The file contains applications to the Political Agent at Bahrain for licences to export gold, silver or currency from Bahrain. Each application is followed by an export license issued by the Political Agent, and sometimes is accompanied by notes or correspondence. Some applications are in Arabic, with English translation.1 file (115 folios)The papers in the file are arranged chronologically. There are notes at the end of the file, on folios 101-116. The notes are arranged chronologically and refer to documents within the file; they give brief description of the correspondence with a reference number, which refers back to that correspondence in the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The file contains applications to the Political Agent at Bahrain for licences to export gold, silver or currency from Bahrain. Each application is followed by an export licence issued by the Political Agent, and sometimes is accompanied by notes or correspondence. Some applications are in Arabic, with English translation.1 file (441 folios)The papers in the file are arranged chronologically. There are notes at the end of the file, on folios 390-442. The notes are arranged chronologically and refer to documents within the file; they give brief description of the correspondence with a reference number, which refers back to that correspondence in the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the 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 mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-442; these numbers are also written in pencil, are a mixture of uncircled and circled numbers, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. Some numbers are located on the verso, and the circled numbers have been crossed out.
The file contains correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Advisor to the Government of Bahrain concerning the restriction of the licences to export gold, silver and currency from Bahrain during wartime.The volume also contains monthly letters from the Eastern Bank Limited communicating the exchange rate of rupees, and statements from the Director of Customs at Bahrain containing monthly figures of exports and imports of currency.Some documents are in Arabic, with English translation.1 volume (284 folios)The documents in the volume are arranged chronologically. There are notes at the end, on folios 261-282. The notes are arranged chronologically and refer to documents within 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 286; 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 5-256; 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 statements of shipments of gold, silver, jewellery and currency from Bahrain, signed by the Director of Customs and Port Officer at Bahrain and sent to the Political Agent at Bahrain for information.The file also contains applications to the Political Agent at Bahrain for licences to export gold, silver or currency from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.Some applications are followed by an export license issued by the Political Agent, and sometimes accompanied by notes or correspondence. Some applications are in Arabic, with English translation.1 file (110 folios)The documents in the volume are arranged chronologically. There are notes at the end, on folios 105-111. The notes are arranged chronologically and refer to documents within the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 112; 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.
The volume contains correspondence between the Political Resident in Bushire, the Political Agent in Bahrain and representatives of the Imperial Bank of Iran on the opening of a branch of the Imperial Bank of Iran in Bahrain. The bank in question is the second bank in Bahrain, and the new branch is intended to break the monopoly of the Eastern Bank Limited. There are copies of letters intercepted by the Foreign Office, exchanged between representatives of the Eastern Bank, expressing concern for the opening of the branch. The file contains correspondence in Arabic and English with Shaikh Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah, Ruler of Bahrain.1 file (20 folios)The papers in the file are arranged chronologically. There are file notes at the end, on folio 21. 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 22; 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 2-21; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. These numbers are located in the same position as the main sequence, except for some instances which are located on the verso.
The file contains correspondence sent and received by the Political Agent at Bahrain concerning the proposed opening of a bank called Indian and Persian Gulf Bank Ltd with Iraqi capital, headquarters in Karachi and branches at Kuwait, Dubai and Muscat.There is a letter in Arabic with English translation, and a copy of a letter forwarded by the Residency Agent at Sharjah.1 file (37 folios)The papers in the file are arranged chronologically. There are file notes at the end, on folios 35-38. 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 39; 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 2-38; 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 between the Political Agent at Bahrain and Holloway Bros, an engineering company in London, which is seeking to establish a branch in Dubai.There is correspondence with the Ruler of Dubai, in Arabic with English translation.1 file (23 folios)The papers in the file are arranged chronologically. There are file notes at the end, on folios 23-24. 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 inside back cover with 25; 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 2-24; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The volume’s correspondence and other papers concern the implementation of an Order of Council in Bahrain. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Resident and the Political Agent in Bahrain, each post being held by a number of different representatives throughout the period covered by the volume.The first item in the volume is a letter sent from Major Ramsay, British Consul-General in Baghdad, to Major Percy Cox, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, dated 9 March 1907. The letter concerns the jurisdiction in Bahrain over American citizens based at the American Missionary, particularly in relation to births, deaths and the disposal of estates (folio 1g). This enquiry was symptomatic of raised concerns over where jurisdiction lay in relation to the increasing number of foreign nationals in Bahrain. In a letter dated 6 April 1907 the Bahrain Political Agent, Captain Francis Prideaux, wrote to Cox, outlining the judiciary requirement he believed that he, as Political Agent, should have. These included the authority of a district magistrate in criminal matters, consular authority in notarial and shipping duties, and the power of vice-admiralty (folios 3-8).Application was consequently made for an Order in Council in Bahrain, via Cox, in his capacity as Political Resident, to the Government of India, the Secretary of State for India, and the Foreign Secretary. In May 1909, John Morley, the Secretary of State for India, wrote to the Governor General of India, stating that, in light of increasing German activity in the Gulf, the Political Agent in Bahrain was authorised to approach the ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, with a view to him ceding responsibility for foreign nationals in his dominions to the British Government (folios 50-52). This responsibility was duly granted to the British (folios 63-64), though not, according to Captain Charles Mackenzie, then Political Agent in Bahrain, without some reluctance on the part of Shaikh ‘Īsá (folios 65-66).Subsequent correspondence deals with some of the finer points of the wording of the Order in Council, with particular attention being paid by officials to the status of foreign nationals in Bahrain, including their registration with the Political Agency, and the legal ability to deport them if necessary. A draft copy of the Order in Council, dated, 1912, is included in the volume (folios 100-112). The unrest and disruption caused by the First World War in the Gulf, repeatedly delayed the introduction of the Order in Council. On 7 May 1917 the Political Agent Captain Percy Loch wrote to the Political Resident, Major Arthur Trevor, suggesting that, in view of recent developments in the conflict in Europe, and the entry into the war of the United States of America, the present time might be a prudent one to implement the Order in Council. In his letter Loch described how Turkish withdrawal from the Gulf, the independence of Bin Saud [Ibn Sa‘ūd], and formal British relations with the Shaikh of Qatar, would impact upon the treatment of certain foreign nationals in Bahrain (folios 232-35). Trevor rejected Loch’s proposal, and in May 1918, the introduction of the Order in Council in Bahrain was postponed once more, until February 1919 (folio 248).Amongst the discussions over Bahrain’s Order in Council, the appointment of a judicial assistant for the Political Agency was discussed (folios 189-94, 243-44, 249-51), as was the existing
khidmahsystem of revenue collection (a ten per cent judicial fee payable to the Sheikh of Bahrain's treasury). A Statement of
khidmahfor the years 1912 to 1916 is included on folio 227.1 volume (258 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.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using blue pencil numbers located in the top-right corner of each recto. A few folio numbers, chiefly at the front and end of the volume, are in black pencil. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a-1g.The following folios are fold-outs: 60, 226, 227.
Enquiries, reports and miscellaneous information about trading companies and merchants in Bahrain. The file describes the financial position and reputation of many individual companies and merchants and assesses their reliability as importers and agents. The term 'morality' is used as a synonym for business standing in recording such assessments. A wide variety of traders and merchandise is covered, including general merchants, printers and booksellers, pearl dealers, dealers in foodstuffs, enamel and china, clothing and textiles, tobacco, leather goods, radios, timber and building materials, agents for motor vehicle manufacturers, agents for and contractors to oil companies, and many others. Includes Arabic in letterheads.1 file (262 folios)The file is arranged chronologically, from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the system in use appears in the top right corner of each folio, circled. Also foliated (circled, further in from edge of page) 1-13, (not circled) 14-230 (ff 3-224).
The file contains numerous letters to the Political Agent, Bahrain from local employers, requesting the refund of Repatriation Guarantee Money Deposits they had paid in respect of their Indian and Pakistani workers. These monies were refundable, once the Indian and Pakistani staff hired to work in homes and businesses in Bahrain, had returned to India and Pakistan on termination of their employment. A few of the letters are in Arabic.The file also contains numerous Repatriation Deposit Receipts and No Objection Certificates issued by the Political Agency, Bahrain, in favour of allowing hired Indian and Pakistani workers to travel to Bahrain and take up the offers of employment they had received while they were still resident in India and Pakistan.1 file (511 folios)File papers are arranged chronologically and are followed by extensive file notes (ff.484-508), which include a list of documents in the file. The list generally records either the folio number or the reference number which has been written on many of the documents in red or blue and encircled. This helps to identify and locate specific documents in the file.Foliation: numbered 1-7, 7A-7B, 8-48, 49-49A, 50-509 in pencil in the top right hand corner. The numbering starts at the front of the file, on the first file enclosure (f.1) and ends on the inside cover at the back of the file (f.509).
The file contains requests from a few individuals to the Political Agent, Bahrain for: approval of their plans to travel to Saudi Arabia; provision of letters of introduction; help in obtaining permission from the ruler or other relevant Arab authorities in the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz.The file also contains Government of India correspondence about the need to obtain approval from the Hedjaz Government, before granting a Pilgrim Pass to a British Indian subject living in the Punjab, who had converted to Islam and wanted to visit Mecca and Medina.There are several letters and messages in Arabic, mainly in connection with a request from exporters The Hills Brothers Company, Basra to visit date plantations in Hofuf.1 file (39 folios)The file papers are arranged chronologically.Foliation: numbered 1-15, 17-23 and 25-40 in pencil in the top right hand corner. The numbers 16 and 24 have been omitted. The numbering starts at the front of the file, on the second file enclosure (f.1) and ends on the last file enclosure at the back of the file (f.40).
The file contains notes and correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire; the Adviser to the Bahrain Government; the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain; the Commandant, State Police, Bahrain and the Residency Agent, Sharjah, about passport regulations in operation between Bahrain and Persia.The correspondence discusses the following: no longer accepting the transit passes called Ilm-o-Khabars, customarily issued by the Persian authorities to both Persian subjects travelling to Bahrain, and to Persian residents of Bahrain travelling to Persia for business or pleasure; replacing the Persian Ilm-o-Khabars held by Bahrainis and Persians living in Bahrain, with special permits issued by the Bahrain Government for travel to Persia and the Persian ports; reports of Persians, Iraqis and others travelling to Bahrain for medical treatment without valid travel documents; reports of Persians coming to Bahrain from India without a visa from the Indian Passport Officer, Bombay; the issue of travel passes by the rulers of Dubai and Kuwait to Persians, for travel to Bahrain; the legal position with regard to the ownership of landed property in Persia by foreigners (folios 31, 47 and 57).There is correspondence with the Foreign Office, London and the Government of India about the following: British approval for the issue of passports and travel passes by the Ruler of Bahrain (Sheikh Hamad) during a politically sensitive period, following Persia’s renewed claim to Bahrain; ending the practice at the British Agency, Bahrain of issuing British certificates of identity to Persians travelling to Persia from Bahrain.There is correspondence with Sheikh Abdullah bin Qassim al-Thani [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī], the ruler of Qatar, about reports of Persian visitors travelling from Persia to Qatar and obtaining Qatar travel permits to enter Bahrain, even though they are not residents of Qatar.There is correspondence with the Government of India and the British Agency, Jeddah about making sure that intending travellers to Bahrain from Jeddah are aware that they must be in possession of valid travel documents.The file also includes: two Bahrain Government public proclamations in 1928 regarding new Bahrain passport regulations (folios 28-30) and new Bahrain Customs procedures (folio 41) for sailing boats and sailors, including diving boats and divers entering Bahrain; a list compiled by the Residency Agent, Sharjah in 1929, providing the names of all the recognised ruling sheikhs of the Trucial Oman kingdoms: Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman [Ajmān], Himriyah [Al Ḩamrīyah], Um-al-Qaiwain [Umm al Qaywayn], Abu Dhabi, Ras-al-Khaimah [Ra’s al Khaymah] (folio 73).The file contains numerous documents in Arabic: mainly letter correspondence, public notices and travel documents, including three passports issued to subjects of the Sultanate of Nejd and Dependencies (folios 112-114).1 file (257 folios)The file papers are arranged chronologically.Foliation: numbered 1-2, 3-3A, 4-121, 122-122A and 123-257 in pencil in the top right hand corner and encircled. The numbering starts at the front of the file, on the file cover (f.1) and ends on the last file enclosure (f.257) at the back of the file. In a similar, secondary foliation of the file, the number is written in pencil in the top right hand corner, but not circled.
The file consists almost entirely of Government of India circular letters, memoranda and published notices, issued mainly by the Home Department, about the rules governing the conduct of Government of India employees, especially in relation to:Public talks given by Government servants and broadcasted by the Indian State Broadcasting Service or All India Radio, 1936-1943;The duty of Government servants in relation to the civil disobedience movement, forbidding them to engage in or influence political movements, propaganda or elections, 1921;The disciplinary action to be taken against Government servants who desert their public duty in the face of enemy action, 1942.The file also contains:The Government Servants' Conduct Rules, 1915 and 1935 editions;A circular in English and Arabic issued by the Office of the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, dated 22 June 1919, reproducing a 1916 Rule forbidding Private Trade or Employment by full-time Government servants engaged in public duties;A circular letter dated 1936 from the Government of India, Foreign and Political Department about rules governing the acceptance of gifts;A note dated 1942 by the Political Agent, Bahrain, approving the receipt of wedding gifts from local merchants, by an employee of the Bahrain Agency;A circular warning letter dated 1928 from the British Envoy at the Court of Nepal about the dismissal of a clerk from the British Legation office, Nepal, for fraud.1 file (79 folios)File papers are arranged chronologically, according to the date they were circulated to the Political Agent, Bahrain and others. They are followed by brief file notes (folios 193-195) which list only about ten of the most recent documents circulated to the Political Agent, Bahrain and added to the file (folios 171-192). These documents are listed by their date, document reference number, folio number and/or a simple document reference number, for example, 24, which is written on the document in red or blue crayon and encircled. These details help to identify and locate the documents in the file.Foliation: numbered 1-47, 161, 167A, 167B, 168-175, 176A, 176B, 177-196. Numbers 48-160, 162-166 have been omitted. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right corner of the folio and is prefixed by the letter ‘p’ for page on folios 33-38 and 44. Folio number 179 is written in red crayon. The numbering starts at the front of the file, on the file cover (f 1) and ends on the inside cover at the back of the file (f 196). Folio 11 is blank. Folio 167B is a correction slip which is partially stuck down on folio 167A.
This file contains correspondence relating to the succession to the Shaikhdom of Abu Dhabi, 1909 - 1921; and correspondence relating to the succession to the Shaikhdom of Umm al Qawain 1900 - 1929.The main correspondents are: the Residency Agent, Sharjah; Political Resident Persian Gulf; Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department; Shaikh Abdullah bin Qasim al-Thani, Chief of Abu Dhabi; Shaikh Saqar bin Zaid, Chief of Abu Dhabi.Letters discuss the importance of new ruling Shaikhs continuing to adhere to the agreements signed by their forebears with the British concerning maritime peace; also the procedure for gaining this compliance and the delivery of copies of the agreements if necessary. A letter in 1927 from the Political Resident to the Shaikh Sagar bin Zaid notes the dispatch of an Arab force by sea which contravened the agreement.1 volume (155 folios)Foliation: The sequence commences on the first folio and concludes on the back cover. The sequence consists of uncircled pencil numbers located in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio.
