Abstract: Correspondence concerning the use of French flags by dhows at Sur and the actions taken by the Sultan of Muscat and the Government of India. Includes a hand drawn map (folio 33) 'Rough sketch of Soor'.Topics covered include:The establishment of a French consulate;Representation of the Sultan of Muscat at the Hague tribunal;British documents relating to the arbitration at the Hague tribunal;Issues involving the slave trade and use of the French flag.Correspondents include Major Percy Zachariah Cox, Political Agent, Muscat; Political Resident Persian Gulf; Louis William Dane, Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department; Quarantine superintendent of the Sultan of Muscat.Physical description: Foliation: The foliaton system in use is the sequence of numbers appearing in a circle in the top right hand corner of each folio.
Abstract: Correspondence concerning fighting at Sur between the Bani Bu Ali and the Arama. Includes a number of reports from Major Gerald Patrick Murphy the Political Agent, Muscat to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf on the general situation in Oman and concerns that due to tribal involvement the fighting could spread from Sur to the rest of Oman. Letters discuss how the fort at Sur was bombarded to show the rebellious tribes that the Government of India intended to support Muscat. Includes a map (folio 199) drawn by Major Gerald Patrick Murphy, Political Agent, Muscat, entitled 'Map showing extent of Sultan's influence in Oman'. Correspondents include the Political Resident, Persian Gulf; Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah al Humudah [‘Alī bin Abdullāh al-Ḥamūdah], Amir of Jaalan; Political Agent, Muscat; Foreign Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department; Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf.Physical description: Foliation: There is an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete foliation sequence is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. It begins on the title page, on number 1, and runs through to 274, ending on the inside of the back cover. Anomalies: ff 1A-C; f 23A; f 63A; f 74A; f 88A; f 90A; f 93A; f 96A; f 100A; f 111A; f 113A; f 114A; f 121A; f 124A; f 167A; f 198A; ff 208A-B; f 247A.
Abstract: Correspondence relating to the rebellion of the Sur area and issues of the extension of the authority of the Sultan of Muscat. Includes discussion by the Political Agent, Muscat of the creation of a protectorate in Muscat and Oman; a 'note on our present policy in Muscat'; questionnaire on planning for an occupation of Sur in terms of availability of water; and other factors as well as the assessment by Captain O'Connor of issues in occupying Sur; travelling permits issued by the Amirs of Jaalan.Correspondents include Major Gerald Patrick Murphy, Political Agent, Muscat; Sir Frederick William Johnston, Political Resident Persian Gulf; Evelyn Berkeley Howell, Foreign Secretary to the Government of India; Secretary for State for India, India Office, London; Sheikh Muhammad bin Nasir al Hamudah [Muḥammed bin Nāṣir al-Ḥamūdah], Amir of Jaalan; Shaikh Hamdan bin Nasir al Hamudan [Ḥamdān bin Nāṣir al-Ḥamūdah], Amir of Jaalan's brother; Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah [Banī Bū ‘Alī] of Bani Bu Ali; Sayid Taimur bin Faisal [Taymūr bin Fayṣal], Sultan of Muscat; Commander, HMS
Cyclamen; Shaikh Isa bin Salih al Harithi [‘Īsá Bin-Ṣāliḥ al-Ḥārith]; Captain Roderick Louis O'Connor, Officer on Special Duty; High Commissioner, Baghdad.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: Correspondence relating to the Amir of Ja'alan and the collection of customs at Sur. Letters discuss the strategy for enforcing customs collection in Sur and the visit in HMS
Penzanceof Heir Apparent, Saiyid Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr], President of the Council of Ministers in order to re-establish Sultanate authority in Sur. Correspondence discusses the constraints on the actual use of British naval power and the preferred use of the Muscat Levies as well as possible use of air power. Includes a hand-drawn map of Sur (folio 87) with discussion of the tribal divisions in the town and of the village of Aiqa inhabited by the Bani Bu Ali.Correspondents include Air Headquarters, Iraq Command, Hinaidi; Air Ministry, London;Trenchard Craven W. Fowle and Reginald George Alban, Political Agent, Muscat; Hugh Vincent Biscoe, Political Resident, Persian Gulf; Foreign Secretary, Government of India; Stuart Edwin Hedgecock, Financial Adviser, Ministry of Finance, Muscat; Saif bin Ali bin Saif [Saif bin ‘Alī bin Saif], Wali of Sur; Iskander, Director-General of Customs, Muscat; 'the people of Aiqa'; Ali bin Abdullah Al Hamudah [‘Alī bin Abdullāh al-Ḥamūdah], Amir of Ja'alan.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation system in use is the sequence of numbers appearing in a circle in the top right hand corner of each folio.
