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25. ‘Secret Letters Outward’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains copies of letters sent under the heading ‘Secret Department’ from the Residency in the Persian Gulf (either from the Resident, Captain Samuel Hennell, or the Assistant Resident, T Mackenzie), to the Chief Secretary to the Government Bombay, throughout 1840 and 1841.The principal subjects covered by the correspondence are:The British position at Karrack [Jazīreh-ye Khārk], including discussions of increasing the British garrison on the island, the state of health of the garrison’s European soldiers, procurement of supplies (provender), and proposals to avoid loss of life amongst the European troops during the summer months;Discussions on the viability of a British occupation at Bahrain (spelt Bahrein throughout) should the British need to evacuate their position at Jazīreh-ye Khārk;The Egyptian occupation of Nedgd [Najd], including at Lahsah [Al-Hasa], and the movements and actions of the Egyptian army, led by Korshid Pasha;Ratification of the Treaty of Commerce between Britain and the Imam of Muscat, Sa‘id bin Sulṭān, at Zanzibar;French ships at Muscat, French intentions to establish a consular agent at Zanzibar, and French occupation of an island of the African coast;Affairs in Persia, including the Shah of Persia’s intentions to march against Bagdad [Baghdad];Relations between Muscat and Persia, including a proposed matrimonial alliance between the two states;Reports to Government, comprising précis of the situation in the various parts of Persia, Arabia and the Gulf, including one report with information on Bremee [Al Buraymī], taken from a reconnaissance undertaken by Captain Atkins Hamerton (folios 38-46);Anglo-Egyptian relations, and the risk of interruptions to the overland mail route linking Britain to India via Egypt and Syria, and Hennell’s recommendations for an alternative route across Asia Minor;Wahabee [Wahhābī] influence on the Arab coast;A report (folios 80-82) of Austen Henry Layard’s travels through Persia, and his meeting with Mahomed Takee Khan of the Bukhtiaree [Bakhtiari tribe].As a result of the volume having been significantly weeded in the past, there are multiple instances of truncated letters throughout the volume, some of which are identifiable by their having been crossed out in blue pencil.Physical description: Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. This sequence, which should be used for referencing, begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 93. Foliation anomalies: f 27 is followed by f 27A.Pagination: There is a pagination sequence, which appears in the top right corners of the rectos and in the top left corners of the versos.Condition: Insect damage in the form of small holes around the edges of pages, throughout the file.
26. ‘Letters from India (Secret Dept)’, Vol. 13
- Description:
- Abstract: Government of India Foreign Department letters marked ‘Secret’, ‘General’, or ‘Political’ and sent to His Grace the Duke of Argyll, Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for India, with enclosures. The papers are reporting on the state of affairs in a number of regions including: the Khanate of Khiva, the Khanate of Khelat [Kalat], Afghanistan, Persia [Iran], Yemen, Nejd [Najd], Oman, Zanzibar, and Turkish Arabia.The correspondence related to the state of affairs in Oman and Zanzibar [Sultanate of Muscat and Oman] covers: the violation of the rights of British subjects at Sohar [Suhar] by Ibrahim bin Ghes [Ibrāhīm bin Qais Āl Bū Sa‘īd, Governor of Sohar]; ‘the application of Seyd Toorkee [Sayyid Turkī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd] for payment of the Zanzibar subsidy’; ‘the alleged importation of slaves on the Arabian Coast under the French flag’ from Zanzibar; the hostilities by sea between Syed Ibrahim bin Ghes and the Sooltan [Sulṭān] of Muscat; the re-lease of the Customs Revenue of Zanzibar by Syud Burgash bin Saeed bin Sooltan [Sayyid Barghash bin Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān]; and ‘An account of the Tenets of the IBADHI Sect of ‘Oman’, translated from an Arabic manuscript work by the Political Agent at Muscat.The correspondence related to the state of affairs in the Khanate of Khelat covers: a raid committed from Khelat territory into Persian territory by a Persian subject; the demarcation of the Perso-Khelat boundary; the disputes between the Khan of Khelat and his nobles; the Marri [also spelled in the volume as Murree] and Bogtee [Bugti] tribes’ activities; trade routes and trading activities; proposed measures for preserving the peace of the Sind [Sindh] frontier; and petitions raised by a number of Sirdars from Khelat.The correspondence contains copies of Cabul [Kabul] diaries reporting on the