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49. Vol 31: Letters Outward
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume consists of letters sent outwards from the office of the Resident in the Persian Gulf. The subject matter focuses on British relations with various powers in and around the Persian Gulf during 1823; more specifically, on enforcing the provisions of the General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulf (1820), and talk of an intended Persian invasion of Bahrain. It also outlines the outcome of a tour of the Arabian coast by John Macleod in January 1823.Other matters covered include the state of the Residency house at Bushire, and an investigation into William Bruce's involvement in the case of Muḥammad Nabī Khān, along with some limited reporting on the possibility of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān being removed from the position of Governor of Bushire by Prince Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mirzā.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences on the first page of text and continues through to the 3rd folio from the back of the volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: A pagination sequence also runs through the volume between ff 2-191; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the top outermost corners of each page.
50. Vol 34: Letters Outward
- Description:
- Abstract: This volume consists of contemporaneous copies of outward letters from the Bushire Residency. Most of the letters are written by the Resident in the Persian Gulf, Ephraim Gerrish Stannus. A small number of letters are written by the Assistant Surgeon at Bushire, James Pringle Riach, who was temporarily in charge of the Residency during Stannus's absence. Most of the letters are addressed to East India Company officials at Bombay, of which the most prominent recipients are the following: William Newnham, Chief Secretary to Government, Bombay; John Wedderburn, Accountant General, Bombay; and Mountstuart Elphinstone, President and Governor in Council, Bombay. Many of the letters to William Newnham contain copies of the Resident's correspondence with a number of local rulers, including: Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Sharjah and Ra's al-Khaymah; Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān, Governor of Bushire; His Royal Highness Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mīrzā, Prince of Shiraz; and the Imam of Muscat, Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Sa‘īd. Other recipients include a number of commanders of East India Company ships as well as Henry Willock, His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires at the Court of Persia, and his brother, George Willock, Secretary in Charge of the British Mission, Tabrīz. The letters in this volume cover a range of topics, including the following: the accounts and expenses of the Bushire Residency; trade, both at Bushire and at other Persian ports; relations between Rahma bin Jabir and the ruler of Bahrain; the estate of the former Governor of Bushire, Muhammad Nabi Khan; a dispute between Tahnun bin Shakhbut, Shaikh of Abu Dhabi, and his brother, Muhammad bin Shakhbut Al Nahayan, former Shaikh of Abu Dhabi; speculations on the intentions of Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī; the Resident's concerns about the reduced scale of the marine establishment; the costs involved in carrying out alterations and repairs on the Residency building; updates from Stannus regarding an act of piracy, which is reported to have been committed to the south of Muscat by two boats from Sharjah.Physical description: Pagination: There is a pagination sequence, which is written in pencil, in the top right corners of the rectos and the top left corners of the versos. Not every verso has been numbered, but the sequence is consistent. The sequence begins with the first item of correspondence, on number 1, and ends on the last page of writing, on number 144.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 after the front cover, on number 2, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 76. This is the sequence which has been used by this catalogue to reference items within the volume.Condition: The folios in this volume have suffered from insect damage. Parts of the bottom edges of the front cover are missing, as are parts of the bottom edges of the first dozen or so folios within the volume.