Abstract: Correspondence relating to actions against the Bani Bu Ali [Banī Bū ‘Alī] in Sur in 1932 who were claiming independence from the Muscat State. Correspondence discusses how the Bani Bu Ali led by Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah al-Hammuda [Muḥammed bin Nāṣir al-Ḥamūdah] were rebelling against the Sultan of Muscat's authority and in particular the creation of a customs post in Aiqa. Shaikh Ali had deployed armed forces to Aiqa fort and prevented the establishment of the customs post. The timing for deployment of aircraft from Iraq including Wapitis and flying boats is discussed and in particular the implications of reconnaissance flights during Ramadan. One Wapiti crashed 40 miles south of Muscat but the occupants were unhurt and safely rescued. Saiyid Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr] visited Sur in a sloop along with HMS
Emerald. Correspondence details the agreement of the Foreign Office, Air Ministry and India Office in London to the use of aircraft. A letter from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty concurs in the action whilst expressing concern over the use of aircraft and the repercussions this could have on relations with Arab rulers, and suggests only use of naval bombardment. The Air Ministry responded noting the Political Resident's view that 'action by warship alone would be entirely ineffective; past history has shewn this.' The India Office notes that the action proposed by the Government of India were based on discussions with the Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf and Air Officer Commanding, Iraq; furthermore, 'aerial demonstration will precede punitive air action.'The Political Agent, Muscat discusses the relations between the Bani Bu Ali ,[Banī Bū ‘Alī] Bani Bu Hassan [Bani Bū ‘Hasan] and Bani Amer; also the likely response of the Bani Bu Ali to any British attack and the need to take precautions to avoid the experience of a British Indian force in 1821. In 1821 a force was dispatched to avenge the defeat there of a different expedition the previous year but three hundred of the Bani Bu Ali attacked at night resulting 16 killed. Correspondence discusses the negotiations with Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah bin Abdullah bin HammudaCorrespondence between the Air Officer Commanding, Edgar Rainey Ludlow-Hewitt and Colonel Hugh Vincent Biscoe, Political Resident, Persian Gulf discusses the reconnaissance photos and the bombing of the Jaalan [Ja’alān] fort following the dropping from aircraft of warning messages. There are also extracts from a report by Group Captain W L Welsh on reconnaisance by two Rangoons and three Wapitis of the Sur area with arrangements for the deployment of flying boats to conduct bombing missions and their protection by the Muscat Infantry.Correspondence includes letters betweeen Saiyid Said bin Taimur, Sultan of Muscat and Oman, to Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah and Hugh Vincent Biscoe, Political Resident Persian Gulf. Following aerial demonstrations by Rangoon flying boats Shaikh Ali accepted the customs post and agreed to meet the Sultan on board the Sultan's vessel. The Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf wrote to Shaikh Ali informing him that as he had accepted the customs post the bombardment would not take place.Includes aerial photos (ff 128D-128P) of Jaalan and Khor Janaba which were made in preparation for a possible punitive bombing raid. Also includes a sketch map of Khor Janaba and an enclosure with a 'Sheikhly family of Bani Bu Ali.Correspondents include H.V. Biscoe, Political Resident Persian Gulf; Trenchard Craven Fowle, Political Agent Muscat; Edgar Rainey Ludlow-Hewitt, Air Headquarters, Iraq Command, Hinaidi; Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf; Eion Pelly Donaldson, India Office, London; Christopher Llewellyn Bulloch, Air Ministry, London; No. 203 (Flying Boat) Squadron; Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty; Saiyid Said bin Taimur, Sultan of Muscat and Oman; Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah bin Hammudah; Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, Simla.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation system in use is the sequence of numbers in the top right hand corner of each folio including the covers.