state of affairs in Afghanistan. The diaries include news on the deputation of an envoy from the Khan of Khiva to the Amir of Afghanistan, Sher Ali Khan [Shīr ‘Alī Khān, also spelled in the volume as Shere]; the spread of cholera; military operations; the appointment and dismissal of local governors; the Budukshan [Badakhshan, also spelled in the volume as Badakshan] affair; the boundary between Afghanistan and Bokhara [Bukhara]; relations between Afghanistan and the Russian Empire; and correspondence between the Governor General of Russian Toorkistan [Turkestan] and the Amir in relation to border affairs.The correspondence contains news reports of affairs at Aden covering: the spread of cholera at Aden and Hodeida [Al Hudaydah]; the attack on Hodeida by the Arab tribe of Asseerees [‘Asīr]; accounts of the trade routes leading to Aden and the principal tribes in the neighbourhood with which the Government of India have treaty relations; the Political Resident at Aden, Major-General Charles William Tremenheere, visiting Lahej territory; the advance of Turkish troops in Yemen; reports of incidents on board British ships; military action towards the Munsooree [Al-Manṣūrī, also al-Manāṣīr] and the Soobaihee [al-Ṣabīha, also spelled in the volume as Soobahees] tribes of Yemen; an agreement signed between the Soobaihee chiefs of Yemen and the Political Resident at Aden related to roads safety; a detailed ‘report of the Arab tribes and the vicinity of Aden’ prepared by Captain William Francis Prideaux, Assistant to the Political Resident at Aden; and an agreement signed between the tribe of the Foodthlees [al-Faḍlī] of Yemen and the Political Resident at Aden.Other topics covered in the volume are:The military operations of Russia in Central Asia‘The subject of the sovereignty of Kohuk [Kuhak, also spelled in the volume as Kuak]’ with detailed description of the Perso-Baloch frontierThe employment by the Ottoman Government of an English diver, James Thomas, in seeking for pearls on the Arab Coast of the Persian Gulf‘Complaint made by the Persian Government of instructions having been issued to Her Majesty’s representative at Gwadur [Gwadar] to recognise Charbar [Chah-Bahar, a town on the Makran coast of Persian Baluchistan] as belonging to Muscat’‘A piratical attack on the British India Steam Navigation Company’s steam ship Cashmereat Busreh [Basra, also spelled in the volume as Busrah]’The claim of Hajee Moosa Meymennee [Ḥājī Mūsa Mīmanī, also spelled in the volume as Meymenee], a British Indian subject, to compensation for ‘the wheat supplied by him to the people of Bushire [Bushehr] under a compulsory order of the Persian Government’‘The infraction of the interdict on the export of grain and provisions from Persian ports’An account by Dr David Livingstone, Her Majesty’s Consul in Inner Africa, of his explorations in Central Africa‘The trade between India and the Persian Gulf, and the proposal for a new Commercial Treaty with Persia’The dispute between Turkey and Bahrein [Bahrain] concerning the murder of a Turkish messenger, and other Bahrein AffairsThe Turkish expedition to NejdNews of the arrival and departure of ships at Kateef [Qatif], Ojair [Al-Uqayr], Ras Tanoorah [Ras Tanura] and other portsThe request of Messrs Gray, Paul and Company for permission to place steam barges at Bushire for the purpose of landing and shipping cargoRelations between the Russian authorities and the Turkoman tribes‘Captain St. John’s explorations in Persia, and containing information on certain points of Persian geography’The arbitral opinion given by Major General on special mission Frederick John Goldsmid, in the matter of the Seistan [Sistan] arbitrationNews of appointments of British Agents and other officials in various locations in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan.Among the main correspondents in the volume are: Charles Umpherston Aitchison, the Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department; D C Macnabb, Officiating Commissioner and Superintendent, Peshawur [Peshawur] Division; C Alison, Her Britannic Majesty’s Minister at Teheran [Tehran]; Ronald Thomson, Her Majesty’s Chargé d’Affaires at Teheran; Colonel C Herbert, Her Majesty’s Political Agent at Baghdad; H LePoer Wynne, Under Secretary to the Government of India; Captain G J Stevens, Commandant, Aden Troop; Colonel Lewis Pelly, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; Dr John Kirk, Acting Political Agent and Her Majesty’s Consul at Zanzibar; Major Edward Charles Ross, Her Majesty’s Political Agent and Consul at Muscat; Captain C Grant, Assistant Resident in the Persian Gulf; and Captain C H Harrison, Political Agent at Khelat.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 985; 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 intermittent pagination sequence.
