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.
The file contains letters received by Major Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire between January and November 1847, mainly from the following British officials: Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil, British Envoy at the Court of the Shah of Persia, Tehran; Henry Wellesley (Lord Cowley), British Minister Plenipotentiary to the Ottoman Porte at Constantinople [Istanbul]; Major Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, British Political Agent for Turkish Arabia and British Consul at Baghdad; Lieutenant Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Acting British Political Agent for Turkish Arabia at the British Residency, Baghdad.The majority of letters to the Resident discuss British negotiations with the Ottoman Porte (Turkish Empire) for the suppression of the African maritime slave trade in the Persian Gulf. These letters are preceded or followed by numerous enclosures, which include related correspondence between Henry Wellesley (Lord Cowley) at Constantinople and Lord Palmerston, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at London, as well as the following Ottoman documents, prohibiting the future importation by sea of African slaves into the Turkish ports of the Persian Gulf:Ottoman Turkish transcripts and English translations of an imperial firman (royal decree) issued in January 1847 at Constantinople by the Sultan of Turkey (the Ottoman Porte), to the Governor of Baghdad, and an accompanying vizirial letter of instruction (folios 13-14, 16-17);English translation of a letter of instruction dated 22 February 1847, from the Governor of Baghdad to the Governor of Bussorah [Basra] (folios 21-22);Ottoman Turkish transcripts and English translations of two letters of instruction, one from the Ottoman Porte to the Governor of Baghdad and the other from the Governor of Baghdad to the Governor of Bussorah [Basra], requiring them to cooperate with British cruizers, over the disposal of slaves landed from seized Turkish vessels (folio 52-54, 61-64).A small number of letters and their enclosures to the Resident discuss British suspicions about Turkish ambitions towards Bahrain. Included is a French transcript of a letter extract, allegedly sent at the instigation of the Sultan’s Chamberlain to the Arab Chief of Bahrain, inviting the latter to place himself under the protection of the Ottoman Porte (folio 43).There are also several naval patrol reports addressed mainly to the Resident, from Commodore John Croft Hawkins, commanding the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf and also from Captain William Lowe. The latter reports the seizure of slave ships and includes a list of vessels belonging to subjects of the Imam of Muscat, detained for having slaves on board (folio 83).1 file (95 folios)The letters are arranged chronologically. Many letters are followed by copies or extracts from earlier letters that were enclosed with them.Foliation: the contents are numbered 2-96, from the front to the back of the file. The front of the file cover is numbered 1. The back of the file cover is unnumbered. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled.Pagination: the contents were originally numbered in ink as follows: 3, 34-58, 73-81, 85-96, 105-118, 181-195, 204-207, 229-238, 256-271, 282-288, 312-328, 338-343, 350-353, 356-360, 363-366, 384-395. There are many gaps in the number sequence. The numbering is written in the top right or left corner of the page on the recto and verso respectively. Blank pages and pages containing only brief details, such as name and address of sender, are usually unnumbered.Fold-out folios: a three-page letter is partially folded over, along the right hand edge (folios 62-64).Condition: many folios are torn, stained or holey, as a result of which a negligible amount of text is obscured or lost.
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.
