Abstract: This item consists of copies of a Political Despatch from the Government of India Foreign Department to the Secretary of State for India, dated 10 April 1874, forwarding with observations a copy of a letter from Dr John Kirk, Political Agent and Consul-General at Zanzibar, giving cover to a correspondence with the Foreign Office on certain matters connected with the Slave Trade Treaty of June 1873 with the Sultan of Zanzibar, and soliciting that the final orders of HM Government upon Dr Kirk’s proceedings may be communicated to the Government of India, and in the event of their being approved, that an authenticated copy of the Sultan’s declaration as to the meaning of the Treaty may be furnished.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 402 and terminates at f 408a, 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 sequence contains three foliation anomalies: f 402a, f 405a, and f 408a.
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 48 of 1854, dated 29 August 1854. The enclosures are numbered 3-4 and are dated 7-22 July 1854.The enclosures comprise the following: a letter from George Frederick Edmonstone, Secretary to the Government of India, concerning the Political Agent, Muscat, and the trade of enslaved persons in the dominions of the Imam of Muscat; a resolution by the Board of Control, dated 22 July 1854.Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
Abstract: This file, like the previous volume (IOR/L/PS/12/2087), concerns relations between the British Government and the Government of Saudi Arabia.The file largely consists of copies of Foreign Office correspondence, mainly between His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, Sir Reader William Bullard, Hugh Stonehewer Bird, and Stanley R Jordan successively) and officials of the Foreign Office. Other prominent correspondents include the following: the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires to Jedda (Albert Spencer Calvert, succeeded by Alan Charles Trott); His Majesty's Ambassador in Baghdad (Sir Kinahan Cornwallis); Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd]; Amir Faisal [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd], Minister of Foreign Affairs for Saudi Arabia; officials of the Colonial Office and the War Office.The correspondence documents the progression of negotiations for a general settlement between the two governments, which would result in the initial prolongation of the validity of the Treaty of Jedda (the treaty signed between Britain and Ibn Saud in 1927, which initially expired in September 1934) for a period of seven years from 1936 (and for another seven years from 1943).In addition to discussing matters relating to the proposed general settlement (e.g. the eastern and south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia, slavery regulations, arms traffic, and Saudi debts), the correspondence also documents various visits and meetings, including the following:The visit of Amir Saud [Āl Sa‘ūd, Sa‘ūd bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz, heir apparent of Ibn Saud] to Britain (17 June-1 July 1935), accompanied by Fuad Bey Hamza, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs for Saudi Arabia.Further meetings at the Foreign Office between Fuad Bey Hamza, Hafiz Wahba (Saudi Minister in London), Sir Andrew Ryan, George William Rendel (Head of the Foreign Office's Eastern Department), and other Foreign Office officials, in July 1935, following on from meetings in September 1934.Sir Andrew Ryan's meetings with Ibn Saud in Riyadh in December 1935 and in Jedda in February 1936.Four interviews held between Ibn Saud, Sir Reader William Bullard and George William Rendel, in Jedda, during March 1937.Also discussed are matters relating to the Second World War, including:An exchange of letters between Ibn Saud and the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, in early 1939, which principally relate to Ibn Saud's concerns regarding his country's security in the event of the beginning of general hostilities.German radio broadcasts in Jedda during the first few weeks of the Second World War and their possible effect on the Jedda population.The possibility of Iraq and Saudi Arabia formally joining the Allies in the Second World War.In addition to correspondence the file includes the following: a copy of a programme for Amir Saud's visit to Britain (ff 339-348); exchanges of notes (in English and Arabic) between the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the British Legation at Jedda, confirming the prolongation of the Treaty of Jedda, dated 1936 and 1943 respectively (ff 189-192 and ff 4-5); a sketch map showing air routes over Saudi Arabia and Iraq (f 31v).Although the material in this file falls inside the date range of 1935-1943, the final document in the file does include an additional date stamp which is marked '12 April 1947'.The file includes two dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are 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 last folio with 380; 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: The volume consists of extensive correspondence, plus minutes and memoranda, relating to the 1925 Convention for the Supervision of the International Trade in Arms and Ammunition and in Implements of War (Arms Traffic Convention), and the subsequent attempts to reproduce certain of its provisions in an international covenant at the Geneva Disarmament Conference of 1932-1933.The principal correspondents are: the