the Gulf, belonging to the Imam of Muscat (folios 66-68);Exchange of letters of friendship between the British Political Resident and Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Chief of Bahrein (folios 74-76, 84);Exchange of letters between the British Political Resident and Sheikh Syed Humood ben Azan [Ḥamūd bin Azan Āl Bū Sa‘īd] the Chief of Sohar [Ṣuḥār] and the agreement with the British Government, signed by his son Syed Syf ben Humood [Sayyid Syf bin Ḥamūd Āl Bū Sa‘īd] on 22 May 1849, prohibiting the African slave trade in the ports of Sohar (folios 79-81).The volume also contains copies of several letters from the Resident to: Major Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, British Political Agent for Turkish Arabia at Baghdad; Lieutenant-Colonels Justin Sheil and Francis Farrant, British Minister Plenipotentiary and British Chargé d’Affaires respectively, at the Court of the Shah of Persia, Tehran; Commodore Hawkins, commanding the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf. The correspondence discusses similar topics, including the merits of seeking an extension of the anti-slavery orders issued by the Ottoman Porte, to allow for the confiscation of foreign Persian and Arab slave ships in Turkish waters, as well as native Turkish slave ships.1 volume (140 folios)The letters are arranged more or less chronologically. Most letters are either followed by copies or extracts from earlier letters that were enclosed with them or, are followed by a cross-reference to other pages in the volume, to see the enclosures mentioned. The index at the front of the volume (folio 2), which continues at the back of the volume (folios 134-135) provides a chronological list of the contents, including their original page number.Foliation: the contents are numbered 2 to 140, from the front to the back of the volume. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right hand corner and encircled. Folios 42, 71, 87-133 and 136-140 are blank. The front cover of the volume and the inside back cover of the volume are unnumbered. This is the main numbering system and should be used for referencing this volume.Pagination: the contents were originally numbered 1-101, 103-167, from the front to the back of the volume. Pages 78-80 and 136-138 are blank. The number 102 has been omitted, resulting in an unnumbered page between pages 101 and 103. The numbering is written in ink in the top right or left corner of the recto and verso respectively. Unnumbered pages: the index at the front and back of the volume and the numerous blank pages towards the end of the volume.Condition: broken spine cover. Folio 26 and the unnumbered folio adjoining it have been stuck together at the corners. This does not obscure any text, since the inaccessible side of both folios is blank.
The volumes consist of original correspondence sent to and copies of letters sent from the Bushire Residency; the principal correspondents being Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball, followed by Captain James Felix Jones as Resident in the Persian Gulf at the time, the Assistant Resident in Charge, Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, Sir Charles Augustus Murray, British Ambassador at Tehran, and the Secretaries to the Government at Bombay.The main subjects covered are the diplomatic and commercial relations with Persia and the Persian Coast. Another subject covered is the siege of Sevastopol, and other events that occurred during the Crimean War. The book contains translations of letters from the Persian Shah.2 volumes (293 folios)This was once a single volume that has since been split into two parts. The letters are not in chronological order. There is an index by date, page and subject at the beginning of the book, on folios 2-4v.Foliation: the foliation is in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. The numbering sequence runs across two volumes (volume one ff 1-141 and volume two ff 142-283), commencing at the third sheet of volume one with 1, 1A and 1B and terminating at the third sheet from the back of volume two with 283.
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.
