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25. ‘File 22/8 II SHAIKH OF DUBAI’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence, mainly between British officials in the Persian Gulf, discussing the actions of Shaikh Saeed Bin Maktoom [Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm bin Ḥashr Āl Maktūm], Ruler of Dubai, covering the years 1941, 1944, 1946 and 1948-49.The correspondents are as follows: John Baron Howes and his successors Roy Douglas Metcalfe and Patrick Desmond Stobart as Political Officer, Trucial Coast, Sharjah; Major Reginald George Evelyn William Alban and his successors Tom Hickinbotham and Cornelius James Pelly as Political Agent, Bahrain; Sayid Abdur Razzaq [Khān Ṣāḥib Sayyid ‘Abd al-Razzāq] and his successor Jassim [Jāsim bin Muḥammad Kadmari] as British Residency Native Agent, Sharjah; and Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay as Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bahrain.The correspondence includes English translations of Arabic letters as follows: Saeed Bin Maktoom to Reza Pahlavi the Emperor of Iran [Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran], dated 1948 (folio 11), and an exchange of letters between the Political Agent at Bahrain and Saeed Bin Maktoom, dated 1944 (folios 13 and 16).Topics discussed include:British policy discussions about co-operative measures to be taken for the maintenance of law and order on the Trucial Coast, 1941 (folios 2-7)British interception of two letters from the Ruler of Dubai to the King of Iraq and the Shah of Iran, in 1944 and 1949 respectively, written on behalf of two Dubai subjects, the one case regarding the importation of rice into Dubai from Iraq and the other case regarding the confiscation of merchant goods by Iranian Customs (folios 9-14)British remonstrations to the Ruler of Dubai for making direct representations and requests to foreign rulers on behalf of his subjects, in breach of his agreement of 7 March 1892 with the British Government, 1949 (folios 15-21).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 incomplete foliation sequence is also present between ff 2-21; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
26. 'File 8/37 Note by H.M.'s Consul, Bandar Abbas, on Jask Mutineers'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the movements of Dr Habib, an Iranian Government employee and resident of Lar, and based on a note by the British Consul at Bandar Abbas, Reginald Michael Hadow. The correspondence is between the following: Charles Geoffrey Prior, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire [Bushehr]; Cornelius James Pelly, Political Agent at Bahrain; and Raymond Clive Murphy, Political Officer on the Trucial Coast.The correspondence contains details of Dr Habib's visit to Dubai and notes on his history.On folio 7 are internal office notes.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 8; 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 2-6; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
27. 'File 5/191 III Individual slavery cases'
- Description:
- Abstract: Twenty cases relating to individuals and small groups, kidnapped or transported from Baluchistan or India, to the Trucial Coast, in particular Dubai. Some of the cases are straightforward and involve the appearance or retrieval of slaves in the Dubai area, often initiated by the Sharjah Residency Agent ('Isa bin 'Abd al-Latif) and their manumission, plans for repatriation, and punishment of traders/kidnappers, where they are identified. Other cases are more complex, where the identification of slaves, their parents, or those who traded them, is more difficult. Of particular note in the volume:Subject 8, relating to a young Persian boy kidnapped from Sind and brought to Dubai, which stretches over 100 folios. Difficulties are encountered in obtaining a photograph of the boy for purposes of identification. The extensive correspondence in the case is in part also cause by obstructions and procrastinations of al-Latif. Subject 16, relating to two Baluchi men kidnapped by Bedouins in the interior of the Trucial coast. The case reveals tensions between the coastal Sheikhs of the Trucial region, and the Bedouin chiefs of the interior. Questions over the control how much control Sheikhs, who have signed treaties with the British, have over actions of Bedouins from the interior. Subject 20, account of the capture of a dhow carrying slaves at Dubai, and the burning of the dhow by the British navy, off the Dubai coast.Physical description: Foliation: The volume is foliated with a circled number in the top right-hand corner of each front-facing page. Cover (containing cover title), blank front page and 2 blank rear pages are unnumbered. Each of the subjects into which the volume is divided has its own internal pagination system, expressed as page number xof subject number y.