The file contains a public notice and the following correspondence about Iraqi and Iranian nationality laws:A circular memorandum dated 1927 from the British High Commissioner for Iraq, Baghdad, about the effect of the Iraq Nationality Law upon foreigners born in Iraq, so that the Political Agent, Bahrain and others could give further publication to the fact that the Iraq Government had provisionally extended up to 31 December 1927, the period during which renunciation of Iraq nationality could be made by persons already of age, who were born in Iraq and whose fathers were born and resident in Iraq;A public notice in English and Arabic dated 1927, issued by the Political Agent, Bahrain, advising eligible Iraqis of the extended period during which they might relinquish Iraq nationality;A memorandum from the Political Officer, Trucial Coast, Sharjah dated 1940, enquiring about the liability to conscription of certain travellers from Bahrain to Iraq and Iran, under the Iraq and Iranian nationality laws of 1924 and 1929 respectively;A circular letter and despatch from the British Ambassador to Iraq, Baghdad, in 1942, about persuading the Iraqi Government to lower the residency fees levied on foreigners living in Iraq, under the Iraq Stamp Law, including an exemption for British and British Indian subjects;A letter from the Political Agent, Bahrain dated 1943, enquiring about subjects from the Trucial Coast Sheikdoms living in Iraq, also being exempted from Iraq residency fees.The file also contains English translations of the following laws and regulations:Compilation of laws and regulations issued between 1st January 1924 and 31st December, 1925, published by the Government of Iraq, Ministry of Justice, Baghdad, 1926;The Hijaz (Hejaz) Nationality Law, 1926;The Saudi Arabian Nationality Regulation No.3, 1938;Iraqi Law No.40 of 1942, amending the Iraq Stamp Law No.30 of 1922.1 file (80 folios)File papers are arranged chronologically. They are followed by file notes (folio 80) which include a list of documents in the file, together with their unique document reference number to help identify them. The list sometimes records the earlier, secondary folio number of the document also, to help locate it in the file.Foliation: numbered 1-37, 37A, 38-81. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right corner of the folio and encircled. The numbering starts at the front of the file, on the file cover (f 1) and ends on the inside cover at the back of the file (f 81). Folio 37A is blank. In an earlier and incomplete secondary foliation sequence, folios 57 to 79 are also numbered 6 to 29 in pencil in the top right corner.
The file contains several Government of India circular letters, memoranda and notices issued mainly by the Finance Department, containing instructions and information about the following:Persons authorized to cut or break worn or defaced silver rupee coins, 1907;Withdrawal from circulation of worn rupee coins, according to their diminished weight, 1910;Withdrawal from circulation of Queen Victoria silver rupee coins in 1941 and King Edward VII silver rupee coins in 1942;Government of India policy on the gradual replacement of King Edward VII standard silver rupee coins by new King George VI rupee coins with security edge, to minimise the use of silver and to discourage counterfeiting, 1941;Withdrawal from circulation of King George V and King George VI standard silver rupee coins in 1943;Press notice describing the silver rupee policy of the Government of India and its effect on hoarders of standard silver rupee coins, 1942;Circular letter from the Reserve Bank of India, Bombay about the decision by the Government of India to remove light weight restrictions on silver rupee coins, 1941;Circular letter from the Master of the Bombay Mint, providing guidance on the detection of counterfeit George VI coins with a security edge and in circulation since 1940.The file also contains proclamations and other public notices in Arabic, together with an English translation, as follows:The ruler of Bahrain prohibits the manufacture and use of counterfeit notes and coins, 1932;The Bahrain Government informs the public that silver rupee coins of any quality should be accepted as legal tender, 1933;The Bahrain Government informs the public that Queen Victoria, King George V and VI silver rupees respectively would gradually be withdrawn, 1937 and 1943;The ruler of Dubai informs traders that they should not refuse to accept worn rupee coins, 1937The rulers of Dubai and Sharjah inform their respective merchants and inhabitants that genuine Queen Victoria silver rupee coins should continue to be accepted as legal tender and counterfeit coins should be reported to the appointed examiners, 1940.The file also contains petitions in Arabic and English, submitted to the Political Agent, Bahrain by merchants and others resident of Bahrain, protesting against having to accept silver rupee coins of any quality, under proclamations issued by the Bahrain Government and the Amir of Muharraq, 1933 and 1936.The file also contains correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave (Adviser to the Government of Bahrain), the Secretary to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire and the Manager, Eastern Bank Ltd, Bahrain. They discuss the measures to be taken against the circulation of counterfeit Indian coinage in Bahrain, including the extension of the Indian Coinage Act to Bahrain and the respective roles of Bahrain Customs and the Eastern Bank in the seizure, detection and withdrawal of counterfeit coins, 1931-1933.The file also contains four Government of India one rupee coins, minted in 1878, 1918 and 1919 (folio 1B). The 1878 coin depicts the head of Queen Victoria, Empress of India and the 1918-1919 coins depict the head of King George V, Emperor of India.1 file (176 folios)File papers are arranged chronologically. They are followed by file notes (folios138-162), which include a dispersed but chronological list of documents in the file (folios 145, 148, 150-153, 155-162). The list records their document reference number or folio number or both, to help identify and locate them in the file.The main foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover. These numbers are written in pencil and can be found in either the top right or top centre of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence runs through the index pages at the back of the file between ff 138-152. These numbers are also written in pencil and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Circled index numbers written in coloured crayon and ink are present throughout the file. Foliation errors: 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D; 21A and 21B; 37A and 37B; 52A and 52B; 63A, 63B, 63C, 63D, 63E, 63F and 63G; 94A and 94B; 97A and 97B; 115A and 115B; 116A and 116B. Fold out folios: 21B and 55.Condition: a small, fold-out wallet made of card contains four, tarnished silver coins, each with a small hole drilled in the centre. The encased coins are enclosed in a plastic sleeve numbered folio 1B, at the front of the file.
This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding instructions and regulations for the various British agencies and offices in the Persian Gulf region.The issues discussed in the file include the use of demi-official correspondence, the compilation and use of the office diary, the telegraphic addresses of the various agents and vice-consuls in the region and other general rules and guidance for office staff concerning matters in both English and Arabic.1 file (102 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Condition: A file containing loose sheets that were previously bound by treasury tags.Foliation: The file's foliation sequence commences at the cover and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The file contains the following foliation errors: 36, and 36A; 37, and 37A; 62, and 62A; 86, and 86A.
The papers relate to the introduction of
The Bahrein Order in Council, 1913; the question of the levying by the Sheikh of Bahrain of
Khidma[
Khidmah, Arabic 'service' - used to mean a percentage fee on legal cases] on court cases and the introduction of court fees by the British, 1916-1919, including reports of discussions of the matter with Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, February - March 1919;
The Bahrein (Amendment) Order in Council, 1924(His Majesty's Stationery Office Press, 1924);
King's Regulation under Article 70 of The Bahrein Order in Council, 1913('The Indian Court Fees Regulation 1924'), which provided for the application of the Indian Court Fees Act 1870 to Bahrain; and
Rules of Court Under Article 61 (1) of The Bahrain Order in Council, 1913, dated 1927, setting out court fees. Includes a letter in Arabic from Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, 1923.1 volume (292 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.Foliation: the foliation system in use starts at the title page, two folios after the front cover, and continues to the last page of file notes, three folios from the end cover. The foliation system appears written in pencil, enclosed in a circle, in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. There is a second foliation sequence, also written in pencil, but not enclosed in circle, which appears in the same area of many of the folios, but is inconsistently applied.
The file contains correspondence, mainly between 1941 and 1944 and starts with reports of the building of a fortified tower at the town of Diba [Dibba] (also spelt Dhibah, Daba) by the minority Qawasim [Āl Qawāsim] (also spelt Jawasim) inhabitants, subjects of the Regent of Kalba [Kalbā'], for protection from cross-border raids by the local Shihuh [Shiḥūḥ] (also spelt Shahuh) majority population, subjects of the Sultan of Muscat. The correspondence discusses the opposition of the Muscat authorities both to the building of this defensive post on the boundary between Qawasim and Shihuh territory and to the occupation of three Qawasim villages in nearby Wadi Madha land in the Shamaliyah District, by armed men sent by the Regent of Kalba, in response to an appeal by the villagers for protection against Shihuh attacks. Also reported are the several visits to Diba by official representatives from Muscat and Kalba, as well as local British officials, to secure a temporary truce and resolve the more or less permanent state of tribal conflict existing in the locality, by negotiating a lasting peace settlement.The main correspondents are the Residency Agent and the Political Officer for the Trucial Coast, (both based at Sharjah); the Political Agents for Bahrain and Muscat; and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. There are also English translations and one Arabic transcript of several letters from Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmad [Āl Qasimī, Shaikh Khālid bin Ahmad] the Regent of Kalba to the Residency Agent, Sharjah, mainly in 1941, about repeated attacks on Diba by the Shihuh and the progress of his peace negotiations with the representative of the Sultan of Muscat and Oman. There are English translations of several other letters from the Sultan of Muscat and Oman and his ministers, to the Regent of Kalba and the British Consul Muscat, about outbreaks of fighting between the Shihuh and Qawasim at Diba, including a list of Shihuh complaints against the Qawasim (folio 70) and the peace agreement made in 1941 (folio 74).The file also includes a small, black and white photograph (folio 78) of the fortified tower at Diba, taken in 1944 by the Political Officer for the Trucial Coast, Sharjah, after it had been rebuilt in contravention of the peace agreement between the Qawasim and Shihuh inhabitants.1 file (90 folios)File papers are arranged more or less chronologically.Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover (f 1) and terminates at the back cover (f 90); 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 the file. These numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The file correspondence begins with a note dated 1938 from the Residency Agent, Sharjah to the Political Agent, Bahrain announcing the succession of Shaikh Muhammad bin Hamad ash-Sharqi to the Trucial Coast Shaikhdom of Fujairah, on the death of his brother, Shaikh Saif bin Hamad ash-Sharqi, 24 December 1938. This is followed by a memorandum dated 1939 from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to the Political Agent, Muscat about the intention of the Shaikh of Fujairah and his son to travel on their existing Muscati passports and in this connection, the Resident also encloses an earlier Government of India memorandum from 1903, pointing to the existence of a consistent British policy of non-recognition and non-interference in the Sultan of Muscat’s long standing and disputed claim to suzerainty over Fujairah.Next in the file is an Arabic transcript and English translation of a letter from Shaikh Muhammad bin Hamad ash-Sharqi of Fujairah to the Residency Agent at Sharjah in April 1941, formally requesting treaty relations with Great Britain. The rest of the file comprises numerous letters and several memoranda, 1941-1950, mainly between the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Officer, Trucial Coast, Sharjah; and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. They discuss mostly the diplomatic handling of repeated requests by the Shaikh of Fujairah for recognition as an independent Trucial Coast Ruler under British protection and for British assistance in promoting oil company exploration in his territory, at a time when British Government policy was averse to increasing the number of independent minor Trucial Coast shaikhdoms. The file ends with an exchange of letters in 1950 between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Foreign Office officials in London, discussing the advantages of concluding a treaty with the Shaikh of Fujairah and the dangers of pursuing this course, should the Sultan of Muscat or the Shaikh of Sharjah take offence or actively renew their own historic claims to sovereignty over Fujairah.Included in the file is information about the extent of the territory of Fujairah, a list of its main towns and its political status (folios 32, 34-35). This information was compiled by the Political Officer, Trucial Coast, Sharjah in 1948 at the request of the Political Agent, Bahrain for submission to oil company officials at Petroleum Concessions Limited, Bahrain and Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited, Bahrain and Dubai.1 file (58 folios)File papers are arranged more or less chronologically. Some items of correspondence are followed by enclosures of an earlier date. File notes and a list of file contents are at the back of the file (folios 55-59). The list of file contents includes a simple, running number which is written in red or blue crayon on each document enclosed in the file, to help locate them.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) starts on the file cover (f 1) and ends on the last folio of writing (f 59) at the back of the file. The numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional and almost parallel foliation sequence is present in the file. 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 correspondence, mainly between Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Crawshaw Galloway, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bahrain and Gordon Noel Jackson, the Assistant Political Agent, Bahrain about the gift of date gardens in his territory by Shaikh Sultan bin Salim [Al Qasimi, Shaikh Sultan bin Salim] the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al-Khaymah], to Shaikh Saud bin Maktum [Shaikh Said II ibn Maktum] the Ruler of Dubai and members of his family. The main file enclosures are:list of date gardens in Ras al Khaimah owned by the Ruler of Dubai and other members of his family, principally Shaikh Rashid bin Said bin Maktum, and compiled by the Residency Agent, Sharjah, August 1947 (folio 5);exchange of letters between the Political Resident and the Political Agent, Bahrain discussing the political implications of the transfers of land by the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah to the Ruler of Dubai, July-August 1947 (folios 2, 6);exchange of letters in Arabic, together with English translations, between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah, about the advisability of reserving oil and mineral rights and registering transfers of land ownership at the Residency Agency, Sharjah, September 1947 (folio 8).1 file (8 folios)File papers are arranged chronologically.Foliation: the foliation sequence starts on the front cover (f 1) and ends on the inside back cover (f 10). The folio numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The volume contains correspondence pertaining to a survey of Khor Musa carried out in light of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company's consideration of it for an ocean port. The correspondents include the Political Resident at Bushire, the India Office in London, the Foreign Office in London, the British Minister at Tehran, the British Consul at Mohammerah [Korramshahr], the Government of India, the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Director of the Royal Indian Marine at Bombay, the commanders of the HMS
Lawrenceand HMS
Palinurus, Sheikh Khazal [Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī] of Mohammerah, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, and the Mesopotamia Persia Corporation.The volume covers the granting of first refusal for leasing of land around Khor Musa to the British by Sheikh Khazal in 1912 (folios 1D-17), and then continues onto the main subject of organising the survey in 1921-22 until the Anglo-Persian Oil Company eventually rejected the proposal in early 1922.1 volume (116 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers positioned in the top-right corner of each recto. A second foliation system runs through the volume, using uncircled pencil numbers in the same position as the main foliation system.The following foliation anomalies occur: 1 is followed by 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D; 26 is followed by 27A, 27B.Foldouts: folios 11, 12.
The volume contains correspondence pertaining to the relatives of the late Shaikh of Khuzestan, Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī. The correspondents include the Political Resident at Bahrain, Political Agent at Kuwait, Government of India, Foreign Office, India Office, British Ambassador in Tehran, British Ambassador in Baghdad, Middle East Office at Cairo, British Consul General at Ahwaz, Vice Consul at Korramshahr, and two of Khaz‘al's sons, Abdullah [‘Abdullah bin Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī] and Chassib [Jāsib bin Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī].The matters covered in the volume include:compensation to be paid to the heirs of Sheikh Ahmad of Kuwait and Sheikh Khaz‘al for taxes [
istiḥlāk] paid on estates that they should have been exempt from;the intrigues and actions of Khaz‘al's sons, ‘Abdullah and Jāsib, including small-scale incursions into Khuzistan [Khūzestān] from Iraq and attempts to garner Arab and British support for their return to power in Khuzistan;where to settle ‘Abdullah after his return from Persia.Folios 64-69 are letters in Arabic, signed by several of the heads of leading Arab families in the region, petitioning the Political Resident for help against Persian oppression.Folios 214-228 are internal office notes.1 volume (233 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically.Foliation: There is an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete sequence, which should be used for referencing, is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the title page, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 228. There are the following irregularities: folio 1 is followed by folio 1A. It should be noted that folio 67 is contained in an envelope which is attached to the verso of folio 66, and folios 71-72 are in an envelope which is attached to the verso of folio 70.