This volume contains administrative reports and historical sketches concerning Persian Gulf affairs. The volume also contains a number of letters between Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government, Bombay; A Hinlock Forbes, Acting Secretary to the Government, Bombay; and Captain Felix Jones, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. The correspondence relates to the reporting of this information (folios 3-5 and 77-79). The historical reports themselves were prepared by Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident.The volume contains reports covering two reporting periods:1 May 1858 to 31 May 1859 (folios 2-75): Joasmee [Āl Qaswāsim] (folios 6-19); Beniyas [Banī Yās] (folios 20-25); Debaye [Dubai] and Ajmaun [Ajman] (folio 26); Amulgavine [Umm al-Qaywayn] (folios 27-30); Wahabee [Wahhabi, Najd] (folios 31-33); Uttoobee [al-‘Utūb, Bahrain] (folios 34-50); Muscat (folios 51-63); and Persian Coast (folios 64-75);1 June 1859 to 31 May 1861 (folios 76-173): Joasmee (folios 80-86); Bokha [Bukhā] (folios 87-89); Himreeah [Ḥimrīyah] (folios 90-91); Beniyas (folios 92-93); Boo Felasa [Bū Falāsah] (folios 94-105); Ajmaun and Amulgavine (folios 106-107); Wahabee (folios 108-115); Uttoobee (folios 116-157); Muscat (folios 158-161); and Persian Coast (folios 162-173)The reports concern British relations with various Persian Gulf and Arabian rulers, including: Sa‘īd bin Taḥnūn Āl Nahyān, former ruler of Abu Dhabi; Zāyid bin Khalīfah Āl Nahyān, ruler of Abu Dhabi; Sa‘īd bin Buṭṭī Āl Maktūm and Shaikh Ḥashr bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm, rulers of Dubai; Sulṭān bin Ṣaqr Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Sharjah; ‘Alī bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Mu‘allā, ruler of Umm al-Qaywayn; Ḥumayd bin Rāshid Āl Nu‘aymī, ruler of Ajman; Amīr Fayṣal bin Turkī Āl Sa‘ūd, Wahhabi chief; Muḥammad bin Khaīfah Āl Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain; Syed Soweynee [Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd], Sultan of Muscat and Oman; and Sayyid Mājid bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd, ruler of Zanzibar. Mention is also made of the Chief of Damaum [Damām], Seikh Mohomed bin Abdullah [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh] (folio 34); the Sheikh [Muḥamad bin Thānī] of Biddah [al-Bida‘] on the Gutter [Qatar] coast (folio 36); and chiefs of Lingah [Bandar Lengeh] and Mogoo (folio 67), as well as Charrack (folio 68).The reports cover the following subjects: visits and interviews of the Political Resident and other British officials, including Commodore Jenkins and Commander Balfour, with local rulers; the slave trade; piracy and the upholding maritime peace; pearl diving and trade; judicial matters affecting British subjects (Banyans), as well as details concerning their status; native Residency Agents at Sharjah and Bahrain; smallpox outbreak; the death of Shaikh Sa‘īd bin Buṭṭī and the succession of Shaikh of Ḥashr bin Maktūm; the Perpetual Truce of Peace and Friendship (1861) between Britain and the ruling Āl Khalīfah family of Bahrain; relations and conflicts between local rulers, notables, merchants and the British; and relations with the Amir Faysal, the Imam of Muscat, the Persian Government and the Ottoman Empire.Marginal notes refer to various correspondence. In addition, annotations in pencil appear throughout the volume (particularly folios 103-105, 141-145, 157) and the front cover is marked 'Done' in blue.1 volume (178 folios)Foliation: Foliation is written 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 inside of the back cover, on number 176.Foliation errors: folio 1 is followed by folio 1A; folio 75 is followed by folio 75A.