Abstract: Report on Sur by Major Gerald Patrick Murphy, Political Agent of Muscat, dated 9 October 1928.It is divided into the following sections:I. – 'Geographical Description of Sur' – including an introduction to the tribes who inhabit it;II. – 'Historical Summary of the Bani Bu Ali' – including their origin, religion, engagements, expeditions, and feuds;III. – 'Historical Summary of the Jenebeh' – including their origin, feuds, criminal activities, and fines;IV. – 'The Slave Trade at Sur' – including British efforts in the suppression of the slave trade, treaties, a description of a captured slave vessel, and use the of the French flag as protection for slaving operations;V. – 'Summary of recent Events in Sur' – including the building of new forts, establishment of a new customs post, the question of the Sultan's authority, criminal activities, and customs dues;VI. – 'Review of the Situation at Sur' – including the policy pursued so far, request for assistance by the Sultan, the value of Sur in terms of prestige, and the form of assistance to be taken;appendix 1. – 'Early History of Sur';appendix 2. – 'Wrecks and Piracy'.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 84, and terminates at f 93, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, 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.
Abstract: The volume contains telegraphs, letters and reports regarding the possibility of establishing a coal trade with the coast of Oman in the district of Sur. The correspondence is mainly between the Consul and Political Agent, Muscat, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire, and the Under Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department, reporting about the necessity of hiring a geological expert to survey the area of Sur and its neighbourhood, and to examine the coal seams there. British Officials considered the coal found in Oman as a convenient source of supply for their Muscat and Persian Gulf requirements. British officials also reported about the French activities and their interest in the area of Sur.While the Sultan of Muscat was in agreement with the British over their interest in the coal export, the Hanawi tribal confederation in Oman was against any British work in Sur. The correspondence includes reports on Shaikh ‘Isa bin Salih al-Harthi writing to his followers in Sur endeavouring to stir them up against the British and the Sultan’s building operations.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 159; 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, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: Correspondence and other papers relating to the visits of British Navy ships to Muscat and other Oman ports. Most of the papers are notifications of the arrival and departure of HM Ships into and out of Muscat and of the expected movements of such ships within the wider Persian Gulf region. Matters covered by the correspondence include: the nature of visits (official or not); required gun salutes, including the question of whether to fire on Fridays or not; lists of officers aboard; the protocol for visits to other ports in Oman, such as Sur and Salalah; and, if part of an official visit, the programme of social and diplomatic events that will take place. The principal ships mentioned in the file are HMS
Flamingo,
Wren, and
Dalrymple.Correspondence comes from: the Political Agent, Muscat; British Residency, Bahrain; Senior Naval Office in the Persian Gulf; Basil Woods Ballard, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Muscat; and the British Agency, Sharjah.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 87, these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: This file consists of a Military Report on Oman by Captain R L O'Connor, and a letter from the Deputy Director, Military intelligence in New Delhi to the Political Agent at Muscat, enclosing copies of O'Connor's reports on the routes from Muscat to Sohar and Muscat to Sur.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 55; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This file follows on from the previous file [IOR/R/15/6/205] in subject matter. It documents actions taken and considered by the Government of Muscat and Oman (with military assistance from the British Government) in order to assert its authority over the coastal town of Sur and the surrounding area, including Aiqa [Al ‘Ayjah], a village inhabited by members of the Bani Bu Ali [Banī Bū ‘Alī] tribe.The file primarily concerns customs control, and the correspondence discusses at length a dispute between the Sultan of Muscat and Oman [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd] and the Shaikh of Aiqa, Ali