28. 'DUBAI OIL CONCESSION AND CONNECTED DOCUMENTS'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file consists of a memorandum reproducing a commercial agreement between Petroleum Concessions Limited and the Shaikh of Dubai, in which rights are granted to the former to prospect for oil in the State of Dubai. The memorandum also reproduces a political agreement between the British Government and Petroleum Concessions Limited, and correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain, the Shaikh of Dubai, the India Office and Petroleum Concessions Limited, in which it is agreed that the terms of the oil concession shall remain subordinate to prior agreements made between Petroleum Concessions Limited and the British Government.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence 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 at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
29. 'The Debai incident'
- Description:
- Abstract: This handwritten memorandum concerns the Debai [Dubai] Incident of 1910-1911. The memorandum gives a background on British treaty relations with the Sheikh Buṭtī bin Suhayl Āl Maktum of Dubai, the arms blockade on the Trucial coast, and a narrative of the incident that occurred on 24 December 1910 and subsequent events. Printed copies of the principal telegrams relating to the Dubai Incident appear between folios 49-51.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this memorandumcommences at folio 41 and terminates at folio 51, 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between folios 7-147; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
30. ‘Persian Gulf single charts.–Memoir.–Lieut. Houghton’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains a ‘memoir’ written by Lieutenant Michael Houghton, draughtsman on board the Honorable Company’s ship Discovery, which consists of a description of places encountered during the East India Company’s survey of the Persian Gulf during the 1820s. The memoir covers the survey’s journey in a southwesterly direction along the Arab coast of the Gulf, between Moosendem [Musandam] and Debay [Dubai], and taking in the principal settlements of Shaum [Ash Sha‘m or Sha’am], Ul Umrah [Jazīrah al Ḩamrā’], Raumps [Ar Rams], Rasel Khyma [Ra’s al-Khaymah], Ul Umrah [Al Jazīrah al Ḩamrā’], Amulgawein [Umm al-Qaywayn], Aymaun [‘Ajmān] and Sharja [Sharjah]. At the front of the volume is a note written by Lieutenant John Michael Guy, Lieutenant Commanding the Honorable Company’s ship Discovery, and Officer in Charge of the Persian Gulf trigonometric survey (f 3), and a preface written by Houghton (f 4).The main body of the account provides observations of:landscape topography, including capes, mountains, inlets, bays, flora and fauna;landscape geology, including unusual rock formations, mineral deposits, ‘trap’ (igneous rock), and soil, leading at times to conjectures by the author on the historic formation of the geological landscape and its changing sea levels, with reference to the theories of contemporary scientists including Erhard Georg Friedrich Wrede and Christian Leopold von Buch;hydrography, including depths in fathoms, water currents, backwaters, and accessibility of waterways and their danger to vessels;human settlements, the names of which are transliterated into English, with descriptions of their condition (i.e. ‘deserted’), estimates of population size, tribal affiliation, details of the settlement’s chief economic activities (primarily fishing and date cultivation, with estimates of revenue), agriculture (crops and animal husbandry), descriptions of its notable built structures (forts, mosques, houses, tombs) and burial mounds;the various rulers of the region, with reference to the towns and populations they preside over, and in the case of the most prominent rulers (for example the ruler of Sharjah, Sultan ben Suggar [Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī]) descriptions of their character, demeanour and attitude to their English visitors;climate, with details of winds, temperature and atmospheric conditions, with summaries of journal entries recorded between the months of October and May (no year stated, ff 22-24).Throughout the text Houghton makes frequent reference to ‘the expedition’, referring to the punitive expedition undertaken by the Honorable Company’s Marine to Ra’s al-Khaymah and the surrounding area (widely referred to as the ‘pirate coast’) in 1819.The volume should be read in conjunction with ‘Coast Views taken while employed on the Survey of the Arabian Side of the Gulf of Persia by Lieutenant M. Houghton, Draughtsman H.C. Marine’ (IOR/X/10310) and various maps and charts (drawn by Houghton) relating to the Arab coast of the Persian Gulf, between Musandam and Dubai (IOR/X/3680-3690).Physical description: Pagination: the volume has an original pagination system beginning at 3 and ending at 41. Numbers are located centre and top of each page of text.