Correspondence from Ephraim Gerrish Stannus, the Resident in the Persian Gulf, primarily to William Newnham, Chief Secretary to Government at Bombay and Lieutenant Colonel John Macdonald, Envoy to the Court of Persia.The main subject of correspondence within the volume is the relationship between the British Government and the Government of Persia, centering on the attitude of the Prince of Shiraz (Ḥosayn-‘Alī Mīrzā) and the Government of Bushire to the British Officers based there.Affairs at Bushire are the main topic of discussion, with the abduction by the Imam of Muscat (Saʻīd bin Sulṭān) of the former Governor Abdool Russool Khan [‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān], the seizure of the Government of Bushire by Shaikh Ahmed [Aḥmad bin Khamīs] from Shaik Hussein [Shaikh Ḥusayn Khan], and the counter attack by Shaikhs Hussein and Nassir [Nasir Khan] which resulted in threats of violence against the Residency at Bushire, the Prince of Shiraz's troops occupying the town, and the Resident being forced to leave the limits of the Bushire Residency until the acts committed by the Government and its supporters against the Residency are acknowledged.Other tensions between the British Officers in Persia and the Prince of Shiraz and his Prime Minister Zekee Khan [Zakī Khān] are also discussed, including the seizure of packets and baggage by the Customs House at Shiraz and accusations made against the officers in relation to the abduction of Abool Russool Khan, which were unfounded.The correspondence also details the daily financial administration of both His Majesty's Mission to Persia and the Residency at Bushire and includes statements of accounts and registers of Bills, along with communication with the Accountant General and Civil Auditor at Bushire on financial matters; the movements of British vessels in the Gulf; and the situation on the Arab Coast including the Imam of Muscat's intention to attack the fort at Derah [Ad Dir‘īyah] and remove its inhabitants from that place; an encounter between Rahma bin Jabir and vessels from Bahrein [Bahrain] which resulted in Rahma bin Jabir's death; and the blockade of Bussorah [Basra] by the Imam of Muscat's forces, and subsequent mediation of the situation by the Resident at Bussorah, Captain Robert Taylor.1 volume, 156 items (140 folios)Foliation: The foliation sequence is circled in pencil in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio after the front cover, on number 2, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 140. There is also a former pagination sequence numbering 1-272, which is written in ink in the top left corner of each page and runs through folios 3-139.
The volume of private and secret letters contains correspondence from successive Residents in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, including Captain Ephraim Gerrish Stannus, Captain David Wilson, Dr John MacNeil, Lieutenant Samuel Hennell and David Arnold Blane. The correspondence is to William Newnham, Chief Secretary to the Government of India; Lieutenant-Colonel McDonald, Envoy to the Court of Persia; Charles Morris, Acting Chief of Sectary to the Government of Bombay; and W S Collinson, Commander and Senior Marine Officer in the Persian Gulf, Bassadore [Bāsa‘īdū]. There are various enclosures included in the correspondence, including translations of letters and notes from: Shaik Ahmed of Bushire [Shaikh Aḥmad]; the Prince of Shiraz; Shaik Russool [Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rasūl], the Governor of Bushire; Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd, the Imam of Muscat, and his agent, Hajee Abdool Ameer [Ḥājjī ‘Abd al-Amīr]; and Shaik Abdoollah ben Ahmed [‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], chief of Bahrain. In addition, an enclosure (folio 18) is a 'Table showing the entire operations of 4 Cruizers destined for Services connected with the Persian Gulf'.There is an index of letters on folio 2v-3. A note on folio 2r states that 'interesting titles' are marked with a blue cross in the index. Subjects included within the file include: British influence in the Persian Gulf, including relations with Persia, the Wahhabis, Muscat, Bahrain and the Shaikhs on the Arab coast; the movement of vessels and naval issues; movements of native and merchant ships; maintaining the maritime peace; legal claims and disputes; ports in the Persian Gulf and their suitability for steamers; arms trafficking; visits to various locations on the Arab coast, including Sharjah and Bahrain.1 volume (96 folios)The letters are arranged in chronological order throughout the volume. There is an index of letters on folio 2v-3 that refers to the original pagination of the volume.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.Pagination: An original pagination sequence written in ink is present in the volume between ff 4-95.
This file contains inward letters from the Government of Bombay plus enclosures from the Government of India to Captain David Wilson, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. Subjects include Britain’s relations with Persia and the Imam of Muscat, as well as issues concerning the Russo-Persian War and the new Persian currency.1 files, 5 items (32 folios)The file is arranged in approximate chronological order.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the cover and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An original pagination sequence in ink also runs throughout the volume.
