Abstract: This item consists of copies of correspondence, consultations, and minutes cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. These political letters appear in IOR/F/4/2280/116915. The correspondent is Major Samuel Hennell, British Resident in the Persian Gulf. It is the fifth in a series of five items on the trade in enslaved people.The item concerns the request of the Court of Directors of the East India Company that Hennell forward them copies of the treaties between the British and the shaikhs of the Arabian Coast of the Persian Gulf concerning the trade in enslaved people. Copies of the treaties in English and Arabic with the following shaikhs are included:Shaik Sultan bin Suggur Chief of Ras el Khymah and Shargah [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī, Shaikh of Ra’s al-Khaymah and Sharjah]Shaik Abdoollah bin Rashid Shaik of Amulgavine [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Rāshid al-Mu’allā, Shaikh of Umm al-Qaywayn]Sheik Abdool Azeez ben Rashid, Chief of Ejmaun [Shaikh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz bin Rāshid al-Na‘īmī, Shaikh of Ajman]Sheik Muktoom ben Buttye, Chief of Debaye [Shaikh Maktūm I bin Buṭṭī Āl Bū Falāseh, Shaikh of Dubai]Shaik Saeed bin Tahnoon, Shaik of the Beniyas, Chief of Aboothabee [Shaikh Sa‘īd bin Ṭaḥnūn Āl Nahyān, Chief of the Banī Yās, Shaikh of Abu Dhabi]Sheik Mahomed bin Khuleefa Chief of Bahrein [Shaikh Muḥammed bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah, Shaikh of Bahrain].The item contains a contents page and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Draft no 154/49’, and ‘Collection No 1 of No 160’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 441, and terminates at f 457 as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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 item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: This item consists of copies of correspondence, minutes, and consultations, cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai]. It is the third in a series of seven items on the trade in enslaved people (the others are IOR/F/4/2014/89996, 89997, 89999, 90000, 90001, and 90002). The principal correspondents are the Government of Bombay and Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Robertson, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.The item concerns:The difference between Robertson’s and the original translations of the third article of the treaty agreed in May 1839 and ratified in July 1840, about the punishment for selling Soomallees [Somalis]Robertson’s proposed procedure for dealing with ships suspected of carrying enslaved Soomallees, which was rejected by the Government of BombayThe interpretation of the treaty by Samuel Hennell, at the time Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, made in April 1838 and its bearing on the treaty of 1839.The item includes a contents page, and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Draft 666, P.C. [Previous Communication] 4079, [Season 18]43’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 178, and terminates at f 214, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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.
Abstract: This item consists of copies of correspondence, consultations, memoranda, resolutions, and minutes cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai]. The correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; Captain Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf; and the Court of Directors of the East India Company. It is the ninth in a series of nine items on the trade in enslaved people (the others are IOR/F/4/2087/96920, IOR/F/4/2087/96921, IOR/F/4/2087/96922, IOR/F/4/2087/96923, IOR/F/4/2087/96924, IOR/F/4/2087/96925, IOR/F/4/2087/96926, and IOR/F/4/2087/96927).The item concerns the exact meaning of the third article of the treaty which Hennell concluded with the chiefs of the maritime Arab tribes on 2 July 1839. Hennell justifies the words used to describe the appropriate punishment for those guilty of buying or selling Soomalees [Somalis] and that the illegality of kidnapping or stealing Soomalees is not specifically mentioned.The item contains a contents page, and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Draft 290/45, P.C. [Previous Communication] 4760’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 934, and terminates at f 943, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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.
Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence, minutes and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, letters from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] to the East India Company Court of Directors. The item relates to attempts by the Government of Bombay to suppress the trade in enslaved people in the Gulf and on the coasts of Cutch, Kattywar and Karachi [Kachchh, Kāthiāwār and Karāchi]. In particular, the item relates to:A report in 1837 by Abdoola bin Awaz [Abdullah bin ‘Awaz] that 233 young women were abducted from the Burburra Coast [Berbera] by the crews of Joasmee [al-Qawāsim] boats to be sold at the principal ports on the Arabian side of the GulfConcerns expressed by Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf, in 1837-38 regarding the difficulty in persuading the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat and the principal Arabian chiefs to prohibit their subjects from participating in the trade in enslaved people and his fear that reducing this trade conducted by these rulers would simply result in the trade being carried on by others from the Ottoman Porte [Ottoman Empire] and Persia [Iran]Hennell’s success in obtaining agreements in 1838-39 with several rulers on the Arabian peninsula, the contents of which: extend the boundary line beyond which it is prohibited to carry enslaved people from between Cape Delgado and Diu Head to between Cape Delgado and Pussein [Pasni]; authorise the British Government to search any vessels belonging to the rulers’ subjects found eastward of this boundary line which may be suspected of carrying enslaved people and to liberate the enslaved people on board; confirm that Soomalee [Somali] people are to be considered as ‘hoor’ [ḥurr] or ‘free’, therefore the selling of them as enslaved people is to be considered an act of ‘piracy’.The above agreements being signed by: Seed Said bin Sultan, the Imaum of Muscat [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd]; Shaik Sultan bin Suggur of Rasel Khymah [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī of Ra’s al-Khaymah and Sharjah]; Shaik Mukhtoom bin Butye of Debaye [Shaikh Maktūm I bin Buṭṭī Āl Bū Falāseh of Dubai]; Shaik Abdoollah bin Rashed of Amulgaveen [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Rāshid al-Mu’allā of Umm al-Qaywayn]; Shaik Rashid bin Humeed of Ejman [Shaikh Rāshid I bin Ḥumaid al-Nu‘aymī of ‘Ajmān]; and Shaik Khuleefa bin Shakboot of Aboothabee [Shaikh Khalifa bin Shakhbūṭ Āl Nahyān of Abu Dhabi]Discussions of how these agreements differ from previous treaties, including the 1820 General Maritime Treaty [General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulf] and the 1822 treaty signed between the Imaum and Captain Moresby of HMS ship
Menai, and whether parts of the treaties are too ambiguousA complaint in 1840 by Captain A H Nott, Commanding the Company ship
Tigris, that despite the new agreements he is unable to interfere with vessels found with enslaved people on board because he cannot prove that the people have been kidnapped directly by the crews of the vesselsMinutes by the Board of the Government of Bombay lamenting the apparent ineffectiveness of the new agreements and suggesting further measures to be taken.The item contains a copy of the Bombay Government Gazette (folios 1015-1022) from 21 May 1840, which, amongst other notifications, announces the new agreement with the Imaum of Muscat in English, Arabic, Persian, Gujarati and Marathi. In addition, Captain Nott’s reports (folios 1030-1031 and 1041-1044) provide details on the number of enslaved people being trafficked annually, how they come to be enslaved, and at which prices they are sold.There are numerous copies of the 1838-39 agreements at: ff 935-936; 943; 945-946; 991; 994-995; 999-1000; 1008-1009; and 1050.Principal correspondents include: Hennell; Nott; Thomas MacKenzie, Acting Assistant in charge of the [Persian Gulf] Residency; the governments of Bombay and India; and agents at Muscat and Shargah [Sharjah].The title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Bombay Political Department’, ‘P.C. [Previous Communication] 3075, Draft 431, 1841’, ‘Collection No. 5’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 929, and terminates at f 1078, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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 item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence cited in, or enclosed with, a Political Letter from the Government of Bombay to the East India Company Court of Directors, 30 September 1847. A copy of this Political Letter can be found at IOR/F/4/2238/112322, alongside details of further enclosures. The item is the twenty-first in a series of fifty-nine items on events in the Persian Gulf.The item relates to a report, dated 1 June 1847, from Moollah Housseen [Mullā Ḥusayn], Native Agent at Shargah [Sharjah], to Major Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf, on the subject of recent events at Shargah since Hennell’s visit in May 1847. Moollah Housseen writes that a treaty has been drawn up between: Sheik Abdoollah bin Rashid, Chief of Amulgavine [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Rāshid al-Mu‘allā, Shaikh of Umm al-Qaywayn]; Sheik Mukhtoom, Chief of Debaye [Shaikh Maktūm I bin Buṭṭī Āl Bū Falāseh, Shaikh of Dubai]; Sheik Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboothabee and the Beniyas [Shaikh Sa‘īd bin Ṭaḥnūn Āl Nahyān, Shaikh of Abu Dhabi and leader of the Banī Yās]; and Sheik Sultan bin Suggur, the Joasmee Chief [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī, leader of the Qawāsim]. Moollah Housseen notes that Sheik Mukhtoom is conflicted as he is unhappy with the terms of the treaty but does not wish to go against his ally, Sheik Abdoollah bin Rashid. Moollah Housseen also shares his opinion that the chiefs of the Joasmee and the Beniyas are hoping to cause a rift between the other two in order to subjugate them.Moollah Housseen's report also contains a couple of additional brief updates from Shargah.The item contains multiple spellings for individuals and places.The title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Bombay Political Department’, ‘Draft No. 345/48’, ‘Collection No. 2 of No. 118, Vol: 21.’