31. ‘Debay in 6 ½ fathoms’
- Description:
- Abstract: Distinctive Features:Watercolour, pen and ink and pencil on paper.The sketch drawn by Lieutenant Michael Houghton shows a topographical view of the coastal region at the Debay [Dubai, United Arab Emirates].The view was sketched from on board ship and shows the town of Debay with the location of ‘Fort’, ‘Village’ and Jibbul Alli’ indicated and latitude reported. The view features a ship and several dhows.Physical description: Materials: Pen and ink with wash on paperDimensions: 45 x 586 mm
32. 'Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol. I. Geneaological Tables-Maps. Part III. J G Lorimer. 1915'
- Description:
- Abstract: This volume is Part III of Volume 1 of the Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, ’Omān and Central Arabia(Government of India: 1915) compiled John Gordon Lorimer. The contents are divided into two sections and contain genealogical tables of Persian Gulf and Arabian ruling families, and one map, housed in pockets.Genealogical Trees:'Table of the ruling Āl Bū Sa’īdī families of ’Omān and Zanzibar' (folio 2A, inside 'Pocket No. 1');'Table of the ruling Qasimi family of Shārjah in Trucial ’Omān' (folio 4, inside 'Pocket No. 2');'Table of the ruling Āl Bū Falāh (Bani Yās) family of Abu Dhabi in Trucial ’Omān' (folio 5, inside 'Pocket No. 3');'Table of the ruling Āl Bū Falāsah (Bani Yās) family of Dibai in Trucial ’Omān' (folio 6A, inside 'Pocket No. 4);'Table of ruling Āl ’Alī family of Umm-al-Qaiwain in Trucial ’Omān' (folio 7, inside 'Pocket No. 5');'Table of the ruling Āl Bū Kharaibān (Na’īm) family of ’Ajmān in Trucial ’Omān' (folio 8A, inside 'Pocket No. 6');'Table of Qāsimi family formerly ruling Lingeh' (folio 9, 'Pocket No. 7');'Table of the ruling Āl Tānī (Ma’ādhīd) family of Dōhah in Qatar' (folio 10A, 'Pocket No. 8');'Table of the ruling Āl Khalīfah (’Atbi) family of Bahrain (Sheet No. 1)'. (folio 11, 'Pocket No. 9');'Table of the ruling Āl Khalīfah (’Atbi) family of Bahrain (Sheets Nos. 2 and 3)' (folios 12A and 12B, 'Pocket 10');'Table of the ruling Āl Subah (’Atbi) family of Kuwait' (folio 13, 'Pocket No. 11');'Table of the ruling (Wahhābi) Āl Sa’ūd (’Anizah) family of Southern Najd (Sheets Nos. 1,2 and 3)' (folios 14, 15 and 16, 'Pocket No. 12');'Table of the ruling (Wahhābi) Āl Sa’ūd (Anizah) family of Souther Najd (Sheets Nos. 4 and 5)' (folios 17 and 18, 'Pocket No. 13');'Table of the ruling Āl Rashid (Shammar) family of Jabal Shammar' (folio 19, 'Pocket No. 14');'Table of the ruling Abul Khail (’Anizah) family of Buraidah in Qāsim' (folio 20, 'Pocket No. 15');'Table of the ruling Salaimi (Sabai) family of ’Anaizah in Qāsim' (folio 21, 'Pocket No. 16');'Table of the Qādirīyah (Saiyid) family of the Naqībis of Baghdād in Turkish Irāq' (folio 22, 'Pocket No. 17').There is also one map:'Chart Showing the Pearl Banks along the Arabian Shore of the Persian Gulf between Ras Tanurah and Diba, vide Page 2253 of Part II' (folio 27, 'Pocket No. 25').The geneaological tables were compiled by Lorimer in 1906 and 1907 and some were based on information provided by John Calcott Gaskin, Francis Beville Prideaux, and Stuart George Knox, Political Agents at Bahrain and Kuwait, as well as a number of native informants. The tables typically contain named (in Arabic and English) and unnamed individuals, chronological lists of rulers, and notes on the compilation and arrangement of the tables, and references to other parts of the Gazetteer.The volume is labelled on the spine as 'For Official Use'.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio with text, on number 1, and ends on the last folio with text, on number 30.Foliation anomalies: folio 2 is followed by folio 2A; f. 6 is followed by folio 6A; folio 8 is followed by folio 8A; folio 10 is followed by folio 10A; folio 12 is followed by folio 12A and folio 12B; folio 13 is followed by folio 13A; folio 18 is followed by folio 18A; folio 20 is followed by folio 20A.