The volume contains mainly letters addressed to Lieutenant William Bruce, Resident at Bushire at the time. Bruce was Acting Resident until 1812, but in this volume he is still often referred to as Acting Resident. A few letters are written to James Orton, Assistant Surgeon at Bushire, who took temporary charge of the Residency while Bruce was away from Bushire. The letters are mainly from the Secretaries of the Government of Bombay. Subjects relating directly to the Residency include: accounts; military and marine expenses. Broader themes within the letters include the diplomatic relations with Persia and the Wahabee [Wahhabis], the procurement of sulphur for its use in gunpowder, the silk and horse trades, and the threat of Āl Qāsimī pirates to British trade in the Persian Gulf.1 volume, 174 items (149 folios)Two different hands have written the volume, one from folios 1-40, and the second from folio 41 until the end. In the first instance, earlier letters are grouped under headings either upon order of receipt or of transcription; heading dates start from 14 August 1813, but the actual letters are from 2 April 1813.From folio 41 the correspondence is in chronological order, and letters are up to 28 December 1814.Foliation: there is an original pagination, written in ink in the top right of each recto and the top left of each verso. It starts on the first letter with 1 and continues until page 213.The volume has been foliated in pencil, circled, in the top right corner of each folio. The numbering begins with the first letter with 1; then 2-94; 95-95a; and then runs through to 138, which is the last number given on the first blank page at the end of the volume. There are seven blank pages at the beginning and three at the end of the volume.Condition: the item has suffered from insect damage and the paper is very fragile in some parts. Some folios are glued and cannot be read.
The correspondence book consists of translations and substances of letters, with enclosures, addressed to Captain David Wilson, British Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, Mirza Hadayat Ullah [Mīrzā Hidāyatullāh] and Captain Samuel Hennell. The dates of the letters are given using the Gregorian calendar, but also the Hijri calendar (for example, folio 44r). Some of the letters include enclosures (for example, folios 3v and 15v). The originals are not present in the volume, but there are two notes in Persian (folios 30 and 42).The letters are sent from British Native Agents in the Persian Gulf and Persia, including:Asso [Asu], Agent at Buhrein [Bahrain] (folios 2r, 4r, 13v, 21v, 25r, 29r, 37v, 42r, 45v, 46v, 53v, 54r, 56v, 57r, 59r, 69r, 72r, 74v, 76r, 77v, 83r, 89r);Goolab [Gulab Anandas], Agent at Muscat (folios 2r, 2v, 13r, 24v, 33r, 42r, 52v, 53r, 56r, 68v, 69v, 70r, 71v, 74r, 75r, 81v, 86v, 88v);Mirza Ally Akbar [Mīrzā ‘Alī Akbār], Agent at Shiraz (folios 4v, 14r, 17r, 17v, 19r, 19v, 23r, 28v, 29v, 34r, 35r, 36r, 41r, 42v, 45r, 51v, 52r, 55r, 57v, 60r, 70r, 76v, 86r, 87r, 87v);Moullah Salh [Ṣāliḥ], Agent at Mogoo [Moguyeh] (folios 5r, 5v, 12r, 24v, 29r, 32r, 33r, 36v, 38v. 40v, 50v, 54r, 57v, 58v, 63r, 76v, 77v);Moullah Houssein [Mullā Ḥusayn], Agent at Sharjah (folios 7r, 10r, 18v, 20v, 25v, 28r, 38r, 38v, 40v, 49v, 50v, 58r, 60v, 61r, 62r, 63r, 66r, 67r, 68v, 70v, 72v, 74r, 78r, 81v, 84r, 88r);Hajee Meer Baker [Ḥājjī Mīr Bakr], Agent at Isfahan (folios 21r, 32r, 32v, 34v, 35v, 54v);Hajee Salih [Ḥājjī Ṣāliḥ], Agent at Lingah (folios 46v, 64r, 69r, 86v, 87r, 88r).And local rulers, officials, notables and rulers on both littorals of the Persian Gulf:Juleel Mirza [Jalīl Mīrzā] (folios 14r, 22v, 42v);H R H the Prince of Fars [Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mīrzā Farmānfarmā] (folios 14r, 22r, 59v, 60v);Mahomed Ally [Muḥammad ‘Alī Khān] Wauzeer [Wazīr] of Fars (folios 15r, 22r, 33v, 58r);Eel [?] Khan (folios 19v, 34r, 60r);Shaik Sooltan bin Suggur [Sulṭān bin Ṣaqr Āl Qāsimī], ruler of Sharjah (folios 22r, 26v, 39r, 40r, 48r, 49r, 55v, 62v, 67v, 82v, 87v);Shaik Tahnoon [Ṭaḥanūn bin Shakhbūṭ Āl Nahyān], ruler of Abu Dhabi (folios 26v, 38r, 48v, 73v, 84r);Shaik Rashed bin Humeed [Rāshid bin Ḥumayd Āl Nu‘aymī], chief of Ejman [Ajman] (folios 27r, 39r, 47v, 63v, 68v);Shaik Abdoolah bin Ahmed [‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], chief of Bahrein [Bahrain] (folios 45v, 75v, 87v);Mahomed bin Quzeeb [Muḥammad bin Qaḍīb?], Shaik of Lingah (folio 46r);Shaik Salih bin Suggur [Ṣāliḥ bin Ṣaqr] (folios 49r, 73v, 87v);Jabir [Jābir bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Ṣabāḥ], Shaikh of Grain [al-Qurayn?], Kuwait (folios 51, 64v);Shaik Abdool Russool [‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān], Shaikh of