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 369, and terminates at f 373, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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 item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence and minutes cited in, or enclosed with, extracts from a Bombay [Mumbai] Political Consultation, 25 June 1845. The papers contained in this item are partial enclosures to a Political Letter sent from the Government of Bombay to the East India Company Court of Directors, 14 July 1845. A copy of this Political Letter can be found at IOR/F/4/2122/100076, alongside details of further enclosures.The item relates to two policies connected to the export of animals from Bushire [Bushehr] by British subjects. Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf, reports his correspondence with Mahomed Houssin Khan [Muḥammad Ḥusayn Khān Muqaddam Marāgha'i, Ājudān-Bāshi], the new Governor of Fars, about the most recent policy. Hennell also voices his concerns about how the two policies interact and how they might be exploited. He makes reference to a British ship, the
Actress, which belongs to Aga Mahomed Tuckee bin Hajee Ally Ukbar Shirazee [Āghā Muḥammad Taqī bin Hāji ʿAlī Akbar Shīrāzī], a Persian [Iranian] merchant who resides in Bombay. The ship is currently preparing to export mules from Bushire. Hennell reports that agents for the
Actresshave entered into ‘underhand negotiations’ with Persian government officials, whilst requesting help from him. He seeks advice from Lieutenant Colonel Justin Sheil, HM Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Persia, on how to proceed.A copy of a ruckum [raqam] from Mahomed Houssin Khan, obtained by agents of the
Actress, is included at folio 526.The correspondents are: Hennell; Sheil; Mohamed Houssin Khan; and the Government of Bombay.The title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Bombay Political Department’, ‘P.C. [Previous Communication] 5061, Draft 29/46, Coll[ection]: 23, Vol: 14’, ‘Collection No. 2 of No. 76’ and ‘Examiner's Office’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 519, and terminates at f 529, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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 item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence and minutes cited in, or enclosed with, a Political Letter from the Government of Bombay to the East India Company Court of Directors, dated 28 November 1853, and found at IOR/F/4/2536/147461. It is the seventh in a series of seven items about the 'slave trade' [trade in enslaved people].The item relates to two recent seizures of vessels carrying enslaved people, one near Ras-el-Hadd [Ra’s al Hadd] and one near Bassadore [Basaʻidu], as reported to the Government of Bombay by Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Resident in the Persian Gulf.The first seizure involves ships, the
Saad[also rendered as Saiad and Said] and the
Futh ul Mubaruck[
Fatḥ al-Mubārak], bearing the Imaum [Imām] of Muscat's flag. The item contains:Letters from Lieutenant Stradling, Commander of the Company ship,
Constance, to Commodore George Robinson, Commanding the Persian Gulf Squadron, providing details of: the capture of the vessels; the enslaved people onboard; and the subsequent transfer of the vessels and people involved to MuscatStatements and depositions by the nakhodas [nakhudas] of the vessels and crewmembers of the
ConstanceAccompanying letters from Khwaja Hiskael [Khawājah Ḥizqīl bin Yūsuf], British Agent at Muscat, reporting actions taken at Muscat following the vessels' arrivalLetter from Captain Sir Henry John Leeke, Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Navy, to the Governor of Bombay, enclosing reports from Robinson and receipts from Khwaja HiskaelMinutes by the Governor of Bombay with instructions, based on the relevant Act of Parliament 5 September 1848, on what to do with the vessels and the nakhodas.The second seizure involves a Persian [Iranian] vessel, the
Furras[
Faras[?], also rendered in text as Turras], owned by merchants from Hyderabad and seized by Lieutenant James Tronson, Commanding the Company ship