The file’s papers relate to the appointment and activities of the Security Officer (initially referred to as a Staff Officer Intelligence) in the Persian Gulf. The principal correspondents in the file are the Security Officer at Bahrain (Captain C G Campbell) and the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban; Edward Birkbeck Wakefield; Major Tom Hickinbotham).The file includes:correspondence dated early 1941 relating to the appointment of Lieutenant-Colonel G W Manson as Staff Officer Intelligence at Bahrain, including details of his background, movements and tasks, and correspondence relating to secret questionnaires to be despatched to various places around the Persian Gulf, which are too sensitive to be sent by normal mail (ff 3-4);copies of correspondence and directives, dated from 1943, issued by PAIFORCE [Persia and Iraq Force], relating to the post of Security Control Officer responsible for the sea and air ports of the Persian Gulf, with details of the role’s remit, responsibilities and duties (ff 20-21, ff 26-30, ff 92-94);copies of various reports prepared by the Security Officer, issued from January 1944 on a fortnightly basis, and covering: a) port security (including security ID discs for port labourers, details of the departure and arrival of dhows; ff 35-37 onwards); b) security of oil installations (including assessments of security checkpoints, security precautions, storage of explosives, reports of suspected incidents of sabotage, employee morale, including reports of strikes, trade unionism, suspected subversive activities, and occasional ‘test periods of tension’; ff 41-48 onwards);PAIFORCE instructions for the anti-locust campaign in Saudi Arabia, 1943-44, dated 20 April 1944 (ff 89-90), and the later cancellation of the instructions in July 1944 (f 114);an application for work from Abdul Aziz Shamlan, dated 20 September 1944, an interpreter, with references enclosed from the Defence Officer in the Persian Gulf (Major H T Hewitt) and staff at the Office of the Air Liaison Officer, Bahrain, and a letter from the Political Agent to the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, asking for information on Shamlan (ff 121-126);a letter from the Security Officer, Bahrain, to the Political Agent, dated 23 November 1944, announcing that orders have been received for the permanent closure of the Security Office from 6pm that day (f 146).1 file (156 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 150-155) mirror the chronological arrangement.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 foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-19 and a mixed foliation pagination sequence between ff 20-149; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file contains correspondence between the Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited (BAPCO) representative and the Political Agent at Bahrain on the deaths of BAPCO labour at and outside work. There are some letters in Arabic.1 file (78 folios)The documents in the file are arranged in chronological order. There are notes at the end of the file (folios 72-78). The notes refer to documents within the file; they give a brief description of the correspondence with a reference number in red crayon, which refers back to that correspondence in the file.The foliation is in pencil in uncircled numbers in the top right corner of each folio. The numbering starts on the first folio of writing with 1 and carries on until 79, which is the last number given on the back cover of the file.
This file contains correspondence regarding an upgrade of the Government of Bahrain's electricity supply. The correspondence discusses the logistics of implementing the upgrade as well as broader discussions regarding Bahrain's inadequate power supply at the time.A detailed note on Bahrain's electricity supply written by Charles Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain is enclosed on folios 58-59.The file also contains a copy of a Government of Bahrain notice (in English and Arabic) regarding power outages caused by the refurbishment work (folio 64) and a report on Bahrain's electricity supply written by M C Clear of British Oil Engines (Export) Limited (ff 77-84).1 file (100 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 100; 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 1-75; these numbers are also written in pencil (with some in ink), but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The majority of the correspondence in this file discusses the activities of a Bahraini named Abdullah Zeerah (also spelt Zireh). In 1948, Zeerah travelled to Iran and announced in front of its parliament that the people of Bahrain wanted Persian rule to be re-established over Bahrain. The file contains translations of articles in the Iranian press regarding the incident. It also contains a typed copy in Arabic (with English translation) of an article about Britain's role in Bahrain that appeared in
Al-Arab Worldon 10 February 1948.The file also contains correspondence concerning demands for the formation of a legislative council in Bahrain.On folios 25-26, the file contains a list of political and cultural clubs active in Bahrain with short political assessments of each one written by Britain's Political Agent in Bahrain, Cornelius James Pelly.1 file (75 folios)Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 75; 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 2-71; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Correspondence concerning the attack by the tribes of Oman on Muscat in 1895 in which British subjects lost property leading to the insistence by British officials that a tax be levied on dates coming from the rebel areas. Letters discuss the British guarantee to Sayyid Faisal bin Turki, Sultan of Muscat and the Sheikhs of Oman that whatever differences they had with the Sultan of Muscat no attack on Muscat or Muttrah would be permitted. Includes a printed report which includes a list of verified claims of British subjects for compensation on account of losses during the late disturbances. Correspondents include Political Agent, Muscat; Political Resident Persian Gulf; Deputy Secretary to the Government of India; Sayyid Faisal [Fayṣal bin Turkī] , Sultan of Muscat.1 volume (85 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: This file has circled foliation numbers in the top right hand corner of each folio that begin on the front cover and end on the back cover.
Correspondence concerning complaints from Banians about notification issued by Sultan fixing the weight of rice bags in the unit of measurement of weight known as a maund. Correspondence discusses the difference between a Muskat maund and a Bengal maund and issues relating to the sale of rice by weight. Includes a petition from the Banians to the Political Resident Persian Gulf with list of individuals and signatures. Correspondents include Major Christopher George Forbes Fagan, Political Agent, Muscat; Political Resident Persian Gulf; Faisal bin Turki [Fayṣal bin Turkī], Sultan of Muscat; Banian traders.1 volume (47 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: this file has circled foliation numbers in the top right corner of each folio that begin on the front cover and end on the back cover.
Correspondence about the lease of Bandar Jissah by the Sultan of Muscat to the French for a coaling station. Includes, in English and Arabic, the 'lawful and honourable Bond' of 28th March 1891 whereby Sayyid Faisal bin Turki, Sultan of Muscat and Oman, pledged never to cede, sell or mortgage any of his lands to any power except for Britain. This was ratified by Landsdown [Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, Fifth Marquess of Lansdowne], Viceroy and Governor General of the Government of India at Simla on 23rd May 1891. Correspondents include the Political Resident, Persian Gulf; Political Agent, Muscat; Sayyid Faisal bin Turki [Fayṣal bin Turkī], Sultan of Muscat and Oman. The correspondence discusses meetings with the Sultan about the French coaling station and the dispatch of a British gunboat to Muscat.1 volume (34 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 and circled in the top right hand corner of each folio.
Correspondence between British officials and the Sultan of Muscat concerning the granting of a coaling station to the French at Bandar Jissah which led to the British giving an ultimatum to the Sultan that he cancel the lease to the French otherwise his subsidy would be withdrawn. A letter from the Sultan protests that there is no breach of his agreement with the British. Includes a memorandum by Lieutenant G Wood Robinson, regarding Bandar Jissah harbour and a note on anchorages and harbours on the coast of Oman. Correspondents include Major Christopher Charles George Fagan , Political Agent, Muscat; Faisal bin Turki [Fayṣal bin Turkī], Sultan of Muscat; French Vice-Consul; Political Resident Persian Gulf, India Office, London.1 volume (242 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file. At the front of the file there is an index page with topics listed in alphabetical order.Foliation: the foliation system in use is the sequence of numbers appearing in a circle in the top right hand corner of each folio. The file also bears a foliation system of uncircled numbers. Foliation anomaly: 1, 1a (1a being unfoliated).
Correspondence concerning the use of French flags by dhows at Sur and the actions taken by the Sultan of Muscat and the Government of India. Includes a hand drawn map (folio 33) 'Rough sketch of Soor'.Topics covered include:The establishment of a French consulate;Representation of the Sultan of Muscat at the Hague tribunal;British documents relating to the arbitration at the Hague tribunal;Issues involving the slave trade and use of the French flag.Correspondents include Major Percy Zachariah Cox, Political Agent, Muscat; Political Resident Persian Gulf; Louis William Dane, Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department; Quarantine superintendent of the Sultan of Muscat.1 volume (249 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file. There is an index at the front of the file.Foliation: The foliaton system in use is the sequence of numbers appearing in a circle in the top right hand corner of each folio.
Correspondence relating to the Hague Arbitration Tribunal which decided on questions referred to it by Great Britain and France concerning the flying of French flags by dhows in Sur. Before the 2nd January 1892 when the Brussels Conference General Act was ratified France was entitled to authorize vessels belonging to subjects of the Sultan of Muscat to fly the French flag only and be bound by French legislative rules. Includes a list of dhows and dhow owners flying the French flag as well as printed copies of the material submitted to the tribunal and the 'Award of the Arbitration Tribunal appointed to decide on the question of the grant of the French flag to Muscat dhows'. Letters discuss the desire of the British to increase the authority of the Sultan of Muscat in Sur.Correspondents include Major William George Grey, Political Agent, Muscat; Percy Zachariah Cox, Political Resident Persian Gulf; Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department; Foreign Office, London; Saiyid Faisal bin Turki [Fayṣal bin Turkī], Sultan of Muscat; Monsieur Laronce, French Consul, Muscat.1 volume (290 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file. An index to the file is given.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are typed, with additions, clarifications and corrections written in pencil. This sequence can be found in the top right hand corner of the recto side of each folio.
Correspondence relating to the arbitration concerning the flying of French flags on dhows in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. Letters discuss how the British and French agreed on a list of persons entitled to fly French flags and implications for relationship with the Sultan of Muscat. The file contains a table with a list of all the dhows and their proprietors (folios 14 to 19). Correspondents include Major William George Grey, Political Agent, Muscat; Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; India Office, London; Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department.1 volume (247 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file. At the front of the file is listed 'Index to file 35/85 Vol. IV A11. Principal papers only'.Foliation: the foliation system in use is the sequence of numbers appearing in a circle in the top right hand corner of each folio.
Correspondence concerning the Muscat Commercial Treaty of 1891 and its revision in 1905. Includes drafts of the treaty articles with comments in the margins on possible amendments as well as the final signed agreement. A letter discusses the wish of the Sultan to be addressed as His Majesty. Correspondents include Ronald Evelyn Wingate, Political Agent, Muscat; Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; Taimur bin Faisal [Taymūr ibn Fayṣal], Sultan of Muscat; Deputy Secretary to the Government of India.1 volume (236 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 a circle in the top right hand corner of each folio. The file also bears a former foliation system comprising of uncircled numbers.
Correspondence concerning the Muscat Commercial Treaty of 1891 and a revision of the treaty in 1922. Includes the text of the 1833 Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the USA and Sayyid Sa'id bin Sultan [Saʻīd bin Sulṭān] of Muscat and correspondence with the United States of America over the revisions. Letters discuss the raising of the rate of customs from 5% to 10%. The file includes the text of the 1922 agreement in Arabic and English.Correspondents include Political Resident, Persian Gulf; Political Agent, Muscat; Deputy Secretary to the Government of India; Commonwealth of Australia, Governor General's Office; Foreign Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign and Political Department; Secretary of State, United States.1 volume (281 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.
This file consists of correspondence relating to the prolonging of the Muscat Commercial Treaty of 1891 for a further period of one year. The correspondence discusses issues of extra-territoriality; implications for Morocco and British rights; municipal taxes; tariff; taxation of British subjects; prolongation of the Treaty. Also discussed is the withdrawal from the Treaty by Australia, Canada, Irish Free State and South Africa. Correspondents include the Political Resident Persian Gulf; Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr], Sultan of Muscat and Oman; Secretary of State, Foreign Office, London; India Office, London; External Affairs Department, Government of India.1 volume (273 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: this file has foliation numbers in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio.
Correspondence relating to Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between Great Britain and Sa'id bin Taimur, Sultan of Muscat and Oman signed in 1937 to replace a treaty signed in 1891. The file includes correspondence on municipal tax; prolongation of 1891 treaty; the Sultan's draft with comments by the Major Watts (Political Agent, Muscat) Sir Trenchard Fowle (Political Resident Persian Gulf) and the Government of India. The file includes the signed note by Sa'id bin Taimur and Major Ralph Ponsonby Watts, Political Agent, Muscat.Correspondents include Major Ralph Ponsonby Watts, Political Agent, Muscat; Sa'id bin Taimur, Sultan of Muscat and Oman; Sir Trenchard Fowle, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; Government of India, Sir Aubrey Metcalf, Secretary, External Affairs Department, Government of India.1 Volume (204 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file. At the front of the file there is contents page.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences on the first folio and terminates on the last folio, and uses pencil numbers in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio. Circled index numbers in red crayon can also be found throughout the volume.Foliation errors: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 83, 83A, 133, 133A, 135, 135A, 142, 142A, 148, 148A, 149, 149A, 171, 171A, 188, 188A. Folios which fold-out are: 34-35, 39-42, 196.
The volume contains correspondence relating to the signing of a new treaty between Great Britain and the Sultan of Muscat 'to replace the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation signed at Muscat on the 19th March, 1891, which terminates on the 11th February, 1939.' The new treaty consisted of twenty three articles relating to commerce and navigation. Topics discussed in the correspondence include:Signatures and seals (ff 7-12);Implications for South Africa and Government of India (f 130-131);Instruments and certificates of ratification (ff 35-38; 139-146);Speech by Said bin Taimur on signing the treaty (ff 93-97) with reply by the Political Resident Persian GulfThe drafting process (f 13) and translations of technical terms in Arabic and English (f149-150)List of British colonial territories to which the treaty applies in accordance with the provisions of article 19.The volume includes the full text of the final treaty in Arabic and English (folios 41-75) and the ratification by George the Sixth (folios 77-80). Correspondents include Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr], Sultan of Muscat; Trenchard Craven Fowle, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf; Secretary of State for India, London; Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department.1 volume (200 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: The file has circled foliation numbers that begin on the front cover and end on the back cover.
The volume contains copies of correspondence sent to and from the Political Residency, concerning affairs in Muscat during the period 1921 to 1924. The chief correspondents in the file are the Political Resident, Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Prescott Trevor, and the Political Agent Muscat, chiefly Ronald Evelyn Leslie Wingate, incumbent in the post from October 1919 to October 1921, and February to September 1923. The correspondence chiefly concerns economic and domestic affairs at Muscat, as follows:Economic difficulties in Muscat, precipitated by a significant fall in the port’s customs revenue, the state’s main source of income, and options for increasing state revenue through other means, such as taxes and raising customs duties;The loan of six-and-a-half lacs [lakhs] (650,000 rupees), given by the British Government to the Muscat Government, and arrangements for the Muscat Government to open an account with the Imperial Bank of India, to facilitate the repayment of the loan in installments;The efforts of British officials to impose stringent economic policies at Muscat, and on the Sultan of Muscat, Taymūr bin Fayṣal, leading to strained relations between British officials and the Sultan. Records of conversations between Taymūr bin Fayṣal and the Political Resident and the Political Agent Muscat, over the administration of the state, and responsibilities as its ruler;The submission of financial statements for Muscat State, from the Political Agent Muscat to the Political Resident, for forwarding to the Government of India;Arrangements for the education of Taymūr bin Fayṣal’s son, Sa‘īd bin Taymūr, at Mayo College in Ajmer, India;The recruitment of the Indian Assistant at the Bahrain Political Agency, Siddiq Hassan, as a personal tutor for Sa‘īd bin Taymūr at Mayo College, and negotiations for his salary, including a personal allowance from the Sultan, and the permissibility of such an allowance under Government of India regulations;The recruitment of a British financial adviser at Muscat, including the possibilities of retaining the services of a Captain ED McCarthy (Muscat Levy Corps). Upon learning of McCarthy’s intention to remain in the service of the Army, British officials resume their search for a suitable appointment, with a recommendation made by Sir Arnold Wilson of Bertram Thomas, then working in the Palestinian Administration (folios 239-40);Thomas’s appointment as Financial Adviser at Muscat in mid-1924;The movements of Sultan Taymūr bin Fayṣal, his time spent in Muscat, and British officials’ opinions of his attitude to government and his responsibilities as Sultan;The purchase of a house by the Sultan at Dehra Dun [Dēhrādūn] in India, against the wishes of the British Government.1 volume (279 folios)The volume’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end.Foliation: There is one incomplete foliation sequence and one complete sequence. The complete sequence, which should be used for referencing, is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the title page, on number 1, and ends on the inside back cover, on 276. Foliation anomalies: ff.50A-B. The subject file number (35/87) is marked top and centre of most rectos in the file, both handwritten and typewritten.
Correspondence relating to the reform of customs and finance at Muscat. Includes the contract of the Financial Adviser, Bertram Thomas and the financial statements he prepared for the state of Muscat.Correspondents include Colonel Francis Beville Prideaux, Political Resident Persian Gulf; Bertram Thomas, Finance Minister, State of Muscat; Taimur bin Faisal [Taymūr bin Fayṣal], Sultan of Muscat; Major Gerald Patrick Murphy, Political Agent, Muscat; Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf.1 volume (217 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.There is one incomplete foliation sequence and one complete foliation sequence. The complete sequence is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. It begins on the title page, on number 1, and runs through to 217, ending on the inside of the back cover of the volume. Anomalies: f 22A; f 26A.