33. 'CONFIDENTIAL 86/7-III B.36. TRUCIAL COAST.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume discusses the intention of Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) to negotiate extensions on the options that the D’Arcy Exploration Company had acquired with the rulers of Abu Dhabi (Shaikh Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān), Ajman (Rāshid Bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī), Dibai [Dubai] (Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm), Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] (Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī) and Sharjah (Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī) and to open negotiations for concession agreements with them too.Included in the file is correspondence with the various rulers from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle) informing them of Her Majesty’s Government’s approval of the option negotiated with the D’Arcy Exploration Compan; and correspondence regarding the British Government’s knowledge and approval of the decision by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) for PCL to enter into negotiations with them through the PCL negotiator Frank Holmes. Also enclosed are copies of the proposed draft concessions for Abu Dhabi (ff 6-22), Dibai (ff 22-37), Ras al Khaimah and Sharjah.Further correspondence regarding the question of negotiations and concessions is included between Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktum, Ruler of Dubai and the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch) regarding the Shaikh’s request that Hajji ‘Abdullah Williamson accompany any surveying parties visit his territory; and his concern over the inactivity of the D’Arcy Exploration Company with regards to their two year option and subsequent reluctance to discuss any extension to the option until surveying had commenced.The volume also contains correspondence between representatives of the India Office (John Walton, Maurice Clauson), the Director of Petroleum Concessions Limited (John Skliros) and representatives of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (Langlois Massy Lefroy, Edward Henry Ommaney Elkington) discussing potential boundary issues with regard to the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s territories; the need for a special risks clause should any Company employees wish to visit or survey the interior of some of the Trucial Shaikhdoms; the procedure to be followed for Major Holmes to be permitted to commence his negotiations; and discussions around the draft concession agreements presented to the India Office and possible requirements to be included in a political agreement between the British Government and PCL.Also included in the volume are:correspondence between Sir Andrew Ryan, HM Minister at Jedda, and George Rendel of the Foreign Office explaining the Red Line Agreement, which was concluded in 1928, including the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and Iraq Petroleum Company’s expectations under it and that the Kuwait Neutral Zone was not considered to be part of Kuwait proper and was therefore included within the agreement; reports submitted by the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Abdur Razzaq) to the Political Agent at Bahrain on the movements of Frank Holmes and his agents (Muhammad Yateem, Ashrif Halim) on the Trucial Coast including details of their visits to the various Shaikhs, and the topics discussed with them where known; the agreement that Petroleum Concessions Limited could open negotiations with the Shaikh of Bahrain (Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah) for a concession in the unalloted portion of Bahrain, and guarantees made by Major Frank Holmes to the Shaikh of Bahrain that PCL had no intention of transferring any potential concession to a third party but would exploit it through a subsidiary company which would most likely be named Petroleum Concessions (Bahrain) Limited; the proposal by Petroleum Concessions Limited to appoint Ernest Vincent Packer as Local Manager for PCL at Bahrain, and follow up of Packer’s references by the India Office; correspondence around the potential need for a separate Local representative to be appointed for Muscat should any concession be granted there, as the geographic area and expected workload would be too much if the local representative at Bahrain was expected to be responsible for both the Trucial Coast and Muscat.The draft concession agreements and correspondence to and from the Trucial Coast Shaikhs is in Arabic and English; the letter-head for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company is in Persian and English.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 237-243.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 between ff 70-236; 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.