27. ‘LETTERS FROM THE E.I.C. RESIDENT IN THE PERSIAN GULF 1842-43 FROM AGENT IN SYRIA 1842-43 FROM AGENT WITH IMAUM OF MUSCAT 1842-43’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains letters to the Secret Committee of the East India Company from: Lieutenant-Colonel Davies, in charge of the Residency in the Persian Gulf; the Officiating Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Dundas Robertson; HM’s Consuls and East India Company’s Agents in Syria, Richard Wood and H Moore; and the East India Company’s Agent with the Imaum [Imām] of Muscat (also spelled Muskat in this volume), Captain Atkins Hamerton. The letters to the Secret Committee are dated 10 January 1842 to 13 April 1844.Letters from the Residency in the Persian Gulf discuss affairs at Karrak [Kharg Island], in particular: the evacuation of Karrak by British troops; the apparent apprehension of the island’s inhabitants at the prospect of the island being delivered up to the Governor of Bushire [Bushehr], Sheikh Nasser [Shaikh Nāṣir, also spelled Nassir in this volume]; the proceedings of a man who had arrived on Karrack as a deweish [dervish], claiming to be Jehan Loz Mirza [Jahānsūz Mīrzā], a son of the late Futtih Allee Shah [Fatḥ-‘Alī Shāh Qājār] of Persia [Iran], and stating that he had opposed the accession of the present King [Shāh] of Persia.The letters from the Residency also discuss affairs in Persia including: the Residency moving back to Bushire; the visit of the Prince of Sheeraz [Shiraz] to Bushire; and the King of Persia having expressed ‘a real or pretended jealousy’ at Robertson choosing staying at Karrack after he had received a firman from the King permitting him to reside at Khoormooj [Khormoj] during the summer.Other matters discussed in the letters from the Residency include:Affairs in Nedjd [Najd, also spelled Nedgd in this volume], including Abdoolla bin Sooneyaun [Amīr ‘Abdullāh bin Thunayān Āl Sa‘ūd, also spelled Abdoolah bin Sooneyan] declaring himself Ruler of NedjdA French corvette, La Favourite, visiting the Persian Gulf on a roving cruiseRobertson’s attempts to suppress the traffic in ‘slaves’ [trade in enslaved people] between Africa and the GulfThe dispute between the ‘Chief’ of Aboothabee [Ruler of Abu Dhabi], Khuleefa ben Shackboot [Shaikh Khalīfah bin Shakhbūṭ Āl Nahyān], and Sultan ben Suggur of Sharga [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī, Ruler of Ra’s al-Khaymah and Sharjah]The renewal of the annual maritime truceRobertson reporting the apparently wide-spread belief amongst inhabitants of the Persian Gulf that Britain intends to acquire territory in the GulfAffairs in Bahrein [Bahrain], including murders committed by parties contending against each other.There is also an enclosed memorandum from Robertson to the Secretary to the Government of Bombay on British influence in the Persian Gulf (ff 23-26).Letters from HM’s Consuls and East India Company’s Agents in Syria relate to matters including:The cessation of the hostilities which had broken out between the different sects which inhabit the district of Mount Lebanon (following the intervention of the Seraskier Mustafa Pasha [Muṣṭafá Pāshā] at the head of a commission from Constantinople [Istanbul])Transmission of mail, including the local government at Damascus having established a post from Damascus to Beyrout [Beirut], and their apparent intention of establishing one from Damascus to Bagdad [Baghdad], in competition with the East India Company’s line of communication between the Persian Gulf and Beyrout through SyriaNegib (or Nejib) Pasha [Muḥammad Najīb Pāshā] being removed from the Pashalic [Pashalik, or Eyalet] of Damascus to the Government of Bagdad and Ally (or Aly) Pasha [‘Alī Riḍā Pāshā] of Baghdad being appointed to the Pashalic of DamascusInsurrection in the ‘districts’ of Orfa [Urfa or Rakka] and Mesopotamia [Iraq].Letters from the East India Company’s Agent with the Imaum of Muscat discuss matters including:The intention of the Imaum of Muscat, Saeid bin Sultan [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd], to send his ship Sultaneh to London with letters of petition to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, the Earl of Aberdeen (British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs), and Lord Palmerston (enclosed), in an effort to modify in his favour the position of the British Government on the suppression of the ‘slave trade’Hamerton reporting attempts by the American Consul and ‘the American party’ at Zanzibar to negatively influence the Imaum’s views against Hamerton and the East India CompanyThe Imaum requiring the principal ‘native’ merchants at Zanzibar, who are Indian British subjects, to sign a declaration making themselves citizens of Zanzibar, foregoing their British subject status and British protectionThe fears of the Imaum of Muscat about French encroachments on his African possessions, following the inhabitants of the island of Nos Beh [Nosy Be] being induced to end their allegiance to the Imaum and place themselves under French protection.Letters from Robertson include some enclosed letters: translated copies of letters from Abdoolah bin Sooneyan and Sayd bin Mootluck [Sa‘d bin Muṭlaq] to Sultan bin Suggur; and letters from Robertson to the Secretary to the Government of Bombay and HM Chargé d’Affaires at the Court of Persia, Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil.Enclosures in letters from Richard Wood include a letter from Wood to HM Consul and East India Company Agent at Bagdad Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Taylor.Enclosures in letters from Hamerton include: letters from Hamerton to the Secretary to the Government of Bombay; translated copies of letters from Queen Smeko [Tsiomeko] of the Sackalavee [Sakalava] tribe on the island of Nos Beh to the Imaum of Muscat; a memorandum by Hamerton on the extent to which the ‘slave trade’ is carried on by subjects of the Imaum of Muscat at Zanzibar and the coast of Africa under the dominion of the Imaum of Muscat (ff 127-132); and a report on French proceedings in the territories of the Imaum of Muscat (ff 133-140).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 229; 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 pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 8-157; these numbers are written in ink and are not circled.
