This item is a genealogical 'Table of the Qādiriyah (Saiyid) Family of the Naqībs of Baghdād in Turkish Arabia'. It contains 65 named individuals of the Qādiriyah family of Baghdad, descendents of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī, who were holders of the title
naqībconferred by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Dates of birth and death are given, as well as brief biographical information. The table was compiled in 1907. There is a reference to page 2368 of Part II of the
Gazetteerfor a further history of the Qādiriyah and Naqibs of Baghdad.1 folios
This item is a genealogical 'Table of the Ruling Qāsimi Family of Shārjah in Trucial ’Omān'. It contains 51 named and unnamed individuals (in Arabic and English) of the Āl Qāsimī family of Sharjah, some with birth and death dates, as well as brief biographical information.There is also a 'Chronological list of Shaikhs of Shārjah belonging to this family' with the period of their reign, including: Rāshid-bin-Matar [Rāshid bin Maṭar], Saqar-bin-Rāshid [Ṣaqr bin Rāshid], Sultān-bin-Saqar [Sulṭān bin Ṣaqr], Khālid-bin-Sultān [Khālid bin Ṣaqr], Sālim-bin-Sultān [Sālim bin Sulṭān], and Saqar-bin-Khālid [Ṣaqr bin Khālid].In addition, a section of 'Notes' is included that gives 1907 as the year of compilation, as well as other details concerning the arrangement of the table, including: the omission of distant collateral relatives and nearly all females; the ordering of children from the same father according to seniority from left to right, with females invariably placed at the far right; dates of birth and in some cases death are approximate only; when the fact or date of death is not mentioned the person was probably alive in 1906; and members of the family, except where otherwise stated, reside in Sharjah town.1 folio
Distinctive Features:An outline map entitled 'Chart showing the Pearl Banks along Arabian Shore of the Persian Gulf between Ras Tanura and Dabai' issued as an enclosure to Part II of Volume I of the ‘Persian Gulf Gazetteer'. Shows the southern coast of the Persian Gulf between Ras Tanura and Dabai [Dubai] with the location of the pearl banks indicated. Each of the pearl banks is marked with a number.Bottom left-hand corner below neat line: ‘Reg. No. 1605 E., 14.-V.-225’.1 mapDimensions:361 x 585 mm, on sheet 457 x 683 mm
This item is a genealogical 'Table of the Ruling Āl Bū Falāh (Bani Yās) Family of Abu Dhabi in Trucial ’Omān'. It contains 44 named and unnamed individuals (in Arabic and English) of the Āl Bū Falāḥ (Banī Yās) family of Abu Dhabi, some with birth and death dates, as well as brief biographical information.There is also a 'Chronological list of Shaikhs of Abu Dhabi belonging to this family' with the periods of their reign, including: ’Īsa-bin-Inhiyān [‘Īsá bin Nahyān], Dhiyāb-bin-’Īsa [Dhiyāb bin ‘Īsá], Shakhbūt-bin-’Īsa [Shakhbūṭ bin ‘Īsá], Muhammad-bin-Shakhbūt [Muḥammad bin Shakhbūṭ], Tahnūn-bin-Shakhbūt [Ṭaḥnūn bin Shakhbūṭ], Khalīfah-bin-Shakhbūt [Khalīfah bin Shakhbūṭ], Sa’īd-bin-Tahnūn [Sa‘īd bin Ṭaḥnūn], and Zāid-bin-Khalīfah [Zāyid bin Khalīfah].In addition, a section of 'Notes' is included that gives 1907 as the year of compilation, as well as other details concerning the arrangement of the table, including: the omission of distant collateral relatives and all females; 'issue' means 'male issue'; the ordering of children from the same father according to seniority from left to right, with females invariably placed at the far right; dates of birth are approximate only; and when the fact or date of death is not mentioned the person was probably alive in 1906.1 folio
This item is a genealogical 'Table of the Ruling Āl Bū Falāsah (Bani Yās) Family of Dibai in Trucial ’Omān'. It contains 26 named individuals (in Arabic and English) of the Āl Bū Falāsah (Banī Yās) family of Dubai, some with birth and death dates, as well as brief biographical information.There is also a 'Chronological list of Shaikhs of Dibai belonging to this family' with the periods of their reign, including: Maktūm-bin-Buti [Maktūm bin Buṭtī], Sa’īd-bin-Buti [Sa‘īd bin Buṭṭī], Hashar-bin-Maktūm [Ḥashr bin Maktūm], Rāshid-bin-Maktūm [Rāshid bin Maktūm], Maktūm-bin-Hashar [Maktūm bin Ḥashr], and Buti-bin-Suhail [Buṭṭī bin Suhayl].In addition, a section of 'Notes' is included that gives 1907 as the year of compilation, as well as other details concerning the arrangement of the table, including: the omission of distant collateral relatives and all females; 'issue' means 'male issue'; the ordering of children from the same father according to seniority from left to right; dates of birth are approximate only; and when the fact or date of death is not mentioned the person was probably alive in 1906.1 folio
This item is a genealogical 'Table of the Ruling Āl ’Ali Family of Umm-Al-Qaiwain in Trucial ’Omān'. It contains 105 named individuals (in Arabic and English) of the Āl ‘Alī [Āl Mu‘allā] family of Umm al-Qaywayn, some with birth and death dates, as well as brief biographical information.There is also a 'Chronological list of Shaikhs of Umm-Al-Qaiwain belonging to this family' with the periods of their reign, including: Mājid, Rāshid-bin-Mājid [Rāshid bin Mājid], ’Abdullah-bin-Rāshid [‘Abdullāh bin Rāshid], ’Alī-bin-’Abdullah [‘Alī bin ‘Abdullāh], Ahmad-bin-’Abdullah [Aḥmad bin ‘Abdullāh], and Rāshid-bin-Ahmad [Rāshid bin Aḥmad].In addition, a section of 'Notes' is included that gives 1907 as the year of compilation, as well as other details concerning the arrangement of the table, including: the omission of all females; 'issue' means 'male issue'; the ordering of sons from the same father according to seniority from left to right; and when the fact or date of death is not mentioned the person was probably alive in 1906.1 folio
This item is a genealogical 'Table of the Ruling Āl Bū Kharaibān (Na’īm) Family of ’Ajmān in Truciāl ’Omān'. It contains 31 named and unnamed individuals (in Arabic and English) of the Āl Bū Khuraybān (Āl Nu‘aymī) family of Ajman, some with birth and death dates, as well as brief biographical information.There is also a 'Chronological list of Shaikhs of ’Ajmān belonging to this family' with the periods of their reign, including: Rāshid, Hamaid-bin-Rāshid [Ḥumayd bin Rāshid], Rāshid-bin-Hamaid [Rāshid bin Ḥumayd], Hamaid-bin-Rāshid [Ḥumayd bin Rāshid], ’Abdul ’Azīz-bin-Rāshid [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin Rāshid], Rāshid-bin-Hamaid [Rāshid bin Ḥumayd], Hamaid-bin-Rāshid [Ḥumayd bin Rāshid], and ’Abdul ’Azīz [‘Abd al-‘Azīz].In addition, a section of 'Notes' is included that gives 1907 as the year of compilation, as well as other details concerning the arrangement of the table, including: the omission of all female apart from one, and probably a number of male collateral relatives; 'issue' means 'male issue'; the ordering of children of the same father according to seniority from left to right, with the only females placed at the right of her brothers; dates of birth are approximate; and when the fact or date of death is not mentioned the person was probably alive in 1906.1 folio
This item is a genealogical 'Table of the Qasimi Family Formerly Ruling Lingeh'. It contains 10 named individuals (in Arabic and English) of the Qāsimī family of Lingeh, some with birth and death dates, as well as brief biographical information.There is also a 'Chronological list of Shaikhs of Lingeh belonging to this family' with the periods of their reign, including: Khalīfah, ’Ali [‘Alī], Yusuf [Yūsuf], Qadhīb [Qaẓīb], various Persian Deputy-Governors, and Muhammad.In addition, a section of 'Notes' is given that provides information concerning their relation with the Āl Qāsimī ruling family of Sharjah; mediation between the Shaikhs of Sharjah and Abu Dhabi by Shaikh Muhammad-bin-Qadhīb [Muḥammad bin Qaẓīb]; the completeness of the table and its compilation in 1907 from a statement by Muhammad-bin-Khalīfah [Muḥammad bin Khalīfah], the former Shaikh of Lingah. A reference to the
Gazetteer(p. 2064 of Part II) is also given concerning the murder of Yūsuf, the Shaikh of Lingah, in 1885.1 folio
This item is a genealogical 'Table of the Ruling Āl Thāni (Ma’ādhīd) Family of Dōhah in Qatar'. It contains 35 named individuals (in Arabic and English) of the Āl Thānī (Ma‘āḍīd) family of Doha, some with birth and death dates, as well as brief biographical information.The is also a 'Chronological list of Shaikhs of Dōhah belonging to this family' with the periods of their reign, including: Thāni-bin-Muhammad [Thānī bin Muḥammad], Muhammad-bin-Thāni [Muḥammad bin Thānī], and Jāsim-bin-Muhammad [Jāsim bin Muḥammad]. Future rulers of Qatar, Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim (1913-1949) and Shaikh ‘Alī bin ‘Abdullāh (1949-1960) also appear in the table.In addition, a section of 'Notes' is included that gives 1907 as the year of compilation, as well as other details concerning the arrangement of the table, including: the omission of all females; the completeness of the table; sons are arranged in order of seniority from left to right; dates of birth are approximate only; and when the fact or date of death is not mentioned the person was probably alive in 1906. There are also details given concerning the marriage of Shaikh Jāsim's daughter to Nāsir-bin-Mubārak [Nāṣir bin Mubārak], a Bahrain refugee, in 1880, and the Shaikh's own account of the lineage of his grandfather, Thānī bin Muḥammad, and the origins of the family.1 folio
This item is a genealogical 'Table of the Ruling Al Khalīfah (’Atbi) Family of Bahrain, Sheet No. 1., Senior Part of the Āl Salmān Brānch'. It contains 129 named individuals (in Arabic and English) of the Āl Khalīfah (al-‘Utūb) family of Bahrain, senior branch descended from Salmān. This branch produced all the Shaikhs of Bahrain except one. Some of these individuals appear with birth and death dates, as well as brief biographical information.There is also a 'Chronological list of Shaikhs of Bahrain belonging to this family' with the periods of their reign, including: Khalīfah-bin-Muhammad [Khalīfah bin Muḥammad], Ahmad-bin-Khalīfah [Aḥmad bin Khalīfah], Salmān-bin-Ahmad [Salmān bin Aḥmad], ’Abdullah-bin-Ahmad [‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad], Khalīfah bin Salmān [Khalīfah bin Salmān], Muhammad bin-Khalīfah [Muḥammad bin Khalīfah], ’Ali-bin-Khalīfah [‘Alī bin Khalīfah], and ’Isa-bin-’Ali [‘Īsá bin ‘Alī]. There is also a diagram that explains the connection of 'Sheet No. 1' with 'Sheet Nos. 2 and 3' (folios 12A and 12B).In addition, a section of 'Notes' is included that gives 1907 as the year of compilation, as well as other details concerning the arrangement of the table, including: the completeness of the table; the omission of distant collateral relatives and all females; 'issue' means 'male issue'; the ordering of children from the same father according to seniority from left to right; dates of birth, and in some cases death, are approximate only; and when the fact or date of death is not mentioned the person was probably alive in 1906.1 folio
This file concerns the appointment of an heir to Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thanī, Ruler of Qatar, following the illness and death of his son and heir-apparent, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Thānī. Details include: Ḥamad's illness and his role in the settlement of the conflict over Zubarah (al-Zubārah) between Bahrain and Qatar in 1944; illnesses of both Shaikh ‘Abdullāh and Shaikh Ḥamad in June 1946; reports on the health of Shaikh ‘Abdullāh by Dr G F N Anderson, Medical Officer at Dukhan [Dukhān] for Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited during 1947 (folios 8-13); and the serious illness of Shaikh Ḥamad in May 1948 and his death on 27 May 1948.After the announcement of Shaikh Ḥamad's death, there follows correspondence concerning the appointment of a successor, including: Shaikh ‘Abdullāh's announcement of his son, Shaikh ‘Alī bin ‘Abdullāh, as his successor (ff 27-30); information regarding the succession of Shaikh ‘Alī in the event of his death (ff 33 and 38); Shaikh ‘Abdullāh's request for His Majesty's Government to recognise Shaikh ‘Alī as his successor (ff 39 and 42-45); and attempts by Shaikh ‘Abdullāh to recover money from Shaikh Ḥamad's account with the Eastern Bank Limited, Bahrain, in 1949 (ff 40-41). Included within the file is a 'Genealogical Tree of the Ruling Family of Qatar' (ff 23-24).Correspondents within this file include: the Political Resident at Bushire and later at Bahrain; the Political Agent at Bahrain; Olaf Kirkpatrick Kruuse Caroe, External Affairs Department of the Government of India, New Delhi; Ernest Vincent Packer and Basil Henry le Riolet Lermitte, Petroleum Concessions Limited, Bahrain.1 file (49 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. File notes appear at the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 51; 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 incomplete foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 25-45; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Correspondence relating to the succession to Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr], Sultan of Muscat, in the event of his sudden demise. Said bin Taimur felt that no member of the Royal Family met the two criteria required for his succesor: to hold the same views as his own about the State's close connection with the British Government and to be personally acceptable to the majority of the people.Includes notes by Major Tom Hickinbotham, Political Agent, Muscat, on four members of the Al Bu SaRoyal Family: Saiyid Shahab bin Faisal bin Turki [Shahāb Fayṣal bin Turkī]; Saiyid Nadir bin Faisal [Nādir bin Fayṣal]; Saiyid Hamad bin Faisal; Saiyid Tarik bin Taimur[Tāriq bin Taymūr]; Saiyid Majid bin Taimur [Mājid bin Taymūr].A letter headed 'Most Secret' from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to the Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department describes a conversation between the Resident and Sultan Said bin Taimur in which the Sultan intimated that he would prefer a British Officer to fill the post of Regent rather than any members of his family.Correspondents include Major Tom Hickinbotham, Political Agent and HBMs Consul, Muscat; Political Resident Persian Gulf; R R Burnett, Secretary to the Government of India, External Affairs Department, New Delhi.1 volume (34 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the system of foliation used is the numbers appearing in a circle in the top right hand corner of the folio.