This file includes correspondence on a variety of matters relating to the state of Muscat and Oman. The main correspondents are Major Reginald Graham Hinde, Political Agent and H.B.M's Consul, Muscat; Francis Beville Prideaux, Political Resident Persian Gulf; Denys de Samaurez Bray, Foreign Secretary to the Government of India; Major Clive Kirkpatrick Daly, Political Agent Bahrain; Taimur bin Faisal [Taymūr bin Fayṣal], Sultan of Muscat.Topics include:Presence of red oxide from Khaburah (f 2b);Disturbances in Sur in connection with the building of a new customs house (ff 5-9);Sayid Nadir's (brother of the Sultan) expedition to Hail [Hayl] and reparations to be demanded from Shaikh Sultan Muhammad of the Bani Battash. (ff 13-46);Quarrel with the Yal Saad.1 volume (61 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 a circle in the top right hand corner of each folio. The file also bears a former foliation system comprising of uncircled numbers.
Correspondence concerning fighting at Sur between the Bani Bu Ali and the Arama. Includes a number of reports from Major Gerald Patrick Murphy the Political Agent, Muscat to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf on the general situation in Oman and concerns that due to tribal involvement the fighting could spread from Sur to the rest of Oman. Letters discuss how the fort at Sur was bombarded to show the rebellious tribes that the Government of India intended to support Muscat. Includes a map (folio 199) drawn by Major Gerald Patrick Murphy, Political Agent, Muscat, entitled 'Map showing extent of Sultan's influence in Oman'. Correspondents include the Political Resident, Persian Gulf; Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah al Humudah [‘Alī bin Abdullāh al-Ḥamūdah], Amir of Jaalan; Political Agent, Muscat; Foreign Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department; Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf.1 volume (274 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.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 each folio. It begins on the title page, on number 1, and runs through to 274, ending on the inside of the back cover. Anomalies: ff 1A-C; f 23A; f 63A; f 74A; f 88A; f 90A; f 93A; f 96A; f 100A; f 111A; f 113A; f 114A; f 121A; f 124A; f 167A; f 198A; ff 208A-B; f 247A.
Correspondence relating to the rebellion of the Sur area and issues of the extension of the authority of the Sultan of Muscat. Includes discussion by the Political Agent, Muscat of the creation of a protectorate in Muscat and Oman; a 'note on our present policy in Muscat'; questionnaire on planning for an occupation of Sur in terms of availability of water; and other factors as well as the assessment by Captain O'Connor of issues in occupying Sur; travelling permits issued by the Amirs of Jaalan.Correspondents include Major Gerald Patrick Murphy, Political Agent, Muscat; Sir Frederick William Johnston, Political Resident Persian Gulf; Evelyn Berkeley Howell, Foreign Secretary to the Government of India; Secretary for State for India, India Office, London; Sheikh Muhammad bin Nasir al Hamudah [Muḥammed bin Nāṣir al-Ḥamūdah], Amir of Jaalan; Shaikh Hamdan bin Nasir al Hamudan [Ḥamdān bin Nāṣir al-Ḥamūdah], Amir of Jaalan's brother; Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah [Banī Bū ‘Alī] of Bani Bu Ali; Sayid Taimur bin Faisal [Taymūr bin Fayṣal], Sultan of Muscat; Commander, HMS
Cyclamen; Shaikh Isa bin Salih al Harithi [‘Īsá Bin-Ṣāliḥ al-Ḥārith]; Captain Roderick Louis O'Connor, Officer on Special Duty; High Commissioner, Baghdad.1 volume (220 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file. The file also includes an index of topics arranged in alphabetical order.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at 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.
Correspondence relating to the Amir of Ja'alan and the collection of customs at Sur. Letters discuss the strategy for enforcing customs collection in Sur and the visit in HMS
Penzanceof Heir Apparent, Saiyid Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr], President of the Council of Ministers in order to re-establish Sultanate authority in Sur. Correspondence discusses the constraints on the actual use of British naval power and the preferred use of the Muscat Levies as well as possible use of air power. Includes a hand-drawn map of Sur (folio 87) with discussion of the tribal divisions in the town and of the village of Aiqa inhabited by the Bani Bu Ali.Correspondents include Air Headquarters, Iraq Command, Hinaidi; Air Ministry, London;Trenchard Craven W. Fowle and Reginald George Alban, Political Agent, Muscat; Hugh Vincent Biscoe, Political Resident, Persian Gulf; Foreign Secretary, Government of India; Stuart Edwin Hedgecock, Financial Adviser, Ministry of Finance, Muscat; Saif bin Ali bin Saif [Saif bin ‘Alī bin Saif], Wali of Sur; Iskander, Director-General of Customs, Muscat; 'the people of Aiqa'; Ali bin Abdullah Al Hamudah [‘Alī bin Abdullāh al-Ḥamūdah], Amir of Ja'alan.1 volume (203 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 a circle in the top right hand corner of each folio.
The file contains correspondence relating to survey expeditions carried out in the Trucial Coast (today's United Arab Emirates) region by Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited, a subsidiary of Petroleum Concessions Limited. The correspondence is principally between the Residency Agent at Sharjah, the Political Officer of the Trucial Coast, also at Sharjah, the Political Resident at Bahrain [Persian Gulf Political Residency], the Political Agent at Bahrain, representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited and Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited, the Foreign Office, the rulers of Sharjah and Dubai, as well as the leaders of a number of more minor tribes.The correspondence covers the arrangements for, and the progress of, survey work carried out by the company during the winters of 1947/48 and 1948/49, in the territories of Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al-Khaymah], and in particular within the vicinity of Buraimi [Al-Buraymī].Matters of a political nature were referred by the company to the Residency Agent or the Political Officer. The following issues are covered within the file:numerous incidents of resistance from local Bedouin inhabitants, usually triggered by transgression of tribal boundaries, particularly from the Beni Qitab, Manasir, and Naim [Āl Na‘īm] tribes;tribal and territorial allegiances that impacted on the work of the surveyors, and the efforts to secure access to survey areas for the company from the interested parties.Folios 69-73 are internal office notes.1 file (72 folios)The file is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at 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 2-73; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.
The file contains correspondence relating to survey expeditions carried out in the Trucial Coast (today's United Arab Emirates) region by Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited, a subsidiary of Petroleum Concessions Limited. The correspondence is principally between the Residency Agent at Sharjah, the Political Officer of the Trucial Coast, also at Sharjah, the Political Agent at Bahrain, representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited and Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited, the India Office, the rulers of Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al-Khaymah], and Abu Dhabi, as well as the leaders of a number of more minor tribes.The correspondence covers the arrangements for, and the progress of, survey work carried out by the company during the winters of 1945/46, 1946/47, and 1947/48, in the vicinities of Jabal Faiyah and Buraimi [Al-Buraymī], including a reconnaissance trip through Wadi al Gor. Contained in the file are regular updates on the progress of the surveys sent by company representatives to either the Residency Agent or the Political Officer at Sharjah.Matters of a political nature were referred by the company to the Residency Agent or the Political Officer, and the following issues are covered within the file:numerous incidents of resistance from local Bedouin inhabitants, usually triggered by transgression of tribal boundaries;pay arrangements for guards and labourers, including a strike by workers in October 1946;the employment of non-British subjects (namely Americans);tribal and territorial allegiances that impacted on the work of the surveyors.Folio 102 is a sketch map of the area explored around Ajman [‘Ajmān] and Umm al Qaiwain [Umm al Qaywayn].Folios 211-232 are internal office notes, including extracts from the oil concession agreement with Shaikh Sultan II bin Saqr of Sharjah [Sulṭān II bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī].1 file (231 folios)The file is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio, 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 also present; 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 contains correspondence relating to the work of Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited, a subsidiary of Petroleum Concessions Limited, in Qatar. The correspondence is principally between the Political Agent in Bahrain, the Political Residency in Bahrain [Persian Gulf Political Residency], representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited (at their offices in Bahrain and the United Kingdom) and Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited, the Foreign Office, the India Office, the Government of India, the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf, the Staff Liaison Officer (RAF) in Bahrain, and the ruler of Qatar, Abdulla bin Qasim al Thani [‘Abdullāh bin Qāsim Āl Thānī].The papers contained in the file cover the following matters:
use of certain radio frequencies by Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited;jurisdiction of the Shaikh of Qatar over non-Qatari and non-British subjects in his country;employment of foreign nationals, including Iranian drivers and mechanics, Palestinian welders and other technicians, and Hungarians and Romanians;employment of the Lebanese firm Contracting and Trading Company to recruit skilled labour;use of the telegraphic address PETROQAT QATAR by Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited;the provision of meat for workers in the field;the extent of the Qatar concession, specifically if it covers its waters and islands;interference in the erection of navigational buoys by Su'aad bin Abdur Rehman Al-Thani, Shaikh of Wakrah;advance payment of concession royalties to Shaikh ‘Abdullāh of Qatar;the Shaikh of Bahrain's claims on Zubarah.Folios 155-66 are internal office notes.1 file (166 folios)The file is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the 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 also present in parallel between ff 2-152; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The volume contains correspondence relating to the work of Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited, a subsidiary of Petroleum Concessions Limited, in Qatar. The correspondence is principally between the Political Agent in Bahrain, the Political Residency in Bushire [Persian Gulf Political Residency], representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited (at their offices in Bahrain and the United Kingdom) and Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited (in the field in Qatar), the Foreign Office, the India Office, the Government of India, the ruler of Qatar, Abdulla bin Qasim al Thani [‘Abdullāh bin Qāsim Āl Thānī], and the ruler of Bahrain, Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah.The papers contained in the volume cover the following matters:the employment of foreign workers within the oil industry in Qatar, particularly that of Americans, Portuguese Goans, and Bahrainis;the expansion of drilling operations during the early stages of the Second World War;plans for a sea terminal on the Qatari coast, and a pipeline to any such port;the striking of oil at a new second well in March 1941;the form and method of payment of the concession royalties to the Shaikh of Qatar by the oil company;measures taken by the Oil Control Board to ensure continuing supplies of oil during the Second World War;the reopening of the Qatar oil fields following a short closure due to war;rates of pay and provision of meals for oil workers.Also within the volume is a report by the Acting Political Resident, William Rupert Hay, on his visit to Qatar on 13 November 1941 (folios 64-66) and a petition to the ruler of Bahrain (folios 148-52) signed by thirty-six Bahraini pearl merchants and boat captains; it complains that higher wages in the Qatar oil industry are attracting essential divers away from the pearling boats (folios 148-52).At the back of the file (folios 224-37) are internal office notes.1 volume (238 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and 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 5-223; 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.
The file contains correspondence relating to the oil concession in the Sharjah territories. The correspondence is between: the Political Agent at Bahrain; representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited and Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited, in London, Bahrain, and the Trucial Coast [United Arab Emirates]; the Residency Agent at Sharjah; the Political Residency at Bushire (later Bahrain) [Persian Gulf Political Residency]; the India Office; Sultan bin Saqr [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī], the Ruler of Sharjah; and the Government of India.The majority of the file covers an amendment to the 1937 concession agreement between the oil company, Petroleum Concessions Ltd, and Shaikh Sultan that was made in February 1946. This amendment was made in order to extend the permitted drilling period following the Second World War, during which no drilling was carried out. Permission to open negotiations over the matter was sought from the British Government by the company. There is a copy of the agreed amendment on folio 72.Other matters covered by the file include:the desire of Shaikh Sultan to open a bank branch in Sharjah in order to receive royalty payments;confirmation of the initial 1937 concession agreement;the presentation by Petroleum Concessions Limited of a gift of motor vehicles to Shaikh Sultan;payment of the annual concession payment by the company to Shaikh Sultan;the arrival of a geological party in the Trucial Coast in early 1946;the correct channels of communication with the British Government to be used by the company.Folios 19-28 is Memo B 467 of the India Office and includes a copy of the commercial agreement between the company and Shaikh Sultan, a copy of the 'political agreement' between the company and the British Government, and copies of correspondence relating to both.Folios 76-80 are internal office notes.1 file (79 folios)The file is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at 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 2-75; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.
The file contains correspondence relating to Petroleum Concessions Limited's operations in the territories of Dubai. The correspondence is between the Political Resident at Bushire (later Bahrain) [Persian Gulf Political Residency], the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Political Officer at Sharjah, and E V Packer, Manager of Petroleum Concessions Limited at Bahrain.The papers within the file cover the matter of the suspension of operations in the region during the Second World War and the initiation of drilling in Dubai in 1950.Folio 8 contains internal office notes.1 file (7 folios)The file is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the 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 addition foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-7; 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 relating to the movement of company (Petroleum Concessions Limited) planes in the Persian Gulf. The main correspondents are: representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited and its subsidiary companies (Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited and Petroleum Development (Oman and Dhofar) Limited); the Political Agent at Bahrain; the Political Residency at Bushire (later Bahrain) [Persian Gulf Political Residency]; Sir Charles Belgrave, Advisor to the Shaikh of Bahrain; the India Office; the Air Vice-Marshal, Commanding British Forces in Iraq; the Government of India, External Affairs Department; Shaikh Abdullah bin Qasim al Thani [‘Abdullāh bin Qāsim Āl Thānī], ruler of Qatar; Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī], ruler of Sharjah; Shaikh Said bin Maktum [Sa‘īd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm], ruler of Dubai; and the Political Agent at Muscat.The papers within the file are mostly concerned with permission for landings and flyovers by company planes in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Sharjah, Dubai, and Oman. These permissions are sought by the company from the appropriate ruler (as sovereign) and the RAF (for use of the airfields), via the appropriate British Government officer (in this case, the Political Agent at Bahrain). The permissions sometimes include details of the planes, such as name, registration, passengers, pilot, engineers, and wireless operators.Other matters covered by the file include:the distribution by the company of their own aviation fuel to aerodromes across the region;the planning and permission of an aerial photographic survey of Qatar and its territorial waters carried out by the company in early 1947.There is a gap in the correspondence between 1939 and 1945, due to the Second World War.Folio 123 is a sketch map of southern Qatar, showing the limits of the proposed aerial survey.Folios 159-68 are internal office notes.1 file (167 folios)The file is arranged chronologically.
The file contains correspondence relating to the oil concession in Muscat, Oman, and Dhofar. The principal correspondents are: the Political Resident at Bushire (later Bahrain) [Persian Gulf Political Residency]; the Political Agent at Bahrain; the Political Agent at Kuwait; the Political Agent at Muscat; the India Office; the Foreign Office, Sultan Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr Āl Sa‘īd], the ruler of Muscat and Oman; and representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited and its subsidiary, Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited.Matters covered by the file include:
the ambition of Petroleum Development Concessions for the concession over Rub al-Khali, the desert region that spans the territories of Oman and Saudi Arabia;Standard Oil's interest in the Muscat concession;Lermitte's visit to Muscat in the summer of 1937 to discuss the agreement with the Sultan;the suspension of oil operations during the Second World War;the company's attempts to extend the period within which they have the option to drill by 2-5 years;company plans to begin exploration in Oman during the winter of 1947/48;and Richard Bird's dealings with the Al Bu Shamis tribe in Buraimi in March 1948.Folios 3-7 is a memorandum produced by the Petroleum Department (of the British Government) giving an overview of the current situation regarding oil concessions in Arabia and the Persian Gulf.Folios 9-19 is the record of a meeting between representatives from the Colonial Office, Foreign Office, India Office, Admiralty, Petroleum Department, and Indian Political Service, held at the Colonial Office on 3 May 1933. The meeting covers similar topics to that of the memorandum above.Folios 107-111 are internal office notes.1 file (110 folios)The file is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the 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 also present in parallel between ff 2-91; 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.