28. ‘Memorandum by Mr Parkes on British Policy of Non-Interference in the Affairs of Nejd [Najd].’
- Description:
- Abstract: The printed memorandum, written by Edward Parkes of the Foreign Office, is headed ‘A. Asiatic Turkey and Arabia. Confidential. [July 3] Section 6.’ It summarises past correspondence (dated from February 1904 to May 1907) between Government officials on Britain’s policy of confining their influence to the coastline of eastern Arabia, and not interfering with Ibn Saoud’s [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Sa‘ūd)] affairs in the Arabian region of Najd. The subheadings in the outer margin, alongside each paragraph, indicate the author, number and date of the correspondence being summarised. There is a handwritten addition to the memorandum, written in red ink at the top of the first page, which reads: ‘Memorandum B 200’.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 7, 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 top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and won't be found in the same position as the main sequence.
29. 'ABSTRACT OF LETTERS FROM INDIA 1871'
- Description:
- Abstract: Confidential printed abstracts of letters received by the India Office from the Government of India, and from senior officials in certain areas outside India, during the year 1871. The letters are dated December 1870-December 1871. The abstracts each have one of the following titles:Abstracts of Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Military Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Letters received from AdenAbstracts of Letters received from Bushire [Bushehr]Abstracts of Letters received from Aden and BushireAbstracts of Letters received from Bushire and AdenAbstracts of Letters received from ZanzibarAbstracts of Letters received from Zanzibar and BushireAbstracts of Letters received from Zanzibar, Bushire and AdenAbstracts of Secret Letters received from India.Each abstract contains summaries of one or more letters from the specified source, each with a title giving the subject of the letter. Letters from India are divided within each abstract by the branch or department of the Government of India they originated from. The correspondence covers issues including:Pay, pensions, recruitment, and other personnel issues in the Indian Civil and Military establishmentsRevenue, expenditure, and taxationPublic works, including: roads; railways including proposed railways to Persia [Iran] and the head of the Persian Gulf; prisons; barracks; irrigation; canals; harbours; and land reclamationsIssues concerning Princely States, including: debts; allowances; internal administration; and police action on the borders of Marwar and Serohi [Sirohi]Land issues, including land revenue settlements and forestryTelegraphyIssues concerning emigration from India to British Guiana [Guyana], Grenada, Penang, and French coloniesMilitary affairs, including: the reorganisation, supply, accommodation, and discipline of military units; naval deployments; and harbour defences in Aden and BombayEducationBankingAffairs on the Northwest Frontier, including raids by the Wuzeerees [Wazīrī tribe] and frontier policy in Beloochistan [Baluchistan]Affairs on the Eastern [Northeast] Frontier, including: defensive arrangements; frontier defences in British-occupied Arracan [Rakhine] and Tenasserim [Tanintharyi] in Burmah [Myanmar/Burma]; raids on tea plantations in Cachar, Sylhet, Tipperah [Tripura], and Munnipore [Manipur] by members of the Looshai [Mizo] tribes; and arrangements for a military expedition against the LooshaiAffairs in Persia, including: frontier relations with Turkey [Ottoman Empire] and with Afghanistan concerning Seistan [Sistan]; trade issues in the Persian Gulf; famine and prohibitions on grain exportAffairs in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, in particular civil conflict leading to the accession of Syud Toorkee [Turkī bin Sa’īd Āl Bū Sa’īd] to the throne and potential threats to Syud Toorkee’s powerAffairs in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Peninsula, including: conflict in Nejd [Emirate of Najd, also written here as Nujd] between Saood [Sa’ūd bin Fayṣal Al Sa’ūd] and Abdullah [‘Abdullāh bin Fayṣal Al Sa’ūd]; a Turkish [Ottoman] expedition to Nejd, the Turkish occupation of Lahsa [Al Hasa], and the raising of the Turkish flag in Guttur [Qatar]; and the settlement of Odeyd [Khor al-Udayd], claimed by Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi], by an independent tribeAffairs in and around Aden Settlement, including: the capture of Hodeida [Al Hudaydah] by the Aseeris [Emirate of ‘Asir]; relations with neighbouring polities, in particular Lahej [Laḥij Sultanate] and the Foodlees [Faḍlī Sultanate]; the security of roads; and suspected Turkish designs in YemenAffairs in Zanzibar, including the accession of Syud Burgash [Sayyid Barghash bin Sa’īd Āl Bū Sa’īd] to the throne and his relations with Britain and Muscat and the slave tradeAffairs in East Africa, including suspected Turkish designs on Berbera and an attack on a British ship by the Majerteen [Mājertīn Sultanate]Civil conflict in Affghanistan [Afghanistan] between Yakoob Khan [Muḥammad Ya’qūb Khān] and the Ameer [Amīr Shīr ‘Alī Khān], the flight of refugees to India, and Russian overtures to the AmeerRelations with Burmah, including trade relations, proposed routes to China, and arms importsExploration of the route from Ladak [Ladakh] to Yarkund [Yarkant].The primary correspondents are:The Government of IndiaThe Viceroy and Governor-General of IndiaThe Resident in AdenThe Political Resident in the Persian GulfThe Political Agent in Zanzibar.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 393; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers.