A printed map of the Hejaz Railway from Damascus to Mekka [Mecca]. The map is a copy of an original that was produced by Hajji Mukhtar Bey, Technical Adviser of the Hejaz Railway, and compiled by Captain (Artillery) Eumer Zekki and Lieutenant Hassan Muin, in the Printing Works of the Ottoman Ministry of Marine.As well as showing the railway (in various different stages of construction and planning), the map also shows ordinary roads and rivers and has some limited indication of relief. On three sides of the main map, elevations of the main settlements along the route (between Damascus and Jeddah) are shown.The map was published by the Intelligence Division of the War Office and produced by the Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton in 1904.1 mapMaterials: Printed on paperDimensions: 960mm x 660mm
The volume contains correspondence relating to the actions and grievances of Shaikh Ḥamad bin Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah, cousin of Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, the ruler of Bahrain. The key correspondents in the file are Shaikh Ḥamad and Shaikh ‘Īsá, and a succession of Political Residents (Major Percy Cox (later Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Cox), Major Arthur Trevor) and Political Agents in Bahrain (Captain Francis Prideaux, Major Stuart Knox, Captain David Lorimer, and Captain Terence Keyes).The opening letter in the volume, dated December 1904, is from Shaikh Ḥamad to the Political Agent (Prideaux) and Resident (Cox), and is a request from Shaikh Ḥamad for an increase in his monthly allowances, which Cox rejected (folios 1a-5). Later correspondence, dated 1910, reported on the growing antagonism between Shaikh Ḥamad and Shaikh ‘Īsá, which led to Shaikh Ḥamad threatening, and then carrying out his threat, to seek the protection of the Wali [custodian] of Busorah [Basra] (folio 13). British officials did not attach great importance to Shaikh Ḥamad’s threats, but nevertheless instructed staff the steam ship company Gray Paul & Co. to refuse Shaikh Ḥamad passage (folios 17, 18). However, in September 1911 Shaikh Ḥamad succeeded in making his way to Basra, and onwards to Baghdad and Constantinople, with the apparent intention of taking his grievances against Shaikh ‘Īsá to the Porte (folios 26-27). The Wali of Basra sent an envoy to Bahrain to negotiate between the two parties (folios 38-40). In the meantime Shaikh Ḥamad returned to Bahrain, where he was reported to be wearing Turkish dress and bearing an Ottoman medal (folios 64, 65).Shortly afterwards, reports stated that Shaikh Ḥamad and Shaikh ‘Īsá were reconciled (folio 71), but in the following years, further clashes between the two periodically surfaced, including an incident in which Shaikh Ḥamad’s Bedouin servant shot the dogs of a respectable Manama resident in 1914 (folios 83, 84), and the beating, in 1915, at Shaikh Ḥamad’s instigation, of Shaikh ‘Īsá’s camel herder (folios 102-03). In a letter from the Political Agent (Keyes) to the Political Resident (Cox), dated 8 October 1915, and in light of Shaikh Ḥamad’s previous intrigues with Ottoman officials, the possibility of Shaikh Ḥamad having been the member of the Āl Khalīfah family suspected of making contact with German agents is mooted (folios 118-20). Shaikh ‘Īsá’s subsequent request to British officials to have Shaikh Ḥamad deported to Karachi, ultimately fell on deaf ears (folio 121).1 volume (123 folios)The contents of the volume are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items of correspondence at the front of the file, to the latest at then rear.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled numbers located in the top-right corner of each recto. An earlier foliation system, which numbers versos as well as rectos containing text, runs through the volume. This foliation system uses uncircled numbers located in the top-left corner of versos and the top-right corner of rectos. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 64a.There is evidence of insect damage, in the form of small holes in the paper, throughout the file. However the damage is not extensive enough to impair the legibility of text.
The letter is reporting that the hostile attitude of the Government of Persia towards the British has proven short lived; it explains this is because the promises made to the Shah by the Russian Minister were not within his power to make. It notes that in consequence, the Persian Government has made friendly overtures to the Turkish Government.Enclosed with the letter is a communication (in Persian) from the Persian Government to the Ottoman Ambassador, which explains the present state of affairs between Persia and Turkey [Ottoman Empire].3 folios
This volume contains copies of correspondence between British officials regarding the construction of the Hedjaz [Hijaz] Railway. The correspondence discusses a number of different aspects of the railway including its route, the progress of its construction and donations made towards its construction by members of the Muslim community in India.A limited amount of the correspondence in the volume is in French, including a copy of a letter sent by Paul Cambon, the French Ambassador in London, to Sir Edward Grey, the Foreign Secretary (folio 15).The volume contains a number of reports and related information about the railway. Of particular interest are the following:A report on the Hejaz Railway by Major Francis Richard Maunsell, dated July 1907 (ff 56-69)A memorandum respecting German influence on the Hejaz Railway by George Ambrose Lloyd, 1906 (ff 95-96)A list of the principal stations on the Hejaz Railway with approximate distances between Damascus and each station (f 100)A map of the Hejaz Railway with list of stations (f 106)A report by Mr Teofani Loiso, Vice-Consul at Mersina, based on information provided to him by his son who was employed as an engineer on the railway (ff 105-107)A report by Herr Otto von Kapp Kohlstein, a German engineer who inspected the Haifa-Damascus branch of the route and worked on the construction of the Damascus-Maan branch (ff 107-109).In addition, the volume contains cuttings (and translations) of press articles related to several aspects of the railway and its construction. Also included are two maps. The Turkish (Ottoman) language material consists of the second of these two maps.The volume includes a divider which gives the year that the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in it arranged by year. This divider is placed at the front of the volume.1 volume (242 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 240; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. It should be noted that the covers of this volume have not been foliated.