Bushire (folios 65r, 65v, 79r, 80r);His Royal Highness the Imaum [Imam of Muscat, Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd] (folios 69v, 77r);Abdoulla bin Rashid [‘Abdullāh bin Rāshid Āl Mu‘allā], Shaik of Umulgavine [Umm al-Qaywayn] (folio 72v).Topics and themes of the correspondence include: British relations with Persia, the Imam of Muscat and rulers on the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf; relations and conflicts between local rulers; the arrival and departure of ships; trade and piracy; maintaining the Maritime Peace; petitions and claims; slavery; and issues concerning the work of the native agents and instructions sent to them by the Residency.1 volume (96 folios)The correspondence is arranged in approximate chronological order.Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence runs between ff 2-11; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio. A third (original) foliation sequence appears uncircled at the top folio 9v, starting at number 24 and continuing on the recto and verso of each folio to number 189 on folio 89v.Physical Conditon: Insect damage, water damage and tears causing missing text on folios 2-58 and 83-89.
All letters in the file are from the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at his Residency on the Island of Karrack [Khārk, Jazīreh-ye] and are addressed mainly to the British Government in Bombay. Many of the Resident’s letters include extracts from reports submitted to him by the British naval commander in charge of the Persian Gulf Squadron and the Native Agent in Shargah [Sharjah], both acting under his direction. The majority of the Resident’s letters concern outbreaks of hostilities between the several Arab Chiefs and their tribespeople inhabiting the Arabian coast and ports of the Persian Gulf, as well as the measures taken by him to enforce the Maritime Truce and suppress piracy in the region. Events, intelligence and activities reported in the year 1841 include the following:The disunion between Shaikh Sultan ben Suggur [Sultan bin Saqr], the Joasmee [Qasimi] Chief of Shargah and his son Suggur, who sought refuge with his rival Shaikh Mukhtoom [Maktūm], the Chief of Debaye [Dubai] (folios 2-3);The Resident’s ultimatums, including the threat of naval force, to Shaikh Salmin bin Nasir, Governor of Biddah [Doha] regarding his protection of the pirate Jubbur Rugragee and to Shaikh Mukhtoom, Chief of Debaye regarding his condonation of the repeated aggressions by his subjects on boats belonging to Benyas [Bani Yas] tribespeople (folios 4-7, 13-15);Disturbances by the townspeople of Bushire, following the introduction of new taxes and the non-payment of the troops guarding the town, by Sheikh Nasir, the Governor of Bushire (folios 8-9, 27);The unwillingness of the Shaikhs of Brymee [al Buraimi] to stop the frequent marauding expeditions by members of their tribes into the territories of the Imam of Muscat (folios 11-12);The Resident’s tour of the Arabian coast by ship in May for the annual renewal of the Maritime Truce at successive meetings with the Chiefs of the Arab ports (folios 13-15, 18-24, 27, 39-41);During a visit by the Prince of Shiraz, the merchants of Bushire and Shiraz affirm that the British occupation of the Island of Karrack is harmful to Persian trading interests (folios 16-17);The persistent marauding expeditions of Shaikh Khalifa bin Shakboot [Khalifa bin Shakhbut], the Benyas Chief of Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi] into the districts of Shaikh Sultan ben Suggur of Shargah and Shaikh Mukhtoom of Debaye (folios 26, 30-33);Repossession of the Fort at Houken by Syed Sooweny, Governor of Muscat, from the deposed Oman Chief, Syef bin Sooleman who had seized it in a surprise attack (folios 28, 32);The Resident gives his reasons for doubting that the peace agreed between the Joasmee and Naeem Tribes on one side and the Benyas, Moozara and Joowahir Tribes on the other side will last (folios 34-35);The Resident rescues members of the Persian royal family from shipwreck off the Island of Karrack, on the morning of 17 November (folios 42-43);The Resident’s detailed instructions and arrangements for an urgent British mission to Ameer Khaled at his camp near Lahsah [Al-Hasa], to dissuade him from invading Oman and thereby prevent the outbreak of tribal war in Oman and the destruction of Brymee (44-46, 49-50);The Resident’s detailed instructions for the work of the Residency during his absence and under the temporary charge of Lieutenant-Colonel C Davies in December, the latter’s preparations on taking up his new duties, for the imminent evacuation of British troops from the Island of Karrack (folios 47-50).Numerous letters have been crossed through. These tend to be short letters about the routine management of the Residency: staff, accommodation, equipment, accounts and communications.A few surviving letters are incomplete, only the start or end of the letter remains on file.The file title ‘Book 128 1841’ is written in blue ink on a 20th century file cover (folio 1) enclosing the letters, which are unbound.1 file (49 folios)The volume contains 70 letters that are arranged chronologically.Foliation: the letters in the file are numbered 2 to 50, from front to back. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right corner and encircled, on the recto.Pagination: the contents of the file were originally numbered in ink as follows: 21-24, 57-64, 71-74, 111-112, 115-124, 135-138, 153-166, 209-212, 245-246, 255-258, 263-278, 281-282, 305-310, 363-366, 371-380, 389-392.
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 in 1841, mainly from J P Willoughby, Secretary to the Government of Bombay. At this period, the British Residency was based temporarily on the island of Karrack. The letters to the Resident contain information, guidance and instructions from the Governor in Council of Bombay. They also frequently include copies of pertinent correspondence between other British officials, mainly the Governor in Council of Bombay, the Governor General of India, the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, London and Lord Palmerston, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London. The letters and their enclosures discuss events in East Africa and the Persian Gulf in 1841 and their implications for British foreign policy, relations and interests in these regions. The main topics discussed in the correspondence are as follows:• Captain Atkins Hamerton’s mission to Zanzibar on behalf of the British Government, to investigate French ambitions in the East African territories of the Imam of Muscat, attempts by the French Government to establish a French Consular Agent at Zanzibar, French occupation of territory on the island of Nasbeh or Nos Beh [Nosy Bé], near Madagascar and the history of tribal warfare between its inhabitants. There are English translations of four documents seen by Hamerton in Zanzibar, including an agreement dated 29 April 1838 between Queen Smeko [Tsiomeko] of the Sucklavee [Sakalava] Tribe on the Island of Nos Beh and the Imam of Muscat. There is also an English translation of a letter sent by Lord Palmerston to the Imam of Muscat in September 1840 (folios 2-8, 14-17, 24-26, 75-90);• Plans for the evacuation of British troops from their military station on the island of Karrack [Khārk, Jazīreh-ye], following the return of the island to the ownership and control of Persian authorities, in accordance with a recent commercial treaty between Persia and Great Britain. The desirability of retaining a British settlement on Karrack and the British Government’s view that the British Resident should remain on the island and continue to conduct Residency business in the Persian Gulf from Karrack (folios 21, 63, 67-69, 74, 92-99, 107-110);• Discussion of British policy and measures for suppression of the maritime slave trade between ports in India, East Africa, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. The intention of the British Government to increase its demands on the Trucial Coast Chiefs of the Persian Gulf to actively prohibit the slave trade in their ports and equally the Imam of Muscat, with regard to his ports in Zanzibar and other East African territories. The intention of the British Government to ask the Persian Government to prohibit the slave trade in the Persian Gulf ports subject to its authority and control (folios 19, 33-36, 56-57,102-106, 111-117).1 file (119 folios)The letters are arranged chronologically. Many letters incorporate copied extracts from earlier letters or enclose them separately.Foliation: the letters are numbered 2-26, 26A, 27-65 and 66-117, from front to back. 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 and the back of the file cover is numbered 119 on the inside. There is a blank internal cover enclosing letters numbered 66 to 117. The front of the internal blank cover is numbered 66A and the back of the internal blank cover is numbered 118 on the inside.Pagination: the contents of the file were originally numbered in ink as follows: 9, 11, 7, 8, 12, 14, 17, 19 and then in strict ascending numerical order from 21 to 377, but with many gaps in the sequence. This earlier numbering of the file is predominantly pagination, but includes remnants of some former foliation systems as well. Blank pages or folios and those containing brief details only, such as name and address, are usually unnumbered.