This volume contains papers relating to the supply and gifting of arms and ammunition to the Sultan of Muscat and Oman during roughly the first half of the Second World War between 1939 and 1942. The papers are primarily receipts and lists of weapons and ammunition requested and subsequently transported from India to Muscat. Most of the correspondence takes place between British Political Agent in Muscat and representatives of the Government of India, however the file contains letters from Sultan Sa'id bin Taymur himself, and the Sultan's military representative in Muscat.1 volume (210 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 260; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 1-260; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file discusses the decision by Shaikh Isa [ʻIsá ibn ʻAlī Āl Khalīfah] in April 1916 to raise the customs duty on the transhipment of goods through Bahrain, as wartime conditions had resulted in a difficult financial situation for Bahrain.This decision was prompted by a drop in the number of steamers calling at Bahrain and a subsequent rise in the cost of food and other goods which many feared could lead to famine. Included in the file is a petition from a group of Arab merchants to Shaikh Isa asking him to do everything in his power to get more steamers to call at Bahrain to ease the situation.Also included in the file is correspondence with the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Chief Political Officer at Basrah [Basra] regarding a complaint from Bin Saud (‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd), Ruler of Najd over the Shaikh of Bahrain's decision to increase transhipment charges. The complaint is dismissed as the political authorities concluded that Shaikh Isa had been well within his rights to increase the customs duty.Other matters discussed in the file include correspondence with F T Maharaj, Director of Customs at Bahrain regarding proposals for the construction of a new pier at Bahrain, and export licences from Bombay for blasting powder and fuses that would be required in the construction work.1 file (36 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 36; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-35; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
This volume pertains to the wartime censorship of communication to and from Muscat during the Second World War. In particular, the volume's papers contain instructions from the Government of India to the Political Agency in Muscat on the precise parameters of wartime censorship in multiple languages, including Arabic. This includes information on sailing dates of British shipping, the surveillance of the letters of Germen citizens, and the removal of all mention of British naval movements from telegrams and written communication. Other aspects of the regime of censorship instituted at the beginning of the war include the elimination of languages other than English, Arabic, and Guajarati from all communication with the Political Agency in Muscat and the treatment of undesirable printed material from overseas.1 volume (256 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order form the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 258; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 6-230; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file contains correspondence and other papers (including slaves' statements) related to manumission applications heard at the Political Agency in Bahrain. Most of the cases involve slaves who have absconded or travelled from Muscat or Saudi Arabian territory. In those cases where a slave had escaped from Muscat, the Bahrain Agency exchanged correspondence with the Muscat Agency to verify the slave's story, with the Muscat Agent writing back in each case to approve manumission. Correspondence and office notes show that those slaves from Saudi Arabia were automatically given manumission certificates and permitted to stay in Bahrain.1 file (41 folios)The correspondence and other items in the file are arranged by each individual manumission case. Each of the cases has its own title page. The cases themselves are arranged chronologically, with the earliest case at the front of the file, and the latest at the rear. There is a index page showing the cases (with the slaves' names) on folio 2. There are office notes included within each case; most of the time they appear at the rear of the case correspondence, but sometimes they are at the front.Foliation: The main foliation sequence begins on 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 of the recto side of each folio. A short local foliation sequence can be found at ff 34-37; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. They can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
Correspondence relating to the deposition of Shaikh Saqar bin Khalid and succession of Shaikh Sultan bin Saqar as Shaikh of Sharjah. The Political Resident Persian Gulf brokered an agreement over this succession which included the place of residence for the former ruler and payments. Includes genealogical trees of the Qasimi family of Sharjah and the appeal of the Political Resident Persian Gulf to avoid succession through murder. Correspondents include Francis Beville Prideaux, Political Resident Persian Gulf; Residency Agent, Sharjah; and Shaikh Sultan bin Saqar.1 volume (206 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: The sequence consists of numbers located in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio, the sequence runs from the front cover to the last folio.
This file contains papers relating to the domestic politics of Oman during 1874. The papers mostly cover the rebellion of the Al-Sa'ad tribe and the concurrent efforts of the British to suppress their rebellion in support of the Sultan of Oman and Muscat. The file contains several letters by the head of the Al-Sa'ad, Sayyid Hamad bin Ahmed, and Sultan Turkee bin Said of Oman. Most of the papers however, are between officials of the Government of India at Calcutta and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.1 file (230 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 232; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-232; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The papers in these volumes contain correspondence on political affairs in Oman, especially British financial support for the Sultan Turkee bin Sa'id during a rebellion against his authority by various tribes. Other topics discussed in the papers include Sayyid `Abd al-Aziz's property in Zanzibar; jurisdiction of the British consulate over Indian subjects in Muscat; intrigue by the Sultan's nephew, Sayyid Salim, his allowance and expenditure and the Sultan's subsidy and expenses from the British government.3 volumes (549 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: this file consists of three physical volumes. The foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio of volume one (ff 1-182), volume two (ff 183-366) and terminates at the last folio of volume three (ff 367-556); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 1-556; these numbers are printed, and are not circled. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers of the volumes. The file has one foliation anomaly, f 159a.
This file contains letters that cover a wide variety of subjects. This includes diplomatic correspondence, general political administration, court statements and petitions, as well as trade reports and some general commercial matters. The majority of the file consists of correspondence between the Political Agent in Muscat and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf or the Government of India. The file also contains letters by Qais bin Azzan, Sultan of Muscat and Oman in Arabic and a number of other Arabic and Gujurati language letters by both Omani ship captains, and British Indian subjects writing to the Political Agent in Muscat.1 file (487 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 489; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
This file contains two primary types of correspondence. The first is letters between the British Political Agent in Muscat, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Charles Ross and the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire. The file also contains correspondence between the British Political Agent in Muscat and various Omani political and tribal authorities. The subject matter of the letters includes administration report and trade returns from 1877-1878, and the marriage of the Sultan's eldest son. However, the first half of the papers pertains to the attempt by the Sultan's brother, Sayyid Abdul Aziz, to organise a rebellion against his brother in Muscat among the tribes of the interior of Oman.All the letters received from Omani figures are included as both transcriptions made by Political Agency officials in Muscat and translations from the original Arabic. The original letters are not included.1 file (205 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 207; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
This file consists of exchanges to do with events and personalities in or around Gwadur [Gwadar] on the Makran Coast of Baluchistan. The file includes a list of important personalities in Oman, and the 1882 administration report and trade returns. The end of the file consists of an extensive biographical sketch of Sultan Sayyid Sa`id ibn Sultan by Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Barrett Miles.In between these items are letters on incidents of plunder and looting in Gwadur. They include subsequent applications to the Political Agency for countermeasures or compensation by British protected subjects and responses from the Sultan of Oman's governor (Wali) in Gwadur at the time, Sayyid bin Musallem.1 file (134 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 136; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
This file contains papers that discuss the possible annexation of Khor Fakhan, Kalba and Dibba by Oman from June-July 1886, as well as administration report and trade returns from 1885-86. The file also contains a discrete report on weights and measures employed in the pearl trade in the Gulf by Lieutenant Colonel Edward Mockler the Political Agent in Muscat, as well as separate reports entitled 'Notes of a tour through Oman and Dhahira' by Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Barrett Miles. Ancillary papers discuss relations between Oman and Sharjah.1 file (64 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 66; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
This file contains correspondence between Sayyid `Abd al-Aziz bin Sa'id, the Sultan of Oman's cousin and competitor, and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf about Oman affairs. Specifically, the exchanges discuss whether the Sultan at the time, Faisal bin Turki, was fit to rule. The file also contains letters about a dispute between Arabs of Khasab and Kumzar and the 1882 Administration report and trade returns.1 file (61 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 63; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The file relates to Sheikh Ali bin Ahmed Al Khalifah (also referred to as Ali bin Ahmad), nephew of the Ruler of Bahrain, Sheikh Esa bin Ali Al Khalifa [Sheikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah]. The file includes correspondence from the Government of India, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent, Bahrain, the Ruler of Bahrain (in Arabic with English translations), and Sheikh Ali himself (also in Arabic with English translations). The file includes:papers relating to the exile of Sheikh Ali from Bahrain [frequently referred to in the file in the spelling Bahrein], the question of whether the Government of India or the Ruler of Bahrain should pay the costs of his maintenance allowance during his exile in India, and the amount of that payment, May - October 1905;papers relating to the question of the future adminstration of Manama and Bahrain, September - October 1905;papers recording the payment of Sheikh Ali's maintenance allowance on a monthly basis by the Ruler of Bahrain, 1906-1909;papers concerning the possibility of the return of Sheikh Ali to Bahrain, July 1906 - December 1907;papers concerning the proposed occupation of Sheikh Ali's former house in Bahrain by the Ruler's son, Sheikh Hamad [Sheikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah], September 1906;papers concerning the terms of a proposed agreement for the return of Sheikh Ali to Bahrain before the expiry of his term of banishment, including details of properties and allowances in cash assigned by Sheikh Esa for the maintenance of Sheikh Ali, December 1907 - May 1908;papers concerning the return of Sheikh Ali to Bahrain, July 1908 - February 1909;subsequent reports and correspondence about Sheikh Ali, including note of his death, September 1912 - January 1917.The date of the first original piece of correspondence in the file is 22 August 1905. The file also contains copies of correspondence printed by the Government of India dating from 20 May 1905.1 file (313 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 315 on the back cover. These numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. A second sequence, comprising a combination of pagination and foliation, numbered 1-343, can be found between ff. 2-314. These numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in either the top left or top right hand corners of the verso or recto page of each folio respectively.
The file contains papers relating to the safe custody and transfer by the Bahrain Political Agency of secret and confidential publications and cyphers and codes. The file contains correspondence from the Political Agent, Bahrain and from other British officials, safe custody certificates, transfer certificates, and related papers. The papers include:papers relating to the custody of
'Field Notes on Saudi Arabia - 1935', December 1936 - September 1946, including certificates of safe custody sent to the Air Officer Commanding, British Forces in Iraq;papers relating to the updating of the 'Military Report on the Arabian States in the Persian Gulf', May - June 1941 and March 1942, including correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Government of India, correspondence from Major H T Hewitt, Defence Officer, Persian Gulf, containing reports on defence arrangements in Bahrein [Bahrain] and Qatar, May 1941, letter from E V Packer, Petroleum Concessions Limited containing a report on the oil situation in Qatar, June 1941, letter from Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain containing a report on the Bahrain naturs, May 1941, and report on the route from Sharjah to Kalba by Cornelius James Pelly, Political Agent on the Trucial Coast, Sharjah, March 1942, with sketch map, folio 81;Foreign Office memorandum on the production of official documents, 1942.The Arabic content of this file consists of printed text on the verso of the sketch map on folio 81. This sheet appears to have been reused for drawing the map.1 file (260 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Serial numbers written in blue and red crayon (blue for sent correspondence, red for received correspondence) are present throughout the file. They refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 258 on the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle, and can be found in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 1, 1A; ff. 3, 3A; ff. 53, 53A; ff. 185, 185A. A second incomplete foliation sequence numbered 53-250 is also present between ff. 52-245. The numbers are written in pencil, but are not circled, and appear in the same position as the main sequence.
Volume regarding affairs in Muscat relating to Syed Torkee [Turkī ibn Saʻīd Āl Sa‘īd] of Sohar's rebellious actions against Syed Soweynee [Thuwaynī ibn Saʻīd Āl Sa‘īd].The volume discusses the Joasmee [Āl Qāsimī] Chief's attempts at spreading dissention in Oman; the involvement of their brothers Sayid Majed [Mājid ibn Saʻīd] Sultan of Zanzibar and Syed Burgash [Barghash ibn Sa'id]; attempts at reconciliations between the brothers; the actions of the British Agent at Muscat (Lieutenant Walter Murray Pengelly) which were not approved of by the Government of Bombay; Wahabee [Wahhabi] interests in Sohar; and Sohar eventually being given over to Syed Soweynee, with Syed Torkee being confined to a fort in Muscat, which led to a large scale rebellion against Syed Soweynee. Contained within the volume are several letters in Arabic, some with translations, and one letter with translation in Hebrew.From folio 10 onwards the volume has been divided into smaller sections, each with their own subheading:English correspondence regarding differences between H H Syed Soweynee, Imam of Muscat and H H Brother Syed Turki of Sohar 1857-1860 (ff 10-119);Correspondence regarding piracies attended with murder during hostilities between the Chief of Sohar and the Imam of Muscat (ff 120-141);H H Syed Soweynee quarrel with Syed Majid of Zanzibar, Syed Bughash and Syed Torkee [who?] figure in the compilation (ff 142-194);Correspondence about Sued Soweynee's disputes with Syed Majid. Syed Soweynee intriguing secretly with the French attended to herein, also Syed Burgesh and Syed Torkee (ff 195-225);Miscellaneous. Complaints from Bombay Native Merchants against the authorities at Muscat for demanding customs upon the cargo of the Buglah
Fath El Khair; complaints of Syed Soweynee's indifference towards British Commissariat interests at Muscat; an attack on the
Fath El Khairsouth of Ras El Had [Ra’s al Ḩadd] (ff 226-317).Also included in the volume are four folios of manifest registers for goods exported by Bugla [Buggalow] to Aden produced 17 September 1856, which were sent to Colonel Atkins Hamerton, British Consul at Zanzibar in January 1857.The principal correspondents within the volume are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Commander James Felix Jones); the Secretary to Government, Political Department, Bombay (Henry Lacon Anderson); the Native Agent at Muscat (Khoja Hiskale); the British Native Agent at Shargah [Sharjah] (Haji Yaqub); the Commander of the Persian Gulf Squadron (Commodore Griffith Jenkins, Commodore Henry Albert Matthew Drought); the British Agent at Muscat (Lieutenant Walter Murray Pengelly); the Imam of Muscat (Thuwaynī ibn Saʻīd Āl Sa‘īd); Her Majesty's Consul and British Agent at Zanzibar (Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Palmer Rigby, Colonel Atkins Hamerton).1 volume (327 folios)The file has been separated into sections, with the correspondence within each section being arranged chronologically according to the date it was received at the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences on the title page and terminates on the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Foliation anomalies: 1, 1A, 1B, 164, 164A, 165, 165A, 166, 166A.Folios 256, 257, 258 and 259 are blank.
The volume contains copies of correspondence sent and original correspondence received by the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf, Bushire, relating to Bahrein [Bahrain] and the Wahabees [Wahhabis]. The Political Resident in the Persian Gulf throughout the period was Captain (James) Felix Jones.The main correspondents are Hajee Jassem [Ḥājjī Jāsim], British Agent at Bahrein; Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government, Bombay, and Acting Secretaries to Government, Bombay; Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident in the Persian Gulf; Commanders of the Persian Gulf Squadron; Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Political Agent in Turkish Arabia, Baghdad; Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Sheikh (or Chief) of Bahrein [Muḥammed bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah]; Mahomed bin Abdullah [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh], Sheikh (or Chief) of Demaum [Dammām]; and other local rulers and officials. Correspondence from local rulers and officials is mostly translated into English, but there are two letters in the original.The papers include: reports of relations between the Sheikhs of Demaum and Bahrein; infringements of maritime peace; rules observed by the Resident in registering British subjects in Bahrein, and in defining their privileges of exemption from taxation, June - August 1861 (folios 23-27); account of 'vexatious' behaviour by the Sheikh of Bahrein towards the British Agent and British subjects trading in his territories, September 1858 - March 1861 (folios 103-127); moves by the Ottoman Empire and Persia to obtain influence over Bahrein, March 1859- January 1862 (folios 150-187); and the removal of Mahomed bin Abdullah from Demaum, and the first visit to the backwaters and shallows south of Bahrein by the steam gunboat
Hugh Rose, June 1861 - January 1862 (folios 169-220).1 volume (226 folios)The correspondence is divided into separate subject groups numbered 1-15 (excluding 11), each with an introductory page entitled 'Head IV. Bahrein & Wahabee', followed by a subject number and title, e.g. 'Subject 15 Miscellaneous' (folio 222). Within each subject group, the correspondence is recorded in chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 227 on the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomaly: ff 70A and 70B.Condition: there are holes resulting from insect damage and damage to the edges of pages throughout the volume. This occasionally results in loss of text.