30. 'ABSTRACT OF LETTERS FROM INDIA 1873'
- Description:
- Abstract: Confidential printed abstracts of letters received by the India Office from the Government of India, and from senior officials in certain areas outside India, during the year 1873. The letters are dated December 1872-December 1873. The abstracts each have one of the following titles:Abstracts of Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Letters received from Sir B FrereAbstracts of Letters received from AdenAbstracts of Military Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Secret Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Letters received from Zanzibar, Bushire [Bushehr] and AdenAbstracts of Letters received from Bushire and AdenAbstracts of Letters received from Bushire.Each abstract contains summaries of one or more letters from the specified source, each with a title giving the subject of the letter. Letters from India are divided within each abstract by the branch or department of the Government of India they originated from. The correspondence covers issues including:Arrangements for preserving the historical records of the Government of IndiaJudicial affairs, including the detention of Kooka [Namdhari/Kuka Sikh] insurgents as political prisoners and the question of jurisdiction over British subjects in Persia [Iran] and the Persian GulfLand issues, including plantations of tea, cinchona, and opium poppy, exploration for coal deposits, and land revenue settlementsRevenue, expenditure, and taxationPay, pensions, recruitment, and other personnel issues in the Indian Civil and Military establishmentsPublic works, including railways, canals and irrigationEducationTelegraphy, including international telegraphic links with IndiaAffairs concerning Princely States, including issues of succession, internal administration, the education of heirs, debts, and railwaysAnticipated famine in BengalIssues concerning emigration from India to British, French, and Dutch colonies, including the proposed emigration of Indian labourers to FijiMilitary affairs, including the organisation and supply of military unitsMilitary operations, including an expedition in the Garo Hills and counter-insurgency operations against the Moplahs [Mappilas] in MalabarAffairs in Persia, including: requests from the Persian Government for seconded Prussian and French army officers; frontier disputes between Persia and Turkey; the arbitration of the Mekran [Makran] and Seistan [Sistan] borders; a proposed railway from the Caspian Sea to Teheran [Tehran]Affairs in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Peninsula, including: conflict in Nejd [Emirate of Najd] between Saood [Sa’ūd bin Fayṣal Al Sa’ūd] and Abdullah [‘Abdullāh bin Fayṣal Al Sa’ūd]; the Turkish [Ottoman] occupation of Lahsa [Al Hasa] and suspected Turkish designs on the Gulf coast; and the slave tradeAffairs in and around Aden Settlement, in particular Turkish activity in the regionAffairs in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, in particular the consolidation of and challenges to the rule of the Sultan Syud Toorkee [Sayyid Turkī bin Sa’īd Āl Bū Sa’īd]Affairs in Zanzibar, including the slave trade, the Zanzibar Subsidy to Muscat, and contact with the mission of Dr David Livingstone in Central AfricaAffairs in the Red Sea, including the illegal destruction of dhows by the British ship Thetisand suspected Egyptian designs on Berbera,Sir Bartle Frere’s mission to investigate the slave trade in East Africa, negotiations with the Sultans of Zanzibar and Muscat for treaties to suppress the slave trade, and recommendations for other anti-slavery measuresAffairs in Turkish Arabia [Ottoman Iraq], including the administration of Reouf Pasha [Muḥammad Ra'ūf Pāshā], a steamer service operated by the British India Steam Navigation Company between Bussora [Basra] and Bagdad [Baghdad], and a prohibition on the export of Arab horsesAffairs in Central Asia, including: arbitration of the northern border of Affghanistan [Afghanistan]; discussions with Russia concerning spheres of influence in the region; affairs in Eastern Turkestan [Xinjiang] and the proposed expedition of Thomas Forsyth to Yarkund [Yarkant]; a Russian expedition against Khiva; the visit to India of envoys from Affghanistan and Bokhara [Bukhara]Affairs in Burmah [Burma/Myanmar]Affairs in Siam [Thailand], Nipal [Nepal], and Thibet [Tibet]The Panthay Rebellion in China.The primary correspondents are:The Government of IndiaThe Viceroy and Governor-General of IndiaThe Resident at AdenThe Political Resident in the Persian GulfThe Political Agent in MuscatThe Political Agent in ZanzibarSir Bartle Frere.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 332; 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 file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
