Abstract: The file contains correspondence and statistics about the monitoring and maintenance of adequate supplies of quota rice, cereals such as wheat and barley, sugar, tea and also cotton piece goods, in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, in the years following the Second World War (1939-1945). These essential commodities continued to be subject to Government of India quota arrangements and other controls imposed on trade with the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms, due to wartime shortages.The main contents of the file are the monthly stock figures sent to the Political Agent, Bahrain by the Director of Customs, Bahrain. These figures show the quantities (in tons) of Bahrain Government imports, stocks and exports (mainly to Qatar) of cereals, tea, sugar and cotton piece goods. There are similar monthly stock figures for Dubai, Sharjah and the other Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, including separate figures for private importations of barley, submitted by both the Residency Agent and the Political Officer for the Trucial Coast, Sharjah. There are also file copies of the monthly consolidated stock figures sent by the Political Agent, Bahrain to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, together with his recommendations for reducing imports of quota wheat to Bahrain and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, based on increased supplies of imported rice. There are similar monthly consolidated stock figures from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to the British Supply Mission (Middle East), Cairo (formerly the Middle East Supply Centre). These show the cereal stocks position in Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 237; 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 2-108; 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 A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence about supplies of wheat and barley for importation and local consumption in Dubai, Sharjah and the other Trucial Coast sheikhdoms, during and after the Second World War (1939-1945), when food grains and wheat in particular were in short supply worldwide and subject to Government of India export restrictions and import quota arrangements in all the Arab States of the Persian Gulf under British protection. The main correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire; the Political Officer for the Trucial Coast and the Residency Agent, both Sharjah; the Middle East Supply Centre (MESC), Cairo; the United Kingdom Commercial Corporation (Iraq) Limited (UKCC), Baghdad; Gray, Mackenzie and Company, Bahrain (acting as Crown purchase and shipping agent). The main topics discussed are MESC allotments and UKCC shipments of quota wheat and barley from Basra to the Trucial Coast ports of Dubai and Sharjah; the monitoring of stock levels of wheat, barley and rice in the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms and estimates of future requirements; the introduction of reductions to wheat quotas, against imports of rice from Persia (Iran) and elsewhere, in view of the difficult worldwide supply situation.Physical description: 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 also present in parallel between ff 2-323; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.Physical condition: folio 148 has a torn edge; folio 341 is a re-used file cover containing the title and other brief details about a former file on aviation.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence about supplies of wheat and barley for importation and local consumption in Dubai, Sharjah and the other Trucial Coast sheikhdoms, during and after the Second World War (1939-1945), when food grains and wheat in particular were in short supply worldwide and subject to Government of India export restrictions and import quota arrangements in all the Arab States of the Persian Gulf under British protection. The main correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire; the Political Officer for the Trucial Coast and the Residency Agent, both Sharjah; the Middle East Supply Centre (MESC), Cairo; the United Kingdom Commercial Corporation (Iraq) Limited (UKCC), Baghdad; Gray, Mackenzie and Company, Bahrain (acting as Crown purchase and shipping agent). The main topics discussed are MESC allotments and UKCC shipments of quota wheat and barley from Basra to the Trucial Coast ports of Dubai and Sharjah; the monitoring of stock levels of wheat, barley and rice in the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms and estimates of future requirements; the introduction of reductions to wheat quotas, against imports of rice from Persia (Iran) and elsewhere, in view of the difficult worldwide supply situation.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 313; 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 2-203; 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.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence about a British Ministry of Food scheme in 1944 for ensuring a controlled supply of Iraqi dates at reasonable prices to the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms during the Second World War (1939-1945), because local date crops were insufficient and imported dates were subject to wartime quota arrangements. Included in the file is a comprehensive memorandum written by the British Ministry of Food Dried Fruits Division in Wales in 1944, describing in detail the Ministry’s wartime scheme for the central purchase and coordinated distribution of Iraqi dates throughout the Middle East, India and Africa, following the short Iraqi date crop of 1942. There is also correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire and the India Office in London in 1944, about the merits of the British governmental central purchasing scheme for Iraqi dates, for keeping prices down, preventing wartime profiteering, ensuring fair distribution and discouraging the sale of smuggled Iraqi (and Persian) dates in Persian Gulf ports. These concerns are discussed repeatedly in correspondence throughout the file.In 1944, the Political Agent, Bahrain discusses in detail with the Political Resident and other British officials in Sharjah, as well as the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, why the Sheikhs of Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms of Dubai and Sharjah prefer to use their own commercial agents and local merchants for the procurement of their respective allocations of quota imports of Iraqi dates, rather than as hitherto, the British company Andrew Weir of Basra (appointed Crown purchasing agents in the Middle East). From May 1945 onwards, their official discussions focus on gathering information about the annual requirements for dates in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms in the current year, as well as the total number and quantity of their current date exports and imports, in preparation for the gradual relaxation of Government of India wartime trade restrictions on the export and import of dates by Bahrain and the other Persian Gulf shaikhdoms under British protection, with Iraq, Saudi Arabia and India.