34. 'Confidential 86/7-IV B.40. Petroleum Concessions Limited - Trucial Coast.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains a record of negotiations between Major Frank Holmes and Ashraf Halim [Ashraf Halīm] on behalf of Petroleum Concessions Limited, and the Shaikh Sa'id bin Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm], Shaikh of Dibai [Dubai], over a concession agreement for Dibai, which resulted in a concession being agreed and the clauses of the concession being initialled by each party with the Shaikh of Dubai intending to sign the concession formally once it had been approved by the British Government, draft copies of the concession are included at folios 70-73 and 91-109.Also included in the volume are correspondence and meetings between Petroleum Concessions Limited (Stephen Hemlsey Longrigg), the India Office (John Walton, Maurice Clauson), the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch), the Petroleum Department (Harold Gordon Gunn), the Admiralty (Ebenezer Seal) and the Foreign Office (Terence Vincent Brenan) to discuss both the amended clauses of the concession agreement for Dubai and the necessary Political Agreement between Petroleum Concessions Limited and Her Majesty’s Government. The main points of discussion being the clauses in the Political Agreement relating to protection of Company Employees, jurisdiction for expelling foreigners from Dibai, and the need for a British controlled Refinery in the Persian Gulf.Also under discussion is the question of boundaries between the Trucial Coast Shaikhdom’s and how best to settle them in relation to concession agreements; and reports of communications between the Shaikh Sa'id bin Maktum, Ruler of Dubai and Shaikh Shakhbut bin Sultan [Shaikh Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān], Ruler of Abu Dhabi with the intention of settling themselves the boundary between their respective territories which the Political Resident believes to be the best solution to the boundary question, provided they are able to reach a consensus.Correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf , the Secretary of State for India, the Political Agent Bahrain and Petroleum Concessions Limited discussing the protection undertaking required by the British Government before the options secured by the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s could be approved. The correspondence confirms the acceptance by the Shaikh’s of Abu Dhabi and Dibai of the condition; the refusal of the Shaikhs of Sharjah (Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī) and Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] (Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī) to agree to the condition as it contained references to compensation without any upper limit or detail of amounts; and the non-response of the Shaikh of Ajman (Rāshid bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī) to the agreement. The correspondence continues by discussing ways of convincing the Shaikh’s of Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah to agree to the undertaking and possible reassurances that could be given in relation to the question of compensation.Other topics discussed include:the continuation of negotiations with the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi regarding a possible concession agreement;the appointment of Ernest Vincent Packer as Chief Local Representative for Petroleum Concessions Limited, including correspondence from the India Office following up his references;reports through the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Khan Sahib Saiyid 'Abd al-Razzaq) of attempts by the Shaikh of Sharjah to convince the Shaikh’s of Abu Dhabi and Dubai to go back on their acceptance of the protection undertaking; and to convince the Shaikh of Dubai not to sign a concession agreement until all the Trucial Coast Shaikhs had an opportunity to come together and discuss the question of oil jointly;summary of Petroleum Concessions Limited’s position and progress in relation to the concession agreements they were pursuing; progress updates were given for the Kuwait Neutral Zone; Qatar; Bahrain and the Trucial Coasts along with details of the appointment of a Chief Local Representative, the intended movements of their geologists and their intentions in regards to the shipping of equipment and materials and the recruitment of employees.Reports from the Residency Agent at Shargah of the movements of Hussain Yateem [Husayn Yatīm] in Sharjah and Dubai; and unconfirmed rumours that he had been employed as an agent and negotiator for an American Petroleum Company and had approached the Shaikh’s of Sharjah and Dubai in this capacity.Draft concession agreements and correspondence with Shaikh's in Arabic and English.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 248-255.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 present in parallel between ff 6-247; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