The file contains correspondence relating to how the dispute between Bahrain and Qatar over Zubarah has affected the work of Petroleum Concessions Limited. The principle correspondents are: the Political Agent at Bahrain; Sir Charles Belgrave, Advisor to the Government of Bahrain; Shaikh Sulman bin Hamad Al Khalifa [Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah], ruler of Bahrain; Shaikh Abdulla bin Qasim Al-Thani [‘Abdullāh bin Qāsim Āl Thānī], ruler of Qatar; and representatives (usually Ernest Vincent Packer) of Petroleum Concessions Limited (hereafter, the company) and its subsidiary, Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited.The matters covered by the file are mostly founded on the rival historic claims to the old settlement of Zubarah. They are as follows:the need to settle normal relations between the two countries, partly driven by the clarity needed to define oil concessions;the company's attempts to buy land in Manama which lead to conditions imposed by the ruler of Bahrain concerning mosques, tombs and properties in Zubarah that are claimed by the Āl Khalīfah family;disagreements over the company's use of the port of Sitra in Bahrain, and what they are permitted to import and export;a meeting held between Packer and Shaikh Salmān on 15 February 1947 to settle these issues;incidences of violence and conflict between Bahraini seamen employed by the company and Qatari guards at Zekrit during 1947 and 1948;the refusal by Qatari authorities to allow Shaikh Shafi bin Salim, head of the Bani Hajir tribe, and his four sons to land at Zekrit in July 1948.Folios 43-45 are internal office notes.1 file (44 folios)The file is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the 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 also present in parallel between ff 2-33; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The file comprises correspondence relating to licences for arms carried by the nakhudas of boats on the Arab coast of the Gulf. Correspondents in the file include the Political Agent at Bahrain, and the Rulers of Abu Dhabi, Kalba, Qatar, Ra’s al-Khaymah and Umm al-Qaywayn.The file includes:a request from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Crawshaw Galloway, to his Political Agents, dated October 1945, that the rulers on the Arab coast of the Gulf be requested to instruct their subjects to obtain permits for the carrying of arms at sea (ff 2-3);correspondence between the Officiating Political Agent and the Acting Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, relating to the policy for arms licences in Bahrain (ff 4-5), and including a copy of the Arms Ordinance for Bahrain, dated 29 December 1936 (f 21);copies of letters (English and Arabic) from the Political Agent at Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Crawshaw Galloway, dated 23 December 1945, to the Sheikhs of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Qatar, Ra’s al-Khaymah and Umm al-Qaywayn, and the Regent of Kalba, making the formal request for arms licences to be carried by nakhudas (ff 6-15);replies to the Political Agent’s letter from: Sheikh Khalid bin Aḥmad Āl Qāsimī, Regent of Kalba (ff 16-17); Sheikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qāsimī, Ruler of Ra’s al-Khaymah (f 18); Sheikh Aḥmad bin Rashid Al Mu’alla, Ruler of Umm al-Qaywayn (ff 19-20); Sheikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī, Ruler of Qatar (ff 24-25);further letters from the Political Agent at Bahrain to the various rulers along the Arab coast, dated 4 September 1946, reminding them of their obligations under the Prohibition of Traffic of Arms Act of 1902 (ff 27-33) and, in the case of the Ruler of Qatar, the 1916 Treaty with Great Britain (f 35); replies from Sheikh Shakhbūṭ bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān, Ruler of Abu Dhabi (ff 36-37), the Regent of Kalba (ff 38-39), the Sheikhs of Qatar (ff 40-41) and Umm al-Qaywayn (ff 42-43) are also included;correspondence relating to an instance of arms dealing reported at Doha, Qatar, in October 1946 (ff 44-46);correspondence, dated 1949, relating to proposals for an arms permit system in the Gulf (ff 47-50).1 file (53 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 51-54) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 56; 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.
The file comprises correspondence in response to various reports of arms smuggling in around the Arabian Peninsula. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent at Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Crawshaw Galloway), the Political Officer on the Trucial Coast (Captain Raymond Clive Murphy; Captain Hugh Dunstan Rance), the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Jasim ibn Muhammad Kadmari), and the British Consular Agent at Lingah (sometimes spelt Lingeh) [Bandar-e Lengeh], D J Stephens.The file includes correspondence concerning:reports of arms and ammunition smuggling from Dubai into the Iranian coast, including several reports from the British Consular Agent at Lingah (for example, ff 15, f 17, and f 23), which were forwarded to the Political Agent at Bahrain, and in turn onwards to the Political Officer on the Trucial Coast or the Residency Agency at Sharjah who reported their investigations into the accuracy of the claims back to the Political Agent;the theft in October 1944 of ammunition from stores at RAF Sharjah, the implication of the RAF Levies in the theft, and the status of RAF investigations and courts martial (ff 6-25);reports of large quantities of SAA (small arms ammunition) dumped by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in shallow waters at Ras al Hadd, and subsequently recovered by the local population and sold to local sheikhs (ff 29-30);British officials’ efforts in 1946 to track the movements of a vessel carrying arms from Mukalla [Al-Mukallā] to Dubai via Muscat (ff 52-57 and ff 61-64);an allegation of arms dealing between the Āl Thānī of Qatar and the Āl Mana of Bahrain, in correspondence exchanged between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple-Belgrave) (ff 65-69);the theft of Government rifles from the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Station Manager’s office at Sharjah, in early 1947 (ff 79-80 and f 82);a compensation claim from a nakhuda who was commissioned to transport ammunition for the Royal Navy during the war, and who was subsequently robbed of his cargo and possessions (ff 85-88 and ff 93-97);1 file (109 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 99-110) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 111; 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 1-110; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The volume contains correspondence relating to the formation of a Legislative Council in Kuwait following unrest among its people and criticism of its government in the Iraqi press. Included are newspaper articles, a list of the names of those elected to the Legislative Council of Kuwait (folio 75) and a list of demands made by the Council (folio 76). The main correspondents include: Gerald De Gaury, Political Agent at Kuwait; Trenchard Fowle, Political Resident at Bushire; Lawrence Dundas, Secretary of State for India; the Foreign Office in London; Maurice Peterson, British Ambassador in Iraq; Air Officer Commanding for British Forces in Iraq; Sheikh Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah [Āl Ṣabāḥ, Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir], ruler of Kuwait; and other Government of India officials.The correspondence includes:Abdication discussions about Sheikh Ahmad of Kuwait;Overview of the administration and control of justice, education, medical services, municipalities and desert land (folios 83-99);Appointment of a British customs officer in Kuwait;Opposition of the Persian population of Kuwait to the Legislative Council.There are internal office notes at the back of the volume (folios 207-214), written by officials of the British Political Residency at Bushire.1 volume (222 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically. At the beginning (folio 1C) is a subject index, arranged alphabetically. The numbers refer to folio numbers.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio. The folio numbers are written in pencil in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. Circled index numbers in red crayon can also be found throughout the volume. There are the following irregularities: 1, 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D; 30 and 30A. Folio 200 is omitted.
The agreement between Shaikh Ahmad of Kuwait [Āl Ṣabāḥ, Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir] and Cable and Wireless Ltd for the opening of a telegraph station in Kuwait. It covers the extent of the company's remit, taxes, payment of set-up costs, expansion, security, technical training for Kuwaiti nationals, and the Shaikh's allowance of free messages. Signed by Shaikh Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, Ruler of Kuwait, and C G Gott, Divisional Manager at Cable and Wireless Ltd, on 1 May 1947. Witnessed by Maurice Tandy, Political Agent at Kuwait.1 file (6 folios)Foliation: the sequence starts on the front cover and continues through to the back cover. The numbering is in pencil, circled, and located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding date gardens in southern Iraq owned by the rulers of Kuwait and Mohammerah. In particular, the correspondence concerns the Government of Iraq's decision to end the immunity from taxation (on the gardens) that had been granted by the British Government to the former ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Mubārak Āl Ṣabāḥ and the Shaikh of Mohammerah, Khaz‘al bin Jābir al-Ka‘bī in return for their military support against the Ottoman Empire in World War 1.The file contains detailed discussion of a case in the court of Basra brought against Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, the ruler of Kuwait, by Abdulla Al Zuhair/Az-Zuhair [‘Abdullāh al-Zuhayr] and contains copies of various court documents from both the defence and the prosecution.The file also contains reports regarding the cutting down of trees on Shaikh Aḥmad's estates in Fao (in order to widen roads) by order of the Basra port authorities and on folios 154-157 it contains four photographs of the affected area.The file also contains the minutes of a meeting held at the Foreign Office that was attended by representatives of the Treasury, the Treasury Solicitor's Office, the India Office and the Foreign Office (in August 1938) and copy of the Iraqi Land Settlement Law No. 29 of 1938 (taken from the Iraqi Government Gazette No. 21, 22 May, 1938).1 volume (204 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end. An index of topics contained in the file is listed on folio 1c.Serial numbers in red crayon refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Condition: A bound correspondence volume of which the front cover and some pages have come unbound and are now loose.Foliation: The file's foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil with a minority in ink, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Folios 131-135 are omitted. The file contains the following foliation errors: 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E; 23 and 23A; 125 and 125A; 183 and 183A.
This file contains correspondence related to a trading blockade imposed on Kuwait by Abdul Aziz ibn Abdulrahman ibn Faisal Al Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Saud)], the King of Saudi Arabia.The correspondence is primarily between British officials attempting to mediate between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and relates to a number of agreements between them; a Bon Voisinage Agreement, an Extradition Agreement and a Trade Agreement.The file contains draft copies of this legislation (in Arabic and English) and discusses the reaction of both parties to the various proposals.1 volume (203 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file's foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at 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 file contains the following foliation errors: 1, 1A and 1B
This file contains correspondence related to a trading blockade imposed on Kuwait by Abdul Aziz ibn Abdulrahman ibn Faisal Al Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Saud)], the King of Hejaz and Nejd (King of Saudi Arabia after September 1932).The correspondence is primarily between British officials attempting to mediate between the two parties but the file also contains several copies of correspondence directly between Ibn Saud and Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, the ruler of Kuwait. The majority of the correspondence between the two rulers in the file is translated into English and does not include the original Arabic.1 volume (238 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Condition: Formerly a bound correspondence volume, the file's pages have now been unbound and are now loose.Foliation: The file's foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at 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. Circled index numbers in red crayon can also be found throughout the folio.The file contains the following foliation errors: 9 and 9A; 64 and 64A; 83 and 83A; 111, 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D, 111E, 111F, 111G and 111H; 121 and 121A.
This file contains correspondence related to a trading blockade imposed on Kuwait by Abdul Aziz ibn Abdulrahman ibn Faisal Al Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Saud)], the King of Saudi Arabia.The correspondence is primarily between British officials attempting to mediate between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and relates to a number of agreements between them; a Bon Voisinage Agreement, an Extradition Agreement and a Trade Agreement.The file contains draft copies of this legislation (in Arabic and English) and discusses the reaction of both parties to the various proposals.The file also includes correspondence between British officials and Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, the ruler of Kuwait.1 volume (227 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file's main foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at 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. Circled index numbers in green and red crayon can also be found throughout the volume.The file contains the following foliation errors: 1, 1A and 1B.
This file contains correspondence between British officials about negotiations between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia concerning the signing of three agreements between the two countries; a trade agreement, a
Bon Voisinageagreement and an extradition agreement.Negotiations regarding whether certain tribes should be granted Kuwaiti or Saudi Arabian nationality are also discussed in the file.A number of drafts of the three agreements - in both English and Arabic - are contained in the file accompanied with various revisions to their texts.1 volume (210 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file's main foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence is also present between ff 2-182; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.A pagination sequence runs through the index section at the back of the volume, between ff 183-200; these numbers are again written in pencil, they are not circled, and can be found in both the top left and right corners of the verso and recto of each folio respectively.The file contains the following foliation errors: 1 and 1A; 132 and 132A; 173 and 173A; 179 and 179A.
This file contains correspondence regarding the conflict between Shaikh Sālim al-Mubārak Āl Ṣabāḥ of Kuwait and Abdul Aziz ibn Abdulrahman ibn Faisal Al Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Saud)] of Nejd [Najd].As well as correspondence between British officials on this topic, the file contains a large number of translations of correspondence between Ibn Saud and the British Political Agent in Bahrain and Shaikh Sālim and the British Political Agent in Kuwait. The file also contains translations of letters from Ibn Saud to various tribal leaders and translations of correspondence between Ibn Saud and Shaikh Sālim. The original copy of a letter (and a number of enclosures) sent by Shaikh Sālim to the Political Agent in Kuwait in September 1920 is contained in the file on folios 118-122.The file contains an account of the Battle of Jahra (between the forces of Kuwait and Nejd) authored by James Carmichael More, the Political Agent in Kuwait in October 1920 (ff. 170-174).1 volume (328 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.An index of topics discussed in the file is contained on folio 1.Condition: A bound correspondence volume, some its pages have come unbound.Foliation: The file's foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins with the first item of correspondence, on number 1, and ends on the last folio with text, on number 319. The file contains the following foliation errors: f 125 is followed by f 125A; f 308 is followed by ff 308A-B and f 284 is omitted.
This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding the demarcation of the frontier between Iraq and Kuwait.An unsigned and undated letter (in Arabic) with a list of demands for reform is contained on folio 20a. Seven names (written in English) have been added in pencil to the bottom of the letter.1 file (45 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Serial numbers in red crayon refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Condition: Previously bound with treasury tags, these tags have since been removed and the file's pages are now loose between a front and back cover.Foliation: The file's main foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence is also present between ff 2-42; 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 the following foliation errors: 13, and 13A; 20, and 20A.
This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding claims for compensation made by the ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ against Abdul Aziz ibn Abdulrahman ibn Faisal Al Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Saud)] the King of Hejaz, Nejd [Najd] and its Dependencies (King of Saudi Arabia after September 1932).Detailed estimates of the size of the compensation owed are contained in the file, including losses arising from the trade blockade imposed on Kuwait by Ibn Saud, losses from raids into Kuwaiti territory and unpaid loans said to have been given by Shaikh Aḥmad to Ibn Saud. Some of the correspondence contains broader discussions regarding the status of Shaikh Aḥmad's relationship with Britain and Ibn Saud.The file contains a limited number of translated copies of correspondence between Shaikh Aḥmad and Ibn Saud regarding this issue and an original letter from Shaikh Aḥmad to Trenchard Craven William Fowle, the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (f 86v).1 volume (126 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Serial numbers in red crayon refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Condition: Formerly a bound correspondence volume, the file's pages have been unbound and are now loose.Foliation: The file's main foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence is present between ff. 1E-112; 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 the following foliation errors: 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D.
This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding debts owed by a number of Kuwaiti merchants to Shaikh Khaz‘al bin Jābir al-Ka‘bī, the former ruler of Mohammerah [Khorramshahr].The file also contains correspondence between British officials and the ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ and Mirza Mohammad, Khaz'al's agent in Basra which discusses this issue.1 volume (65 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file's foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
This file contains correspondence regarding alleged smuggling activities from Kuwait into Iraq. Primarily, the file contains internal correspondence between British officials but it also includes correspondence between British officials and Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, the ruler of Kuwait.As well as general discussions regarding British attempts to mediate between Iraq and Kuwait, the correspondence also discusses a number of specific incidents including an alleged incursion into Kuwaiti territory made by Iraqi Government armoured cars, the shooting of two Kuwaiti subjects by Iraqi police and shots being fired by Iraqi Customs officials at a Kuwaiti vessel near Warba Island.The file contains a write-up of an interview that took place in September 1934 between Shaikh Aḥmad and Ralph Ponsonby Watts, the acting Political Agent in Kuwait (ff 122-126) as well as a write-up of an informal conversation, that also took place in September 1934, between Percy Gordon Loch, the acting Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Tahsin Beg 'Ali, the Mutasarrif [Governor] of Basrah, and Dr Naji Beg Al Asil, the Director General of Foreign Affairs for the Government of Iraq (ff 127-132).The file also contains a note on Iraqi-Kuwaiti Smuggling written in July 1934 by Trenchard Craven William Fowle, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (ff 65-66) and a bi-lingual Arabic/English copy of suggestions proposed to Shaikh Ahmad by the Government of Iraq in September 1934 (f 145).1 volume (246 folios)The file is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Serial numbers in red crayon refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Condition: Formerly a bound correspondence volume, the majority of the file's folios are now loose and unbound.Foliation: The file's foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The foliation sequence, which should be used for referencing, begins with the first item of correspondence, on number 1, and ends on the last folio with text, on number 235. The file contains the following foliation errors: f 115 is followed by f 115A; f 151 is followed by ff 151A-B; the following numbers are missing from the sequence: f 11, f 160.