Tigris. The item contains:Letters from Tronson to Robinson, providing details of: the capture of the vessels; the owners of the vessel; and enslaved people onboardTronson's request for 'head money' [money paid per enslaved person as a reward for capturing them from enslavers]Letter from Kemball to William Taylor Thomson, HM Chargé d'Affaires at the Court of Persia, reporting on this incidentMinute by the Governor of Bombay discussing the 'head money' conventions in the numerous treaties Britain has with the Imaum of Muscat, with Persia, and with the 'Arab chiefs' of the Persian Gulf.The item also contains the Government of Bombay's instructions for forwarding on the above papers to Leeke, the Government of India, and the Secret Committee [mostly likely the Court of Directors Secret Committee].The item contains multiple spellings of multiple personal names and place names.The title page of the item contains the following references: 'Bombay Political Department', Draft Number '161 1854', 'Collection', 'Vol: 7', and 'Examiner's Office'. Originally, the Collection was described as 'No. 2 of No. 108 of 1853' but this has been crossed out.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 850, and terminates at f 877, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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 item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence and minutes, which form partial enclosures to a Political Letter from the Government of Bombay to the East India Company Court of Directors, dated 27 November 1845. A copy of this letter can be found at IOR/F/4/2157/103838 and further enclosures to this letter can be found at IOR/F/4/2157/103845 and IOR/F/4/2157/103846.The item relates to a report from Moollah Hoossin [Mullā Ḥusayn], Agent at Shargah [Sharjah], on the ‘slave trade’ [trade in enslaved people] at that port. In particular, the report mentions:The number of enslaved people brought to Shargah from Zanzibar, as well as details of the boats which brought themA specific case regarding a woman of the ‘Pujeyneeah caste’ who was kidnapped by two men from Amulgavine [Umm al-Qaywayn] before being transferred to Ali bin Rashid [‘Alī bin Rāshid], brother of the Chief of Ejman [Ajman], and sold at Soor [Sur], despite members of her ‘caste’ being considered ‘hoor’ [ḥurr] or ‘free’A contract that the boats’ owners have with the people at Soor and the role that the port plays in the transportation of enslaved people.The report is forwarded to the Government of Bombay by Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf, who provides comments and a proposal on the above case. In addition, the item also contains a minute by the Governor of Bombay regarding the effectiveness of the previous treaties of 1822 and 1839 which were designed to suppress the ‘slave trade’. An extract of additional articles proposed for the 1839 treaty can be found at folios 849-850.The title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Bombay Political Department’, ‘P.C. [Previous Communication] 5410, Draft 786/46’, ‘Vol: 3’, ‘Collection N. 1 of N. 131’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’. The ‘N. 1’ has been crossed out with different ink.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 842, and terminates at f 851, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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 item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence and minutes, which are enclosures to a Political Letter from the Government of Bombay to the East India Company Court of Directors, dated 18 June 1846. A copy of this letter can be found at IOR/F/4/2157/103838.The item relates to suggestions by Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf, for the effective suppression of the ‘slave trade’ [trade in enslaved people] in the Gulf. Hennell points to deficiencies in the current agreements with the rulers of Ras-el Khyma [Ra’s al-Khaymah]; Amulgavine [Umm al-Qaywayn]; Ejman [Ajman]; Debaye [Dubai]; and Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi]. He recommends that the British government should try to establish agreements with the courts of Persia [Iran] and Turkey to suppress the ‘slave trade’.A minute by the Government of Bombay states that it would be for Her Majesty’s Government to approach Persia and Constantinople [Istanbul] on this subject. A copy of both Hennell’s letter and the minute are forwarded to the Government of India.The title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Bombay Political Department’, ‘P.C. [Previous Communication] 5410, Draft 786/46’, ‘Vol: 4’, ‘Collection N. 1 of N. 83’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’. The ‘N. 1’ has been crossed out with different ink.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 852, and terminates at f 856, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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 item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: Enclosures no. 2-4 to a despatch from the Secret Department, Bombay [Mumbai] Castle, dated 12 January 1848. The enclosures are dated 4 October-15 November 1847. The enclosures consist of copies of correspondence relating to affairs in Persia [Iran] and beyond, including:The intention of Bahmen Meerza [Bahman Mirza Qajar] to resign as Governor of Azerbijan [Iranian Azerbaijan, the spelling Azubejan is also used] and settle in Tabreez [Tabriz]An attempted insurrection in Kelat [Khanate of Kalat] led by Jaffer Koolee Khan [Jafar Quli Khan]A report that Persia had concluded a treaty of commerce with France, which was denied by the Persian Prime Minister Hajee Meerza Aghassee [Haji Mirza Aqasi]The plunder of Meshed [Mashhad] by Persian troops and retaliation by the local populaceAttempts to discover the fate of Lieutenant Wyburd [William Henry Wybard], believed to have been imprisoned in Bokhara [Emirate of Bukhara].The primary correspondents are: the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Persia; the Chargé d’Affaires to Persia; the British Consul, Tabriz; and Bahmen Meerza.Physical description: 1 item (28 folios)