This part contains correspondence and other papers relating to British policy in the Hadramaut (also written Hadhramaut and Hadhramut) region of Yemen. The papers cover: the recruitment of Arabs from Aden and its hinterland by the Italian Government for employment in Africa; the status of Arabs from the region; relations with tribal leaders; present and future policy in connection to the First World War and the Arab Revolt; internal affairs; the activities of the Ottoman Turks and the Imam of Yemen; the supply of arms and funds to Sultan Ghalib bin Awad Al Qu'aiti [Ghālib bin Awad Al Qu'ayṭī] of Shehr and Mokalla [Al Mukalla]; the investiture of Sultan Ghalib with the honour of Knight Commander of the Indian Empire; boundary questions; proposals to establish a post and telegraphic office at Mokalla; the movements and background of Hadhramautis in Singapore and the Dutch East Indies, and the question of British influence in Southeast Asia in general.The principal correspondents are officials at the India Office, Foreign Office, Colonial Office, War Office, Political Residency in Aden, and the Government of India (Foreign Department). Further correspondence, included as enclosures, comes from: Sultan Ghalib Al Qu'aiti; the Government of Bombay; the Consul-General in Batavia; the General Officer Commanding the Troops, Straits Settlements, Singapore; Treasury; and High Commissioner for the Malay States.Notable within the file are photographic copies of intercepted letters from the Turkish Consul General in Batavia to the Ottoman Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding pro-British individuals in the Dutch East Indies and Singapore (folios 232-240).1 item (229 folios)
This volume contains correspondence and other papers relating to British policy in connection with the Hadramaut (also written Hadhramut and Hadhramaut).The correspondence covers internal affairs, relations with tribal leaders, activities of the Turks and the Imam of Yemen, boundary questions, the Arabs of the Dutch East Indies, questions of policy and strategy connected to the First World War and the Arab Revolt, and proposals to establish a Vice-Consulate and other facilities at Mokalla [Al Mukalla].The principal correspondents are officials at the India Office, Foreign Office, War Office, Colonial Office, and the Government of India, Foreign Department.Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 volume (419 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.The subject 1740 (Arabia) consists of two volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/551-552. The volumes are divided into three parts, with parts 1 and 2 comprising one volume, and part 3 comprising the second volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 420; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The volume contains correspondence in the form of letters and telegrams related to the temporary administration of Baghdad Vilayet [province] and the question of the type of postage stamps to be used for the civil post office at Baghdad during the British occupation. The correspondence is particularly related to a small supply of Turkish stamps that was found in Baghdad after the Ottoman troops left the city. The British Government proposed to issue these stamps with the overprint 'Baghdad under British Occupation.' The volume includes correspondence with stamp printing firms and publishers to provide lists of the Turkish stamps and their values. The volume also includes correspondence between Buckingham Palace and the India Office arranging for a collection of the overprinted Turkish stamps to be sent to His Majesty King George V. Another set of stamps and envelopes was also kept aside in order to use it in an exhibition at the National/Imperial War Museum, London. The main correspondents in the volume are: John Evelyn Shuckburgh; Sir Percy Zachariah Cox, the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad; the Viceroy of India's Foreign Department; the Foreign Office; the Government of India's Department of Commerce and Industry; Harrison and Sons Limited; and Bradbury, Wilkinson and Company, Limited.The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 volume (274 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.The subject 1323 (Mesopotamia: Postage Stamps) consists of two volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/670-671. The volumes are divided into 5 parts, with part 1 comprising one volume, and parts 2-5 comprising the second volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 272; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.