This file contains correspondence regarding alleged smuggling activities from Kuwait into Iraq.Primarily, the file contains internal correspondence between British officials discussing efforts to resolve the issue. It also contains correspondence between British officials and their Iraqi counterparts as well as correspondence between Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, the ruler of Kuwait and Trenchard Craven William Fowle, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.The broader political implications of the tensions between Iraq and Kuwait are discussed in the file alongside details regarding Britain's mediation between the two sides.The file contains a write-up of a meeting held at the Foreign Office in March 1935 to discuss the issue of smuggling that was attended by representatives of the Foreign Office and the India Office and by Archibald Clark Kerr, the Ambassador Designate at Baghdad (ff. 112-118).1 volume (235 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Serial numbers in red crayon refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file has an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete foliation sequence, which should be used for referencing, begins on the first folio after the front cover, on number 1A, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 223. The file contains the following foliation errors: f 1 is followed by ff 1A-D; f 108 is followed by ff 108A-B; f.110 is followed by f 110A; f 157 is followed by f 157A.
This file contains correspondence regarding alleged smuggling activities from Kuwait into Iraq. The correspondence discusses a number of topics including incursions into Kuwaiti territory made by Iraqi Customs and Police Forces, anti-Smuggling measures adopted by the Iraqi Government and negotiations between the two sides mediated by the British.Primarily, the file contains internal correspondence between British officials discussing efforts to resolve the issue. It also contains correspondence between British officials and their Iraqi counterparts as well as correspondence between Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, the ruler of Kuwait and Harold Richard Patrick Dickson, the British Political Agent in Kuwait.The file contains a write-up of a meeting held at the Foreign Office in London in July 1935 and attended by Shaikh Aḥmad and representatives from the India Office. It also contains a list of violations of Kuwaiti territory by Iraqi Customs and Police Forces between 1933 and 1936 (ff. 158-161) and a list of attacks made on Kuwait in the Iraqi press from the same period (ff. 198-200) as well as a rough sketch map of the bay of Kuwait (f. 29).1 volume (264 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Serial numbers in red crayon refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file's foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The foliation sequence, which should be used for referencing, begins on the title page, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 258. The file contains the following foliation errors: f 1 is followed by ff 1A-C.
This file contains correspondence regarding smuggling from Kuwait into Iraq. The correspondence covers a number of topics including discussions regarding the current level of smuggling activity between the two countries, incursions into Kuwaiti territory made by Iraqi Customs and Police Forces, interference with Kuwaiti vessels by Iraqi Customs launches within Kuwait territorial waters, the importation of cars and tyres into Kuwait, the activities of Shaikh Subah Al Nasir Al Subah [Ṣabāḥ al-Nāṣir Āl Ṣabāḥ], a grandson of Shaikh Mubārak Āl Ṣabāḥ and the shooting of Shaikh Mohamed Ahmad Al Jabir Al Sabah [Muḥammad Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ] by Iraqi police forces.Primarily, the file contains internal correspondence between British officials, but it also contains translated copies of correspondence between Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, the ruler of Kuwait and the British Political Agent in Kuwait, as well as correspondence between the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the British Embassy in Baghdad.The file contains an original letter (f. 143v) from Shaikh Aḥmad to Charles Geoffrey Prior, the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, dated 24 October 1944. The letter is in Arabic and signed by Shaikh Aḥmad.1 volume (256 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file's main foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the last page of content (i.e. text); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence is present between ff 2-222; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.The file also has a pagination sequence that is present in the index section at the back of the volume; these numbers are written in a combination of blue crayon, black ink, and pencil.The file contains the following foliation errors: 58, 58A, and 58B; 68, and 68A; 195, and 195A.
This file contains correspondence regarding alleged smuggling activities from Kuwait into Iraq. The majority of the correspondence discusses details regarding arms trafficking from Kuwait into Iraq and incursions into Kuwaiti territory made by Iraqi Customs and Police Forces.Primarily, the file contains internal correspondence between British officials. It also contains translated copies of correspondence between Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, the ruler of Kuwait and the British Political Agent in Kuwait as well as correspondence between the British Embassy in Baghdad and the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The file contains a write-up of a meeting held at the Foreign Office in London in October 1938 that was attended by Taufiq Suwaidi, the Iraqi Minister for Foreign Affairs (ff 125-129).The file also contains a report on arms traffic in the region from December 1938 that was compiled by a Saudi informant (ff 165-169). The report includes a comparative table of the prices of rifles and ammunition in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait.A large hand-drawn map of the Arabian Peninsula is contained in the file on folio 173.1 volume (253 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.An index of topics discussed in the file is contained on folio 1C.Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file's foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The file contains the following foliation errors: 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D and has the following omissions: 68, 126, 128, 131.
This file contains correspondence regarding alleged smuggling activities from Kuwait into Iraq. The correspondence discusses a number of topics including incursions into Kuwaiti territory made by Iraqi Customs and Police Forces, arms smuggling, the demarcation of the Kuwait-Iraq frontier, the possibility of Kuwait constructing frontier posts and an idea for the creation of a British-led armed force in Kuwait.Primarily, the file contains internal correspondence between British officials, but it also contains translated copies of correspondence between Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, the ruler of Kuwait and the British Political Agent in Kuwait, as well as correspondence between the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the British Embassy in Baghdad.1 volume (225 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Serial numbers in red crayon refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file's main foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence is present between ff 3-89A; 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 the following foliation errors: 2, 2A, and 2B; 89, and 89A and the following folio is omitted: 190.
This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding the development of education in Kuwait.The file contains correspondence from officials of the British Council regarding the council's activities in the Persian Gulf as well as visits to the region made by its officials C.A.F. Dundas and Cecil Roy Leon Adrian-Vallance (who was appointed Director of Education in Bahrain in 1939). Copies of reports written by Dundas (ff 130-134) and Adrian-Vallance (ff 67-76 + 183-199) are also contained in the file.The file contains an original letter in Arabic from Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ to Trenchard Craven William Fowle, the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (f 52) and translations of Iraqi newspaper articles that critcised Shaikh Aḥmad (ff 164 + 166-169).1 volume (233 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Serial numbers in red crayon refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file's foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The foliation sequence begins with the first item of correspondence, on number 1, and ends on the last folio with text, on number 219. The file contains the following foliation errors: f 62 is followed by f 62A; f 101 is followed by ff 101A-B; f 163 is followed by f 163A; f 186 is followed by f 186A; f 188 is followed by f 188A.
This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding the establishment of a branch of an international bank in Kuwait. The correspondence discusses the suitability of the candidates (Eastern Bank, Ottoman Bank and the Arab Bank) and also gives details of the agreement that was eventually reached between Kuwait and the Imperial Bank of Iran in 1941.The file also contains translated copies of correspondence between Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, the ruler of Kuwait and representatives of Eastern Bank, Arab Bank and the Imperial Bank of Iran.A bi-lingual (Arabic/English) copy of the Banking Agreement between Shaikh Aḥmad and the Imperial Bank of Iran on 18 December 1941 is contained on ff 171-174.1 volume (230 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Serial numbers refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file: red for incoming, blue for outgoing correspondence.Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file has an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete foliation sequence, which should be used for referencing, is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins with the first telegram, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 231. The file contains the following foliation errors: f 126.
The volume contains correspondence relating to the adjournment, second phase, and collapse of the Kuwait Conference. The correspondence is between the Political Residency at Bushire, the Political Agencies at Kuwait and Bahrain, the High Commissioners in Baghdad and Jerusalem, the Colonial Office in London, the British Agency at Jeddah, the Government of India, Sheikh Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, ruler of Kuwait, Ibn Sa'ud, Sultan of Najd, King Faisal of Iraq, and Amir Abdullah of Transjordan.The main aim of the conference was to settle issues of border delineation between Najd, Transjordan, the Hejaz, and Iraq. Other issues of negotiation were the return of Shammar refugees to Najd from Iraq and compensation for past raids. Much of the correspondence deals with this. The discussion focuses around the status of places that there is most disagreement on: Wadi Sirhan (Jauf [Jawf], Kaf [Kāf]), Akaba [al-‘Aqaba], Maan [Ma‘ān], and the Hejaz frontier (Khurma, Turbah, Khaybar). Other more practical issues are discussed, such as travel arrangements and the identity of attendees, including Ibn Sa‘ud's decision not to send one of his son's as delegate which led to King Hussein withdrawing his own representative.Other subjects covered by the volume are:a large raid by the Ikhwan on Iraqi shepherd tribes that effectively ended the conference;the presentation by the British of a silver plate to Sheikh Ahmed to thank him for his hospitality;the official Najd government publication of a 'green book' on the conference.Notable within the volume are Stuart Knox's notes and minutes on the numerous sittings of the conference: folios 1D-37, 57-90, 120-29, 252-63, 265-71, 274-80.1 volume (326 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the sequence starts on the title page and ends on the last folio. The numbering is written in pencil, circled, and found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. There are the following irregularities: 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D; 165A and 165B. There is a second, incomplete sequence the runs between folios 165-319. It is also written in pencil but is not circled.
The file relates to the development of formal communications between Najd and Bahrain, and the wider Gulf and Indian region. The first of two items in the file is a letter (dated 28 January 1932) from the Special Secretary to ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Sa‘ūd) King of Hejaz and Najd, to Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Biscoe, then Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (folios 1A-5). The letter summarises a number of points arising from a meeting that took place between Biscoe and Ibn Sa‘ūd.All of the points concern the development of formal relations between Najd and Bahrain, and other British protectorates and colonies, including India. Points covered include the instigation of formal procedures for issuing passports and visas for travellers between Najd and Bahrain, Kuwait and India, the set-up of wireless communications between Najd and Bahrain, the extradition of Najdi criminals from Bahrain, exchange of mail, and papers for commercial vessels. The English translation of the letter (folios 3-5) has been annotated, with parts relating to visas for Indian subjects highlighted.In Tuson,
The records of the British Residency and agencies in the PersianGulf(London: India Office Library and Records, 1979) the file is listed with the title 'Visa and passports for travel between Najd, Kuwait and Bahrain.' The date range on the cover of the file (1 April 1931-30 September 1936) is incorrect.1 file (7 folios)The two items that comprise the file are arranged with the Arabic original first, followed by an English translation. There is no chronological arrangement as both items bear the same date.Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the last item in the file, with small numbers in the top-right corner of each recto . There is an earlier pagination system that runs from 79 (verso of folio 1a) to 84 (folio 7). Foliation anomaly: 1a.
The volume contains correspondence relating to a meeting between King Faisal of Iraq and King Ibn Sa‘ud of Najd and Hejaz, overseen by the British. The main correspondents are Sidney Webb, Secretary of State for the Colonies, Francis Humphrys, High Commissioner of Iraq, Harold Dickson, Political Agent at Kuwait, Hugh Biscoe, Political Resident at Bushire, the Government of India, British Chargé d'Affaires at Jeddah, Charles Prior, Political Agent at Bahrain, Robert Clive, British Minister at Tehran, Captain Boyes, Commander of the
Triad(at one point Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf), Captain Marr, Commander of the
Patrick Stewart, Captain J. M. Alleyne, Commander of the
Lupin(also at one point Senior Naval Officer), members of the Iraqi Government, and Ibn Sa‘ud.The documents cover the following matters:the planning and preparations for the meeting, including transporting attendees overland and by sea;the costs of the meeting and who will bear them;what subjects are suitable for discussion during the meeting, in particular the repatriation of a rebel leader, Ibn Mashhur;the outcome of the meeting;an unplanned visit to Bahrain by Ibn Sa‘ud, against British wishes.Notable within the volume are the following documents:a report by Alleyne, Senior Naval Officer, on the meeting (folios 164-172);Humphrys' report on the meeting (folios 182-84);a translation of an article in the Najd and Hejaz newspaper
Umm al-Qura,dated 28 November 1930, that contains a detailed account of the meeting (folios 192-98).Folios 199-201 are internal office notes.1 volume (208 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the main foliation sequence runs from front to back (excluding covers), with encircled, pencilled numbers written in the top right corner of each folio. Foliation anomalies: 1, 1A, 1B, 1C; 104, 104A. An earlier and intermittent foliation sequence appears in the same position, in which the numbers are not circled.
The volume’s letters, memoranda and other papers relate to negotiations between the British Government and Saudi Arabia over the extent of the latter’s eastern borders, and the position of these borders in relation to the Arab coast shaikhdoms (under British protection) and Oman. The chief authors of the volume’s contents are Sir Andrew Ryan, British Minister at Jeddah, the Officiating Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, and Bertram Thomas.The volume is chiefly comprised of reports, both historical and contemporary, compiled to provide context and a basis for negotiation with the Ruler of Saudi Arabia, ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd (widely known as Ibn Sa‘ūd), and his claims over areas to the east of a ‘Blue Line’ (originally defined in the Anglo-Turkish Convention of 1913) dividing the Arabian mainland from the coastal regions, including Qatar and Trucial Oman. The reports detail: Ibn Sa‘ūd’s ancestral claims to Al-Hasa, Qatar and the Oman Sultanate, written by Loch (folios 28-31); the tribal character of the disputed areas (in English and Arabic, folios 33-56), historical relations between the Wahabi [Wahhābī] tribes and the British Government (folios 60-90), including a map indicating the extent of Wahhābī power in 1865 (folio 89); a note on frontiers, written by Fowle (folios 96-99); notes on Ibn Sa‘ūd’s claims, written by Ryan (folios 117-21); notes on Ibn Sa‘ūd’s attitude at the ‘Oqair’ meeting with Sir Percy Cox in November 1922, prepared by the Kuwait Political Agent Harold Dickson (folios 123-29); extracts of a report by Thomas on the ‘Trans-Oman Air Route Reconnaissance of May-June 1927’ (folios 123-44); and records of Foreign Office meetings with the Deputy Saudi Arabian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Fuad Bey Hamza (folios 155-56, 158-59, 160-62, 163, 164).1 volume (220 folios)The contents of the volume are arranged in approximate chronological order. There is an original contents page on the verso of folio 1b and on folio 2, numbered according to the volume’s original pagination and foliation system, which uses uncircled pencil numbers. There is a set of office notes at the rear of the volume (ff 209-212) the arrangement of which mirrors the volume’s chronological ordering.Foliation: There is an incomplete pagination sequence, an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete foliation sequence, which should be used for referencing, is circled in pencil in the top-right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first page, on number 1, and ends on the inside back cover, on 217. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 90a.