The volume contains official tour reports of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Captain (James) Felix Jones, with supporting correspondence and papers, for the years 1858 and 1859. There is a title page within the volume stating : 'Head IX. Subject 2, Part 1. Resident's Tour. Reports for the years 1858 & 1859' (folio 1). The volume also contains correspondence and papers concerning the tours of 1860 and 1861. This section is introduced by a second title page stating 'Head IX. Tour Reports. Subject 2, Part 2. Tour reports for 1860 ad 1861' (folio 91).The 1858 report covers the tour of Jones aboard the HC (Honourable Company's) steam frigate
Assayeto Bahrein [Bahrain], Abothubee [Abu Dhabi], Debai [Dubai], Shargah [Sharjah], Amulgawein [Umm al Qaywayn], the Pirate Coast, Bunder Abbass [Bandar-e ʻAbbās], Bassidore [Bāsa‘īdū], Lingeh [Bandar-e Lingeh], Maghoo [Bandar-e Moghūyeh], Charrack [Bandar-e Chārak], and Congoon [Bandar e-Kangan]. Issues covered include:the treatment of Mahomed ben Abdullah [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh] of Demam [Dammām] by Mahomed ben Khaleefa [Muḥammed bin Khalīfah], Chief of Bahrain (folios 4-6);the suppression of slavery;piracy;the pearl trade;the conduct of local rulers;account of internal dissensions in Shargah (folio 8);the imposition of penalties on the Joasmee [Āl Qāsimī] tribe for infractions of maritime peace (folios 8-9);reports of conversations with the Imam of Muscat [Thuwaynī ibn Saʻīd Āl Sa‘īd] at Bunder Abbass, including the conclusion of an agreement between the Resident and Imam on the complete suppression of slavery (folios 11-14; copies of the agreement in Arabic and English follow the report on folios 21-22);the poor condition of the naval station at Bassidore (folios 14-15; related correspondence: folios 24-29);the importance of the Resident's making his tour in the
Assaye, as means of impressing the maritime tribes and settling local disputes (folios 2, 19-20);instructions for HajeeYacoob [Ḥājī Ya‘qūb], Agent at Shargah, left by the Resident on 31 May 1858.The 1859 report covers Jones's tour aboard HM steam frigate
Zenobiato Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi], Debaye [Dubai], Shargah, Ejmaun [Ajman], Amulgavine [Umm al Qaywayn], Ras ul Khymah [Ras al-Khaymah] and Joasmee Chief, Sheeheyheen [Sharqiyin] Ports, Muscat, Bassidore, Lingah [Bandar-e Lingeh], Charrack, Asseloo [Bandar-e `Asaluyeh], and Bahrein. Issues covered include:internal dissensions in Shargah and the activities of the Wahabees [Wahhabis] in the area (folios 43-47);the Resident's censure and fining of Sheikh Abdullah ben Rashid [Abdullah I bin Rashid Al Mu`alla] of Amulgavine, whom he accused of fomenting the troubles at Shargah and committing other offences (folios 48-51);remarks on the pearl fishery of Bahrein and Socotra [Suqutrá] (folios 66-67);slavery;piracy.The papers relating to the tour reports of 1860 and 1861 include correspondence (June 1860-March 1863) between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government, Bombay; statement of outstanding fines adjusted by the Political Resident, Persian Gulf during tour of 1860 (folios 94-95); statement of fines etc. carried to the credit of the Government in cash accounts rendered from the Residency in the Persian Gulf between April 1858 and June 1860 (folios 100-101); and statement of complaints adjusted by HBM's Political Resident in the Persian Gulf during the tour of the Persian Gulf in 1861. Jones remarks in his correspondence with Anderson on the 'perfect tranquillity' that prevailed in the Persian Gulf in those years.1 volume (115 folios)The volume contains the tour report of 1858, consisting of an introductory page entitled 'Secret Department No. 184 of 1858, Tour Report 1858' (folio 2), the report itself (folios 3-20), and accompanying correspondence and papers (folios 21-36); the tour report for 1859, consisting of an introductory page entitled 'Secret Department No. 196 of 1859, Tour of 1858' (folio 38), the report itself (folios 39-67), and accompanying correspondence and papers (folios 69-89); and correspondence and papers relating to the tour reports for 1860 and 1861 (folios 91-112).Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the second folio after the cover and terminates at 114, the last folio before the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle, and appear in the top right corner of the recto page of each folio. This is the system used to determine the order of pages.Pagination: there is also a local pagination sequence numbered 1-54 (folios 41-67).
The majority of this volume includes letters from the Secretary to the Government of Bombay to Lieutenant John MacLeod, Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire. They concern details of his appointment following the dismissal of Captain William Bruce and various instructions, including regarding the withdrawal from the island of Qishm; the salaries of the Native Agents; claims of Raḥmah bin Jābir and ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah, the ruler of Bahrain; and providing a pension to the family of Mahdī ‘Alī Khān. There is one letter from the Secretary to the Government of India to Lieutenant-Colonel Ephraim Gerrish Stannus following the death of MacLeod.1 volume, 17 items (145 folios)Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An original pagination sequence written in ink runs between ff. 1C-141, it can be found in the top right and the top left corners of the recto and verso sides respectively. Foliation errors: 1A, 1B and 1C.
The file contains:Letters exchanged between the British Government in London, the British Government of India and the Bombay Government, the British Resident in the Persian Gulf and the British Agent Muscat, September 1840 to February 1841 about alleged French demands on the East African territories of the Imaum of Muscat in the vicinity of Zanzibar (folios 2-10);Letters exchanged between the British Envoy to Persia and the British Resident in the Persian Gulf, and an intelligence report from the British Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf, concerning Persian affairs, April 1841 (folios 23-25) and the evacuation of British troops from the Island of Karrack [Khārk, Jazīreh-ye], October 1841 (folios 40-41);Intelligence reports submitted by the British Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf to the Superintendent of the Indian Navy, February-March 1841 (folios12-19) and the British Resident in the Persian Gulf, March 1841 (folios 20-22) and which include English translations of letters from Sheikh Mucktoom [Maktūm] of Dubai (folio 19) and Sheikh Salmin ben Nassur of El Biddah [Doha] (folio 16), together with two Arabic promissory notes from the latter Sheikh (folios 23A and 23B). The reports relate to the British naval patrol of the Trucial Coast in the winter of 1841, referring to hostilities between the Chiefs of the Arab Ports and British enforcement of the Maritime Peace Treaty by the collection of money and goods from chiefs who had given protection to pirates or who had failed to take measures against any of their subjects known to have committed acts of piracy, as compensation to the rightful owners of plundered boats;Intelligence reports submitted by the British Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf to the British Resident in the Persian Gulf, July-October 1841 (folios 26-39) regarding his patrol of the Pearl Fishery banks during the summer pearling season.1 file (40 folios)The letters are arranged chronologically. Several letters incorporate copies of earlier letters (folios 16-17, 19, 23A-23B) or enclose them separately (folios 6-8).Foliation: the letters are numbered 2-50, 23A, 23B, 23, 24-41, from front to back. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right corner and encircled, on the recto. Two small documents numbered 23A and 23B form a single folio. The front of the file cover is numbered 1.Pagination: the contents of the file were originally numbered in ink as follows: 29-33, 46-53, 69-70, 87-104, 106, 118-119, 123-125, 197-203, 212-223, 245-248, 250-251, 264. Blank pages and pages containing brief details such as name and address are unnumbered.One of two Arabic seals that appear on the reverse side of two Arabic promissory notes (folios 23A and 23B) is partly obscured by the strip of paper to which both documents are attached.
The file contains letters received by Captain Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, from the Government of Bombay, between 1843 and 1848. Some correspondents address him as Major Hennell rather than Captain Hennell. A few of the letters received in 1843 are addressed instead to Lieutenant Arnold Burrowes Kemball, the Assistant British Political Resident in charge of the Persian Gulf Residency, during the absence of Captain Hennell.Most letters received between 1846 and 1848 are from Arthur Malet, Secretary to the Government of Bombay. Letters received between 1843 and 1846 are from J P Willoughby and other secretaries to the Government of Bombay.The letters contain information, guidance and instructions from the Governor in Council of Bombay. The letters often contain or enclose separately, copies of pertinent correspondence between other British officials, including: the Governor General of India in Council, Calcutta; Captain Atkins Hamerton, British Political Agent for the dominions of the Imam of Muscat, based in Zanzibar; the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, London; Lord Aberdeen and his successor Lord Palmerston, as British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London.All file correspondence is in English, except for one letter from the Imam of Muscat to the Governor General of India, dated January 1846, for which there is an Arabic copy as well as an English translation (folios 32-34).The letters and their enclosures discuss events in East Africa and the Persian Gulf between 1843 and 1848 and the implications for British foreign policy, relations and interests in the region. The main topics discussed are the suppression of the maritime slave trade, the actions of the Imam of Muscat and the Chief of Bahrain and the territorial ambitions of Turkey and Persia, as follows:Legal opinion about the liability of British subjects to incur penalties for entering into slave transactions in Muscat, under the anti-slavery provisions in the treaties of 1822 and 1839 between Great Britain and the Imam of Muscat, 1843 (folios 2-7);Measures by the Imam of Muscat to prohibit the African slave trade between his East African ports and his ports in the Persian Gulf, 1846-1847 (folios 35-37);British response to the plans of the Imam of Muscat to invade Bahrain, 1845 (folios 19-21), blockade the Persian port of Bushire, 1846-1847 (folios 31-34, 38-39, 51-53) and take retaliatory measures against Persian ports and vessels, following Persian oppressions against his Governor of Bunder Abbas and other of his dependencies in Persia, 1848 (88-92, 95-99, 110);British cooperation with Turkey and Persia for the suppression of the maritime slave trade, following the prohibition by their rulers, on the importation of African slaves into the Persian Gulf ports under Turkish and Persian control respectively, 1847-1848 (folios 49-50; 74-78; 82, 101-105);Legal opinions and naval instructions 1847-1848, about the powers of British naval ships and courts in India to seize, condemn and confiscate African slave ships intercepted in the ports and seas of East Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf, under the terms of the treaties concluded by the British Government with the Imam of Muscat in 1845 and the Arab Chiefs of the Trucial Coast in 1847 (folios 54-57, 63-65, 69-73, 84-87, 106-109);British intentions to negotiate new trade and anti-slavery treaties, 1847-1848, with the Arab Chiefs of Bahrain (folios 76, 82, 93-94) and Sohar (folio 100) in the Persian Gulf;British suspicions about Turkish ambitions to supremacy over Bahrain and other Arab sheikdoms on the Trucial Coast, 1847 (folios 62, 74-78), British resistance to Persian involvement in the disputes between the rival Arab chiefs claiming sovereignty of Bahrain, 1844 (folios 11-18), an English translation of the claim advanced by the Persian Government to the sovereignty of Bahrain and an assessment of its legal validity by the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company in London, 1845 (folios 22-30);Opinion of Lord Palmerston, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London that British naval ships operating in the Persian Gulf do not have the right to pursue and seize pirates beyond the Restrictive Line, into the Euphrates and other rivers in Turkey, or to detain them in the open sea for offences committed within Turkish limits, 1847-1848 (folios 45-48; 58-62; 74-78);Approval by Lord Palmerston, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London given for the use of British naval ships to defend Bahrain, at the request of its chief, Sheik Mahomed bin Khuleefa, in the event of an attack by disaffected members of the Uttobee tribe, who had left Bahrain and sought refuge on the island of Kenn, near the Persian coast, 1847-1848 (folios 66-68, 79-81, 83).1 file (111 folios)The letters are arranged chronologically. Many letters incorporate copied extracts from earlier letters or enclose them separately.Foliation: numbered 2 to 112, from the front to back of the file. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled. The front of the file cover is numbered 1. The back of the file cover is unnumbered.Present in the file are remnants of earlier foliation and pagination sequences, written in ink. Most folios have been numbered twice, usually on both the recto and verso, in the top right or left hand corner respectively. The main numbering system runs from 15 to 356, with gaps, from the front to the back of the file. The other main numbering system is made up of multiple sequences between 100 and 500, in no particular order. The blank verso of any folio is usually unnumbered.
This file contains letters and enclosures inwards from William Newnham, Secretary to the Governor of Bombay, to Captain Ephraim Gerrish Stannus, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire between 1826 and 1827. There are letters relating to Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān, the former Governor of Bushire; relations with Persia and the Imam of Muscat; East Africa, including Mombasa and Seeuee [Siyu]; and the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf.1 file, 9 items (33 folios)Pagination: There is a pagination sequence, which is written in ink, in the top right corners of the rectos and in the top left corners of the versos.Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The sequence begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 33. This is the sequence which has been used by this catalogue to reference items within the volume.
Memorandum, written by Colin George Campbell, 31 December 1900, about Koweit [Kuwait], including a brief historical introduction and detailed information for the years 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, and 1900. Topics discussed include Mubarak al-Sabah [Mubārak bin Ṣabāḥ Āl Ṣabāḥ] having murdered his father (Muḥammad I Al Ṣabāḥ) and claimed his position as Shaikh of Kuwait; the involvement of Kuwaiti subjects in piratical acts; a request by the Shaikh in 1897 for Koweit to be placed under British protection in a similar manner to Bahrein [Bahrain]; Turkish claims to Koweit; the decision in 1899 to obtain an agreement with the Shaikh of Kuwait not to 'cede, lease, mortgage or otherwise alienate or give for occupation any portion of his territories to the Government or subjects of any other Power without previously obtaining the consent of Her Majesty's Government'; Russian interest in Koweit and Turkish movements in relation to it in1899, including attempts to appoint Turkish citizens to posts there; German interest in establishing a railway link to Bagdad [Baghdad] which would include Busrah [Basra] and Koweit; Shaikh Mubarak's relations with Sheikh Abdur Rahman bin Faisal [ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Fayṣal Āl Saʻūd] and Koweiti involvement in the affairs of Nejd [Najd]; and the strengthening of Shaikh Mubarak's position with Turkey and the Porte since the appointment of Mohsin Pasha as Vali at Busreh.The margins of the memorandum contain cross-references to official correspondence with the Government of India and Foreign Office.An appendix to the memorandum, on folio 6, contains:Translation of Arabic bond, signed by Malcolm John Meade, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, and Mubarak Al-Sabah, Shaikh of Kuwait, 23 January 1899Translation of Arabic letter, 23 January 1899, from Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm John Meade, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, to Sheikh Mubarak-bin-Sabah, Sheikh of Kuwait regarding the signing of the agreement as given in the Arabic bond.6 foliosThere are four copies of the memorandum.Foliation: The foliation sequence consists of pencil numbers, enclosed in a circle, located in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio. The sequence begins on the first folio, with number 1, and ends on the last folio, with number 6.
This maps, dawn in colour, indicates the territory of Kuwait, and its major settlements in English and Arabic.1 MapMaterials: Bromide hand coloured in watercolourDimensions: 410 x 340 mm
Map of Kuwait produced (according to a letter on folio 409 of IOR/L/PS/12/3811) by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC).The map shows main settlements (with place names in both English and Arabic), and gives some indication of relief. The boundaries of Kuwait are shown by means of a line of thick dashes and dots, and are explained in the letter on folio 409.1 mapMaterials: printed on paper.Dimensions: 320 x 400mm, on sheet 330 x 410mm.
Correspondence relating to the departure (either permanently or on temporary leave) of current, and the arrival of new incumbents, to the post of Political Resident and Consulate General in the Persian Gulf. The file includes:circulars issued by the Political Resident to Political Agents and Officers in the Persian Gulf and in Persia [Iran], informing them of changes to the post of Political Resident;correspondence sent from the Political Agent at Kuwait to the Ruler of Kuwait [Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ], informing of changes to the post of Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, with the Ruler of Kuwait’s replies. Copies of letters sent to the Ruler of Kuwait are in Arabic. All replies from the Ruler are in Arabic, with most being accompanied by an English translation;covering letters sent between the Ruler of Kuwait and the Political Agent at Kuwait, and the Political Agent and Political Resident, with forwarded correspondence of diplomatic etiquette exchanged between the Ruler of Kuwait and the Political Resident;a copy of a press communiqué issued on the event of the death of the Political Resident John Gordon Lorimer, in 1914 (ff 7-8).Later correspondence in the file reports on changes to the posts of Secretary to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Political Agent at Bahrain, and Political Agent and British Consul at Muscat.1 file (189 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 file notes at the end of the file (ff 189-191) mirror the chronological arrangement, but only relate to correspondence covering the period November 1941 to the file’s end date.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 191; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.An additional mixed foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-188; these numbers are also written in pencil, and, where circled, are crossed through.