31. 'Abstracts of Letters from India 1872'
- Description:
- Abstract: Confidential printed abstracts of letters received by the India Office from the Government of India, and from senior officials in certain areas outside India, during the year 1872. The letters are dated December 1871-December 1872. The abstracts each have one of the following titles:Abstracts of Military Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Secret Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Letters received from Zanzibar and Bushire [Bushehr]Abstracts of Letters received from BushireAbstracts of Letters received from Zanzibar, Bushire and AdenAbstracts of Letters received from ZanzibarAbstracts of Letters received from Bushire and Aden.Each abstract contains summaries of one or more letters from the specified source, each with a title giving the subject of the letter. Letters from India are divided within each abstract by the branch or department of the Government of India they originated from. The correspondence covers issues including:Public works, including: railways, including a proposed railway in Persia [Iran], and irrigationIssues concerning Princely States, including internal administration and issues of successionPay, pensions, recruitment, and other personnel issues in the Indian Civil and Military establishmentsRevenue, expenditure, and taxationBanking and financeTelegraphyEducation, including efforts at promoting literature, science, and art by the Government of IndiaJudicial affairs, including the trial of Wahabee [Wahhabī] leaders in BengalLand issues, including: the cultivation of cinchona, coffee, and opium; coal mining; land administration and revenue settlementsIssues concerning emigration from India to British, French, and Dutch colonies, and the proposed emigration of Indian labourers to CubaA cholera epidemic in BengalA cyclone in Madras [Chennai]Frontier affairs, including a rebellion against the Khan of Khelat [Kalat], conflict and negotiation with Wuzeeree [Wazīrī] tribes on the Northwest Frontier; the question of maintaining the garrison in Peshawur [Peshawar]; an expedition against the Looshai [Mizo people] and a planned expedition to the Garo Hills on the Northeast FrontierMilitary affairs, including the supply of military unitsAn insurrection of the Kookas [Namdharis/Kuka Sikhs] in Punjab, including the case of the summary execution of insurgents by John Lambert Cowan, Deputy Commissioner of the Loodiana [Ludhiana] DistrictThe assassination of the Earl of Mayo, Viceroy and Governor-General of India, in Port BlairAffairs in Persia, including the arbitration of the Mekran [Makran] and Seistan [Sistan] borders, the proposed secondment of British officers to the Persian army, famine, and Persia’s relations with TurkeyAffairs in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, including the consolidation of and challenges to the rule of the Sultan Syud Toorkee [Sayyid Turkī bin Sa’īd Āl Bū Sa’īd] and the loss of Charbar [Chabahar] and Bunder Abbas [Bandar-e ‘Abbas] to PersiaAffairs in Zanzibar, including: the slave trade; the delegating of customs management to Jairam Sewjee; the issue of the Zanzibar Subsidy to Muscat; and correspondence with the missionary Dr David Livingstone in Central AfricaAffairs in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Peninsula, including: the Turkish [Ottoman] campaign in Nejd [Najd] and suspected Turkish designs on Bahrein [Bahrain]; and the settlement of Odeyd [Khor al-Udayd], claimed by Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi], by an independent tribe;Affairs in and around Aden Settlement, including transit dues on roads and the proposed colonisation of Socotra by ItalyAffairs in Turkish Arabia [Ottoman Iraq], including tribal insurgency and alleged trade in enslaved people at Bussorah [Basra]Affairs in Central Asia, including the Russian advance, the visits of envoys from Bokhara [Bukhara] and Yarkund [Yarkant] to India, and negotiations with Russia concerning the northern boundary of Affghanistan [Afghanistan]Affairs in Burmah [Burma/Myanmar]The Panthay Rebellion in China.The primary correspondents are:The Government of IndiaThe Viceroy and Governor-General of IndiaThe Resident at AdenThe Political Resident in the Persian GulfThe Political Agent in MuscatThe Political Agent in Zanzibar.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 303; 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 file also contains an original printed pagination sequence. Pages 1 and 2 are missing.
