Abstract: This file contains two letters listed in the file notes at the rear of the file. The first, on folio 4, dated 30 March 1933, is from Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, Political Agent at Bahrain, to Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven Fowle, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, concerning persecution of Shiahs in Hasa [al-Aḥsā’] and complaints by Shaikh Ali bin Hasan al Musa [‘Alī bin Ḥasan al-Mūsá], the Shiah Qadhi [Qadi] of Sinabis [Sanābis, Bahrain], and Yusif bin Rustam [Yūsuf bin Rustam], a resident of Sanābis, regarding the alleged appropriation of their fish traps at Qatif [al-Qaṭīf]. The second, on folio 5, dated 5 March 1950, from the British Embassy at Jeddah, to the Cornelius James Pelly, Political Agent at Bahrain, concerns reports of a Bahraini having been flogged to death at al Khobar [al-Khubar] for the offence of playing the lute.There are two additional folios in the file which are not referenced in the file’s notes. Folio 2 is a letter, dated 28 November 1914, from Major Percy Zachariah Cox, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Busreh [Basra], to Captain Terence Humphrey Keyes, Political Agent at Bahrain, recommending Shaikh Abdulla [‘Abdullāh Āl Khalīfah or Āl Thānī?] for a CIE [Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire] honour on 1 January 1915. Folio 3 is a note by the Political Agent at Bahrain, dated 26 June 1915, regarding taxes on date gardens in al-Qaṭīf owned by Abdur Rahman Zayani [‘Abd al-Raḥmān al-Zayānī], Yousuf bin Abdur Rahman Fakhroo [Yūsuf bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān Fakhrū] and Jasem bin Jodar [Jāsim bin Jūdar].Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence 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 also present between ff 3-6; these numbers are also written in pencil and can be found in the same position, but they are not circled.
Abstract: This files concerns relations between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Amir of Dhahran [al-Ẓahrān] on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. The correspondents in the file include Khalid Sidairi [Khālid al-Suayrī], Amir of al-Ẓahrān; the Political Agent at Bahrain; and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire.The correspondence of May 1945 (ff 2-5) concerns the appointment of Khālid al-Suayrī by Abdul-Aziz [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Saud)] to administer the Amirate [Emirate] of Dhahran [Imārat Muqāṭi‘at al-Ẓahrān]. The correspondence of April 1946 (f 6) concerns a visit of the Bahrain State Engineer to Hassa [al-Aḥsā’] 20-25 March 1946 at the request of the Amir of Hassa (perhaps also of the Amir of Dhahran?) to advise both on the electrification of the town of Hofuf [al-Hufūf], and on the question of whether equipment and infrastructure had been supplied by the United States of America or Britain.Physical description: Foliation: the 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.
Abstract: This file concerns the exchange of postal services between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and covers:1932-1933 (ff 2-30): the conveyance of post between Hasa [al-Aḥsā’] and Bahrain, as well as between Hasa and other foreign countries via Bahrain;1934 (ff 31-43): Saudi Posts, Telegraph and Telephone Department establishing a daily mail service between Bahrain and Hofuf [al-Hufūf] and Katif [al-Qaṭīf];1933-1934 (ff 44-51): use of Arabic language in the wording of the 'Bulletin de verification' (ff 44-51);1935 (ff 52-61): the exchange of mails between Bahrain and Hofuf and Katif and the discontinuance of the use of the term 'Agent of Hofuf at Bahrain' (ff 58-61);1940 (ff 62-69): the conveyance by air or surface of letters for the outside world by air or sea mail, which it is stated must be posted at Al Khobar [al-Khubar] with Saudi Arabian stamps (ff 62-69).The correspondents in the file include: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; the Political Agent at Bahrain; the Superintendent of Post Offices, Lower Sind and Persian Gulf in Karachi; and the Postmaster at Bahrain.Physical description: 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.