Government of India Foreign and Political Department; the India Office Political Department; the Admiralty; the Foreign Office; HM Minister at Tehran (R H Hoare); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; and the UK Delegate to the Disarmament Conference (E H Carr). The volume also contains a number of communications received from members of the Persian Government (Muhammad Ali Foroughi [Furūghī], Abdolhossein Teymourtache, and Anoushirvan Khan Sepahbodi).The material principally concerns negotiations between the Persian [Iranian] and British Governments. The Persian Government wished to have the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman excluded from the list of special maritime zones, and sought British support in achieving this at the Conference. In response to British concerns about the possible impact on their ability to effectively limit the transport of arms and slaves in the region, the Persian Government proposed a bilateral Anglo-Persian treaty.The following topics are discussed in depth:general Anglo-Persian relations, and the British desire to make progress with regards to the position of Henjam;the traffic in arms and slaves in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea;the reluctance of several nations to ratify the 1925 Arms Traffic Convention;the definition and designation of 'special zones', 'special maritime zones' and 'native vessels' within the proposed conventions;the proposed bilateral treaty, its terms and conditions;the rights to inspect foreign vessels in the Persian Gulf, and British concerns over the ability of Persia to inspect British, Indian and Gulf vessels;the possibility of enabling other nations to accede to the bilateral treaty separately, to enable British inspection of the vessels of other nations within the Persian Gulf;and the concerns of the Admiralty over the potential impact that the agreement would have on their ability to police the traffic in arms and slaves.The following are particular items of interest:memorandum of the Persian Delegation to the League of Nations, noting their objections to the Arms Traffic Convention, ff 517-522;communication from HM Legation to Tehran, enclosing details of an interview with the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for the Court (Foroughi and Teymourtache), ff 492-500;minutes of the Interdepartmental Cabinet Committee on the International Disarmament Conference, ff 394-420;details of a meeting between the Foreign Office and the Persian Minister to Switzerland (Sepahbodi), ff 185-192;Persian Government aide-mémoire on the progress of the negotiations, ff 121-124.The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (folio 1).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 587; these numbers are written in pencil, 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 two leading and ending flyleaves. A previous foliation sequence has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The extract refers to a letter from Lord Palmerston (f 17) on the subject of the slave trade carried on from the African dominions of the Sultan of Muscat (Zanzibar).Physical description: 1 folio
Abstract: Palmerston's letter instructs Sheil to make arrangements with the Persian Government for Persian officers to be placed with Her Majesty's and East India Company ships, to assist in the searching of Persian vessels. Palmerston recommends that suitable persons be based at Bushire, and requests that Hennell be instructed to make the necessary arrangements, including giving officers a translated copy of the British-Persian agreement.Physical description: 1 folio
Abstract: The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, and notes relating to slavery in the Gulf. The file contains the 'Note on certain enquiries made by the Committee [League of Nations Advisory Committee of Experts] relative to certain states in the Persian Gulf.'Included in the volume (ff 94-135) is the League of Nations report 'Slavery: Report of the Advisory Committee of Experts - Fourth Session of the Committee' as well as the 'Fifth (extraordinary) session of the Committee (ff 166-231).'The principal correspondents in the volume are: the Secretary of State for India; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the India Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 261; 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. A previous foliation sequence between ff 150-255, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: The file mainly consists of the following: copies of News Letters from the Political Resident, Aden, addressed to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and then to the Secretary of State for the Colonies (from the News Letter dated 5 May 1921, forwarded 1 June 1921), which were forwarded to the Under Secretary of State for India; and India Office Political Department Minute Paper covering sheets.The News Letters are dated from 12 January 1921 to 31 December 1923. They report on the political situation in the Yemen, largely in relation to Imam Yahya [Yahya Muhammad Hamid al-Din, who took the regnal name al-Mutawakkil ala Allah] and the Zaidi [Zaydi] tribes, and the Idrisi [Muhammad al-Idrisi]. The News Letters report on news from Tihama, Upper Yemen and Lower Yemen, Asir, and the Aden Protectorate, as well as the slave trade, illicit arms traffic (folio 89), and miscellaneous matters such as the visit of Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence to Aden on 18 August 1921 (folio 270).Physical description: 1 item (322 folios)