The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, notes, estimates and receipts relating to the accommodation for the Medical Officer of the Political Agency at Kuwait.The discussion in the volume relates to the leasing, maintenance and state of repair of housing for the Medical Officer, Kuwait Political Agency.Further discussion surrounds leases and rental costs with the local landlords and the administration and allocation of the cost of the lease with the Government of India.Included in the volume are copies of rental agreements and receipts for rent paid. The principal correspondents in the volume include the Political Agent at Kuwait; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; and the Under-Secretary to the Government of India.1 volume (255 folios)The papers are arranged in rough chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 255; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-238; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The volume comprises correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman, Reginald George Evelin Alban), the India Office (Roland Tennyson Peel, John Percival Gibson), the Admiralty (Clifford George Jarrett), the Shaikh of Bahrain (Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah), and the Bahrain Petroleum Company (Hamilton R Ballantyne) and discusses the conclusion of negotiations in London for a political agreement to accompany the concession secured by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) from the Shaikh of Bahrain for the unalloted area of Bahrain.The correspondence focuses primarily on the question of whether a pre-emption clause is required in the political agreement or whether a force majeure clause would be an acceptable alternative given His Majesty’s Government’s likely need for oil in wartime and other emergencies. The negotiations were concluded in June 1941 with the concession agreement being signed in Bahrain 19 June 1941 and the Political Agreement signed in London 29 June 1941.Other correspondence discusses a request made by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) to accelerate their exploration work in the Unallotted area of Bahrain and the need for a final settlement of the terms of both the concession agreement and political agreement in order to support the company’s acceleration proposal.Also discussed is the drilling work undertaken by BAPCO in order to obtain structural information on their newly acquired concession area. The drilling work undertaken had also succeeded in finding drinking water on Fasht al Jibal [Fasht ad Dībal] and their intention to drill on Hawar Island included the intention to create water wells should drinking water be found there too. The correspondence concludes with the decision taken by BAPCO in 1941 to suspend their exploration work in new areas owing to a lack of available labour and to concentrate instead on their existing production and refining activities.Another topic under discussion in the volume is the question of the ownership of the Hawar Group of Islands with His Majesty’s Government reaching a decision in August 1939 that the Hawar Group of Islands belonged to Bahrain and not Qatar. Correspondence includes the Shaikh of Qatar (Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī)’s dissatisfaction at the outcome.Later correspondence from 1941 includes the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf expressing their concerns over the decision that was reached and suggesting that the evidence be reconsidered and an expert in that area such as Sir Clive Kirkpatrick Daly be consulted for his opinion on the question.As part of the discussions a request is made to the Air Vice-Marshall, Commanding British Forces in Iraq for a photographic mosaic to be taken of the Hawar Group of Islands. The mosaic was required in order to determine a line of division between the territorial rights of Bahrain and Qatar.Also discussed was the question of ownership of the island of Fasht Dibal [Fasht ad Dībal], which was at that time claimed by Bahrain; regarding the Political Resident’s scepticism regarding the validity of Bahrain’s claim and the question of whether the Shaikh of Qatar should be given the opportunity to put forward any claim he had towards the island.One other matter of note within the volume relates to reports and rumours of attempts by Turkish officials at Hasa to secure their authority over the district they controlled. These attempts were alleged to include Turkish officials visiting Zakhnuniya Island [Jazirat az Zakhnūnīyah] to try and convince the Dowasir tribe there to swear allegiance to Turkey; it is claimed their intention was to take control of Dohah [Doha], and perhaps the whole Katar [Qatar] peninsula from the Shaikh of Qatar. The alleged movements of Turkish officials on Zakhnuniya Island resulted in an official protest being made by the Shaikh of Bahrain who considered the island to be part of his territory.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 214-227.1 volume (229 folios)The volume contains a table of contents on folio 4 comprising of subject headings and page references. The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside of the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 188-227; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The volume contains letters sent outwards and letters received from the Residency in the Persian Gulf. Outgoing correspondence was sent by the Resident of the Persian Gulf, who was Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell until April 1852. After April 1852, the Resident was Captain Arnold Kemball, who worked in the capacity of Acting Resident from April to June 1852. Outcoming correspondence is marked as coming from the 'Political Department.' Most of the Resident's correspondence was sent to Arthur Malet, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay. Much of the volume's inward correspondence is from Malet.The subject matter of the volume is as follows: Bahrain affairs (ff 2-71); Arabian coast affairs (ff 73-128); the slave trade (ff 220-96); Muscat affairs (ff 298-326).1 file in two volumes (122 items, 338 folios)There are three levels of arrangement within the file. At the top level, there is a thematic arrangement, divided into 'Bahrain', 'Arabian Coast', 'Slave Trade' and 'Muscat.' Each of these thematic sections has a title cover page. Within each thematic section, the correspondence has been arranged in rough chronological order, beginning with the earliest items and finishing with the latest. The chronological sequences are approximate rather than precise, as a result of the Resident's outward letters and accompanying enclosures, along with inward replies to them, being grouped together.This was once a single volume that has since been split into two parts.Foliation: Through both volumes of the file there is an original pagination sequence, written in ink in the top-right corner of each recto and the top-left corner of each verso. The pagination sequence is inconsistent, perhaps due to the fact that the items in the volume have been compiled from various sources. the foliation system used in both volumes is written in pencil in the top-right corner of each recto page. It runs from 1 (title page) to 164 (inside back cover) in volume 1, and from 162 (first item) to 328 (inside back cover) in the volume 2.
The volume contains secret correspondence (original correspondence received and copies of correspondence sent) within the following three separate categories: Bahrein [Bahrain]; Muscat and Bunder Abbass [Bandar Abbas] (and local); and miscellaneous and local. The Resident in the Persian Gulf during the period covered by the volumes was Commander (James) Felix Jones (acting until July 1856).The correspondence is principally with Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government, Bombay and other East India Company officials, including Commodore Richard Ethersey, Indian Navy, commanding the Persian Gulf Squadron; Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Political Agent, Turkish Arabia; and the commanders of vessels of the Indian Navy. There is also correspondence with other British officials, including Charles Augustus Murray, Envoy and Minister-Plenipotentiary to the Court of Persia, and correspondence (some of it in Arabic) with local rulers and Persian officials.General topics include:the slave trade;political intelligence;the Wahabees [Wahhabis];the operations of the Indian Navy in the Persian Gulf;Russian involvement in Persia;relations with Persia;administrative matters;appointments;the transmission of dispatches around the region;pearl fishing;the Anglo-Persian War (1856-57).Specific topics include:correspondence concerning the effect of the British suppression of the slave trade, January - May 1856 (folios 12-19);correspondence concerning the migration of the Al Ali tribe to Demaum [Dammām], March 1856 - January 1857 (folios 20-90);correspondence concerning relations between Muscat and Persia in the light of the claim of the Imam of Muscat to Bunder Abbas [Bandar Abbas], February - August 1856 (folios 92-110);letter from Jones to Henry Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident, Persian Gulf, dated 3 May 1856, briefing him on his duties at Bushire during Jones's temporary absence (folio 144);papers concerning Civil Surgeons' fees for attendance on the families of public officers of the East India Company in the light of the unhealthy nature of the climate at Bushire, June - September 1856 (folios 148-152);correspondence between Jones and the Government of Bombay and between Jones and the staff officers of the Bombay Army, concerning military operations in the Persian Gulf, September 1856 - February 1857 (folios 172-297).2 volumes (305 folios)The volumes are divided into three parts, with separate title pages: 'Secret Records 1856/57, Bushire Residency, Bahrein [Bahrain]' (ff 11-90); '1856/57 Secret Records, Bushire Residency, Muscat and Bunder Abbass [Bandar Abbas]' (ff 91-112); and '1856/57 Secret Letters, Bushire Residency, Miscellaneous' (ff 113-297). Within each section the correspondence is arranged in approximate chronological order. There is an index between ff 4-9. This is divided into three sections corresponding to the three parts of the volumes: 'Bahrein' (ff 4-5); 'Muscat and Bunder Abbass and Local' (f 5); and 'Miscellaneous and Local' (ff 5-9). The index is entered in the same order as the correspondence and has columns for number, address, subject, and page.Foliation: the foliation sequence runs across the two volumes into which this record has been bound (Part 1 ff 1-141B; Part 2 ff 142-299). The foliation sequence commences at 1 on the (modern) title page of volume one and terminates at 299, the last folio before the back cover of volume two. The numbers are written in pencil and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff 141, 141A, 141B. This is the system in use.Pagination: three original pagination sequences, which generally number only those pages bearing text, numbered 1-124 (ff 12-90); 1-30 (ff 92-111); and 1-305 (ff 113-297) are also present. The numbers are written in ink and appear in various positions at the top of each page.
Correspondence regarding relations between the people of Bahrein [Bahrain] and the Wahabees [Wahhabis] and the involvement of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Captain (James) Felix Jones, in affairs.The correspondence consists of letters and reports sent by Captain Jones to the Secretary to Government at Bombay (Henry Lacon Anderson, Alexander Kinloch Forbes) describing the situation in Bahrein in which an atmosphere of anxiety and alarm had arisen over reports that Mahomed ben Abdullah, Chief of Demaum [Dammam] was amassing men and boats for an attack on Bahrein, and detailing the response by Captain Jones to these reports, including the decision to send British vessels of war to help boost morale and assist in the defence of Bahrein; investigations made by these vessels into the forces massing to attack Bahrein; and the seizing of boats and vessels belonging to the Chief of Demaum and his supports. Also included is a copy of the Government resolution permitting Captain Jones to have Mahomed ben Abdullah and his supporters forcibly removed from Demaum.Enclosed with them are copies of correspondence and reports on affairs at Bahrein including accounts of the forces massing at ports including Demaum and Katiff [Al Qaţīf], which were sent to and from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf by Hajee Jassem [Haji Jasim], British Agent at Bahrain; Shaikh Mahomed ben Khalifah (also written bin Khuleefa) [Muḥammed bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah], Chief of Bahrein; Sheikh Alee bin Khuleefa [‘Alī bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah]; [Sheikh Mahomed ben Abdullah [Muḥammed bin‘Abdullāh], Chief of Demaum; Ameer Fysul ben Torkee [Faisal ibn Turki], Ruler of Nedjd [Najd]; The Senior Naval Officer Commanding the Persian Gulf Squadron (Charles Golding Constable, Charles John Cruttenden) ; Commander Philip William Fendell of HMS
Falkland; Commander Richard William Whish of HM Schooner
Mahi; and Commander William Balfour of HM Steam Frigate
Semiramis.Also included in the file is correspondence with Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson and Charles Alison, Her British Majesty's Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia, and Lewis Pelly, Charge d'Affaires at the Court of Persia, regarding Mirza Mehdi, Persian Agent for Foreign Affairs at Bushire, who is sent by the Prince Governor of Farsistan [Fārs] on a special mission to meet Ameer Fysul, Ruler of Nedjd [Najd] to discuss safe passage for Persian Pilgrims to Mecca, which the Political Resident believes is also being used as an opportunity to discuss Bahrein, which the Persians and the Wahabees have both laid claim to. Further correspondence on the matter includes intelligence reports from the British Agent at Bahrein, Hajee Jassem, including the arrival of Turkish emissaries at Bahrein and the decision by the Shaikh of Bahrein to hoist the Persian Flag at his forts.Later correspondence includes letters to and from Richard Rogers, Officiating Political Agent at Basreh [Basra], John McAdam Hyslop, Officiating Political Agent in Turkish Arabia, and Sir Henry Lytton Bulwer, HBM's Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire regarding Turkish functionaries who had been sent on a mission from Basreh to Bahrein; and the raising of the Turkish flag at Bahrein. This correspondence also includes letters written in both English and Ottoman Turkish to the Governor-General of Baghdad, and copies of letters in Arabic from the Shaikh of Bahrein to the Pasha of Baghdad.The file concludes with correspondence relating to Mahomed ben Khuleefa's attempts at retaliation, including blockading the Wahabee ports of Demaum and Katiff; and the decision in May 1861 to sign a convention and bond with the British Government:Terms of a friendly convention entered into between Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa, independent ruler of Bahrein on the part of himself and successors, and Captain Felix Jones, Her Majesty's Indian Navy, Political Resident of Her Britanic Majesty in the Gulf of Persia on the part of the British Government, 1 May 1861, in Arabic and English (ff 321-326).Translation of a bond sealed by Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa of Bahrein and entered into by him with Captain Felix Jones, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, 31 May 1861, in Arabic and English (ff 327-328).2 volumes (354 folios)The correspondence has been arranged chronologically according to the date of its receipt or despatch from the Political Residency in Bushire.Foliation: The foliation sequence runs across the two volumes, and is therefore split into two ranges ff. 1-182 & ff. 183-341. It commences at the first folio of writing in volume one and terminates at the last folio of writing in volume two. These numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right hand corner of the recto side of each folio. Foliation errors: 1, 1A.
The volume contains a mix of inward and outward letters, received and sent from the Residency. Most of the letters are outward letters, sent by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Ephraim Gerrish Stannus, Resident in the Persian Gulf, to various representatives of the Government of Bombay.The letters in the volume fall into three main categories:Reports on events in the Gulf, primarily concerning the hostilities being waged and peace deals brokered between the various tribes. Intelligence on the activities of Rahma bin Jaber [Raḥmah bin Jābir] appear extensively throughout the volume;The financial administration of the Residency, including such matters as disbursements and bills of exchange, which are sent onwards to the Accountant General in Bombay;Letters confirming the receipt of despatches, or covering notes forwarded with onward despatches, often sent between Basra or Tehran and Bombay.1 volume, 59 items (92 folios)The items in the file, as outlined in a handwritten note made on the front cover made by an archivist in 1955 (folio 1), originally comprised three separate files (volumes 37, 38 and 40), but have been merged together and arranged into a complete chronological order, from the earliest item at the front of the file, to the latest at the end. A number of the letters included are incomplete.1 volume in one slipcaseFoliation: The foliation system starts on the first page of content and runs to the last page of content, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The front cover, front fly-leaf, rear fly-leaf and inside back cover are unfoliated.There is an earlier, possibly original pagination system that runs inconsistently throughout the volume, located in either the top-right or top-left of recto and some verso pages. The inconsistency of this pagination sequence is likely a result of the volume being comprised of three original volumes (each with their own pagination sequences) being merged into one volume.