Abstract: This file concerns jurisdiction over residents of Nejd [Najd] and Hasa [al-Aḥsā’] at Bahrain in the Political Agent's courts, under provisions made by the Bahrain Order in Council. Reference is also made to punishments meted out by ‘Abdullāh bin Jilūwī at Hasa (folio 12).The correspondents in the volume include: ‘Abdullāh bin Jilūwī, representative of Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] at Hasa; Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, Political Agent at Bahrain; Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven Fowle, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; and Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Bahrain Government.Physical description: 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. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 4-18 and ff 19-21 respectively; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: A memorandum, written by Adolphus Warburton Moore, Assistant Secretary of the Political and Secret Department of the India Office, 1 September 1879.The document is a summary of correspondence, government reports, and published literature relating to the Turkish expedition into El Hassa [Al Hasa] in 1871, and was compiled in light of a proposed comprehensive arrangement with the Porte about the positions of the two powers along the Gulf coast, and policing responsibilities at sea. The correspondence is from the period 1870-1874 and is principally between various British Government departments and offices connected to the region, and the Turkish Government.The Turkish expedition called into question the sovereignty and jurisdiction of much of the Arabian Peninsula, as well as the coastline and islands of the Gulf. The correspondence contains discussions of these matters and reflects British fears of a loss of their monopoly over the control and security of the Gulf, and a disruption of the treaty relations they maintained with rulers in Bahrein [Bahrain], Guttur [Qatar], the Trucial Coast, Muscat, and Aden.The author quotes extensively from the correspondence and other sources, notes on which are to be found in the margin throughout.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation for this description commences at folio 131 and terminates at folio 144, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. 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.Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.Condition: folio 131 is torn along one edge, with some loss of text.
Abstract: A memorandum, written by Adolphus Warburton Moore, Assistant Secretary of the Political and Secret Department of the India Office, 1 September 1879.The document is a continuation of 'Persian Gulf - Turkish jurisdiction along the Arabian coast (Part I)' (IOR/L/PS/18/B19/1) and broadly addresses the same issues, namely, what to do about Turkish claims to sovereignty along the southern coast of the Gulf that could potentially impinge on Britain's treaty commitments with local rulers and their security responsibilities at sea (the suppression of piracy), and whether to come to some kind of comprehensive arrangement with the Ottoman Government to settle the matter. To support this, the document gives a history of recent affairs in the region, making extensive use of correspondence and memoranda mostly written between 1874 and 1879. The principal correspondents are from the Government of India, the Foreign Office, the India Office, and various political and diplomatic offices in the Persian Gulf, Turkish Arabia, and Constantinople. The matters covered by the document concern events at Bahrein [Bahrain], Guttur [Qatar] - including Zobarah [Al Zubarah], Odeid [al-‘Udaid], and El Bidaa [Doha] - Lahsa [al-Hasa], and the Trucial states.The memorandum concludes by outlining the position of the Foreign Office, the Government of India, and the India Office (represented by the author) on the following four matters:1. The status of Odeid;2. The need to better define areas of responsibility and jurisdiction with the Porte, and whether to hold them responsible for order along the coast under their authority;3. A revision of Britain's treaties with Bahrain, the Trucial chiefs, and Muscat;4. The arrangement of Persian Gulf business between the Bushire Residency and the Baghdad Political Agency.The author quotes extensively from the correspondence and other sources, notes on which are to be found in the margin throughout.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 148 and terminates at folio 168, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. 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.Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: This item consists of copies of correspondence, minutes, and consultations cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. These political letters appear in IOR/F/4/2376/126162. The correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; and Hajee Jassem [Ḥājjī Jāsim], British Agent at Bahrein [Bahrain]. It is the eleventh in a series of fifteen items on the Persian Gulf.The item concerns a report current at Bahrein that Ameer Fysul [Amīr Fayṣal bin Turkī bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Sa‘ūd] is collecting forces at Lahsah [Al Hasa], preparing for an expedition against Oman, and intending to rebuild Adeed [Khawr al ‘Udayd].The item contains a contents page and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Draft no 745 of 1850’, and ‘Coll[ection] No 5’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 137, and terminates at f 142 as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: This item consists of copies of correspondence, minutes, and consultations cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. The correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; and Hajee Jassem [Ḥājjī Jāsim], British Agent at Bahrein [Bahrain]. It is the first in a series of three items about the Persian Gulf.The item concerns:A visit by Ameer Fysul [Amīr Fayṣal bin Turkī bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Sa‘ūd] to Lahsah [Al Hasa]A rumoured expedition by Abdullah ben Fysul [‘Abdullāh bin Fayṣal], son of Ameer Fysul, to OmanPayment of zikat [zakat] by Mahomed ben Khuleefa [Shaikh Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah of Bahrain].The item contains a contents page and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Draft No 350-1853’, ‘Collection No. 1 of No. 16 of 1853’, and ‘Supplementary Volume 1’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 4, and terminates at f 7, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence sent by the Resident in the Persian Gulf, Captain David Wilson. Most of the recipients of the letters are officials of the Government of Bombay, including Charles Norris, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay, John Wedderburn, Accountant General, Major General Sir John Malcolm, Governor and President in Council, and William Sowden Collinson, Captain and Senior Marine Officer in the Persian Gulf.Most of the correspondence in the volume concerns the day-to-day affairs of the Residency:Financial matters, including the forwarding to Government of bills of exchange; disbursements; receipts; contingent expenses; bills for building maintenance; orders for office supplies, etc.;Post and supplies, in the form of the receipt and forwarding of mail packets, usually between Basra/Persia and Bombay; the receipt and despatch of currency, treasure, medical and office supplies, etc.;Coordination of the activities of the Bombay Marine/Indian Navy in the Gulf, including instructions for the despatch of ships to the Arab Coast to hand out/receive letters to/from British Agents and Shaikhs; embarkation returns;Commercial shipping activities, including the delivery and despatch of cargo; details of vessels carrying ‘treasure’; complaints and disputes raised by or against the captains of British merchant ships at Bushire.The rest of the volume’s correspondence deals with specific events, incidents and reports:Announcement of peace between the Imam of Muscat and the Chief of Bharien [Bahrain] (pp 3-5);Affairs at the Persian court, including the Shah’s visit in early 1830 to Shiraz, with the intention of obtaining 200,000 tomans in tribute from the city (pp 5-9, 14-17, 35-39, 45-48, 106)Reports on the activities of a Captain Chiffala [or Chiefala] in Persia (pp 103-05, 121-24, 165-68);The Imam of Muscat’s departure from Muscat to Zanzibar to reclaim Mombasa, reports of subsequent disturbances in Oman in light of the Imam’s absence, and the Imam’s subsequent return (pp 18-19, 40-44, 197A-99A, 217-18);Reports of Wahabee [Wahhābī] activity on the Arabian peninsula, including the occupation of Lohsa [also written as Lahsah, probably referring to Al-Hasa], and subsequent tensions on the Arab Coast (pp 157-59, 223-24);Piracy committed by subjects of Bahrain against a Muscat vessel, and efforts to recover the stolen goods (pp 232-39);Ill-health of the Assistant Resident Samuel Hennell (p 293);Shipwrecking of the merchant vessel
General Barnes, and efforts to recover its crew and cargo (pp 299-306);An annual report of the import and export trade between India and Bushire (listed by month, pp 346-57);The relay of a packet from Baghdad to Bombay in October 1830, announcing the death of King George IV and the accession to the throne of the Duke of Clarence as William IV;Wilson’s application to resign the post of Resident in the Persian Gulf on the grounds of ill-health, his intention to proceed to Europe, and plans for the appointment of his successor by March 1831 (p 379);Physical description: Pagination: This file has a complete pagination sequence, which begins on the front cover, on number 1A, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 423. Pagination errors: p.1A-B; p.105A; p.106A; p.107A; p.108A; p.109A; p.110A; p.111A; p.112A; p.197A; p.198A; p.199A; p.200A; p.325A. This is the sequence which has been used by this catalogue to reference items within the volume.Condition: There is extensive insect damage, in the form of small holes around the edges of the pages, throughout the file. This damage is not sufficient to impair legibility of the file’s contents.