51. Vol 23: Reports to the Government of Bombay respecting a British military expedition to the Persian Gulf
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume consists of correspondence primarily between Francis Warden, Chief Secretary to the Bombay Government, and Captain Thomas Perronet Thompson. Other correspondents included in the volume are Major-General Lionel Smith; Mountstuart Elphinstone, the Governor of Bombay; James Henderson, Secretary to the Bombay Government; Captain Deschamps; and Andrew Jukes. Translations of correspondence with Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Sa‘īd, the Imam of Muscat are also included.The subject matter of the material is centred around the abandonment of Raʼs al-Khaymah, the establishment of a garrison on the Island of Qeshm, the suppression of piracy in the Gulf, a failed British joint expedition with the Imam of Muscat against the Banī Bū ‘Alī tribe in Oman, and the removal of Captain Thompson from his post for the aforementioned failure; the subsequent, more successful, follow-up expedition against the Banī Bū ‘Alī tribe is also covered.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence starts with the first page of text and runs through to the last folio. It is written in pencil and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. This sequence has been used to construct the references at item level, and for internal referencing.Pagination: A pagination system is also present, which runs folios 22-275, though there are gaps in the sequence; these numbers are also written in pencil and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
52. Sketch map of Ras al Khaima area
- Description:
- Abstract: Distinctive Features:Hand-drawn map of tribal territories around Ras al Khaima with ports and valleys labelled, and routes indicated by pecked line. Muscat limits shown by hatched markings.Below map typed explanatory notes with references to the slave traffic, signed by Bertram S. Thomas and dated ‘16-11-26’.Physical description: Materials:Pen and ink on paper with typed textDimensions:315 x 202 mm
53. Letters inward
- Description:
- Abstract: A collection of letters received by David Anderson Blane, Resident in the Persian Gulf, between 6 April 1833 and 9 April 1834. Two of the letters are from Commodore John Pepper, Senior Officer of the Indian Navy. Pepper reports both on his trip to Sharga [Sharjah], where he sought to obtain redress for incidents of piracy, and on his concerns regarding the numerical portion of European strength on board the vessels of war in the Gulf. Two letters are from Charles Norris, Chief Secretary to the Government, Bombay, acknowledging receipt of earlier letters concerning the Wahabee [Wahabi] tribe. One letter is from John Bax, Secretary to Government, Bombay, acknowledging receipt of a letter and a translation of Blane's correspondence with the Government Agent at Sharga, regarding the jurisdiction of the Wahabee chief on the Russul Kheema [Ra's al-Khaymah] coast.Physical description: Foliation: An original incomplete foliation sequence with gaps is present in the file between folios 1 and 6; these numbers are written in ink, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The complete foliation sequence commences at the first folio with content (i.e. text) and terminates at the last folio with content; these numbers are written in pencil, and are also located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. This is the sequence used by this catalogue to reference items within the file.
54. Persian Gulf Affairs
- Description:
- Abstract: This item consists of a despatch to the Secret Committee, 16 July 1839, from John Pollard Willoughby, Secretary to the Government, Bombay [Mumbai]. The despatch itself (not included) is numbered 1 and is followed by an abstract of contents, numbered 2. The abstract of contents is followed by despatches to Willoughby, numbered 3-29. Despatches 3-27 are from Captain Samuel Hennell, Political Resident, Persian Gulf, and were sent when the Residency was situated on the island of Karrack [Kharg, also known as Khark, also spelled Karrak in this item], following a dispute with Mirza Assad, the Governor of Bushire [Bushehr]. Despatches 28-29 are from Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Taylor, Political Agent in Turkish Arabia [Ottoman Iraq].Hennell’s despatches contain copies of correspondence, reports, translated letters and other documents, and include his extensive communications, including with:Khorshid Pasha [Khūrshid Pasha, also spelled Korshid and Koorshid in this item], Commander of the Egyptian Forces in Nedgd [Najd, also known as Nejd, also spelled Nedged, Nedge and Nedje in this item]Captain John Croft Hawkins, Commanding the HC [Honourable Company] Sloop of War CliveThomas MacKenzie, Civil Surgeon to the Political Residency, Persian GulfShaik Jaber, the Chief of Koweit [Shaikh Jābir bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Ṣabāḥ of Kuwait]Thomas Edmunds, Assistant Resident, Persian GulfLieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil, HM Chargé d’Affaires at the Court of Persia [Iran]Mahomed Effendi, [Muḥammad Effendi] ‘the Confidential Agent of Khorshid Pasha’ (f 327)Shaik Abdoollah bin Ahmed [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah] Chief of Bahrein [Bahrain]George Barnes Brucks, Commodore of the Squadron of the Indian Navy in the Persian GulfLieutenant-Colonel James Shirreff, Commanding the Detachment at KarrackThe Native Agent at Shargah [Sharjah]The Governor of MuscatNative Agent at MuscatArab Maritime Chiefs of varying seniorityLieutenant-Colonel Patrick Campbell, HM Consul General in EgyptMeerza Mahomed Ali [Mirza Muḥammad ʿAlī] British Agent at Bahrein [Bahrain].The main subjects covered are:The purported