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 94; 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 2-93; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence about: the allocation of import quotas of Indian pulses for Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms in 1947; the arrangements of Bahrain and Dubai importing merchants with their exporters in Karachi, regarding shipments; and the Government of India’s subsequent decision to cancel the agreed export quotas, due to shortages of pulses for local consumption in India. The main correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent, both Bahrain; the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain; the Political Officer for the Trucial Coast, Sharjah and Government of India officials in the Department of External Affairs, New Delhi. Included in the file is a list of the names and addresses of Bahrain importers and Karachi exporters of Indian pulses to the Persian Gulf countries, in 1947.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 29; 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 2-28; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence mainly about the export of bran from Punjab, by sea from Karachi to Bahrain and the Trucial Coast ports of Dubai and Sharjah, during and after the Second World War (1939-1945), when essential animal feed such as bran was in short supply and subject to Government of India export restrictions and import quota arrangements in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms under British protection. The correspondence is mainly between the Political Agent for Bahrain, the Director of Customs and Port Officer for the Government of Bahrain, and officials in the Government of India External Affairs Department, New Delhi. They discuss minimum annual requirements for the local consumption of bran in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms; the quarterly and half-yearly distributions (in tons) of the bran quota among approved merchants in Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah; the regular quota reductions imposed by the Government of India Food Department owing to acute shortages in India and the unavailability of a surplus for export and Government of India revised export control procedures. The file also contains merchants’ correspondence, from importers in Bahrain and their export agents and shippers in Karachi, complaining about the refusal of the Export Trade Controller in Karachi and other Government of India controlling authorities, to grant export licences and permits. Included in the file are numerous lists containing the names of all approved importers of Indian quota bran in Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah, as well as the names and addresses of their export agents and shippers in Karachi.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 141; 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 2-126; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence about the supply of various essential commodities from India, by sea from Bombay and Karachi to Bahrain and the Trucial Coast ports of Dubai and Sharjah for local consumption, during the Second World War (1939-1945). Several commodities are mentioned including spices, nuts, oils, cotton and leather goods, hosiery, soap, matches and cement. These goods were in short supply due to wartime conditions and subject to Government of India export restrictions and import quota arrangements in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms under British protection. The main correspondents are the Political Agent for Bahrain, the Director of Customs and Port Officer for the Government of Bahrain, the Export Trade Controllers (also referred to as Foreign Trade Controllers) in Karachi and Bombay, as well as other Government of India officials, mainly in the External Affairs Department, New Delhi. They discuss the allotment of Government of India surplus quota goods among merchants in Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah and exchange distribution lists that contain the names of all approved importers (local merchants), together with the names of their Indian exporters or shippers in Bombay and Karachi, and the type and quantity of the controlled commodity allotted to them. In addition, there are detailed submissions from the Political Agents for Bahrain, Kuwait and Muscat to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, expressing concerns about new Government of India instructions for improving the coordination of export control procedures in India with import control procedures in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms, in particular, that Export Trade Controllers in Indian ports only grant export licenses and permits to Indian exporters and shippers who appear on their established shippers lists. The file also contains merchants’ correspondence, from several importers in Bahrain and their nominated export agents or shippers in Karachi and Bombay, complaining to the Political Agent for Bahrain, about the refusal of the Export Trade Controllers in Indian ports to grant them export licences and permits.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 242; 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 2-217 and between ff 218-241; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence about the supply of foodstuffs, cotton and leather goods, soap and other manufactured articles, from India to Bahrain and the Trucial Coast ports of Dubai and Sharjah for local consumption, under Government of India wartime export licensing restrictions and import quota arrangements that remained in force after the Second World War (1939-1945). The main correspondents are the Political Agent for Bahrain, the Director of Customs and Port Officer for Bahrain, and the Government of India Export Trade Controllers in Bombay and Karachi. These officials discuss the allotment of Government of India surplus quota goods among merchants in Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah and exchange distribution lists containing the names of approved importers (local merchants) and their Indian exporters or shippers in Bombay and Karachi, as well as the nature and quantity of their consignments. There are also several letters, mainly from local merchants to the Political Agent in Bahrain, asking him to grant them import licences, so that their exporters and shippers in Bombay and Karachi may apply to the Export Trade Controller in their home port for a Government of India export licence. In response to several trade enquiries from the Indian Government Trade Commissioner for the Near and Middle East in Alexandria, the Political Agent in Bahrain provides him with lists of Bahrain merchants interested in importing sports goods, paints and varnishes from India. The file also contains several Government of India circular letters issued by the Chief Controller of Exports, New Delhi to all regional Export Trade Controllers in India, notifying them about the relaxation of export controls on certain textiles, metals, manufactured articles and other goods.