The file contains an exchange of letters between British Government officials in India and London, copied to Lieutenant H D Robertson (Officiating British Resident in the Persian Gulf) for his information and guidance. The letters often refer to the regular reports submitted by the British Resident in the Persian Gulf to the Bombay Government and occasionally contain specific instructions or decisions for the Resident to follow.The main correspondents are: J P Willoughby and L R Reid (Secretaries to the Government of Bombay, on behalf of the Governor in Council of Bombay) and J H Maddock (Secretary to the Government of India, on behalf of the Governor General of India in Council). Other correspondents include: the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, mainly communicating the wishes of Lord Aberdeen (British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs) about the British evacuation of Karrack and Captain Atkins Hamerton (British Agent at Muscat) reporting from Zanzibar about slave trafficking in the East African ports belonging to the Imam of Muscat.The letters discuss events in the Persian Gulf in 1842, relations between the rival Arab Maritime Chiefs particularly over slave trafficking, relations between Britain and Persia particularly over the possession of the Island of Karrack [Kharg], the state of the Maritime Peace and several other topics.British evacuation of the Island of Karrack and its restoration to the Persian Government by treaty, including: removal of the British Residency from Karrack back to Bushire, British attitude to the eventual replacement of British pilotage charges on Karrack with a Persian system of pilotage dues, retention of a British coal depot on Karrack for the use of East India Company steamers, proposal for the re-occupation of Bassadore [Bāsa‘īdū] as a British naval depot in the Persian Gulf for the East India Company’s squadron of war ships, proposal to convert the British station on Karrack to an invalid station for Europeans in India (folios 9, 20, 24, 27-29, 31-36).British suppression of the maritime slave traffic in the Persian Gulf, including: trading in slaves between the ports of the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea by members of the Joasmee [Qasimi] Tribe under the authority of the Arab Maritime Chiefs and the inability of the Imam of Muscat to prevent them from visiting the ports of his East African territories, the importation of Soomalee [Somali] slaves into Shargah [Sharjah], the importation of African slaves from Muscat into the territory of the Ameers [Amirs] of Scinde in Pakistan, new stringent measures proposed by the British Resident with regard to financial penalties, seizures and confiscations of all native boats involved in slave trafficking between the East Coast of Africa and the various ports in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, the British Government’s long term policy towards the eradication of all trade in slaves between Africa, India and the East African and Arabian countries bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea (folios 3, 10-13, 15-19).The renewal of the annual Maritime Truce between Great Britain and the Chiefs of the Arab Ports in the Persian Gulf and the reasons for and against extending the duration of its term (folios 6, 14); British reaction to an alleged planned invasion of Bahrein [Bahrain] and Koweit [Kuwait] by Persia (folios 29-31) and British relations with Ameer Khaled and his supposed intention to invade Oman (folios 3-7).The file title ‘Book 131 1832’ is written in blue ink on the file cover, with the year '1832' crossed out in pencil (folio 1). The file contains letters written in 1842 not 1832, and one letter written in 1841 (folios 2-3).1 file (37 folios)The letters are arranged chronologically. Several letters incorporate copied extracts from earlier letters or enclose them separately.Foliation: numbered 1 to 37, beginning on the front of the file cover and ending on the inside of the back cover. The numbering is written in pencil and encircled, on the recto of each folio, in the top right corner.The 27 letters in the file were originally numbered in ink, on the recto of every folio, in the topr right corner, as follows: 8-10, 15-18, 36, 47-50, 85, 113-117, 143, 149-151, 155, 158-159, 162, 164, 185-188, 210, 230-232.