designs of Khorshid Pasha in relation to the island of Bahrein, including: the agreement between the Chief of Bahrein and Mahomed Effendi (ff 354-355) indicating the former’s ‘submission’ to Egypt; Hennell’s meeting with Mahomed Effendi at Karrack and correspondence with Khorshid Pasha; Khorshid Pasha’s insistence that Bahrein has agreed to pay tribute to Egypt as a dependency of Nedgd, but that he has no designs on the Persian GulfIntelligence, resulting from visits and tours of inspection, relating to the cooperation and assistance that Britain might expect from the Arab maritime chiefs in the event of any military operations being undertaken by, or to oppose, Egyptian forces, including reports by: Captain Hawkins, Commanding the Clive(ff 295-296); Mr MacKenzie, Civil Surgeon of the Residency, on the HC Schooner Emily(f 295); and the Assistant Resident, accompanying Rear-Admiral Sir Frederick Maitland on his tour of the Arabian Coast in HMS Wellesley(ff 303-321)British efforts, at a meeting in Rusul Khyma [Ra's al Khaymah, also spelled Rasul Khyma and Ras-ul-Khyma in this item], to influence the major Arab maritime chiefs to: end their ‘internecine’ conflicts; unite against potential Egyptian territorial encroachment; and be aware that submission or providing assistance to Egypt is not in their interests as it is in opposition to British policyThe movements of Sued ben Mootluk [Sa‘d bin Mutlaq al-Muṭayrī, spelled in multiple variant forms in this item], an officer formerly in the service of the ex-Wahabee [Wahhabi] leader Fysul [Amir Fayṣal bin Turki bin Abdullāh Āl Sa‘ūd], and self-professed agent of Khorshid Pasha (f 359), notably with regard to his: activities in Shargah; unsuccessful attempt to take the fort of Braymee [Al Buraymi]; claims to have taken charge of the government of Oman; arrival in Ras-ul-Khyma; purported aim to effect the submission of MuscatAscertainment of the position of the Sheik of Koweit with regard to the demands of Mahomed Effendi to supply grain and to supress local opposition to Khorshid PashaThe relations between the Political Residency, Persian Gulf, with Mirza Assad, the Governor of Bushire [Bushehr], and with the authorities at Shiraz, notably: instructions from Sheil to Hennell: not to impose a blockade of Bushire; and to suspend all official communications with the Government of Shiraz following the departure of the British Mission from Tehran (f 348) and break in diplomatic relations with PersiaThe departure of Shaik Nassir [Shaikh Nāṣir Āl Mazkūr II, a former Governor of Bushire] from Karrack on 18 April 1839, following a decision by Lieutenant-Colonel Shirreff that his presence compromised the safety and security of the force on the islandRumours, and their contradiction, of alleged Persian attempts to prevent supplies reaching KarrackCommunications between Hennell and Commodore Brucks regarding: the number of vessels of war needed for security and communications purposes in the Persian Gulf; whether the Elphinstone, Cliveand Tigriscan, in turn, be released for repairs in Bombay; the powers the Indian Navy can use to protect merchant ships threatened by hostile forces; the method merchant ships expected at Bushire from India should use to discharge and load their cargo whilst relations with Shiraz are suspendedThe difference of opinion between Shirreff and Hennell (and Brucks) regarding the prospect of a serious attack on the Karrak station by sea.Physical description: The despatch itself (not included) is numbered 1, the abstract of contents 2, and the enclosures 3, 4, etc. The numbers listed in the abstract of contents are recorded for reference on the verso of the last folio of each enclosure, along with a summary description of each enclosure.
55. Board's Collections Vol 651
- Description:
- Abstract: This volume consists of one item which contains copies of correspondence, minutes, and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, letters to and from the governments of Bombay [Mumbai] and Bengal. The item is:IOR/F/4/651/17855 ‘Proceedings adopted in consequence of the depredations committed by the Joasmee [al-Qasimi] pirates in the Persian Gulph [Gulf]’, Vol. 6.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 265; 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 volume also contains an original pagination sequence.
56. Coll 5/68 ‘Air route to India: Air facilities on the Arab Coast; Security of the Air Route; emergency landing arrangements’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence related to the security of the Arab Coast Air Route, used by both Imperial Airways and the Royal Air Force (RAF). The majority of the file is devoted to proposals made by Sir Trenchard Craven William Fowle, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, in his letter dated 28 June 1939: see folios 44-50. His proposals can be summarised as follows:Alternative landing facilities should be established for use in the event of civil disturbances at Sharjah and Dibai [Dubai].The Political Resident should be given the discretion – in the event he is unable to consult the home government – to use force against ‘troublesome Shaikhs’ that threaten the continued operation of the Air Route.There is also a small amount of discussion in the file around the possibility of negotiating a fresh agreement with the Shaikh of Ra's al-Khaymah for the provision of air facilities.The main correspondents in the file are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior), officials of the Air Ministry, officials of the Foreign Office, and officials of the India Office (J P Gibson and Roland Tennyson Peel). The Admiralty is also consulted over the Resident's proposals.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio 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.