Abstract: The volume mostly contains printed copies of despatches from HM Agent and Consul, Jeddah, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, enclosing reports on the situation in the Hejaz (also spelled Hedjaz in the file) [now a region of Saudi Arabia], from January 1924 to December 1930, and related enclosures to the reports. These despatches were sent to the Under-Secretary of State for India by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The volume also includes India Office Political and Secret Department minute papers, which include comments on the reports, and indicate that the reports had been seen by the Under-Secretary of State for India and the Political Committee of the Council of India.The reports are monthly for January to August 1924, May 1925, September 1925 to March 1927, June 1927 to June 1930, and December 1930. Reports between these dates cover shorter periods, except July and August 1930, which are both covered by one report, and September, October and November 1930, which are also covered by one report.The reports discuss matters including the actions of King Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi of the Hejaz, including his attempts to gain recognition as Caliph, and the military and financial situation in the Hejaz during the war between the Hejaz and the Saudi Sultanate of Nejd [Najd]. They report on events of the Hedjaz-Nejd war including: the capture of Taif (September 1924) and Mecca (October 1924) by Nejd; the departure of the ex-King Hussein from Jeddah; the fall of Medina and Jeddah and the surrender of the Hejaz to Sultan Abdul Aziz of Nejd [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, also known as Ibn Saud] (December 1925); and the formal assumption of the title of King of the Hejaz and Sultan of Nejd and its Dependencies by Ibn Saud (8 January 1925).The reports following the annexation of the Hejaz by Nejd cover internal affairs, including prohibitions introduced for religious reasons, the Hejaz Railway, the financial situation of the Hejaz-Nejd Government, and the Hejaz Air Force. They also report on foreign relations, including: the publication of an agreement, dated 21 October 1926, between Ibn Saud and Sayyid Hassan-el-Idrisi, establishing the suzerainty of Ibn Saud over Asir; relations between Ibn Saud and Imam Yahya of the Yemen; the situation on the frontiers between Nejd and Iraq, and Nejd and Transjordan; and the Treaty of Jeddah between Hejaz-Nejd and Great Britain (20 May 1927). They also report Ibn Saud being proclaimed King of the Hejaz, Nejd and its Dependencies (4 April 1927).In addition, other frequently occurring topics in the reports are: the Pilgrimage [Hajj], including the arrival of pilgrims in the Hejaz, from India, Java and elsewhere, arrangements for the pilgrimage, the welfare of pilgrims, and the repatriation of pilgrims; and the slave trade and slavery in the Hejaz, including the manumission and repatriation of slaves.The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references 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 inside back cover with 447; 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 4-444; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This volume contains correspondence between British officials concerning agreements between the British and Persian governments related to the suppression of the slave trade in the Persian Gulf. Much of the correspondence is between officials at the Foreign Office, the India Office and the British Legation in Tehran.Specifically, the correspondence relates to discussions concerning the drafting of an article relating to slavery in a proposed Anglo-Persian Treaty and the revision of the Anglo-Persian Slavery Convention of 1882. Specific incidents regarding slavery in the region are also discussed intermittently throughout the volume.In addition to this correspondence, the volume contains several extracts and drafts of agreements (most of which are in French) and the following documents:Foreign Policy memorandum entitled 'Anglo-Persian Slavery Convention of 1882' (folios 134-139)'Law forbidding the Purchase and Sale of Slaves on Persian Territory and according them Freedom on their Arrival in Persia (Passed by the Majlis on 18th Bahman, 1307 (February 7, 1929).)' (folio 151)India Office memorandum entitled 'Slavery in the Persian Gulf' (folios 270-271)'Treaty between Her Majesty and His Majesty the King of Italy for the Suppression of the African Slave Trade. Signed at London, September 14, 1889 - Ratifications exchanged at London, October 24, 1889' (folios 328-330)'Convention between Her Majesty and His Majesty the Shah of Persia for the Suppression of the Traffic in Slaves. Signed in the English and Persian Languages at Tehran, March 2, 1882. (Ratifications exchanged at Tehran, June 14, 1882.)' (folios 331-333).The volume includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume 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 inside back cover with 340; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: Palmerston writes that he has learnt with satisfaction of the permission granted by the Sultan of Muscat for the British to carry out suppression of the slave trade in his East African dominions. The original letter enclosed printed copies of the protocol agreed with the Portuguese government for British ships to patrol the unpoliced coastal waters of the Portuguese dominions of East Africa.Physical description: 1 folio