Abstract: The volume contains copies of letters sent by Major Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, mainly to Arthur Malet, Secretary (later Chief Secretary) to the Government of Bombay in the Secret Department, at Bombay Castle.Their correspondence discusses events in the Persian Gulf between 1847 and 1849 and their significance for British foreign policy, relations and interests in the region. The main topics of discussion are: anti-slavery measures and the ambitions of both the Ottoman Turkish Government and the Persian Government, to extend their influence and authority over Bahrain and other Arab Maritime Chiefdoms of the Trucial Coast.Many of the enclosures referred to by the Resident in his letters to the Bombay Government and others, are present in the volume. Copies of the Resident’s Arabic correspondence with British Government native agents and ruling sheikhs, as well as his copies of correspondence between Ottoman Turkish and Persian officials, are in the form of English translations only and comprise:Letter of friendship from the Ottoman Governor of Bussorah [Basra] to Sheikh Mahomed bin Khuleefa [Shaikh Muḥammed bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah] the Chief of Bahrein, inviting the latter to put himself under the protection of Turkey (folios 10-11);Letter from Hajee Yacoob, British Government Pilot at Kharg [Khārk], reporting the intelligence gathering activities of Ottoman Turkish officials in Koweit [Kuwait] (folios 11-12);Letter from the Governor of Bunder Abass [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] enquiring about an alleged request made by the Imam of Muscat, to transfer to British protection, Bunder Abass and other lands in the Persian Gulf leased to him by Shah of Persia (folio 31);Letters from the British Government Native Agent at Muscat, reporting cases of public sale and purchase of slaves in the ports of Muscat, in contravention of the anti-slavery provisions of the Treaty of 1845 between Muscat and Great Britain (folios 36-38, 48-49);Letters from Mirza Abdool Jubbar [Mirza Abdul Jabbar], the Persian Consul at Bagdad [Baghdad] to Abdullah ben Ahmed [‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah] the former Chief of Bahrein, to Ali and Mahomed [Alī bin Muḥammed Āl Khalīfah and Muḥammed bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Khalīfah] the sons of the present ruler of Bahrein, Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa about the desire of the Persian Government to establish its authority over Bahrein (folios 51-55);Letter from the British Government Native Agent at Shargah [Sharjah] reporting the renewed importation of slaves into Lingah, in contravention of the Imperial firmans (royal decrees) and orders issued by the Persian authorities, prohibiting the maritime slave trade in their ports on the Persian Gulf (folios 61-62);Exchange of letters between the British Political Resident and Syed Soweynee [Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd] Governor of Muscat, regarding alleged Persian aggression against Bunder Abass and other lands on the Persian coast of the Gulf, belonging to the Imam of Muscat (folios 66-68);Exchange of letters of friendship between the British Political Resident and Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Chief of Bahrein (folios 74-76, 84);Exchange of letters between the British Political Resident and Sheikh Syed Humood ben Azan [Ḥamūd bin Azan Āl Bū Sa‘īd] the Chief of Sohar [Ṣuḥār] and the agreement with the British Government, signed by his son Syed Syf ben Humood [Sayyid Syf bin Ḥamūd Āl Bū Sa‘īd] on 22 May 1849, prohibiting the African slave trade in the ports of Sohar (folios 79-81).The volume also contains copies of several letters from the Resident to: Major Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, British Political Agent for Turkish Arabia at Baghdad; Lieutenant-Colonels Justin Sheil and Francis Farrant, British Minister Plenipotentiary and British Chargé d’Affaires respectively, at the Court of the Shah of Persia, Tehran; Commodore Hawkins, commanding the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf. The correspondence discusses similar topics, including the merits of seeking an extension of the anti-slavery orders issued by the Ottoman Porte, to allow for the confiscation of foreign Persian and Arab slave ships in Turkish waters, as well as native Turkish slave ships.Physical description: Foliation: the contents are numbered 2 to 140, from the front to the back of the volume. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right hand corner and encircled. Folios 42, 71, 87-133 and 136-140 are blank. The front cover of the volume and the inside back cover of the volume are unnumbered. This is the main numbering system and should be used for referencing this volume.Pagination: the contents were originally numbered 1-101, 103-167, from the front to the back of the volume. Pages 78-80 and 136-138 are blank. The number 102 has been omitted, resulting in an unnumbered page between pages 101 and 103. The numbering is written in ink in the top right or left corner of the recto and verso respectively. Unnumbered pages: the index at the front and back of the volume and the numerous blank pages towards the end of the volume.Condition: broken spine cover. Folio 26 and the unnumbered folio adjoining it have been stuck together at the corners. This does not obscure any text, since the inaccessible side of both folios is blank.