The file contains letters received by Lieutenant Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Assistant British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, who was in charge of the Persian Gulf Residency at Bushire, from August to October 1843. Later letters were received by Captain Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, following his return to the Persian Gulf Residency in November 1843.Most of the letters are from British naval officers in the Persian Gulf Squadron, reporting on maritime affairs along the Trucial Coast. Their letters contain naval patrol reports, local intelligence communicated by the British Government Native Agents Hadjee Jassim and Moolah Hussein, stationed at Bahrein [Bahrain] and Sharga [Sharjah] respectively, also witness statements arising from investigations into two particular incidents, as follows:Several naval patrol reports dated August, September, October and November 1843, from Lieutenant A Macdonald, commanding the East India Company schooner
Mahi, from Lieutenant J S Draper, commanding the East India Company sloop of war
Cooteand from Commander J P Porter (Senior Indian Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf), commanding the East India Company brig of war
Euphrates, mentioning outbreaks of tribal conflict and the state of relations between the sheikhs of Abothubee [Abu Dhabi], Amulgavine [Umm-ul-Kawain], Aymaum [Ajman], Bahrein [Bahrain], Brymee, Debai [Dubai], Sharga [Sharjah] and Ras–al Keyma [Ras Al Khaimah] (folios 2-3, 22-25, 27-28, 31);Other naval reports dated September and October 1843, from Lieutenant J S Draper, mentioning chiefly the Pearl Bank fishery season; particularly the presence of a large fleet of pearl fishing boats from the island of Kenn [Kīsh] (folios 16-17, 21);Special naval reports dated July and September 1843, from Commander J P Porter and Lieutenant A Macdonald, give a detailed account of their investigations into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the wrecked British merchant ship
Mary Mallaby, which had sailed from Port Louis, Mauritius in May 1843 and run aground at the port of Bunder Abbass [Bandar Abbas] on the Persian coast of the Gulf, in July 1843, together with extracts from entries in the ship’s log book, transcripts of the oral testimony given by the ship’s crew and master, Captain C Fisher, and an English translation of the oral testimony given by the vizier of the Sheik of Bunder Abbass (folios 4-12, 18-20);Special naval report dated December 1843, from Lieutenant J S Draper, giving a detailed account of the unusual circumstances surrounding the recent discovery of an abducted Indian slave girl living in Bahrain, together with an English translation of Lieutenant Draper’s letter dated November 1843 to the Sheikh of Bahrein, stating that the slave girl was currently under the protection of the British Native Agent, also English translations of the oral testimony given by the slave girl, her alleged brother, the widow of her Arab slave owner and the local Arab inhabitant who encountered the alleged brother on his arrival from Bombay in search of his sister (folios 29, 32-33).There are also three letters dated August and October 1843, from: William H Litchfield, master of the East India Company schooner
Emilyabout the sinking of the vessel to eradicate vermin (folio 15); Mr W J A Malcolm, a merchant in Bushire about his knowledge of the history of the struggle between Persian and Turkish authorities to control the frontier port of Mohamrah [Khorramshahr] (folios 13-14); Colonel Justin Sheil, the British Minister at Tehran, reporting his conversation with Hajee Meerza Aghassee [Haji Mirza Aghasi], the Persian Prime Minister about Persia’s intention to intervene militarily in the internal power struggle in Bahrain (folio 26).1 file (33 folios)The letters are arranged chronologically. Many letters incorporate copied extracts from earlier letters or enclose them separately.Foliation: numbered 2-10, 11, 11A, 12-33, from the front to the back of the file. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled. The front of the file cover is numbered 1 and the back of the file cover is unnumbered. Folios 10 and 11 are blank. The writing on folio 11A is on the verso, not the recto.As a result of a scondary and earlier foliation sequence, most folios are also numbered in ink as follows: 151, 156, 158, 160, 161, 163, 165, 167-169, 171, 185, 202, 204, 215, 217, 219, 221, 223, 225, 227, 232, 243, 244, 260, 261, 276-280.
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.