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 151; 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 2-141; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf, the Adviser to the Government at Bahrain regarding Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester's visit to Sharjah and Bahrain.The file contains lists of invitees to formal parties in honour of the Duke, and arrangements for his meeting with Gulf Rulers. The main subject of the file is the Duke of Gloucester's visit to the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah, whom he presented with two Italian 105 mm guns with 1,000 rounds of ammunition. The Duke was presented with a sword of historical value from the Ruler; the history of this sword is on folios 102-103.There is also correspondence with Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited (BAPCO) representatives, regarding the shipping of guns from Suez.The file contains correspondence, in Arabic with English translation, with the Ruler of Bahrain.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 118; 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 2-110; these numbers are also written in crayon and pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file begins with an exchange of letters in 1938 between the British Legation, Tehran and the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf, about policy on foreign subjects seeking British assistance to recover debts owed to them by subjects of the Trucial Coast Shaikhs, in the light of an appeal to his Government by an Iranian merchant resident in Sharjah, against five subjects of the Shaikh of Sharjah. The file continues with correspondence relating to the commencement of debt recovery proceedings in 1939 by merchant Abdul Kader Mohamed Abbas of Bombay, against several subjects of Dubai and Sharjah in 1939, and also a complaint from pearl merchant Khoja Ali Bin Abdullah about a burglary and theft committed at his house in Sharjah in 1947. The file ends with a letter from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mecca to the British Embassy, Jeddah in 1949, communicating the decision of the authorities in Mukalla, Aden Protectorate [Al Mukalla, Yemen] to dismiss the compensation claim made to the Saudi Arabian Government by nakhuda (captain) Hassan bin Ibrahim, a British subject of Kuwait, for losses incurred while piloting a Saudi Arabian cargo vessel between Muscat and Aden in 1947.The Arabic content of the file consists of copies in Arabic as well as English, of two lists compiled by the Residency Agent, Sharjah in 1938, showing all outstanding claims by British Indian merchants against subjects of the Rulers of Dubai and Sharjah.The file does not contain correspondence relating to the last set of case notes made in the file by the Political Agent in 1950 and 1951. These notes concern the arrangements to be made at the request of the Bahrain Government, for the cash sale of two launches lying off Dubai Creek, in settlement of a claim for financial compensation by a Bahrain subject.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 51; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 1-50, and ff 5-20; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the investigation and settlement of several debt recovery claims made against mainly Arab subjects of the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, by merchants of Dubai and Sharjah who are British Indian subjects. The main correspondents are the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Residency Agent at Sharjah. The correspondence includes petitions and statements made by claimants, debtors and witnesses, as well as several letters from the Ruler of Dubai [Āl Maktūm, Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm bin Hasher] and the Ruler of Sharjah [Al Qasimi, Shaikh Sultan II bin Saqr]. There are also several documents relating to debt settlements mediated either by the Residency Agent, a committee of local merchants or the Ruler.The majority of the correspondence is in both English and Arabic. The file contains one letter written in Persian. A few items of Indian merchant correspondence are signed in Gujarati as well as in English or Arabic, and in one instance in Sindhi. The earliest documents in the file are a debt bond made in 1911 and an Acknowledgement of Debt made in 1926.The following five debt cases are discussed extensively. The claims made by Khaja Habib bin Hasan Jasbani and Khojah Alli Hasan Joosbani (and other variations of their names) who are originally from Hyderabad, against: the estate of the former British Residency Agent at Sharjah, a Bahraini pearl merchant resident at Dubai, and two brothers of Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr the Ruler of Sharjah. The claim of Kishandas Nathanmal, originally from Tatta [Thatta] in Sindh Province, against a brother-in-law of Shaikh Said bin Maktum the Ruler of Dibai [Dubai]. The claim of the Dubai branch of the merchant firm Dharamdas Thawerdas against both the Ruler of Dubai and Shaikh Mohamad bin Ahmed Al Dalmook (spelt variously) as guarantors for the indebted estate of Dubai merchant Essa (also spelt Isa) bin Thani. The claims of several traders in Dubai and Sharjah against Dhamanmal Jagoomal (spelt variously) and the counter claims of the latter, including representations made on his behalf by his son Mohandas Dhamanmal Jagoomal of Bombay, about the looting of his father’s shop in Sharjah by local residents. The request of the Ruler of Dubai, for British assistance with his two debt recovery claims against the Dubai branch of the Mesopotamia Corporation Limited, and the Wali of Khasab in Oman, a subject of the Sultan of Muscat.The file also contains correspondence relating to complaints of ill-treatment made by a medical practitioner from Egypt who is resident at Dubai, and the counter-claims made against him by his in-laws in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The file ends with the investigation and recovery of possessions stolen from a Bahraini subject by a traveller from Kuwait, who is also suspected of complicity in the smuggling of goods into Dubai on behalf of a Persian merchant from Bushire.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 342; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Additional foliation sequences are present in parallel between ff 2-304, and ff 312-331; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to a debt recovery claim in 1936 made by Jawad bin Abdullah Ghulum Haidarabadi, a resident of Sharjah, against Majid bin Saqr [Shaikh Majid bin Saqr Al Qasimi] the brother of the Ruler of Sharjah [Shaikh Sultan II bin Saqr Al Qasimi]. The correspondence is mainly between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Residency Agent, Sharjah, who investigates and reports the repayment of the debt in 1938. Included in the correspondence are the following original Arabic documents: a petition and statement made by the claimant Jawad bin Abdullah Ghulum Haidarabadi, and a debt bond written by Majid bin Saqr and witnessed by his brother the Ruler of Sharjah.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 10; 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 2-8; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.