Abstract: All letters in the file are from the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at his Residency on the Island of Karrack [Khārk, Jazīreh-ye] and are addressed mainly to the British Government in Bombay. Many of the Resident’s letters include extracts from reports submitted to him by the British naval commander in charge of the Persian Gulf Squadron and the Native Agent in Shargah [Sharjah], both acting under his direction. The majority of the Resident’s letters concern outbreaks of hostilities between the several Arab Chiefs and their tribespeople inhabiting the Arabian coast and ports of the Persian Gulf, as well as the measures taken by him to enforce the Maritime Truce and suppress piracy in the region. Events, intelligence and activities reported in the year 1841 include the following:The disunion between Shaikh Sultan ben Suggur [Sultan bin Saqr], the Joasmee [Qasimi] Chief of Shargah and his son Suggur, who sought refuge with his rival Shaikh Mukhtoom [Maktūm], the Chief of Debaye [Dubai] (folios 2-3);The Resident’s ultimatums, including the threat of naval force, to Shaikh Salmin bin Nasir, Governor of Biddah [Doha] regarding his protection of the pirate Jubbur Rugragee and to Shaikh Mukhtoom, Chief of Debaye regarding his condonation of the repeated aggressions by his subjects on boats belonging to Benyas [Bani Yas] tribespeople (folios 4-7, 13-15);Disturbances by the townspeople of Bushire, following the introduction of new taxes and the non-payment of the troops guarding the town, by Sheikh Nasir, the Governor of Bushire (folios 8-9, 27);The unwillingness of the Shaikhs of Brymee [al Buraimi] to stop the frequent marauding expeditions by members of their tribes into the territories of the Imam of Muscat (folios 11-12);The Resident’s tour of the Arabian coast by ship in May for the annual renewal of the Maritime Truce at successive meetings with the Chiefs of the Arab ports (folios 13-15, 18-24, 27, 39-41);During a visit by the Prince of Shiraz, the merchants of Bushire and Shiraz affirm that the British occupation of the Island of Karrack is harmful to Persian trading interests (folios 16-17);The persistent marauding expeditions of Shaikh Khalifa bin Shakboot [Khalifa bin Shakhbut], the Benyas Chief of Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi] into the districts of Shaikh Sultan ben Suggur of Shargah and Shaikh Mukhtoom of Debaye (folios 26, 30-33);Repossession of the Fort at Houken by Syed Sooweny, Governor of Muscat, from the deposed Oman Chief, Syef bin Sooleman who had seized it in a surprise attack (folios 28, 32);The Resident gives his reasons for doubting that the peace agreed between the Joasmee and Naeem Tribes on one side and the Benyas, Moozara and Joowahir Tribes on the other side will last (folios 34-35);The Resident rescues members of the Persian royal family from shipwreck off the Island of Karrack, on the morning of 17 November (folios 42-43);The Resident’s detailed instructions and arrangements for an urgent British mission to Ameer Khaled at his camp near Lahsah [Al-Hasa], to dissuade him from invading Oman and thereby prevent the outbreak of tribal war in Oman and the destruction of Brymee (44-46, 49-50);The Resident’s detailed instructions for the work of the Residency during his absence and under the temporary charge of Lieutenant-Colonel C Davies in December, the latter’s preparations on taking up his new duties, for the imminent evacuation of British troops from the Island of Karrack (folios 47-50).Numerous letters have been crossed through. These tend to be short letters about the routine management of the Residency: staff, accommodation, equipment, accounts and communications.A few surviving letters are incomplete, only the start or end of the letter remains on file.The file title ‘Book 128 1841’ is written in blue ink on a 20th century file cover (folio 1) enclosing the letters, which are unbound.Physical description: Foliation: the letters in the file are numbered 2 to 50, from front to back. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right corner and encircled, on the recto.Pagination: the contents of the file were originally numbered in ink as follows: 21-24, 57-64, 71-74, 111-112, 115-124, 135-138, 153-166, 209-212, 245-246, 255-258, 263-278, 281-282, 305-310, 363-366, 371-380, 389-392.