The volume contains letters, telegrams, and memorandums pertaining to Anglo-Turkish negotiations brought on by the Baghdad Railway and particularly the extension to Basra. Correspondents include: Percy Cox, Political Resident at Bushire, William Shakespear, Political Agent at Kuwait, Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Louis Mallet, Assistant Under-secretary of State for Near and Middle Eastern Affairs, Charles Marling, British Ambassador to Persia, Gerard Lowther, British Ambassador to Constantinople, George Buchanan, British Ambassador to Russia, Admiral Edmond Slade, the Board of Trade, the Government of India, the India Office, and several private companies, including Trans-Atlantic Trust Company, Anglo-Persian Oil Company, Imperial Ottoman Bank, and Imperial Persian Bank.The form of the negotiations was a series of memorandums containing proposals and counter-proposals. The issues and subjects discussed are:ownership and control of the line;custom duty increases in the region;navigation of the Shatt al-Arab, including the establishment of a commission to oversee this;transport of railway materials by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers;delimitation of the Turkish-Persian border;status and territorial limit of Kuwait;other Gulf matters, including the statuses of Bahrain and Qatar, the suppression of arms traffic, piracy, and slavery, and the protection of pearl fisheries.Folios 261-262 are a map showing the proposed territorial limits of Kuwait.1 volume (268 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically. At the beginning (ff. 3-4) is a subject index, in no particular order but grouped under several broad headings. The numbers refer to folio numbers from the secondary, earlier sequence.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers positioned in the top-right corner of each recto. There are two earlier foliation systems running through parts of the volume. The first uses uncircled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of recto pages, and the top-left corner of verso pages. This foliation system numbers pages if they have content on them, which is the case for all rectos and some versos. This foliation system appears intermittently through most of the volume. The other foliation system uses circled blue pencil numbers in the top-right corner of recto pages, and appears from folios 5 to 42. Numerous printed materials contained in the volume have their own internal pagination systems. The following foliation irregularities occur: 1a, 34a, 51B, 219B, 250B.
The volume contains correspondence, memorandums, maps and newspaper cuttings relating to a proposed Baghdad to Basra railway, an extension of the German Berlin to Baghdad Railway. Correspondents include: Percy Cox, Political Resident at Bushire, William Shakespear, Political Agent at Kuwait, Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Francis Bertie, British Ambassador to France, Louis Mallet, Assistant Under-secretary of State for Near and Middle Eastern Affairs, Arthur Nicolson, Permanent Under-secretary for Foreign Affairs, Gerard Lowther, British Ambassador to Constantinople, George Buchanan, British Ambassador to Russia, Edward Goschen, British Ambassador to Berlin, the Board of Trade, William Graham Greene, Permanent Secretary to the Board of Admiralty, the Government of India, the India Office, and Sheikh Mubarak of Kuwait.The volume covers the discussion over various matters, with numerous draft conventions and agreements sent back and forth between the various governmental offices and departments. Documents relating to Cox's successful attempts to obtain the acceptance of the agreement from Sheikh Khazal of Mohammerah and Sheikh Mubarak of Kuwait are also included. The issues discussed as matters for agreement with Turkey include:the status of Kuwait, including territorial limits and relations with Britain and Ottoman Turkey;the conservancy of the Shatt al-Arab, including the establishment of a Navigation Commission;the ownership and control of the Baghdad Railway and the question of its extension beyond Basra;the boundary between Turkish Arabia and Persia;other Persian Gulf matters such as Turkish power and influence in Katr [Qatar] and Bahrain.Other subjects that feature are Sheikh Mubarak's temporary illness, and reports of the dispatch of Turkish troops to Qatar, contrary to agreements.1 volume (355 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of recto pages. There is an earlier foliation system that runs through the volume, using pencil numbers in the top-right corner of recto pages, as well as the top-left corner of any verso pages bearing written or printed matter.The following anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 104b, 278a.The following folios are foldouts: 1 (attached to inside front cover), 14, 15, 25, 46, 66, 82, 83, 89, 92, 125, 126, 208, 218-22, 231, 294, 338, 340.
The volume contains correspondence and telegrams between the Political Department, the Colonial Office and the Secretary of State at the India Office in London, the Political Resident at Bushire, the Political Agents at Kuwait and Anglo Persian Oil Company (APOC) representatives. Main subjects are the negotiations for oil concessions mainly in Kuwait, but also in Bahrain and Nejd [Najd, Jubail, Saudi Arabia] against the competitor Eastern and General Syndicate Limited, represented by Major Frank Holmes, and a geological exploration of Kuwait by APOC.The volume also includes a draft agreement on the oil exploration license in Kuwait, in Arabic and English, dated 13 August 1932, between Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, ruler of Kuwait, and APOC (folios 120-131), and a Map of 'Kuwait Bay' on folio 132A.Some of the documents in the volume are marked as confidential and there are some documents in Arabic.1 file (204 folios)The documents in the volume are mostly arranged in chronological order. There is an index at the beginning of the volume, on folio 3, and notes at the end (folios 193-199).The main foliation is in pencil, encircled and in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The numbering commences at the front cover with 1, then 1A and 1B; 2 and 2A; 3-128; 129 and 129A; 130, 131, 132 and 132A and then it carries on until 203, which is the last number given on the back cover. A second foliation sequence runs between ff. 3-190; these numbers are also written in pencil, are not circled and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
The volume contains correspondence and telegrams between the Political Department, the Colonial Office and the Secretary of State at the India Office in London, the Political Resident at Bushire, the Political Agents at Kuwait and Sharjah, local rulers, and Anglo Persian Oil Company (APOC) representatives on the negotiations for oil concessions in Kuwait, Bahrain, Nejd [Najd, Jubail, Saudi Arabia], Qatar, Muscat, Oman and Trucial Coast against the competitor Eastern and General Syndicate Limited, represented by Major Frank Holmes.The volume includes the agreement on the oil exploration license in Muscat and Oman, in Arabic and English, signed on 18 May 1925, between Saiyid Taimur bin Faisal, Sultan of Muscat and Oman, and D'Arcy Exploration Company limited (folios 281-296).1 file (322 folios)The documents in the volume are mostly arranged in chronological order.The main foliation is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The numbering begins with the first item of correspondence, on number 1, and ends with the last folio of writing, on number 314.
The volume covers the proposal by the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited for oil concessions in Kuwait (also spelled Koweit) which were to be negotiated on the Syndicate's behalf by Major Frank Holmes.Included within the volume are copies of the draft agreements and correspondence between the Syndicate, the Colonial Office, The Government of India, The Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, The Political Agent in Kuwait and the Sheikh of Kuwait with regards to the various clauses proposed in the agreements. The correspondence focuses primarily on clauses in the draft agreement which would permit the Syndicate to pass any concessions granted on to their American owners, and the concerns of both the Sheikh of Kuwait (Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) and the British Government over British companies operating in Kuwait.Further correspondence and documents of interest in the file include:Complete copies of the first and second proposed draft agreements, in English and Arabic with comments by British officials (folios 111-131 and folios 205-223). A further copy of the second draft, in English only and with annotations, is also included in the file (folios 6-24);Correspondence between the Political Agent; Political Resident, and the Colonial Office focusing on the importance of Kuwait's strategic position in the Gulf and the likelihood of a British Military and Naval base being required again in the country once Iraq becomes independent in 1932;Interest in re-acquiring leases for the areas of Shuwaikh, Ras-al-Ardh, al-Dasmah and al-Nigara in Kuwait for use by the Royal Navy and Air Force;Correspondence regarding drilling for water and the establishment of wells which Major Holmes has undertaken for the Shaikh of Kuwait and British suspicions that the well sites are being used for speculative oil drilling;Correspondence between the British Government and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (A.P.O.C) regarding their possible interest in the oil concession in Kuwait.1 volume (244 folios)The papers in this file are arranged chronologically.Foliation: The volume has been foliated in the top right corner of each folio with a pencil number. The foliation sequence runs from the first to last folios, the only exception being folio 194 which is located on the verso of folio 193.Foliation anomalies: 1A, 1B, 1C, 59A, 134A, 139A, 164A, 223A, 223BCondition: The volume no longer has a back cover or spine, and only part of the labelling for the spine remains.
The correspondence in the volume relates to three main areas of discussion:The Kuwait Oil Company's negotiations with the Shaikh of Kuwait, Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, for the granting of an oil concession in Kuwait. Included within the volume are copies of both the draft concession agreement, in Arabic and English, (folios 16-27) and copies of the political agreement between His Majesty's Government and the Kuwait Oil Company (folios 57-65, 71-80 and 83-84) as well as correspondence regarding particular clauses within both agreements. Also included are records of interviews between Harold Dickson, Political Agent Kuwait, and the Shaikh of Kuwait, 25-26 February 1934, discussing the Shaikh's thoughts on the draft concession presented to him (folios 28-35). The Kuwait Oil Company's negotiations were handled by Major Archibald Chisholm and Major Frank Holmes.The British Government's concerns over an oil concession for the Nejd-Kuwait Neutral Zone, and particularly the possibility of an American company receiving the concession from the Saudi Government. The correspondence is primarily between the Foreign Office, India Office and the British Legation at Jedda and seeks to determine what the position is between the Saudi Government and the two interested parties in the Neutral Zone concession: the Standard Oil Company of California and the Arabian Development Syndicate. Also included in the volume are records of two meetings held at the India Office between Sir Louis Kershaw, Deputy Under Secretary of State, and representatives of the Foreign Office, Admiralty, India Office and Petroleum Department to discuss the oil concession in the Neutral Zone, ways of attempting to ensure that British owned company secures the concession, and the difficulties of jurisdiction and protection of employees within the zone itself (folios 89-97 and 125-128).Correspondence between the Air Ministry, Air Officer Commanding , the Political Agent Kuwait and the Shaikh of Kuwait regarding the lease of three sites within Kuwait: two at Jahra and Subaihiya [Şubayḩīyah] for use as landing grounds and one at Shuwaikh for use as an air base. The correspondence includes details of how the three sites are to be used and the conditions which the Shaikh of Kuwait places on their lease.The volume also contains file notes (folios 220-225) which list each individual item of correspondence received and its date.1 volume (242 folios)The contents of this volume have been arranged in chronological order.At the back of the file are several folios of file notes (folios 220-225) which list each item of correspondence in the volume, with dates, and provides folio numbers (described as page numbers in the notes) in the margin to enable them to be used as an index.Foliation: The volume is foliated with pencil numbers, enclosed in a circle, located in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The foliation sequence runs from front to back covers. There is an earlier foliation sequence which uses uncircled numbers in the top right corner of each recto and runs intermittently from folios 2-30. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1A-1E, 16A, 27A, 56A, 57A, 128A, 186A. Folios 83 and 84 are fold-outs.Watermark: The watermark EllamS can be found on folios 60 to 65.
The volume contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to negotiations for the extension of Eastern & General Syndicate Limited’s (hereafter E&GS) concession for oil exploration in Bahrain. Correspondents in the volume include the Political Agent in Bahrain (chiefly Major Cyril Barrett, incumbent from September 1926 to April 1929), representatives of E&GS (including Major Frank Holmes and the Company Secretary, H. Adams), and various British Government officials in the Colonial Office.Key subjects covered by the volume include:Fears on the part of British officials in 1925 to the prospects of the discovery of oil in Bahrain (folios 29-31), and resistance to the E&GS having signed a concession with the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah (folios 62-63);An application by E&GS in 1928 to extend their oil concession agreement (folios 110-11);Confusion over the terms of a new agreement, with particular reference to a new clause insisting that the E&GS would remain a British interest (folios 193-95, 206-10);Reports of American investment in E&GS (folios 196-98);Terms of the agreement between E&GS and the North American Gulf Oil Company (folios 217-50);Assignment of Gulf Oil’s option on the concession to the Standard Oil Company of California (folios 260-61);Negotiations between E&GS and the Colonial Office over the maintenance of British control over oil exploration funded by foreign investment in Bahrain (folios 277-86);Confirmation of the concession extension with the agreed terms over the extent of foreign (American) investment (folios 299-304).The volume also contains copies of the numerous drafts of the oil concession, with its various modifications and amendments, including the original 1925 concession in English and Arabic (folios 79-97), and a draft copy of the 1928 agreement with additions inserted by a representative of the Government of Bahrain, presumably the Adviser to the Government, Charles Dalrymple-Belgrave (folios 156-75).1 volume (328 folios)The volume’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front to the latest at the end. The office notes at the end of the file (folios 309-17) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: There is an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete sequence is circled in pencil, in the top-right corner of the recto of each folio, and runs from 1 on the front cover, to 324 on the inside back cover. The following foliation anomalies occur: f.1 is followed by f.1a-f.
The volume contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to the completion of the transfer of the Bahrain oil concession to the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO), and BAPCO’s ongoing oil exploration activities in Bahrain. The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 II (C 31) Eastern and General Syndicate, Oil, Bahrain’ (IOR/R/15/1/650). The principal correspondents in the volume are the Political Agent in Bahrain (Captain Charles Prior until November 1932, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch thereafter), the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Vincent Biscoe until July 1932, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle thereafter), and representatives of BAPCO, chiefly Major Frank Holmes in Bahrain and Kuwait, and Hamilton Ballantyne in London.Key subjects covered by the volume include:The British Government’s rejection in 1930 of a request from BAPCO for an extension to the Bahrain concession area (folios 16, 18-21);The appointment of the Canadian-born solicitor Montague G. Powell to the BAPCO board, in response to the British Government’s stipulation that a British subject sit on the BAPCO board (folio 27);The extension of BAPCO’s prospecting license, including provisions, with a copy of the 1932 extension (folio 196);A discussion between British Government and BAPCO officials over the terms of the concession in relation to determining the value of a well (folios 81-82, 84-85);News of oil having been struck in Bahrain (folios 96-97);Holmes’s guarantee in 1923 of 0.5 per cent of the company to Shaikh Abdulla bin Esa al Khalifa [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah], for assistance in helping Eastern Syndicate & General win the Bahrain concession (folios 107, 115-16);Concern that Holmes, in his capacity as chief representative of BAPCO in Bahrain, does not spend sufficient time in Bahrain (folios 139-41);Negotiations throughout 1932 for amendments to clauses in the prospecting license, relating to the measurement, payment of royalties and use of crude oil by the company, including copies in both English and Arabic of an indenture modifying the terms of the concession (folios 228-31, 240-43).1 volume (271 folios)The volume’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front to the latest at the rear. Office notes at the end of the volume (folios 247-57) mirror the chronological arrangement. The subject index at the front of the volume (folio 2) refers to the uncircled numbers used by the volume’s original foliation system.Foliation: There is an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete sequence is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the front cover on number 1, and ends on the inside back cover, on number 263. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1, 1a, 1b, 2, 2a, 2b, 2c.
The volume contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to ongoing exploratory oil drilling being undertaken in Bahrain by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO). The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 III (C 42) Bahrain Oil, Eastern and General Syndicate Limited’ (IOR/R/15/1/651). The principal correspondents in the volume are Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, Political Agent in Bahrain, and Major Frank Holmes, Chief Local Representative of the Bahrain Petroleum Company.Key subjects discussed in the volume include:Discussion amongst British officials in Bahrain and London over whether BAPCO are fulfilling conditions C and D of their contractual obligations in the concession agreement, respectively: the long periods of absence from Bahrain of the Chief Local Representative of the Company (Holmes), and the proportion of British to non-British workers employed by BAPCO;A dispute over exemption of duty on equipment imported by BAPCO;Whether oil royalties should be paid in Indian rupees or Sterling;A request by BAPCO for an extension of the prospecting license, including Holmes’s offer of terms and a draft indenture (folios 68-72), and the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah’s rejection of Holmes’s offer (folios 86-91);A map of the prospective location of the British naval base at Bahrain (folio 117a);Enquiries by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company after a concession for those parts of Bahrain not covered by the existing BAPCO concession.The volume also contains a set of notes which provide a concise overview of the Bahrain concession to date, including details of the commercial viability of Bahrain’s oil, under the heading ‘exploitable quantity’ (folios 58-64).1 volume (227 folios)The volume’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front to the latest at the rear. Office notes at the end of the volume (folios 210-16) mirror the chronological arrangement. The subject index at the front of the volume (folio 2) refers to the uncircled numbers used by the volume’s original foliation system.Foliation: The main foliation sequence begins on the front cover and ends on the last folio, and uses circled pencil numbers located in the top centre of each recto. A second foliation sequence is present between ff 3-209; 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. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1, 1a, 1b, 2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 117 and 117a.