Abstract: The volume contains thirty-nine manumission subjects, each one involving the manumission request of one or more slaves, who had sought refuge at the Political Agency in Muscat (then under the charge of Major G. Murphy). Each manumission case follows a very similar pattern. Murphy sent a copy of the slave‘s manumission certificate (with covering letter) for the attention of the Secretary to the Political Resident, making his own recommendation as to whether manumission should be given. In most cases, the Secretary to the Political Residency responded by agreeing to the manumission request. In the case of slaves who had been kept in the Trucial Coast towns (Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi), a copy of the manumission statement was forwarded by the Secretary to the Political Resident to the Residency Agent in Sharjah (‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif), who was asked to make enquiries as to the validity of the slave’s statement.A small number of the manumission cases are more complex. In July 1931, the Political Residency heard of a slave who had had his right hand cut off and been imprisoned at the decree of the shaikh of Dubai, after having been accused of theft (folio 195). Enquiries made by ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif suggested that the slave was caught in the act of robbery. A medical certificate from the Agency Hospital in Muscat verified the extent and recent nature of the punishment meted out on the slave (folio 199). The Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Biscoe) wrote to the Residency Agent (folio 215) to protest in the strongest terms to the shaikh of Dubai about the severity of the punishment handed out to the slave, insisting that imprisonment was the usual punishment in this day.Another case was brought to the attention of the Secretary to the Political Resident by the Political Agent Muscat in June 1932, in which a pearl diver from Umm-al-Qaiwain, who claimed to be a slave, requested manumission. ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif agreed with the manumission request, commenting that, because the demand for and price of pearls had decreased considerably in recent years, many divers had become heavily indebted. He advised that, once the slave had been given his manumission certificate, he should return to Sharjah to enable the Residency Agent to carry out the necessary enquiries relating to the slave’s debt (said to be 520 rupees) in the Diving Court. Another manumission request was made by a slave who was kept at Kalba, near Muscat. The Political Resident requested that, in future, the Political Agent at Muscat treats affairs (including slaves) in Kalba, as the Political Agent Bahrain treats affairs in Qatar.Physical description: Foliation: The volume has been foliated with a circled number in the top-right corner of each recto, from the title sheet to the last folio of the volume. An earlier foliation system has been used on each manumission case, expressed as page
xof
ypages, written in pencil in the top-right corner of each recto. A very small number of these internal numbering systems do not run in the correct numerical sequence, suggesting that items were bound in the incorrect order.
Abstract: The volume is
Military Report on the Arabian Shores of the Persian Gulf, Kuwait, Bahrein, Hasa, Qatar, Trucial Oman and Oman(Calcutta: Government of India Press, 1933). The volume was produced by the General Staff, India. The place name Bahrain is rendered in the title and elsewhere in the volume in the spelling 'Bahrein'.The volume contains information in separate sections for each of the places listed in the title under the following chapter headings:I Historical (ff 8-14);II Geography, Climate, Health (ff 15-54);III Population (ff 54-67);IV Water Supply; Resources (ff 68-70);V Armed Forces (ff 70-75);VI Aviation (ff 75-78);VII Political (ff 79-81);VIII Inter-Communication [wireless and telegraph] (ff 81-82);IX Communications [land routes] (ff 83-98).There are three appendices, which follow the same format:I Currency, Weights and Measures (f 99-102);II Landing Facilities - Maritime (ff 103-106);III List of Maps (f 106).The volume includes five maps of the region (ff 109-113).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 113 on the last of the five maps inserted in a pocket attached to the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. All five maps (ff 109, 110, 111, 112, 113) need to folded out to be examined. This is the system used to determine the sequence of pages in the volume.Pagination: an original printed pagination sequence, numbered 2-198 appears between ff 8-106.
Abstract: This volume contains geographical information and maps about the Arabian States of the Persian Gulf. It was produced by the General Staff, India, and printed by the Manager, Government of India Press, Simla, 1940.The volume is divided into two sections: 'Military Report' including general descriptions of Kuwait, Bahrein, Hasa, Qatar, the Trucial Coast, Muscat and Oman (folios 6-127) and 'Routes' (folios 128-164) including maps of:The Arabian States of the Persian Gulf, Muscat and Oman, and Routes in the area (f 158);Kuwait Area (f 159);Bahrein, Hasa and Qatar (f 160);Trucial Oman (f 161);Muscat and Oman (f 162);and sketches of:Bahrein Oil Company's area and important places (f 163);Sharjah and Dibai [Dubai] (f 158).Physical description: There is a foliation sequence, which 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 last of several maps which are stored in a pocket at the back of the volume, on number 164.