35. 'CONFIDENTIAL 86/7-VI B.43. PETROLEUM CONCESSIONS LTD. TRUCIAL COAST'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains correspondence, primarily between Major Frank Holmes as negotiator for Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL), John Skliros, Director of Petroleum Concessions Limited in London, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent at Bahrain regarding progress in negotiations with Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Sharjah for a concession in his territories. The correspondence discusses the amendments to the agreement which the Shaikh wished to make, various conditions he wished to place on the concession. and negotiations over the financial terms of a potential concession. A draft copy of the concession agreement can be found at folios 94-111.Also discussed is the signing of the Debai [Dubai] concession and PCL's acceptance of the signed copy; along with the written agreement given by Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktum al Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm] to the Political Resident regarding a termination of contract undertaking.Further correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Secretary of State for India considers methods of applying pressure on the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s to sign concessions with Petroleum Concessions Limited in order to prevent American interests from acquiring concessions in the area. A letter is issued by the Secretary of State for India, on behalf of the British Government, to be used if negotiations and initial pressure failed to secure the concessions. The letter made it clear that the British Government would not permit more than one Oil Company to operate on the Trucial Coast and that they had approved agreements with PCL and were not prepared to permit negotiations with other Companies. The intention was for the letter to be used as a last resort as there could be difficulties if either Petroleum Concessions Limited or the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s came to learn of its existence before it was required.Other matters of note within the volume include:circular issued by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to all Consuls and Political Agents with powers to grant visa’s requesting that no visa for the Trucial Coast be granted to Haji ‘Abdullah Williamson without prior discussion with the Political Resident. Also included is a note of a discussion which the Political Resident had with Mr Gordon, Assistant General Manager for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company at Abadan, regarding Williamson’s activities on the Trucial Coast whilst being employed by Petroleum Concessions Limited;report on a conversation between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi (Shaikh Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān) over statements made to the Shaikh about Major Frank Holmes and Petroleum Concessions Limited and their British status, which the Political Agent was able to correct; and concerns about rumours being spread on the Trucial Coast which could cause problems for both PCL and the British Government;draft copies in Arabic and English of the proposed Umm-al-Qaiwain [Umm al Qaywayn] concession agreement (ff 48-65), Ajman Concession agreement (ff 30-47), and Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] concession agreement (ff 112-129);Correspondence regarding a disturbance in Kalba [Kalbā] which had briefly prevented individuals visiting Ras al Khaimah;letter from the Sultan of Muscat and Oman (Sayyid Taymūr bin Fayṣal bin Turkī Āl Bū Sa‘īd) to the Political Agent at Muscat (Ralph Ponsonby Watts) regarding an encroachment by the Geologists for Petroleum Concessions Limited into his territory in the Buraimi [Al Buraymī] district; and observations by the Political Agent of the need to define the limits of the Sultan’s territory as soon as possible.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers arewritten 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 5-214; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
36. 'Confidential 86/7-v B.41 PETROLEUM CONCESSIONS LTD., TRUCIAL COAST'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (Maurice Clauson), the Foreign Office (John Cecil Sterndale Bennett), the Colonial Office (Owen Gwyn Revell Williams), representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited (Frank Holmes, Stephen Hemsley Longrigg, John Skliros, Ernest Vincent Packer), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch, Tom Hickinbotham), and the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Khan Sahib 'Abd al-Razzaq) regarding the conclusion of negotiations with Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktum Al Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm], Ruler of Dubai for an oil concession for his territory and the signing of the concession agreement on 22 May 1937.Correspondence includes discussions around the conclusion of a Political Agreement (folios 192-193) and Refinery Agreement (folios 194-195) between the British Government and Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL); the approval of drafts of an exchange of notes (folios 