The volume contains an index (f 4), telegrams, letters, and reports related to the restoration of the port of Gwadur [Gwadar], which is in the possession of the Sultan of Muscat and Oman, to the Khan of Kalat in return of a money payment. The British Government raised concerns related to the activities of foreign governments, particularly Russia and France, at Gwadur. Reports were sent between British Officials with a detailed history of the ownership of Gwadur. The volume also includes a list of the Jams of the Las Bela [Lasbela] State and the contemporary Khans from 1742-1896.The main correspondents in the volume are: the Political Agency, Muscat; the Political Residency, the Persian Gulf; Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department; Agent to the Governor-General and Chief Commissioner in Baluchistan; the Foreign Office; and the Political Agency, Kalat.1 volume (88 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 90; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 5-87, these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and ff 4-87, these numbers are also written in pencil and circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Genre/Subject MatterThis image shows a view over the city of Mecca from an elevated position east of the Masjid al-Haram, or Grand Mosque. Parts of the city due south of the mosque are visible in the middle ground. (Compare, for example, X463/1.)In the left of the image on the horizon, the fortified structure known as ‘Jiyad Castle’ is visible. The large building on the right is identified in the title as the ‘Hamidiyah’, a two-storey building which is described in the title of a photograph in Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje’s earlier publication of 1888,
Bilder-Atlas zu Mekka(1781.b.6/4) as a government building built by Governor General Othman Pascha. This was likely constructed during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876–1909) and was therefore relatively new.The two-storey pale-coloured building to the left of this is identified as the ‘printing house’ (cf. X463/6).Derelict or semi-derelict structures make up the foreground while hills rise in the background.This is the first of four photographs taken from the same vantage point, which form a panoramic view over the city of Mecca. The second, third and fourth are X463/3, X463/4 and X463/5 respectively.InscriptionsAbove image, on the right, in ink: ‘II’Lower centre and upper centre: Illegible, partially erased Arabic script1 collotype printDimensions:190 x 243 mmFormat:Collotype print, pasted into volumeCondition:The print is in good condition with minor surface dirt and light abrasions, though no surface losses in the lower right of centre.Foliation:‘II’Process:Collotype
Genre/Subject Matter:This landscape view shows an expansive camping ground near Mecca at a place called Sarif (Saref or ‘èn-Nawwārijjeh’, according to Snouck Hurgronje), described as ‘the grave of our lady Maymūna [the last of nine wives married to the prophet Mohammed] and camp of the Meccan pilgrims who travelled there’. Snouck Hurgonje, in the second volume of his publication
Mekkadescribes the place, as well as the festival of ‘Sittanā Mèjmūnah’ in detail.Much of the foreground and middle ground is littered with tents of varying shapes and sizes. Several low-lying hills are evident in the background, while a pathway snaking from left through the centre into the distance is described as ‘the way to Mecca’ in the title.Tradition relates that she requested to be buried at this location, where she married Mohammed.This photograph is described as a ‘third view’, however, it does not appear to have been taken from the same vantage point as the two previous photographs.Inscriptions:Above image, on the right, in ink: ‘IXa’Temporal Context:According to Durkje van der Wal in his publication
Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje: The First Western Photographer in Mecca, 1884-1885(Amsterdam : Manfred & Hanna Heiting Fund, Rijksmuseum, 2011, pp. 43-51), the photographs in this publication that pertain to the hadj (this image included) likely date to August 1888 since this was the period of the last hadj before February 1889, the date Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje received the final consignment of images.1 collotype printDimensions:103 x 145 mmFormat:Collotype print, pasted into volumeCondition:The print is in good condition with minor surface dirt and light abrasions throughout.Foliation:‘IXa’Process:Collotype
Genre/Subject MatterThis image shows the city of Mecca from an elevated position due east of the Masjid al-Haram, or Grand Mosque. Parts of the city due north of the Masjid al-Haram are visible in the middleground.A large two-storey, fortified building is situated immediately below the horizon on the foothills of the northern ridge, to the right of the image. The northernmost part of the Masjid al-Haram is visible just below the central point on the left edge of the image.Derelict or semi-derelict structures make up the lower left foreground while a long ridge is visible in the background.This is the third of four photographs taken from the same vantage point, which form a panoramic view over the city of Mecca. The first, second and fourth are X463/2, X463/3 and X463/5 respectively.The negative has had hand-work applied, creating a drawing-like quality along the left-hand edge.InscriptionsAbove image, on the right, in ink: ‘IV’Lower centre and upper centre: illegible, partially erased Arabic script1 collotype printDimensions:188 x 245 mmFormat:Collotype print, pasted into volumeCondition:The print is in good condition with minor surface dirt and light abrasions, though no surface losses in the lower right of centre.Foliation:‘IV’Process:Collotype
Genre/Subject Matter:This landscape view shows an expansive camping ground near Mecca at a place called Sarif (Saref or ‘èn-Nawwārijjeh’, according to Snouck Hurgronje), described as ‘the grave of our lady Maymūna [the last of nine wives married to the prophet Mohammed] and camp of the Meccan pilgrims who travelled there’. Snouck Hurgonje, in the second volume of his publication
Mekkadescribes the place, as well as the festival of ‘Sittanā Mèjmūnah’ in detail.Much of the foreground, middle ground and background is littered with tents of varying shapes and sizes. In the foreground bushes can be seen and in the middle ground and background pilgrims are grouped together. A ridge of hills rises to the left and extends into the far distance on the right along the horizon.Tradition relates that she requested to be buried at this location, where she married Mohammed. A group of pilgrims form a circle to the right of the centre of the image. At centre, the camera has captured the movement of pilgrims walking.The negative has had hand-work applied, creating a drawing-like quality in places, particularly in the background.This is the second of two photographs taken from the same vantage point, which form a panoramic view over the camp. The first is X463/7.Inscriptions:Above image, on the right, in ink: ‘VIII’Temporal Context:According to Durkje van der Wal in his publication
Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje: The First Western Photographer in Mecca, 1884-1885(Amsterdam : Manfred & Hanna Heiting Fund, Rijksmuseum, 2011, pp. 43-51), the photographs in this publication that pertain to the hadj (this image included) likely date to August 1888 since this was the period of the last hadj before February 1889, the date Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje received the final consignment of images.1 collotype printDimensions:188 x 244 mmFormat:Collotype print, pasted into volumeCondition:The print is in good condition with minor surface dirt and light abrasions throughout.Foliation:‘VIII’Process:Collotype
Genre/Subject MatterThis image shows the Caaba and Sanctuary at Mecca from an elevated position due east of the Masjid al-Haram, or Grand Mosque. Parts of the northwest and southwest of the city of Mecca are visible in the middleground. (Compare, for example, ‘Picture of the City of Mecca the Great’ Photo 174/3 from almost the same vantage point.)Due to the relatively slow shutter speed used by the photographer, the movement of the pilgrims performing
tawaf– the ritual of circumambulation of the Caaba seven times in a counter-clockwise direction during the hadj or umrah, starting from the black stone – is captured here as indistinct blurring of the figures closest to the Caaba on the left. There is a range of activity occurring through the mostly empty expanse around the Caaba. White, straight lines to the right and left of the Caaba as well as some activity near the cloisters on the right may indicate some form of construction work underway.A large two-storey building is situated immediately below the horizon on the foothills of the northern ridge.In the immediate foreground a wall or parapet is out of focus. Derelict or semi-derelict structures make up the lower left foreground while hills rise in the background.This is the second of four photographs taken from the same vantage point, which form a panoramic view over the city of Mecca. The first, third and fourth are X463/2, X463/4 and X463/5 respectively.The negative has had hand-work applied, creating a drawing-like quality.InscriptionsAbove image, on the right, in ink: ‘III’Lower centre and upper centre: Illegible, partially erased Arabic script1 collotype printDimensions:186 x 240 mmFormat:Collotype print, pasted into volumeCondition:The print is in good condition with minor surface dirt and light abrasions, though no surface losses in the lower right of centre.Foliation:‘III’Process:Collotype
Genre/Subject MatterThis street-view shows the front entrance of a pale-coloured building in Mecca described as the Printers. The title suggests that it had been ‘built in recent years’. The style of the building is clearly Ottoman and is similar to the Hamidiyya, which was built close by during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876–1909).The pale-coloured building at left, of which only the corner can be seen is almost certainly the Hamidiyya, as the two buildings were located adjacent to one another, as can clearly be seen in X463/2.Notable features include a plaque above the door featuring Arabic script, a decorative lamp on the right hand corner of the building and a series of rainwater spouts to compensate for what may be a flat roof.In front of the build two benches, made of naturally bent wood as well as another structure are unoccupied, but nearer to the camera several men sit or stand near a series of benches in front to of a building on the right, some beneath an awning, which may point to the presence of a café or some other informal meeting place.To the right of these men, a group of four boys stand and look towards the camera. A further awning, out of focus due to its proximity to the camera, is evident in the upper right corner of the image.In the left foreground three figures in motion are captured. Though two of their faces have been roughly re-inscribed into the negative, adding to the ghost-like quality of the figures, it is clear the one furthest from the camera is a woman wearing a headscarf while the figure closest to the camera is a man wearing a turban.Behind the two-storey Printers one taller building in a style more common in Mekka can clearly be seen, as well as a large two-storey
rawashin.Aside from merely the faces of the figures, the negative has had hand-work applied, creating a drawing-like quality in places.InscriptionsAbove image, on the right, in ink: ‘VI’1 collotype printDimensions:165 x 235 mmFormat:Collotype print, pasted into volumeCondition:The print is in good condition with minor surface dirt and light abrasions, though no surface losses in the lower right of centre.Foliation:‘VI’Process:Collotype
The volume is
Treaties and Agreements between the British Government and Certain Arab Rulers and Agreements between the Said Rulers inter se Affecting the British Government(Calcutta: Government of India Press, 1926). The volume contains transcripts of treaties and agreements dated 1915 to 1925 relating to Najd, Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, Trans-Jordan, and Kaf.The texts of some of the treaties and agreements appear in both English and Arabic in vertical parallel columns.1 volume (23 folios)There is a list of the treaties and agreements recorded towards the front of the volume, on folio 3.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 25 on the back cover. These numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. An original printed pagination sequence is also present in the volume. The following folio folds out: f. 15.
The file contains an English and Arabic copy of the Treaty of Mohammerah [Khorramshahr], an agreement between the Government of Iraq and the Sultan of Najd, 'Abdul Aziz ibn Sa'ud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥman bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd], signed at Mohammerah by delegates on 5 May 1922, and the Uqair Protocol, agreed by the same parties and signed by delegates on 2 December 1922. The documents were printed at The Government Press, Baghdad.The agreements concern the demarcation of boundaries, allegiance and territories of tribes, guarantees of safety for pilgrims, commerce and tariffs, and freedom of travel.1 file (6 folios)Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 122; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
This map is enclosed in a printed copy of the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1914. It depicts the line of demarcation of the boundary determined to separate the Yemen from the territory of the nine cantons of Aden (shown in blue). Also included is an enlarged inset map of the Shekh Sa'id [Ra’s Shaykh Sa‘īd] peninsula.The map's borders are lettered and numbered. Areas on the map are marked with Roman numerals and listed in a table of references. Another table provides a key to symbols and abbreviations. Place names and symbol and abbreviation references are printed in English and Arabic. As well as boundaries the map indicates hydrology, settlements, cultivation and roads. Relief is shown by contours and spot heights.This map is sheet four of four. Also included is an index to adjoining sheets and a note on the survey's sources.Small printed text near below the map states that it was surveyed by the Anglo-Turkish Boundary Commission, under Colonel Robert Alexander Wahab and Colonel Mustapha Remzi Bey, and printed at the Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton, 1914. The map also states the names of the British and Ottoman signatories of the Anglo-Ottoman Convention: E Grey [Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs] and I Hakky [Ibrahim Hakki Pasha, Ottoman representative].1 map on 4 sheetsMaterials: Printed on paper.Dimensions: 935 x 621mm, on sheet 1081 x 689mm.
This map is enclosed in a printed copy of the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1914. It depicts the line of demarcation of the boundary determined to separate the Yemen from the territory of the nine cantons of Aden (shown in blue).The map's borders are lettered and numbered and are used to reference places in an accompanying table. Areas on the map are marked with Roman numerals and are listed in a second table of references. A third table provides a key to symbols and abbreviations. Place names and symbol and abbreviation references are printed in English and Arabic. The map also indicates hydrology, settlements, cultivation and roads. Relief is shown by contours and spot heights.This map is sheet one of four. Also included is an index to adjoining sheets and a note on the survey's sources.Small printed text near below the map states that it was surveyed by the Anglo-Turkish Boundary Commission, under Colonel Robert Alexander Wahab and Colonel Mustapha Remzi Bey, and printed at the Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton, 1914. The map also states the names of the British and Ottoman signatories of the Anglo-Ottoman Convention: E Grey [Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs] and I Hakky [Ibrahim Hakki Pasha, Ottoman representative].1 map on 4 sheetsMaterials: Printed on paper.Dimensions: 485 x 865mm, on sheet 680 x 980mm.
This map is enclosed in a printed copy of the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1914. It depicts the line of demarcation of the boundary determined to separate the Yemen from the territory of the nine cantons of Aden (shown in blue).The map's borders are lettered and numbered and are used to reference places in an accompanying table. Areas on the map are marked with Roman numerals and are listed in a second table of references. A third table provides a key to symbols and abbreviations. Place names and symbol and abbreviation references are printed in English and Arabic. The map also indicates hydrology, settlements, cultivation and roads. Relief is shown by contours and spot heights.This map is sheet two of four. Also included is an index to adjoining sheets and a note on the survey's sources.Small printed text near below the map states that it was surveyed by the Anglo-Turkish Boundary Commission, under Colonel Robert Alexander Wahab and Colonel Mustapha Remzi Bey, and printed at the Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton, 1914. The map also states the names of the British and Ottoman signatories of the Anglo-Ottoman Convention: E Grey [Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs] and I Hakky [Ibrahim Hakki Pasha, Ottoman representative].1 map on 4 sheetsMaterials: Printed on paper.Dimensions: 803 x 554mm, on sheet 989 x 670mm.
This map is enclosed in a printed copy of the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1914. It depicts the line of demarcation of the boundary determined to separate the Yemen from the territory of the nine cantons of Aden (shown in blue).The map's borders are lettered and numbered and are used to reference places in an accompanying table. Areas on the map are marked with Roman numerals and are listed in a second table of references. A third table provides a key to symbols and abbreviations. Place names and symbol and abbreviation references are printed in English and Arabic. The map also indicates hydrology, settlements, cultivation and roads. Relief is shown by contours and spot heights.This map is sheet three of four. Also included is an index to adjoining sheets and a note on the survey's sources.Small printed text near below the map states that it was surveyed by the Anglo-Turkish Boundary Commission, under Colonel Robert Alexander Wahab and Colonel Mustapha Remzi Bey, and heliozincographed at the Survey of India Offices, Calcutta. The map also states the names of the British and Ottoman signatories of the Anglo-Ottoman Convention: E Grey [Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs] and I Hakky [Ibrahim Hakki Pasha, Ottoman representative].1 map on 4 sheetsMaterials: Printed on paper.Dimensions: 936 x 560mm, on sheet 1081 x 633mm.
The volume contains correspondence and telegrams between the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh `Isa bin `Ali Al Khalifah, in regard to Shaikh `Isa bin `Ali Al Khalifah's opposition to reform and British jurisdiction and his son Shaikh Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah's dismissal; and correspondence with Kanga, Bhaishanker and Girdharlal Solicitors at Bombay regarding Shaikh `Isa's allowance.There are some letters in Arabic, to and from the Sheikh of Bahrain.1 volume (100 folios)The documents in the volume are mostly arranged in chronological order.The main foliation is written in pencil, circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The numbering commences at the first folio of writing with 1 and terminates at the last folio of writing with 100. An original, but incomplete pagination sequence numbers each page of text between ff. 2-17; these numbers are written in ink, and can be found in the top left or right corners of the verso and recto sides of each folio respectively.