57. Coll 30/140 'Visits of foreign warships to Persian Gulf Sheikhdoms.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file concerns visits by foreign warships to Persian Gulf states that were under British protection. The British Government was concerned that such visits should obtain prior permission, particularly visits to the Trucial Coast in the 1930s, where British officials cited the Exclusive Agreement of March 1892, and the 'primitive conditions' to be found on the Trucial Coast at that time (folio 128).The file contains correspondence from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Foreign Office, and other British officials; intelligence reports; and correspondence with the governments of France and the United States of America.The file covers: visit of the French warship Bougainvilleto Bahrain, Kuwait and Ras al Khaimah in 1935; visit of the French warship d'Ibervilleto Bahrain, Kuwait and Aden in 1937; the cancellation of a visit by the d'Ibervilleto the Persian Gulf in 1939; visits of US warships (including USS Toledo, USS Hyman, and the aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge) to the region in 1947-48; and the question of national salutes.The French language content of the file consists of approximately five folios of diplomatic correspondence (untranslated).There are no papers in the file dated 1940-45.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 161; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
58. Coll 30/3 'Trucial Coast: Sharjah Affairs'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file contains correspondence regarding political developments in Sharjah and the surrounding area.The file is composed solely of internal correspondence between British officials including the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, several Royal Navy officers and India Office officials.The correspondence relates specifically to the following events:The seizure of power in Ras al-Khaimah by Saqr bin Mohammed bin Salim in 1948 (folios 3-4).Political tensions in Sharjah in 1938 (folios 5-7).Fighting between the rulers of Sharjah and 'Ajman in 1933/34 (folios 10-16).The murder of the Shaikh of Hamriyah and associated political fallout in 1931 (folios 19-66).The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the front of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 67; 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; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. The front cover has an additional flap which wraps around to the back of the folder and so has been marked as a fold-out.
59. Coll 5/6 ‘Muscat-Aden Air Route: Survey of Masirah Island’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file is concerned with the establishment of facilities along the southern coast of Oman for a proposed Muscat-Aden air route. It predominantly consists of reports on expeditions to establish (or repair) landing grounds and petrol storage facilities at the following locations: Masirah Island, Khor Jarama [Khawr al Jarāmah], Khor Gharum, and Shuwamiya [Ra’s ash Shuwāmīyah]. These reports are authored by either the Muscat Political Agent (Trenchard Craven William Fowle, Claude Edward Urquhart Bremner, and Ralph Ponsonby Watts), or the commanding officer of the deployed Royal Navy vessel: HMS Bideford or HMS Deptford. It also contains reconnaissance reports from surveys undertaken to identify suitable landing sites for the proposed air route. These reports include information on the personnel involved, progress made, incidents during the course of the expedition, navigational data, and sometimes details on eating and sleeping arrangements. It also contains a number of extracts from relevant — mainly Muscat — intelligence summaries.The file includes copies of three agreements made with local Shaikhs: two agreements (folios 50-1) with Shaikh Said bin Sultan of Mahut for Shuwamiya and Khor Gharum; and an agreement (folio 24) with Muhammed bin Suwaillim, Shaikh of Batahrah, as a result of his disputing the former’s authority over Shuwamiya. It also contains a couple of sketch maps of the coast of Oman showing the locations surveyed, and the locations where air facilities have been established; these can be found on folios 31 and 88.A report (folios 131-42), dated 29 March 1932, of a joint action between British forces and the Sultan of Muscat, Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd, against Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah al Hamudah of the Beni Bu Ali [Banī Bū ‘Alī] at Sur has also been included. The purpose of this action being to enforce the Sultan's authority by establishing a customs house at Aiqa.The main correspondents are as follows: the Persian Gulf Political Resident, the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, officials of the Admiralty, officials of the Air Ministry, and officials of the India Office.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 171; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
60. Enclosure in Letter from Henry Willock to the Secret Committee of 16 July 1820
- Description:
- Abstract: A copy of a letter from Francis Warden, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay [Mumbai], to Major-General William Grant Keir, Commander of the 1819 expedition to the Persian Gulf, sent from Bombay Castle and dated 26 January 1820.The letter commends Keir for his actions in the Gulf and instructs him on political affairs in the region following the expedition, in particular concerning Bahrein [Bahrain], the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat, and Persia [Iran].The letter was enclosed in the letter of Henry Willock, HM Chargé d'Affaires in Persia, to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company dated 6 July 1820 (IOR/L/PS/9/69/26 and 29).Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)