32. 'Notes on the "Akhwan" Movement'
- Description:
- Abstract: This printed memorandum is entitled 'Notes on the "Akhwan" [Ikhwān] Movement' by Major Harold Richard Patrick Dickson, which he compiled following his 1920 visit to ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Saud) at al-Hasa (al-Aḥsā’).The note contains the following sections:I: 'General', including '(a) Authorities' and '(b) Nature of the Movement';II: 'A Short History of Akhwanism', including a note on 'Prayer';III: 'Beliefs';IV: 'Other Customs, Observances and Beliefs among Akhwan';V: System of Bin Sa’ud's Government and its Connection with the Akhwan;', including 'Administration', 'Judicial', 'Military', 'Revenue'.Dickson notes his authorities from whom information was gathered as: Ibn Saud himself; ’Abdul Aziz Al Qusaibi [‘Abd al-‘Azīz al-Quṣaybī]; Fahad Al Bassam [Fahad al-Bassām]; Sulaiman Al Hawwas [Sulaymān Āl Ḥawwās]; Ibrahim bin Juma’ [Ibrāhīm bin Juma‘], Ibn Saud's confidential servant; members of Dickson's personal guard; Muhammad Effendi (Kurd), Treasury Officer to Bin Juluwi [‘Abdullāh bin Jilūwī]; and a member of the movement. The note also includes a list (folio 107v) of new towns ( hijar) that have arisen in Najd under the movement.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this memorandum commences at folio 105, and terminates at folio 107, 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 7-153; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
33. 'Biographical Notes'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains manuscript draft biographical notes on Persian statesmen and notables compiled by George Percy Churchill.Many of the notes are accompanied by imprints of the subject's seal and signature (in Persian); some by typescript pages, extracts from published works and newspaper cuttings; and a few (folio 114v, folio 163v) by portrait photographs. The notes give the subject's name as heading, and various information including dates of birth and death, office and career history, family details (including members of the Shah's family), pay and financial details, interests, linguistic abilities, and some personal comments.The introductory page (folio 4v), which is signed by Churchill and dated 1904, is inscribed 'Strictly Confidential and for the Use of His Majesty's Government Officials Only'. A manuscript note states that the volume had been compiled from a variety of sources, and embodied the bulk of Colonel H Picot's biographical note of 1897, which Churchill had endeavoured 'to bring up to date and amplify'. The volume also contains a printed extract containing a list of words used in the composition of Persian titles, with a glossary of their meaning, including both the Persian forms and English transliterations; a manuscript genealogical tree of the Royal Kajar House; a manuscript list entitled 'Principal Persian Diplomatic and Consular Representation'; a manuscript list of Persian cabinet minsters and other politicians, dated 1901; list of ministers, provincial governors, etc in Persia dated 1904; and grouped cuttings of printed seals and coloured impressions of crests (folios 2v, 3r, 29v).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 2 on the first folio after the front cover and terminates at 303, on the inside back cover. These numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomaly: ff. 4, 4A. The following folios need to be folded out to be read: f. 31, ff. 34-35.Pagination: there is an incomplete printed pagination sequence, running from 1-489 (ff. 36v-299v) which appears in the top right hand corner of each recto page, and the top left hand corner of each verso page of the main (ruled) portion of the volume. Some of the preceding pages in the volume have been numbered in pencil, but these numbers do not appear to be part of any discernible sequence.
34. 'Historical Summary of Events in Territories of the Ottoman Empire, Persia and Arabia affecting the British Position in the Persian Gulf, 1907-1928'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume is entitled Summary of Events in Territories of the Ottoman Empire, Persia and Arabia affecting the British Position in the Persian Gulf, 1907-1928(printed by the Committee of Imperial Defence, October 1928).Includes sections on The Ottoman Empire, Persia, Arabia (Nejd [Najd]), Mohammerah [Khorramshahr], Muscat, and Bahrein [Bahrain].Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 90 on the back cover. These numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 1, 1A; ff. 86, 86A. Two folios, f. 3 and f. 4 have been reattached in the wrong order, so that f. 4 precedes f. 3. The following map folios need to be folded out to be examined: f. 87, f. 88.