The file consists of correspondence, memoranda, notes, telegrams, office orders, notifications, and statements, and covers all aspects of the service of the Indian Assistant, Bahrain, including appointment, posting and transfer; travel arrangements; pay and allowances; last pay certificates; pension; accommodation; leave; list of judicial duties of the Indian Assistant, November 1927; papers relating to three petitions (from the people of Bahrain, the Persian community of Bahrain, and the Sunni and Shia communities of Bahrain) paying tribute to the work of the then Indian Assistant and requesting that his services be retained in Bahrain, November 1927; Political Residency enquiry concerning the mother tongue of the Indian Assistant, September 1930; and some personal letters.1 file (244 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Circled serial numbers (red for received correspondence; blue/black for issued correspondence) refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation system in use commences at 1A on the front cover and continues through to 225 on the back cover. The sequence is written in pencil and can be found in the top rigbt hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D; ff. 8A, 8B; ff. 99A, 99B; ff. 101A, 101B, 101C; ff. 107A, 107B; ff. 109A, 109B, 109C, 109D, 109E, 109F, 109G, 109H, 109I, 109J; ff. 124A, 124B; ff. 126A, 126B; ff. 196A, 196B. The following number does not appear in the foliation sequence: 90. The following folios need to be folded out to be read: ff. 18, 24, 25. A second, short local foliation sequence runs between ff. 219-221: this sequence is also written in pencil and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
The file relates to the appointment and service of holders of the post of Additional Vernacular Clerk (also referred to as Third Munshi) at the Political Agency, Bahrain.The papers, which consist of correspondence, telegrams, memoranda, statements, last pay certificates, sanction orders, and office orders cover the following topics: appointment (including papers concerning the Agency's staffing requirements and proposed revisions to the Clerical Establishment, August 1930, and letter stating that the number of staff was insufficient for the work of the Agency, January 1931); testimonials of applicants; expenditure incurred during appointment; pay and advances; statement of amount of court fees stamps sold for the years 1927-30 inclusive; travel arrangements, expenditure, and allowances; temporary staffing arrangements; application papers; letters from members of staff requesting appointment; leave; leave salary; certificate confirming that the holder was a Government servant; correspondence concerning last pay statements; references for former clerks; papers relating to resignation/discharge from service; and personal details.The file includes two letters in Arabic from applicants for employment.1 file (266 folios)The file consists of a Part I dated 23 August 1930 to 16 July 1944, and (at the front of the file) a Part II containing documents dated 24 April to 13 December 1945, with an additional note that appears to be dated 25 March 1946. Within both parts the papers are arranged in chronological order from the fron to the rear of the file. Circled serial numbers (red for received correspondence; blue/black for issued correspondence) refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation system in use commences at 1A on the front cover, and continues through to 240 on the back cover. The sequence is written in pencil and appears in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H, 1I, 1J, 1K, 1L, 1M, 1N, 1O, 1P, 1Q, 1R, 1S, 1T; ff. 23A, 23B; ff. 53A, 53B; ff. 57A, 57B; ff. 126A, 126B; ff. 139A, 139B; ff. 162A, 162B. The following folios need to be folded out to be read: 9, 18, 26. A second foliation sequence runs through the notes at the rear of the file between ff. 205-25; these numbers are also written in pencil, are underlined, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
The file deals with political relations between the King of Hejaz and Najd [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] (commonly referred to in the papers as Bin Saud or Ibn Saud) and the states of Iraq and Kuwait, particularly in terms of raids by Akhwan [Ikhwān] tribes from Najd, and Bin Saud's efforts to control the Akhwan.The correspondence is mainly between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent, Bahrain (Major Cyril Charles Johnson Barrett); the Political Agent, Kuwait (Lieutenant-Colonel James Carmichale More), and the Secretariat of the High Commissioner for Iraq, Baghdad. There is also correspondence between British officials and Bin Saud. Enclosures to correspondence from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf include copies of correspondence with the Political Agent, Kuwait; the Secretariat of the High Commissioner, Iraq; the Colonial Office, London; the Government of India; the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf; and other British officials in the region; enclosures to correspondence from the Political Agent, Kuwait include correspondence with the Secretariat of the High Commissioner for Iraq, and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; enclosures to correspondence from the Secretariat of the High Commissioner, Iraq, include reports from Captain John Bagot Glubb, Administrative Inspector, Southern Desert.The papers cover: diplomatic contact between the British and Bin Saud; list prepared by Political Agent, Bahrain of estimated Nejd [Najd] population likely to obey a summons from Bin Saud, 8 April 1928 (folios 18-19); action by Bin Saud against the Akhwan; raids by Akhwan tibes, especially Mutair and Ajman; involvement of Hafiz Wahab [Shaikh Hāfiẓ Wahbah]; Iraqi frontier posts; reports of intended raids; movements of desert tribes; defensive measures; movements of British naval forces; references to Dawish [Fayṣal al-Dawīsh]; Bin Saud's negotiations with leaders of Akhwan, 6 May 1928; report by Political Agent, Bahrain on economic and political implications of blockade of Hasa [al-Aḥsā’] ports, 28 November 1928 (folios 118-123), and further, December 1928; attempts by British to preserve frontier peace (e.g. folios 132-135); reports by Captain John Bagot Glubb, Administrative Inspector, Southern Desert, November 1928, March 1929; reports of Riyadh Conference, December 1928; reference to 'jihad', 24 January 1929 (folio 181); United States (US) missionaries caught up in raids, January 1929 (folios 184-186); reported successes of Bin Saud against Akhwan, April 1929; report by Political Agent, Kuwait on attitude of Shaikh of Kuwait [Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ] to Ikhwan raids, 29 March 1929 (folios 291-300); discussion of need to assist Shaikh of Kuwait to expel refugees defeated by Bin Saud from Nejd, May 1929; Iraq to refuse asylum to Akhwan rebels, May 1929 (folio 332).The Arabic language content of the file consists of approximately twenty-five folios, with translations in English, mainly copies of correspondence between the Political Agency, Bahrain and Bin Saud.The date range indicates the covering dates of the main run of correspondence. However, the earliest document in the file is a copy of an enclosure dated 27 March 1928 on folio 9.1 volume (347 folios)The papers are filed in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file, except where enclosures of an earlier date are filed after the relevant covering letter.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 349; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 7-348; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The file deals with revolts against the King of Hejaz and Najd [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] (commonly referred to in the papers as Bin Saud or Ibn Saud) by Akhwan [Ikhwān] tribes in Najd (also referred to as Nejd).The file consists of a small amount of direct correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain (and Indian Assistant, Bahrain) and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; but the majority of the correspondence is between the Political Agent, Kuwait (Lieutenant-Colonel James Carmichale More); the Political Resident; the High Commissioner for Iraq; the Government of India; the British Agent, Jeddah; the Colonial Office; the Foreign Office; and other British officials in the region, copies of which were sent to the Political Agent, Bahrain for information. There is also some correspondence with Bin Saud.The file covers: operations of Bin Saud against rebel tribes, particularly Ajman and Mutair; activities of individual Akhwan leaders, especially Faisal al Dawish [Fayṣal al-Dawīsh]; cross-frontier movements of tribes; effect of operations on neighbouring states, particularly Kuwait; attitude of the Shaikh of Kuwait [Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ], including suggestion of 'leakage' of supplies from Kuwait to the rebels (folio 70); consideration of British military action against rebels in Najd (e.g. folio 57); the position of the Awazim tribe; and accounts of Bin Saud's successes against the rebels, September - October 1929.The Arabic language content of the file consists of ten folios of correspondence between Bin Saud and British officials.1 file (183 folios)The papers are filed in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file, except where enclosures of an earlier date are filed after the relevant covering letter.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 185; 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 incomplete foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 66-184; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The file contains correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Residency at Bushire and the Adviser to the Government at Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, regarding various matters: expenses and registration fees for Royal Navy ships, immigration regulations and wages for Indian workers, and the raising of a steel barge sunk in Manama, needed for war operations.There is a letter from the Political Agent, in English with Arabic translation.1 file (89 folios)The documents in the file are arranged in chronological order. There are notes at the end of the file, (ff 83-89). The file notes are arranged chronologically and refer to the earliest documents within the file; they give brief description of the correspondence with an index number, which refers back to numbers in red crayon through the file.Foliation: The foliation is in circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The numbering starts on the front cover with 1 and 1a, and ends inside the back cover with 90.An earlier foliation system, using uncircled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of rectos, runs through some parts of the file. The following folios are fold-outs: 28, 65, 67, 69.
This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain; the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; Dr R Holmes, Assistant Surgeon, Bahrain; Major Charles Geoffrey Prior; Deputy Secretary, Foreign and Political Department, New Delhi; and the Bahrain Council of Regency (
Majlis al-wiṣāyah) consisting of Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, Shaikh Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah and Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Advisor to the Bahrain Government.These correspondence concern the post of Agency Medical Officer at Bahrain held by Assistant Surgeon Dr R Holmes. Details include: extensions to his duty at Bahrain in 1932 (ff. 2-3), 1934 (ff. 7-9), 1936 (ff. 17-18, 26-28 and 30-34) and 1938 (ff. 38-45); the promotion of Holmes 1935-37 (ff. 10-16, 19-26 and 35-37); and transferring to the post of Residency Surgeon at Bushire in 1941 prior to his retirement (ff. 47-49).Many of these correspondence take the form of recommendations and therefore contain details concerning the number of patients treated by Holmes and his duties, including his role as Quarantine Medical Officer and at the Victoria Memorial Hospital, treatment of Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah for diabetes, treatment of Baharinah (Shiite) women, medical work on the Trucial Coast, and his knowledge of Arabic and Persian. Folio 39 is a recommendation letter by the Bahrain Council of Regency and contains an example of Belgrave's Arabic seal.1 file (56 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chronological order. There are file notes at the end of the file.Foliation: There are two foliation squences. The main sequence begins on the front cover and appears in pencil on the top right hand corner of recto side of the page, terminating on the back cover. The second sequence begins on the first page of text in the top right hand recto side, and terminates at f 49 prior to file notes.
This file contains correspondence concerning the crew of the Agency launch: applications for employment, certificates of reference; and invoices for kit. Correspondents include the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Marine Store Officer, Royal Indian Marine Dockyard, Bombay.1 volume (151 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation system in use is the sequence of numbers in the top right hand corner of each page.
This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain; the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; Charles Mylles, Anglo-Persian Oil Company at Abadan; R Holmes, Assistant Surgeon, Victoria Memorial Hospital; R I Hallows; C R Latimer; Secretary to the Government of Bombay; Captain C A R Shillington, Naval Officer in Charge, Bahrain; Naval Officer in Charge, Basra; Royal Air Force, Sharjah; Political Officer in the Trucial Coast at Sharjah; and T P Tandy.These correspondence concern the creation of the post of Assistant Political Agent in 1935 and those who held the position until 1945, including: Meredith Worth; George Ashmead Cole; Roy Douglas Metcalfe; Tom Hickinbotham; John Baron Howes; Arnold Crashaw Galloway; Richard Ernest Bird; R I Hallows; Gordon Noel Jackson; Michael Gray Dixon; Reginald Michael Hadow; T E Rogers; and Maurice Patrick O'Connor Tandy.Included within these papers are correspondence relating to setting up of the post of Assistant Political Agent as a temporary position as a result of the increase work load due to oil concession and the Imperial Airways air route (ff. 1-11); subsequent correspondence extending the appointment for periods of six months (ff. 15-16, 32); correspondence reiterating the importance of the post and requesting it to be made on permanent (ff. 17-21, 37-42, 261-264); correspondence relating to appointments to the post; correspondence related to post holders wishing to take war employment during the Second World War (ff. 161-170, 196-198); and correspondence relating to the Assistant Political Agent's role in the Bahrain judicial system (ff. 243-246).1 file (287 folios)The file is arranged approximately in chronological order. There are file notes at the end of the file.Foliation: There is one foliation sequence that runs from the first page of text until the file notes that follow folio 266. These numbers appear in the top right hand of the recto side of the folio and are written in pencil. The file notes consist of 20 folios and run until the back cover. Foliation annomalies: 36b; foliations skips 224 and 225.Condition: There is tear damage on folio 197 causing some of the text in the top and bottom right of the folio to be missing.
Correspondence relating to the supply of fresh provisions for one year to the Royal Navy in the Persian Gulf. Letters relate mainly to tenders for potatoes, fresh provisions and fresh fruit but also include tenders for provision of taxis, one dhow, and other vehicles including a saloon car. Correspondents include the Political Agent, Bahrain; Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf; Office of the Advisor to the Government of Bahrain; Ashraf Brothers; Mohamad Rafi Karmustaji; Haji Khalil Haji Murteza Dawani and Sons.1 volume (92 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: this file has circled foliation numbers that begin on front cover and end on back cover.
Correspondence concerning the visit of HMS
Ormondeto Bahrain to conduct surveys of Bahrain, Yas Island and Muharraq; the survey party consisted of two officers and eleven ratings and was engaged in surveying work on a number of visits. Includes notice in Arabic with English translation, signed by Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser, Bahrain Government, warning the public not to interfere with the flags and beacons placed by the survey party. Correspondence also discusses the survey of Yas Island with a request to the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi to allow facilities.Correspondents include HMS Ormonde; Political Agent, Bahrain; Mesopotamia Persia Corporation Ltd, Bahrain; Political Resident Persian Gulf; Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf; Ali Bin Hussein Khalfan, Secretary, Manama Municipality; Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain; Charles Belgrave, Adviser, Bahrain Government; Residency Agent, Sharjah.1 volume (86 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation. The foliation system in use is the sequence of numbers in pencil in the top right hand corner of each folio. There file also bears a printed foliation system.
Correspondence relating to arrivals and departures of ships of the Royal Navy at various ports in the Gulf including Bahrain, Bushire, Kuwait, Basrah [Basra]. Ships mentioned include: HMS
Shoreham; HMS
Bideford; HMS
Fowey; HMS
Deptford. The file includes examples of a programme of exchange of calls (folio 81) and a programme of movements of the Persian Gulf Division (folio 161).Correspondents include Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf; Political Agent, Bahrain; Political Resident Persian Gulf; Shaikh Hamad bin Isa al Khalifah, Ruler of Bahrain; Shaikh Abdullah bin Qasim al-Thani, Ruler of Qatar; Port Director, Basra; Admiralty Inspector of Oil Fuel, Abadan; Clerk-in-Charge, Naval Base, Bahrain.1 volume (238 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file. In addition some papers bear a number written in red within a red circle.Foliation: the foliation system in use is the sequence of numbers appearing in a circle in the top right hand corner of each page.
Correspondence relating to the making of official calls to Bahrain by British ships and the Political Resident Persian Gulf. Letters describe how calls were exchanged British officials and and the Shaikh of Bahrain. Correspondence discusses how the firing of military salutes was suspended for the duration of World War Two. Correspondents include the Political Agent, Bahrain; Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; Shaikh Hamad bin Isa al Khalifah, Ruler of Sharjah.1 volume (171 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically in two sections.Foliation: this file has foliation numbers in the top right hand corner of each folio.
Correspondence discusses matters relating to the Naval Base at Jufair, Bahrain, in the context of the redeployment of the naval stations at Henjam and Basidu on the Persian side of the Gulf.The topics include:Press cuttings from The
Timesand
Evening News, Portsmouth, on the redeployment of British naval forces from Henjam and Basidu on the Persian side of the Gulf to Jufair naval base in Bahrain.Lists of persons employed at Jufair naval base.Compensation for Bahrain fish traps due to relocation of naval pier.Rough plan of Jufair showing fish traps (folio 119).Diagram of a fish trap at Bahrain (folio 128).List of graves at the Christian cemetery at Henjam (folio 138).An incident involving some employees of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) taking photographs at the Jufair Naval Base. The photographs and negatives were returned (folio 179A).Procedure for entry into the naval base at Jufair including the 'naturs' system of night watchmen.Correspondents include naval personnel; Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser, Bahrain Government; George Ashmead Cole, Political Agent, Bahrain; Colonel G. Loch, Political Agent, Bahrain; T.C. Fowle, Political Resident Persian Gulf; Captain V.S. Butler, Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf; Secretary of State for India, London; G.W.R. Smith, Chief Local Representative, The Bahrein Petroleum Company.1 volume (267 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: Foliation is written 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 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 264. Some of the folios have Foreign Office index numbers circled in red and blue crayon. Foliation errors: f.20 is followed by ff.20A-C; f.53 is followed by f.53A; f.91 is followed by f.91A; f.96 is followed by f.96A; f.119 is followed by f.119A; f.172 is followed by f.172A; f.179 is followed by f.179A-M (f.179A is an envelope containing two smaller envelopes: f.179B and f.179I; within in each envelope are a small number of photographs and negatives, which have their references on the back); f.200 is followed by f.200A. The following numbers are missing from the sequence: f.5, ff.24-33, ff.37-42, f.49, f.113 and f.127.
Correspondence discusses matters relating to the Naval Base at Jufair, Bahrain, in the context of the redeployment of the naval stations at Henjam and Basidu on the Persian side of the Gulf.The topics include:Lists of persons employed at Jufair naval base.Arrangements for demarcating fish traps due to relocation of naval pier.Plan showing position of stake relative to Jufair Pier Light (folio 16A).Arrangements for entry into the naval base at Jufair including the 'naturs' system of night watchmen.Orders for Naturs at Jufair Naval Base.Correspondents include:; Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser, Bahrain Government; Superintendent, Land Registration Department, Bahrain Government; Clerk-in-charge, Naval Base, Bahrain; Atiytulla Abdulrahman al-Khalifa; George Ashmead Cole, Political Agent, Bahrain.1 volume (67 folios)
Correspondence concerning the sale of naval dhows in the Royal Naval Base, Jufair. Descriptions of the naval dhows are listed with their dimensions and description of their hull and engine. Correspondents include Mr Cornelius James Pelly, Political Agent, Bahrain; Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Bahrain Government; Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf.1 volume (29 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: The foliation system in use is the sequence of numbers appearing in the top right hand corner of each page.