bin Abdullah Al Hamudah, regarding the Government's attempts to establish a customs post in the village. Notable correspondents include the following: the Political Agent and Consul, Muscat; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Commanding Officer at Air Headquarters, Iraq Command; the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf; Captain Reginald George Evelyn William Alban, Financial Adviser to the Government of Muscat and Oman; the Sultan of Muscat and Oman; Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Hamudah.The correspondence covers the following: preparations for combined 'punitive operations' (i.e. the naval bombardment of Aiqa's fort and the aerial bombardment of Ja'alan by the Royal Navy and RAF respectively) in the event of Shaikh Ali's refusal to comply with the Sultan's demands; contributions made by the Government of Muscat and Oman towards expenses incurred by the RAF during its recent aerial reconnaissance of the area; a meeting between the Political Agent and Shaikh Ali at Sur on 17 February 1933; the terms offered by the Sultan to Shaikh Ali.Also included in the file is a brief report entitled 'Instructions regarding the Control of Operations including the Employment of Air Forces on the North-West Frontier of India', dated 1 August 1931 and produced by the Government of India (ff 68-72).The Arabic language material mainly consists of correspondence between the Political Agent, Shaikh Ali, and the Sultan of Muscat (English translations are present in almost all cases).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 266; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: This volume relates to measures taken by the Government of Muscat and Oman (with the assistance of the British Government) to assert its authority over the town of Sur and the nearby village of Aiqa [Al ‘Ayjah].The correspondence largely concerns customs control and the tense relations between the Muscat Government and the shaikhs of Sur and Aiqa, who are stated as belonging to the Jennebeh [Janabah] and Bani Bu Ali [Banī Bū ‘Alī] tribes respectively. Discussed at length is the issue of ensuring the collection of customs and the registration of dhows at Aiqa.Most of the correspondence is between the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. Other notable correspondents include the following: the Secretary of State for India; the Commanding Officer at Air Headquarters, Iraq Command; Saiyid Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd], President of the Council of Ministers, and later Sultan of Muscat and Oman; Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Hamudah, Amir of Ja'alan [Emir of Ja‘lān] and Shaikh of Aiqa.Related matters of discussion include the following: the reported prolonged evasion of customs by the Bani Bu Ali in Aiqa; the level of assistance that should be provided by the British in order to help Muscat assert control in Sur and Aiqa (e.g. whether it is necessary to send HMS sloops to Sur); the interception of an Aiqa dhow by a Muscat State patrol vessel on 12 November 1931; preparations for 'punitive action' against Aiqa by the British – including a planned reconnaissance mission ahead of possible aerial bombardment, and discussion of naval bombardment – in the event of the Shaikh opposing the establishment of a customs post there.The Arabic language material mainly consists of correspondence between the Political Agent, the Shaikh of Aiqa, and Saiyid Said bin Taimur (English translations are present in most cases).All the material dates from the period 1931-1932, with the exception of some brief notes at the end of the volume, which are dated November 1939.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 255; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: This file relates to two separate subjects. The first is the reported murder of Abdullah bin Ahmad al-Rawaf, a Saudi Arabian subject, by Beni Hasan tribesmen. The second is a trip to Sur, which was recently undertaken by the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat, Major Tom Hickinbotham. The correspondence includes a brief report by the Political Agent of his visit to Sur, as well as his description of a lake near the village of Ghail Shaab, which he highlights as a potential source of fresh water for visiting sea vessels.The Arabic language material consists of letters addressed to the Wali of Sur by Ali bin Abdullah al Hamood [Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Hamudah, Emir of Ja'alan] and Suleiman bin Abdullah al-Rawaf, son of Abdullah bin Ahmad al-Rawaf.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 18; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.