35. 'NEJD EXPEDITION PRECIS.'
- Description:
- Abstract: Précis of the 1871-1872 Turkish Expedition to Nejd [Najd], compiled by Philip Durham Henderson, Under Secretary to the Foreign Department, Government of India, March 1872. The précis has been divided into sections which discuss:Origin of the Expedition;First report of an intended expedition;Design of the expedition revived;Position of parties in Nejd;Expedition temporarily postponed. Enquiries made from the Porte regarding it;Earlier instructions given to Colonel Lewis Pelly;Preparations for Expedition resumed;Complications in the Persian Gulf;British policy in the Persian Gulf, and how it might be affected by the Nejd Expedition;Explicit assurances of the Porte;Midhut Pasha confirms assurances of the Porte;Instructions to Colonel Lewis Pelly;Report to Secretary of State with views of Government;Colonel Lewis Pelly directed to proceed to Bahrein [Bahrain];Secretary of State's instructions with regard to preventing Trucial Chiefs from aiding either party;Pasha promises non-interference with littoral Arabs;Porte promises non-interference with Trucial Arabs, but claim to accept their services when offered;Observations of Midhut Pasha on the instructions given to Colonel Lewis Pelly;Expedition prohibited by Pasha from approaching Bahrein;Enquiries from Persia regarding Expedition;Non-interference in political questions enjoined on Colonel Charles Herbert;Narrative of events in Nejd up to date of landing of the Expedition;Narrative of the Expeditionary force up to date of landing in Nejd;Observations of the Grand Vizier on the policy of the British Government. Remarks of the Government of India thereon;Porte informed Indian Government disclaim countenancing Arabs;Turkish designs on Gwuttur [Qatar];Increase of the Turkish Naval Force in Persian Gulf;Representation addressed to Home Government regarding the above;Movements of British vessels;Case of the Snipe(believed to be a British vessel carrying Turkish troops);Murder of a so-called Turkish messenger at Bahrein;Demand on Bahrein Chief for surrender of two boats;Reasons for non-interference of British Government in operations by land;Further narrative of the Expedition and Affairs in Nejd;Attitude of Bahrein Chief. Evidence of Turkish designs against Bahrein;Kowait [Kuwait] Chief. Assistance rendered by him to the Turks and his intrigues.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 66 and terminates at folio 98, 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.
36. 'File 82/1 II (F 53) A.P.O.C., and Oil Concession - Arab Coast'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains correspondence and telegrams between the Political Department, the Colonial Office and the Secretary of State at the India Office in London, the Political Resident at Bushire, the Political Agents at Kuwait and Muscat, local rulers, Anglo Persian Oil Company (APOC) and Eastern and General Syndicate Limited representatives on the negotiations for oil concessions in Kuwait, Bahrain, Nejd [Najd, Jubail, Saudi Arabia], Qatar, Muscat, Oman and Trucial Coast.The volume includes documents regarding:Bahrain: Letter in English and Arabic from the Political Resident in the Gulf to Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, Ruler of Bahrain, informing him that the British Government didn't approve the Bahrain Oil Concession being agreed to Major Frank Holmes, representing Eastern and General Syndicate (folios 41-42) and subsequent correspondence regarding the cancellation of this concession (folios 125-126) and the agreement with APOC;Kuwait: Draft Agreements between Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, Ruler of Kuwait, and D'Arcy Exploration Company limited, on the oil exploration license in Kuwait (draft agreement 20 June 1923 on folios 51-60; draft agreement 6 September 1923 on folios 157-171 and draft agreement 18 November 1923 on folios 198-210; in Arabic on folios 229-235) and minutes of a meeting to discuss it (folios 61-64A); correspondence between the Political Agent in Kuwait and the ruler of Kuwait, regarding contacts being made with Major Holmes and Eastern and General Syndicate, in Arabic with English translation (folios 83-89).Najd: Report on Najd Oil Concession by J.B. Mackie (folios 31-33); letter from Āl Sa‘ūd, ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal (Ibn Sa‘ūd), Sultan of Najd, to the High Commissioner for Iraq dated 21 May 1923, in Arabic with English translation, regarding oil exploration being granted to Eastern and General Syndicate (folios 76-78).Physical description: The main foliation is in pencil, encircled, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The numbering begins on the first folio after the front cover, on number 1, then 2-63; 64A and 64B; 65-195; 196A and 196B and it carries on to the last folio, ending on 284. There is another foliation sequence, which is incomplete.