This file contains correspondence between Clive Kirkpatrick Daly, the British Political Agent at Bahrain; Arthur Prescott Trevor, the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, and Stuart George Knox, Acting Political Resident at Bushire; the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation Department, Bombay. Also included within this file are copies of correspondence between the British Political Resident at Bushire and the Foreign Department of the Government of India, and copies of various court documents.These papers concern the personality of Jāsim Muḥammad al-Chirāwī and his uncle, ‘Alī bin ‘Abdullāh, and their deportation from Bahrain on account of their intrigues against the British Agent, the Manamah Municipality (
al-Baladiyya), Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah and his son and heir-apparent, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah. Included within this file are statements by various notable Bahrainis attesting to al-Chirāwī's crimes and intrigues against the British.1 file (49 folios)The papers within this file are arranged in roughly reverse chronological order.Foliation: There are two foliation sequences. The main sequence, which should be used for referencing, is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1A, and runs through to 48, ending on the inside of the back cover. The second sequence also appears in pencil in the top right hand of the page and runs from number 2 on folio 2 to number 47 on folio 47.
This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain; the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; successive Senior Naval Officers in the Persian Gulf, including Captain V S Butler (1935), Captain Allan Poland (1937) and Captain Cosmo Moray Graham (1939); Charle Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Bahrain Government; Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl; Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain; and Lloyd Taylor of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).These correspondence concern the granting of concessions privileges on customs and other duties on naval stores, including food, alcohol, furniture, etc. for use and consumption by personnel at the Jufair naval base. There is also correspondence regarding extending similar privileges to the Royal Air Force and British Overseas Airways Corporation.1 file (56 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences on the page following the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil and can be found in the top right of the recto side of each folio. Circled index numbers written using red crayon or ink are also present in the file.
This file contains correspondence between Cornelius James Pelly, British Political Agent at Bahrain; Liuetenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bahrain; the Commonwealth Relations Office, London; the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf; Captain T R Frederick of the USS
Rendova; Ernest Bevin, Foreign Secretary; Shaikh Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah; and Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī.The correspondence concerns visits of United States Naval ships to the Persian Gulf between 1947 and in 1949, including U.S.S.
Toledo(May 1947); U.S.S.
Valley Forge(March 1948); U.S.S.
Rendovaand U.S.S.
C H Roan(May 1948); USS
Greenwich Bay, USS
Carpellottiand USS
Siboney(August 1948); and USS
Maury(November 1949). There are details the United States Naval Task Force in the Persian Gulf and its photographic survey activities, as well as United States Navy relations with the British Agency and Residency at Bahrain, the Sheikhs of Bahrain and Qatar, Arab merchants, and the European and American communities in the Persian Gulf.1 file (52 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chronological order. Circled index numbers written using red and blue crayon are also present in the file.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences on the page following the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil and can be found in the top right of the recto side of each folio. There is a gap between f. 37 and f. 41.
This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain; the British Political Agent at Kuwait; Charles Belgrave, Adviser to the Bahrain Government; Muḥammad ‘Alī al-Ṭāhir, Editor of the Cairo-based
al-Shūránewspaper; and Khālid bin Muḥammad al-Faraj.These correspondence concern personality and activities of Khālid bin Muḥammad al-Faraj and include details relating to his deportation from Kuwait, his time spent working in the Customs House at Dammām and his work as a school teacher in Bahrain and as a clerk in the Municipality of Manamah (
al-Baladiyyah); his writings in Egyptian and Syrian newspapers against the ruling Āl Ṣabāḥ of Kuwait and the British; and his deportation from Bahrain in 1927 and eventual return in 1929.Included within these correspondence is a hand-written letter in Arabic from Muḥammad ‘Alī al-Ṭāhir, dated 24 Rajab 1345 (8 January 1927) and translation of an article entitled 'Literature in Bahrain and Kuwait' which appeared in the
al-Shūránewspaper on 26 Shawwāl 1345 (28 April 1927).1 file (12 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: Circled in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and runs through to 12, ending on the inside of the back cover.
The volume contains correspondence and papers related to miscellaneous slave trade correspondence:Correspondence between the Deputy Political Resident and the Political Agent in Muscat (Major Lionel Haworth) relating to an incident in June 1917, in which a pearl diver sought refuge at the Political Agency in Muscat (folios 15-16). The Political Resident sent instructions to the Residency Agent at Sharjah (‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif) about how to treat pearl divers seeking refuge, who may be indentured to their boat captains, but are not technically slaves (folio 13);Memorandums sent by the Political Resident in 1926 (Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Prideaux) to the Persian Gulf Political Agents, request that any manumission cases forwarded to him in future contain information on the slave’s ethnic origins, native tongue, and any evidence of harsh treatment or branding (folios 31, 32). This information was required to assess the validity of a slave’s claims, for example if they claimed to have been ill-treated, or were recent importations into the region;Correspondence relating to a dhow, intercepted by British vessels off the Arab coast in 1928, found to be carrying four slaves (folios 43-48);Correspondence concerning the escape of five slaves from the shaikh of Bakha to Henjam [Jazīreh-ye Hengām], 1934, and the shaikh’s pursuit of the escaped slaves with fifteen men, some of them armed (folios 55-66);An enquiry in 1934 from Dr Samuel Zwemer of New York, sent to the British authorities in the Gulf, requesting copies of papers for a man who was formerly a slave from Africa, but was manumitted in Muscat in 1896. The former slave, who now resided in New York, has lost his manumission papers, but desired to return to East Africa (folios 68-71).1 volume (77 folios)The original handwritten indexes to the two surviving subject files are retained [folios 2-5, 10-12]. Subject files subsequently destroyed have been struck through on these content lists. Each of the surviving subject files retain their original title cover sheet. The file has been arranged in approximate chronological order, from earliest correspondence at the front to the latest at back.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. Some pages are marked with an earlier foliation system, expressed as page
xof subject
y.Foliation anomalies: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 51b (no 51a), 58a.
The volume contains correspondence related to thirty-five slave-related cases or subjects, the majority of which deal with straightforward procedures of manumission. In these cases, the Residency Agent at Sharjah (‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif) wrote to the Political Resident at Bushire, enclosing a statement made by the slave(s), and advising whether he believed the slave (or slaves) should be manumitted. The Political Resident replied, informing ‘Īsá that he may do so.Three subjects in the file are extraordinary in nature, as follows:Subject 9 is a manumission case involving a women who took refuge with the Resident Agent in Sharjah in 1926, with her four children. The woman claimed that she was originally a free person who had been enslaved with her four children. Included in the subject correspondence (folio 108) is a handwritten manumission certificate (in Arabic) given to the woman by her mother, stating that the mother and her children were free people. The certificate is a unique example in the Bushire Slavery subject files of a handwritten manumission certificate, given to a slave by their owner.Subject 10 contains letters written in 1925 to the Political Resident (then Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Crosthwaite) from the shaikhs of Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Ra's al-Khaymah and Umm al-Qaywayn (folios 120-23, 129). The letters were a coordinated response between the Trucial Coast shaikhs, communicating their unhappiness about indebted slaves absconding from their boat masters, and the Political Resident’s perceived inaction on the matter. Each letter was sent to the Political Resident at the same time. The Political Resident responded by saying that he took the matter seriously, and requested the shaikhs to send details of absconding divers to him. The shaikhs of Dubai and Sharjah responded by sending details to the Political Resident of a number of divers’ balance books, that showed their level of debt and earningsSubject 30 documents an incident on the evening of 31 January 1931, when one-hundred armed men surrounded the Residency Agent’s house in Sharjah, demanding the return of a number of slaves. The incident was reported to the Political Resident, and HMS
Hastingsdispatched to monitor the situation. Testimonies identified the ringleader of the armed gang as an associate of the shaikh of Sharjah, Saqr bin Sultan. British officials gave the shaikh an ultimatum to deport the man to Aden. Refusal to do so would result in the shaikh having to hand over 2,000 rupees and 100 rifles to British officials. The Political Resident and the Senior Naval Officer in the Gulf agreed that refusal to do this could result in the town being bombarded (folio 373). The shaikh refused to deport the ringleader, and on the day of the ultimatum, he delivered up 1,200 rupees and 60 rifles. This offer was refused by the Commanding Officer of HMS
Hastings(389). Within hours of the ultimatum expiring the Shaikh delivered 2000 rupees and 100 rifles, but was ordered to replace six rifles that were found to not be in working order (folio 395).1 volume (469 folios)Correspondence within the volume is grouped by manumission cases, or subjects, ordered approximately in chronological order from earliest at the front of the volume, to latest at the rear. At the beginning of the volume (ff.2-3) is a handwritten index, which lists the manumission subjects (with slaves' names) from 1 to 34. Some manumission subjects involve two or more slaves. Each subject has its own handwritten cover sheet. The index does not refer to specific page numbers for each subject.Foliation: The volume has been foliated from the cover sheet to the last page of writing, using pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. Each manumission subject has its own internal numbering system, also top-right of each recto, expressed as page
xof subject
y.Some pages in the volume were cropped when bound at a later date, meaning that text close to edges of papers has been lost, but not to such an extent as to be a detriment to readability.
The volume contains thirty-nine manumission subjects, each one involving the manumission request of one or more slaves, who had sought refuge at the Political Agency in Muscat (then under the charge of Major G. Murphy). Each manumission case follows a very similar pattern. Murphy sent a copy of the slave‘s manumission certificate (with covering letter) for the attention of the Secretary to the Political Resident, making his own recommendation as to whether manumission should be given. In most cases, the Secretary to the Political Residency responded by agreeing to the manumission request. In the case of slaves who had been kept in the Trucial Coast towns (Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi), a copy of the manumission statement was forwarded by the Secretary to the Political Resident to the Residency Agent in Sharjah (‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif), who was asked to make enquiries as to the validity of the slave’s statement.A small number of the manumission cases are more complex. In July 1931, the Political Residency heard of a slave who had had his right hand cut off and been imprisoned at the decree of the shaikh of Dubai, after having been accused of theft (folio 195). Enquiries made by ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif suggested that the slave was caught in the act of robbery. A medical certificate from the Agency Hospital in Muscat verified the extent and recent nature of the punishment meted out on the slave (folio 199). The Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Biscoe) wrote to the Residency Agent (folio 215) to protest in the strongest terms to the shaikh of Dubai about the severity of the punishment handed out to the slave, insisting that imprisonment was the usual punishment in this day.Another case was brought to the attention of the Secretary to the Political Resident by the Political Agent Muscat in June 1932, in which a pearl diver from Umm-al-Qaiwain, who claimed to be a slave, requested manumission. ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif agreed with the manumission request, commenting that, because the demand for and price of pearls had decreased considerably in recent years, many divers had become heavily indebted. He advised that, once the slave had been given his manumission certificate, he should return to Sharjah to enable the Residency Agent to carry out the necessary enquiries relating to the slave’s debt (said to be 520 rupees) in the Diving Court. Another manumission request was made by a slave who was kept at Kalba, near Muscat. The Political Resident requested that, in future, the Political Agent at Muscat treats affairs (including slaves) in Kalba, as the Political Agent Bahrain treats affairs in Qatar.One volume (353 folios)The volume has been arranged in chronological order, with the earliest manumission subject at the beginning of the book, and the latest at the end. At the front of the book (ff.2-4) is a handwritten index listing all manumission subjects contained within. The subjects are numbered 1 through to 40. Subject 23 is not present in the volume, having been removed by Residency staff for the Resident to take on tour at the time the correspondence was being compiled.Foliation: The volume has been foliated with a circled number in the top-right corner of each recto, from the title sheet to the last folio of the volume. An earlier foliation system has been used on each manumission case, expressed as page
xof
ypages, written in pencil in the top-right corner of each recto. A very small number of these internal numbering systems do not run in the correct numerical sequence, suggesting that items were bound in the incorrect order.
The letters, telegrams and other items in the volume relate to the acquisition of land in Bahrain for the purposes of developing British aviation (both military and civilian) and naval facilities. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent in Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, the Adviser to the Bahrain Government, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, and officials at the India Office and Air Ministry in London. The land acquired at Jufair for naval facilities is discussed in detail in ‘File No. 5/7 I Jufair Naval Base’ (IOR/R/15/2/216).In 1934 the British Government acquired four pieces of land in Bahrain: 1) an area, approximately 1200 x 1000 yards in size on Muharraq Island, for the development of an aerodrome; 2) a strip of the coast on Bahrain Island, approximately 800 x 400 yards in size, for use as a seaplane anchorage; 3) a large expanse of land at Jafair [Jufair], south of Manama, for the purposes of a British naval installation; and 4) a second plot at Jufair adjacent to the first, also for naval purposes. The correspondence indicates that Government officials in London were keen to acquire the land in question as expediently as possible, while trying to keep the identity of the purchasers (the Air Ministry) unknown.The volume includes copies of public notices announcing the imminent acquisition of land (most in Arabic, folios 57, 58, 86, 87), copies of the title deeds (all in Arabic and with maps on the reverse, folios 179-82), details of the costs of acquisition, including excesses (folios 76, 77), and subsequent surveys of the acquired land (folios 210-17, 225-29). The volume also includes numerous large-scale maps, including sketch maps of the proposed areas for acquisition at Muharraq and Manama (folios 15, 16), and more detailed maps (accompanying reports) showing the boundaries and dimensions of all four areas of acquired land (folios 69, 83, 88, 194-98, 218-21).1 volume (259 folios)The volume’s content are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the volume to the latest at the end. Office notes at the end of the volume (folios 245-60) mirror this chronological arrangement.Foliation: The main foliation sequence starts on the first folio and ends on 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 is present between ff. 5-242; these numbers are written in either blue crayon or pencil, are not circled, and can be found in either the top centre or right corner of the recto side of each folio. A third short incomplete foliation sequence is present between ff. 5-7; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.The volume includes a number of fold-out maps: ff. 15-16, f. 69, f. 83, f. 88, f. 103, ff. 195-198 and ff. 218-221.
The file’s contents are related to the acquisition by the RAF of a plot of land in between the existing RAF and civil aerodromes on Muharraq island. The principle correspondents in the file are the Adviser to the Bahrain Government, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, and the Political Agent in Bahrain during 1945, Cornelius James Pelly.Belgrave’s original proposal for the Bahrain Government to sell or lease the land in question (marked as plot C on Belgrave’s hand-drawn map, folio 3) was met favourably by the British Government. Plans for the acquisition proceeded, until it became clear that Shaikh Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah did not want to sell or lease the land (folio 7), causing some confusion before Shaikh Salmān eventually opted to make a gift the land to the RAF A map of the area, showing RAF property, land leased for civil aviation purposes, and the new plot of land gifted to the RAF by Shaikh Salmān, is on folio 17. Five years after the transfer, officials at Air Headquarters requested copies of the title deeds of the land from the Political Agent. Their request is enclosed in the file, accompanied by a map of Muharraq (folio 15) showing the plots of land owned by the RAF and civilian air authorities. A key to the map (folio 13) is also included.1 file (18 folios)The contents of the file are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front to the latest at the rear.Foliation: The main foliation sequence starts on the front cover and ends on 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 incomplete foliation sequence with significant gaps is also present between ff. 2-11; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. Folios 15 and 17 are fold-outs.