The volume contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to ongoing exploratory oil drilling being undertaken in Bahrain by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO), and the resignation of Major Frank Holmes as Chief Local Representative for BAPCO in Bahrain. The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 V (C 44) Bahrain Oil’ (IOR/R/15/1/653). The principal correspondents in the volume are Captain Everald Gastrell, officiating Political Agent in Bahrain, Major Holmes, and various Government officials from the Colonial Office, India Office and Petroleum and Mining Departments in London.Key subjects discussed in the volume include:Holmes’s resignation as Chief Local Representative for BAPCO in Bahrain, including a record of proceedings at the India Office in London, dated 10 August 1933, in which a decision for Holmes’s removal was established (folios 27-33), an announcement of Holmes’s resignation in a telegram from the Secretary of State for India, dated 15 September 1933 (folio 58), and a copy of the text of a letter from Holmes, dated 15 September 1933, announcing his resignation to the Political Agent (folio 83);The Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah’s response to Holmes’s resignation (folios 46, 55-56, 66);Holmes’s departure from Bahrain, including translations of speeches given by the secretaries of the Manama and Muharraq municipalities at a farewell party in Holmes’s honour (folios 159-60, 161);Oil prospects in Bahrain and the need or lack of need for refineries in Bahrain (folio 113);A request from the replacement Chief Local Representative, Ed Skinner, for an urgent extension to the Company’s prospecting license, and subsequent negotiations for the extension (folio 148, 165-67, 180-82);Modifications to the BAPCO mining lease, with a draft of the amended lease (folios 128-42).The volume also contains a printed translation of the Saudi decree announcing the oil concession at Al-Hasa, dated 10 July 1933 (folios 170-74).1 volume (206 folios)The volume’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The office notes at the end of the volume (folios 191-96) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: The main foliation sequence begins on the first folio and ends on the last folio, using circled pencil numbers written at the centre and top of each recto. A second foliation sequence is also present between ff 3-190; 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. The following foliation anomalies occur: 2, 2A, 2B and 2C. Index numbers written in red and blue pencil are part of the volume’s original filing system, and correspond to the numbered office notes index at the end of the file (ff 191-96).
The volume contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to oil production in Bahrain, being undertaken by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO). The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 XII (C 54) Bahrain Oil’ (IOR/R/15/1/660). The principal correspondents in the volume are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, the Political Agent in Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, and BAPCO’s representatives in London (Hamilton Ballantyne) and Bahrain (Messrs Russell and Smith).The subjects covered by the volume are:Finalisation of BAPCO’s mining lease, and its signing on 29 December 1934 by the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, and representatives of BAPCO. The volume includes a photostat [photocopy] of the original lease (in English and Arabic, folios 137-67) and a printed copy (English, folios 170-87), both of which contain a map (folios 164 and page 186 respectively) showing the 100,000 acres designated by BAPCO for the mining lease;Discussion over the status of land reserved by Shaikh Hamad and the ruling family for leisure purposes within the concession area (palace and gardens, hunting, racing), with a scientific survey of the areas in question (folios 191-99);Details relating to the transfer of oil from storage tanks on land to tankers off the coast of Sitrah Island, including proposals for procedures to be followed relating to oil in the sea-loading line and the discharge of ballast (folios 77-79, 81-84) and a diagrammatic plan (folio 50) of the tank installation, attached to a detailed description of the tank facilities (folios 43-49);The appointment of Mr Smith as Chief Local Representative for BAPCO (folio 119), pending Mr Russell’s planned absence from Bahrain;Speculation over the extent of oil exports from Bahrain, and Japan as a key market, with an anticipated five tanker visits during 1935 (folios 110-11);An abstract of accounts for oil measured in 1934 (folios 102-04), including details of the amount of oil produced and shipped, the amount of oil in storage, and royalties paid to Shaikh Hamad;BAPCO’s annual report for 1934 (folios 127-34), with details about the status of BAPCO’s wells, a description of the oil camp buildings, and a breakdown of the nationalities of the Company’s 589 employees;An application by BAPCO to reserve uncultivated land for the drilling of water wells, including a map of the area under consideration (folios 204-05).1 volume (218 folios)The volume’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The office notes at the end of the volume (ff 209-13) mirror the chronological arrangement. There is a subject index, arranged alphabetically, at the front of the volume (f 1A), the numbers of which correspond to the volume’s foliation.Many items of correspondence in the volume have pencil annotations, which refer to related items of correspondence found within other parts of the Bahrain Oil subject file. These annotations include the related confidential file number and the page number.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the first folio to the last folio, using pencil numbers written in the top-right corner of each recto. The foliation sequence switches to pagination between ff 171-186. Numbers written in red or blue pencil are part of the volume’s original filing system, and correspond to the office notes index at the end of the volume (ff 209-13). The following foliation anomalies occur: 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D; 187 and 187A.
The file’s letters, memoranda and other papers relate to attempts by foreign and British commercial concerns to obtain concessions in the Gulf for sponge fishing and the fishing and export of pearls. The principle correspondents in the file are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent in Bahrain, both posts being held by a number of incumbents throughout the period covered by the file.The file covers three periods:1. Correspondence from November to December 1905, relating to reports that a Levantine Greek named Michel Hatinglou is in the Gulf, seeking to arrange concessions with the region’s rulers for sponge fishing. A memorandum, undated and unsigned, reports that M. Hatinglou has signed a concession with the Persian Government to fish for sponges along the Persian coast between Fao [Al-Fāw] and Gwādar, and is seeking a similar concession in Muscat (folios 3-4). The correspondence also makes reference to the presence of a Russian consular agent in the Gulf (folio 5).2. Correspondence from May to August 1911 relating first to Gray Paul & Company’s arrangement with Ullmann & Co. of Hatton Garden to enter the pearl buying business in Bahrain, and to news that representatives of the French company Rosenthal & Company, have been making enquiries into seeking concessions for pearl fishing in the Gulf. In a letter to the ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Zachariah Cox) warned that it would be disadvantageous to the Shaikh’s interests to grant any concessions to foreigners, and that the Political Agent should be consulted in all such matters (folios 10-11). In his reply to Cox’s letter, Shaikh ‘Īsá acceded to the request, while suggesting implicitly that neither would he consider concessions to British companies (Arabic on folio 15, printed English on folio 21).3. Correspondence from May to August 1917, relating first to reports that a Russian is on his way to Bahrain to purchase pearls on behalf of Moussaieff Brothers in Paris (folio 23), and second to reports that a company from the United States is seeking to take over the entire pearl buying business in the Gulf by offering prices of five to ten per cent above its competitors. In a letter dated 17 August 1917, the Political Agent in Bahrain reported to the Deputy Political Resident that the American company’s plan was to ship the finest pearls to the States, medium quality pearls to Europe, and the lowest quality pearls to India and the East (folio 24).1 file (29 folios)The contents of the file are arranged in approximate chronological order, starting from the earliest items at the front of the file, to the latest at the rear.Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers located in the top-right corner of each recto. On those pages which are Arabic letters, the folio number is located in the top-right corner of the verso. An earlier foliation system, using uncircled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto, runs throughout most of the volume. Folio 26 is a fold-out.Condition: There is some insect damage to folios in the file, in the form of small holes in the paper. This damage is not sufficient to affect the legibility of the text.
The letters, memoranda and other items in the file relate to requests made by steamship companies in Bahrain, to the ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, to erect flagstaffs and fly flags on their office buildings, primarily for the purpose of communicating signals to steamships entering the harbour. The main correspondents in the file are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, or staff from the Residency, the Political Agent in Bahrain, and Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah. The posts of Political Resident and Political Agent were held by a number of incumbents during the period covered by the file.The German film Wonckhaus & Company, and the British firm Gray Paul & Company, both had offices in Bahrain, and were agents for the steamship companies using the island’s main port. Both companies made repeated applications to fly flags, via the Political Agency, to Shaikh ‘Īsá during the period covered by the file. On each occasion however, Shaikh ‘Īsá refused permission to allow the flying of flags, with it being reported that he regarded the practice as an innovation improper for himself, and disrespectful to him as a ruler (folios 17-18a). The Political Agent, operating as an intermediary between Wonckhaus/Gray Paul and Shaikh ‘Īsá, offered the use of their own flagstaff to the steamship agencies when required (folio 16).1 file (39 folios)The contents of the file have been arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the end.Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using pencil numbers located in the top-right corner of each recto. The foliation system originally numbered three versos in the file, which can now be considered as ‘missing’, as only the rectos are counted. These ‘missing’ folios are 24, 33, 38. The following further foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 2a, 18a, 37a.
The letters and office notes in the file relate to the oyster shell export market in Bahrain. The principal correspondents in the file are the British Vice-Consul at Bushire, Herbert Chick, and the Political Agent in Bahrain, Captain Francis Beville Prideaux.In a letter dated 27 April 1907, Chick wrote to Prideaux, informing him that he had received news from Lynch Brothers of Basra, that the German firm Wonckhaus & Company had monopolised the oyster shell export market at Bahrain, diverting the European market for the product (from which mother of pearl was derived) from London to Hamburg. Chick requested Prideaux to furnish him with a report on the industry, and the prospects for British commercial involvement at Bahrain. Prideaux’s reply to Chick, a typewritten report dated 3 June 1907 (folios 6-8, with preparatory notes on folios 3-5) describes the market at Bahrain, including volumes exported, the split between British, German and native traders, the prospects for future demand, and the reasons for German advantage in the market, including increased domestic demand and higher offer prices. Further correspondence between the two men in 1908 discusses the possibility of a duty payable to pearling ships for each bag of shells received, as a measure to thwart German dominance (folios 11-12, 13-14).The final item of correspondence in the file (folios 18-19) is a request from a T. Southwell of the Government of India in Calcutta, dated 8 October 1918, for a large amount of shells currently being held by the Agency in Bahrain, formerly owned by Wonckhaus and seized by the British after the start of the War. The shells are urgently required to cover an acute shortage in India, where they are used to make Bengal buttons for the Munitions Board.1 file (22 folios)The contents of the file have been arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the rear.Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers located in the top-right corner of each recto. An earlier foliation system using uncircled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of rectos, runs throughout the file. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 12a, 14a. Folio 10 is effectively missing, because folio 9 is marked with both 9 and 10.
This file contains correspondence between British officials at Bahrain and Basrah, Baghdad Bushire and Kuwait, as well as with ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Sa‘ūd); 'Abdullāh bin Jilūwī, Amir of Hasa; Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī, ruler of Qatar; and ‘Abd al-‘Azīz al-Quṣaybī, Ibn Sa‘ūd's agent at Bahrain.The file mainly concerns British relations with Ibn Sa‘ūd, including: procedures in the Bahrain Political Agent's court for Ibn Sa‘ūd's subjects (folio 3); the provision of arms, ammunition and subsidy payments to Ibn Sa‘ūd via his Bahrain agent (for example, folios 7, 20 and 106), including delivery receipts (folios 32, 41 and 50-54); and correspondence following Ibn Sa‘ūd's November 1916 visit to Kuwait to meet the Political Resident (folios 11-14). Included within the file is a detailed report prepared by Arnold Talbot Wilson, Chief Political Officer of the Arab Bureau in Iraq, dated 12 January 1917, entitled 'Relations with Ibn Sa'ud' (folios 116-125). In 1917 there is correspondence concerning preparations for St John Philby's 1917-1918 mission to Ibn Sa‘ūd at Riyadh (folio 222 onwards).In addition, there are details throughout the file concerning Ibn Sa‘ūd's ongoing conflict with Ibn Rashīd of Ḥā’il, and the support given to the latter by the Turks and the Āl ‘Ajmān and Shammar tribes (folios 88-93). There are details regarding relations between Ibn Sa‘ūd and Shaikh ‘Abdullāh of Qatar following the beheading of an Āl ‘Ajmān tribesman by the Amir of Hasa (folios 136-137, 165-166), as well as relations with Kuwait following the death of Shaikh Jābir al-Mubārak Āl Ṣabāḥ in February 1917, including reports of attacks by "Sbei" [Subay‘] tribesmen near to the Najd-Kuwait border in February 1918 (folio 243). In May 1918, there is a report of the beginning the Khurmah Dispute between Ibn Sa‘ād and Sharif Ḥusayn of Mecca following the Hashemite occupation of Wādī al-Khurmah (folio 265).In addition, various correspondence with Ibn Sa‘ūd provides updates on the progress of the First World War, both in Europe and the Mesopotamian campaign, for example the Battle of Kut (folios 61-68, 79 and 95-97) and the British occupation of Baghdad (folios 113-114). Also included within the file is a number of correspondence from and to Dr Paul Wilberforce Harrison of the Arabian Mission who was providing medical assistance at Riyadh following an influenza epidemic in August 1917 (folios 175-176 and 179-182).1 file (269 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: This file has two foliation numbers in the top right hand corner of each folio. The primary number is uncircled and begins on the first page of text. The secondary number is also uncircled, and appears on the top right hand corner of the recto and the top left hand corner of the verso of the folio where there is text.
This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, British representative in Jeddah, as well as with the Civil Commissioner and High Commissioner at Baghdad.The correspondence concern the deputation of Siddiq Hasan, Indian Assistant of the British Agency at Bahrain, to Ibn Sa‘ūd at Riyadh and to Mecca in 1920. The purpose of the deputation was to accompany Najd pilgrims on the hajj and to facilitate negotiations between Ibn Sa‘ūd's Najd Mission and Sharīf Ḥusayn of Mecca, from which an agreement was concluded on 4 September 1920.The file contains logistic details for the deputation, including the selection of Siddiq Hasan and Farhan Al Rahma, and proposed allowances (folio 5-23), and instructions given to Siddiq Hasan from Major Harold Richard Patrick Dickson (folios 25-27).In addition, the account of Farḥān Āl Rahmah's entitled 'Report of Shaikh Farhan Beg Al Rahmah of the Muntafik. Personal Assistant to Major H.R.P. Dickson, C.I.E., Political Agent, Bahrein, Who Accompanied the Nejd Mission from Bahrein to Mecca via Riyadh and Back' (f. 91); the fifty-eight page account of Siddiq Hasan entitled 'Diary of a Journey from Bahrein to Mecca' (f. 113); notes from the nine meetings between the Najd Mission and the Hashemite Committee between 27 August 1920 and 2 September 1920 (folios 172-210); and an English translation of the agreement between the Najd Committee and King Ḥusayn’s Hashemite Committee, signed 4 September 1920 (folios 209-210). These papers contain details of the political negotiations as well as more ethnographic and topographic observations from the journey from the deputation to Riyadh.1 file (255 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: This file has a foliation number in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio. The number is enclosed by a circle.
This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain; the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; Yūsuf bin Aḥamad Kanoo [Kānū]; Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain; and Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī, ruler of Qatar. In addition, there are copies of correspondence between Bushire and the Foreign Department of the Government of India, the Foreign Office in London and the British Consuls at Basra and Constantinople.This file concerns Turkish activities on the island of al-Zakhnūniyah and the Ḥawār islands, and at al-Wakrah in Qatar between 1909 and 1912. There is a number of items of correspondence between Shaikh‘Īsā and the British Political Agent at Bahrain concerning Bahrain’s claim to the island of al-Zakhnūniyah (folios 6-7). There are also details of the 1910 Turkish occupation of the island (folios 52-60) and British representations to Constantinople requesting their withdrawal (folios 64).The file also includes details of Francis Beville Prideaux's visit with Yūsuf bin Aḥmad Kanoo in March 1909 to visit Shaikh Jāsim at Lusayl to discuss his relations with the Turks (folios 8-11 and 13), as well as further correspondence between Yūsuf bin Aḥmad Kanno and Shaikh Jāsim on the same subject (folios 14-23).Also contained in the file is a detailed report entitled 'Asiatic Turkey and Arabia' by Sir Edward Grey of the Foreign Office, dated 17 October 1910, which deals with the Turkish presence in Arabia and the Gulf.1 volume (88 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: This file contains two foliation systems. The primary foliation number appears in the top right hand corner of the recto of the folio. It is enclosed by a circle, and runs from the front cover to the back cover. The second foliation number appears in the top right hand corner of the verso of the folio and the left hand corner of the second sheet of the page where there is text. This foliation system runs from the first page of text to the final page of text.