9-10) to be held with the Shaikh of Dubai once the agreements had been signed; and the final negotiations over the wording and clauses of the Commercial Agreement between the Shaikh of Dubai and Petroleum Concessions Limited.Also discussed are concerns by the representatives of the British Government about the movements of representatives of the California Arabian Standard Oil Company who were alleged to be attempting to persuade the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s to not sign concession agreements with PCL and to wait until the end of their option clauses to negotiate better terms with them; and attempts by the Shaikh’s of Sharjah (Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī) and Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] (Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī) to convince the Shaikh of Dubai to join with them in undertaking such an action.Also discussed in the volume is the reluctance by the Shaikh’s of Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah and Ajman (Rāshid Bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī) to accept the security undertaking owing to the inclusion of an unlimited amount of compensation liability; the proposal by the British Government to amend the undertaking so that compensation requirements would be subject to Shara’ [Sharia] Law which the Shaikh’s of Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah and Ajman ultimately agreed to, and including formal acknowledgements in Arabic and English of this undertaking.Other items of interest within the volume include:a report from Thomas Fulton Williamson and David Glynn Jones, geologists for Petroleum Concessions Limited on their survey of Ras al Khaimah, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and their cursory investigations in Ajman; also included is correspondence regarding the area of Jibal Fayah in Sharjah which the geologists were prevented from entering by the ruling Bani Kitab [Beni Qitab] tribe;meeting between the Shaikh’s of Abu Dhabi and Dubai at which Ahmad bin Khalif bin ‘Utaibah [Shaikh Aḥmad bin khalīf bin ‘Utaybah] and Shaikh Ahmad bin Hilal [Shaikh Aḥmad bin Hilāl], Ruler of Dhawahir [ Z̧awāhir] had served as mediator’s in order to settle the question of where the boundary between Abu Dhabi and Dubai should be;correspondence with Shaikh Saqar bin Sultan Al Hamid [Shaikh Saqr bin Sulṭān Āl Ḥamīd], Chief of Braimi [Al Buraymī] regarding a rumour that the Residency Agent at Sharjah was intending to visit Braimi in order to negotiate an oil concession and response from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf that they wished the Residency Agent to visit Braimi to establish personal contacts with local notables there;query from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf regarding the need for PCL to appoint a Chief Local Representative; and noting that Ernest Vincent Packer had been appointed as General Manager and whether they intended this to be the same as a Chief Local Representative or not;a request by PCL to employ Robert Sutherland Cooke as a negotiator in the Middle East and whether Cooke’s past employment difficulties in Iraq might hinder this request;the appointment of Basil Henry le Riolet Lermitte as Assistant Manager for PCL in Bahrain;a request for Mrs (Dorothy) Holmes to visit Sharjah with her husband which was initially rejected by the Political Resident over fears of setting a precedent for oil Company and Superintendent’s wives in the future but was ultimately approved as 'Um Rashid' (mother of the Shaikh of Dubai?) wished her to visit;correspondence between Major Frank Holmes and the Political Agent at Bahrain regarding his intention to commence negotiations for concessions with Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah as soon as the Dubai concession was signed;correspondence regarding the Shaikh of Umm al Qaiwain’s [Umm al Qaywayn] interest in opening negotiations with Petroleum Concessions Limited; and the possibility of opening negotiations with the Shaikh of Kalba [Kalbā] as it was now a Trucial Shaikhdom;correspondence regarding the alleged intrigues of Haji ‘Abdullah Williamson who was believed to be involving himself in local politics in the Trucial Shaikhdom’s and working for the California Arabian Standard Oil Company, whilst visiting there as an interpreter for Petroleum Concessions Limited;table detailing the amount of money being paid to each Trucial Shaikh under their Anglo-Iranian Oil Company options, including how often the payments are being made and which AIOC agent was handling the payments. The table also includes notes on instances where existing or future payments differed from the norm (ff 184-185).Correspondence with the Trucial Shaikhs and copies of agreements are in both Arabic and Engliash; letters written by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company have a Persian and English letterhead.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 288-300.Physical description: 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 5-287; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.