The letters, memoranda and other papers in the volume relate to negotiations between Arab rulers and the British Government and Royal Air Force on the installation of air facilities along the Arab coast, between Qatar and Ra’s al-Khaymah. The principal correspondents in the file are Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven Fowle, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, Political Agent at Bahrain, and Khan Bahadur ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif, the British Government’s Native Agent at Sharjah.There are a number of revisions of a list detailing existing and required air facilities in the Gulf throughout the volume (folios 104-06, 134-36, 160-63, 197-98). Facilities are ranked either as vital, important or convenient. A map (folio 194) shows the geographical positions of these facilities, marking out the air route from Basra to Karachi. The facilities specifically referred to in the volume are as follows:1. A petrol depot at Şīr Banī Yās [referred to in the volume variously as Seer Island, Yas Island], which was part of the dominions of Shaikh Shakbut bin Sultan of Abu Dhabi. The RAF set up the depot at Şīr Banī Yās without Shaikh Shakbut’s consent, leading to the Shaikh refusing permission for the facility. Guards employed by Shaikh Shakbut and funded by the RAF to watch the depot later absconded to the pearl fisheries, leaving the depot unattended (folios 9-18, 51).2. An emergency landing strip at Abu Dhabi. Out of principle, and because the British Government had not sought his consent to install a petrol depot at Şīr Banī Yās, Shaikh Shakbut refused outright to grant permission for an emergency landing strip in his domain (folios 32, 53-54).3. A petrol depot (or dhow) for seaplanes at Dubai creek was proposed by RAF officials in December 1932 (folio 2), initially as an alternative, but later in addition to, the existing petrol depot at Ra's al-Khaymah. Negotiations took place throughout the course of 1933 to establish agreement on certain conditions laid down by Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktum before permission to establish the depot could be granted. The conditions are listed on folios 46-47, with a formal British response on folios 72-73. Numerous iterations of the agreement follow on folios 129, 139, 145-46, and 166.Also of interest in the volume is a report written by Loch and sent to Fowle, dated 13 June 1933 (folios 58-69), in which the Bahrain Agent offers his views on British policy with regard to the shaikhs of the Arab littoral. Loch writes that the Arab shaikhs now share a ‘spirit of refusal’ vis-à-vis British policy, and lists a number of incentives and disincentives that could be used to gain leverage with them.1 volume (225 folios)The contents of the volume are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the volume, to the latest at the rear. There are office notes at the end of the file (folios 206-23), which mirror the chronological order of the file correspondence.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. There is an earlier foliation system running through the volume, which uses uncircled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of rectos. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d. The following folios are foldouts: 2, 20, 37-41, 93, 110, 116, 126, 129, 132, 143, 145, 158, 192, 193, 197, 198, 206.
The volume contains correspondence and other papers related to ongoing negotiations with various Shaikhs on the Arab coast, for the installation of aerodrome facilties for use by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Imperial Airways. The principal correspondents in the file are Captain Tom Hickinbotham, Political Agent at Bahrain, the Political Resident, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven Fowle, and the Residency Agent at Sharjah, ‘Abd al-Razzaq.The volume contains correspondence on the following: negotiations for an aerodrome at Kalba, including British recognition of the Shaikh of Kalba’s independence, and the question of gun salutes in the Shaikh’s honour; arrangements for a survey of the lagoon at Umm al-Qaywayn for its use as a landing site for seaplanes, including negotiations with the Shaikh of Umm al-Qaywayn for permission to conduct the survey, and threats against the Shaikh (removal of travel papers, obstruction of pearling fleet) in response to his non-compliance in survey arrangements; extended aerodrome facilities at Sharjah, including meteorological station, wireless station, and extended accommodation (fold-out architectural plan of the proposals on folio 160); proposals to move the petrol dhow at Ra’s al-Khaymah to a safer mooring; discussions over whether to retain a petrol dhow at Dubai.1 volume (319 folios)The contents of the volume have been arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the volume to the latest at the end. There is a set of office notes at the end of the volume (folios 289-317) which mirrors the chronological arrangement.Foliation: There is an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete foliation sequence is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. Some of the folios are numbered as part of a Foreign Office sequence (circled in red crayon). The complete foliation sequence, which should be used for referencing, begins on the first folio with text, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 317. The following foliation anomalies occur: f 74 is followed by f 74A; f 139 is followed by f 139A.
Correspondence in the file relates to the appointment of Flight Lieutenant Finch of the Royal Air Force to Sharjah, to assist in the construction of the rest house at the Sharjah aerodrome. Fluent in Arabic, Finch was warned by the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven Fowle) not to involve himself in domestic politics (folio 1B), and by Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr of Sharjah to not travel into the interior (folios 3, 4). Office notes at the rear of the file suggest that the warning from Shaikh Sultan came after Finch had taken a truck into the interior. A note from Finch, dated 30 May 1933 states that illness has forced four men (presumably including himself) back to Basrah [Basra].1 file (7 folios)The contents of the file have been arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest at the front of the file to the latest at the end. There is a set of office notes at the end of the file (folio 7) which mirrors the chronological arrangement.Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b.
The file contains correspondence and blueprint plans, related to the acquisition of land at Muharraq for the establishment of a Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Bahrain. The plan to establish an RAF squadron at Bahrain was precipitated by the relocation of Squadron 203 from Basra to Aden, with Bahrain identified as a practical central base for the protection of the Persian Gulf. The correspondence discusses: plans to expand the existing aerodrome at Muharraq; questions over whether customs should be paid by the RAF in Bahrain, as charged by the Bahrain Government; the proximity of property owned by Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah to the site proposed for acquisition; the cost of the acquisition of land; and arrangements for the construction of the RAF base. Enclosed in the file are three blueprint maps showing the proposed areas for acquisition and development at Muharraq, in relation to local properties and villages (folios 104a-106).1 file (109 folios)The contents of the file have been arranged in approximately chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the rear. There is a set of office notes towards the end of the file (folios 87-103), which mirror the chronological arrangement. Three fold-out maps have been placed at the end of the file (folios 104a-06). Circled index numbers in red crayon and ink can be found throughout the file, and refer to the office notes.Foliation: The foliation sequence begins on the front cover and ends on the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1 and 1A; 16, 16a, 16b, and 104a.
The file’s contents concern the establishment of an ammunition and bomb store at the Royal Air Force (RAF) aerodrome at Sharjah. Mention is made of the requirement for a bomb store at the RAF base at Bahrain at the beginning of the file, but it does not constitute a significant part of the file. The principal correspondents in the file are the Residency Agent or Trucial Coast Political Officer at Sharjah (notably Khan Sahib Husain ibn Hasan ‘Amad, as officiating Residency Agent from September 1935 to May 1936, and Captain Roy Douglas Metcalfe, as Political Officer between October 1940 and March 1941), the Political Agent in Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch until April 1937, Captain Tom Hickinbotham from April 1937 until October 1937, Hugh Weightman from October 1937 to October 1940, Reginald George Evelin Alban thereafter), and the ruler of Sharjah, Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr.The contents of the file cover the following topics: instructions from Air Vice Marshall WGS Mitchell of Air Headquarters in Iraq in February 1935 for the establishment of bomb stores at the RAF bases at Bahrain and Sharjah, to fill gaps in the air route between Basra and Muscat; negotiations with Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr of Sharjah over the construction of a bomb store at the RAF aerodrome at Sharjah; dispute between Shaikh Sultan and British officials over the location of the bomb store, leading to British officials withholding part of the Shaikh’s monthly allowance until the dispute was settled; Shaikh Sultan’s demand for rent on the new bomb store, and the rejection of this by the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven Fowle), on the basis that the bomb store was being constructed for the purpose of British protection of Sharjah; annual inspection of the Sharjah bomb store by Air Ministry inspectors; concerns in late 1940 over the Sharjah bomb store, including its location, overstocking, bombs not being stored underground, and bombs being stored alongside detonators; construction of a new bomb store at Sharjah in early 1941, underground and at a new location on the RAF base.1 file (68 folios)The file is arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the end. The office notes at the end of the file (folios 62-68) mirror the chronological arrangement. Note that the office notes themselves have been filed in incorrect order.Foliation: The foliation sequence begins on the front cover and ends on the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1 and 1A.
The file’s correspondence, papers and other items relate to unauthorised flights and emergency landings in Saudi territory by British aircraft. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent in Bahrain, the Political Agent in Kuwait (these two posts being held by a number of incumbents during the period covered), and representatives of the Californian Arabian Standard Oil Company [CASOC].Most of the file’s correspondence relates to two specific incidents. The first, taking place in January 1942, involved the forced landing of an Royal Air Force (RAF) Blenheim aircraft at El Khabur or Al Khobar [Al Khubar] in Saudi Arabia, and the subsequent presentation by British officials to the Shaikh of Al Khubar of a silver tray, in recognition of the assistance given by him and his people. Photographs of the tray and its inscription are found on folios 10A-10C. A second incident, involving the emergency landing of three RAF Hurricanes in salt marshes at Ras es Safaniyah [Safaniyah] in April 1942, led to negotiations with Ibn Saud, and subsequent efforts by the Political Agent in Kuwait and CASOC representatives to first retrieve the pilots and then salvage the planes.1 file (58 folios)The file is arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the end. The office notes at the end of the file (folios 50-54) mirror the chronological arrangement.Some items in the file are annotated in pencil with page numbers which refer to other items in the file, as marked with the file’s original pagination/foliation system using red and blue pencil numbers, also referred to in the office notes.Foliation: The main foliation sequence starts on the front cover and finishes on the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio (except for ff. 10A-10C, which are on the verso side). The following foliation anomalies occur: 1 and 1A; 10, 10A, 10B, 10C.
The letters, telegrams and other papers in the file relate to various forced landings or crashes of Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft, as well as other incidents involving the RAF, in and around the Gulf, during and immediately after the Second World War. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent in Bahrain, the Political Officer on the Trucial coast (both posts being occupied by numerous incumbents), and a number of RAF officials.The key events and topics discussed in the file are: reports of a crashed Blenheim aircraft near Dohah [Doha] in December 1941; reports of a missing Boston aircraft in May 1942, and the subsequent discovery of it having made a forced landing on the Persian coast while skirting prohibited airspace above Bahrain; reports of a crashed Bisley aircraft near Sharjah in March 1943; the recovery of aircrews and salvage of aeroplanes; the treatment of aircrews by local inhabitants, including payments to guards requested to protect crash sites; and an incident in February 1942 in which a man was accidentally killed at the bombing range at Sharjah.1 file (96 folios)The file is arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the end. The office notes at the end of the file (folios 93-98) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using pencil numbers written in the top-right corner of each recto. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1, 1A.
The papers in the file relate to the Royal Air Force’s [RAF] decision to abandon the lease of a petrol dhow for seaplane refuelling at Ra’s al-Khaymah, originally agreed with the Shaikh of Ra’s al-Khaymah, and the British Overseas Airways Corporation’s [BOAC] arrangements to take over lease for their own use.1 file (20 folios)The contents of the file have been arranged in chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the end.Foliation: The main foliation sequence begins on the cover and ends on 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 incomplete foliation sequence with gaps is present between ff 2-22; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Circled index numbers written using red ink are also present throughout the volume.
The file’s contents relate to the maintenance and continued use of Royal Air Force (RAF) emergency landing grounds along the Arab coast of the Gulf, and in particular those at Abu Dhabi, Bani Yas island [Şīr Banī Yās] and Doha. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent in Bahrain (Major Tom Hickinbotham until March 1945, Cornelius James Pelly from March to October 1945, Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Crawshaw Galloway from October 1945 to March 1947, then Pelly thereafter), the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior until May 1946, Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay thereafter), and various RAF officials. The file’s contents include correspondence relating to: the organisation of reconnaissance trips to the landing strips at Abu Dhabi, Şīr Banī Yās and Doha to ascertain their condition (an undated report of the reconnaissance is included at folios 25-28); subsequent arrangements for maintenance work to be carried out; the decision to let the lease of the emergency landing strip at Kalba lapse in 1948; questions over the ownership of an RAF rest house at Dubai creek, with a map showing the location of the rest house at folio 57.1 file (57 folios)The file is arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the end. The office notes towards the end of the file (folios 53-56) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: Foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. In addition, some of the folios have index numbers circled in red or blue crayon. The foliation sequence, which should be used for referencing, begins on first folio after the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 58. The following foliation anomalies occur: no f.3.
The file’s correspondence and other papers concern a demonstration by Royal Air Force [RAF] aircraft, which took place over the Trucial Coast (including Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah) in June 1949. The correspondents in the file include the Political Resident at Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay), and various RAF officials from Air Headquarters in Habbaniyah in Iraq. A report of the demonstration, written by GE Lewis, Air Staff Liaison Officer, is included in the file (folios 13-14). Proposals for a bombing demonstation outside Sharjah for October or November 1949 are also discussed by officials.1 file (17 folios)The file is arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the end. Circled index numbers written using blue/red crayon can be found throughout the file, and refer to the office notes at the end of the file (folio 17).Foliation: foliation sequence begins on the front cover and ends 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. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1, and 1A.
The file contains correspondence exchanged between the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the British Legation at Jedda, the Political Agent at Sharjah, the Adviser to the Bahrain Government, the Ruler of Dubai and the Ruler of Qatar, on the subject of introducing mechanical methods for diving for pearls, and culturing pearls in Bahrain.There is correspondence with the Adviser to the Bahrain Government and the Ruler of Bahrain, against the introduction of mechanical methods of diving suggested by the British, because it would spoil the market and the environment.Other subjects in the file are:the export of oysters from Bahrain for research work and production of cultured pearls in Bahrain;the concession for the pearl diving activities on the coasts of Saudi Arabia, including the Red Sea;the Government of India's ban on the import of pearl and precious stones into India from July 1947,(which was later lifted for three months) and its impact on the Gulf pearling trade.Some documents within the file are in Arabic, with English translation.1 file (154 folios)The papers in the file are arranged chronologically. There are file notes at the end, on folios 144-155. The notes are arranged chronologically and refer to documents within the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 156; 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 2-143; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. They are located in the same position as the main sequence, except for some instances which are located on the verso.
The file contains correspondence, in English and Arabic, between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Residency Agent at Sharjah. The correspondence refers to merchants mixing Japanese cultured pearls with real pearls in the Trucial Coast, thereby damaging the reputation of the industry with the Bombay pearl dealers. Two of the merchants in question, from Qatar and Sharjah respectively, were jailed and fined and the pearls confiscated.The file also contains copies of reports commissioned to an American malacologist, Clarence F Hoy, on the subject of cultured pearls.1 file (52 folios)The papers in the file are arranged chronologically. There are file notes at the end, on folios 52-53. The notes are arranged chronologically and refer to documents within the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 54; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The file contains correspondence sent and received by the Political Agent at Bahrain concerning Japanese trade interests in the Persian Gulf; in particular, the correspondence concerns a request by Yusuf Kanoo to operate as agent in Bahrain for the sale of goods of Mitsubishi Enterprises.There is a letter in Arabic, with English translation, sent to the Resident Agent at Sharjah.1 file (32 folios)The papers in the file are arranged chronologically. There are file notes at the end, on folios 30-34. The notes are arranged chronologically and refer to documents within the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 34; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-34; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The file contains weekly statements showing purchases and sales of gold and silver received by the bullion brokers operating in Bahrain, often in Arabic with English translation. The reports are produced to comply with an order from the Political Agent in Bahrain for all the bullion brokers to produce a weekly report showing purchases and sales of gold and silver (see IOR/R/15/2/357).1 file (467 folios)The papers in the file are arranged chronologically.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 469; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-468; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
The file contains an order from the Political Agent in Bahrain for all the bullion brokers to produce a weekly report showing purchases and sales of gold and silver and the subsequent statements received by the brokers, often in Arabic with English translation.There is a list of brokers on folio 3, and some tables with data on their trades, on folios 266-268.The file includes some correspondence with Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain.1 file (267 folios)The papers in the file are arranged chronologically. There are file notes at the end, on folios 259-265. The notes are arranged chronologically and refer to documents within the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 269; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-4 and ff 138-257; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. Pagination: The index section (ff 259-265) has been paginated using pencil; these numbers are located in the top outermost corners of each page.