Abstract: This item comprises enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee [Bombay Secret Letter], No. 16 dated 2 February 1856. The enclosures are dated 24 December 1855-12 February 1856.The principal document is a copy of a despatch from Commander James Felix Jones, Indian Navy, Acting Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire [Bushehr], to the Secretary to the Government, Bombay, reporting that a letter from Charles Augustus Murray, HM Envoy in Persia [Iran], indicates that the dispute between the Imam of Muscat and the Persian Government regarding Bunder Abbas [Bandar Abbas] has been settled, and enclosing a translated copy of the terms the Imam has subscribed to.Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
Abstract: This item comprises copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 41 of 1856, dated 10 June 1856. The enclosures are dated 10-19 April 1856.The enclosures relate to the differences between the Imaum [Imām] of Muscat and the Persian [Iranian] Government over the Imaum’s claims to the port of Bunder Abbas [Bandar Abbas] on the Persian coast, his threats to descend on Lingah [Bandar Lengeh] and Bushire [Bushehr], and Persian aims to place a garrison on Kishm [Qeshm] and the Island of Ormuz [Hormuz].The papers notably include:A report from the Native Agent at Lingah, to Commander Felix Jones, Acting Resident, Persian Gulf, on a meeting at Kishm between the Imaum’s representatives and a Persian envoy, and Persian attempts to solicit the support of the sheikhs [shaikhs] of Lingah and Rasulkymah [Ra’s al-Khaymah, also spelled Rusul Kheymah in this item] in the event of the Imaum refusing to allow the garrisoning of Kishm and OrmuzA letter from Jones to Sheikh Sultan ben Suggur [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī] of Rasulkymah, urging him not to give assistance to Persian vessels and to ignore the expensive gifts from the Shah [Shāh] of Persia.Physical description: 1 item (6 folios)
Abstract: This item comprises copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 45 of 1856, dated 25 June 1856. The enclosures are dated 5 May-19 June 1856.The enclosures chiefly comprise copies of the correspondence of Commander Felix Jones, Acting Resident, Persian Gulf, with Commodore Richard Ethersey, Indian Navy, Commanding the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf, and the Government of Bombay, relating to the removal of the Al Ali [Āl ‘Alī] tribe from Demaum [Dammam].They notably cover and include:Jones’s and Ethersey’s agreement to make a demonstration of naval strength at Demaum with the
Ajdaha,
Semiramisand
Falkland, and if that fails to bombard the town and fort of Demaum, followed if necessary by further coercive measures including the blockading of the port and destruction of any captured Al Ali boatsEthersey’s reservations regarding the agreed measures to be taken at Demaum, due to: the inadequacy of naval resources to carry out the Demaum action in addition to policing the Gulf and searching vessels for enslaved persons; the unsuitability of the
Ajdahafor the shallow seas around Demaum; and the urgent need for the
Semiramisto return to Bombay [Mumbai] for repairsJones’s hope that a brief show of naval strength at Bahrein [Bahrain] and his negotiations with the Sheikh of Demaum [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh, Shaikh of Dammam] will achieve the British objective, his reluctant agreement that the
Semiramisreturn to Bombay before the monsoons set in, and his decision to retain the
Constanceat Bushire [Bushehr] during the temporary withdrawal of the
Ajdahaand
FalklandEthersey’s provision of the
Ajdahafor Jones’s visit to Demaum and tour of the Gulf, due to the inadequate cabin accommodation on his own vessel the
FalklandJones’s report to the Government of Bombay on his proceedings at Bahrein regarding the Al Ali, including: his meetings with Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa [Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah, Shaikh of Bahrain], the Sheikh of Demaum and with Ali ben Sultan [Alī bin Sulṭān], chief of the Al Ali; the agreement of Jones and the Sheikh of Bahrein not to force the Al Ali to return to Geis [Kish, also was known as Kenn] due to its unsuitable living conditions, and proposal that the Al Ali go to Kuweit [Kuwait], Grane [Kuwait] or Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi]; Jones’s encouragement of those Al Ali who wish to reconcile with the Sheikh of Bahrein and return to the island without punishment; Jones’s consent to the Sheikh of Demaum’s request (f 367) to allow the Al Ali to remain at Demaum until the month of Ramadhan [Ramadan] has ended; Ali ben Sultan’s compliance following Jones’s threat to bring the squadron to Demaum; Jones’s pleasure that he has achieved a ‘peaceful resolution’ and relief at the avoidance of a potentially ineffective and expensive blockadeJones’s orders to Ethersey that the
Semiramisshould go to Bombay should any important despatches arrive at Bushire for India.In this item Jones also reports unverified intelligence from the Acting Native Agent at Muscat that the agents of the Imam of Muscat and Persia [Iran] at Kishm [Qeshm] have agreed that the Imam will take possession of Bunder Abbas [Bandar Abbas].Physical description: 1 item (25 folios)
Abstract: Letter and Enclosures to HM Secretary of State for India, dated 17 October 1871 concerning affairs at Bunder Abbass [Bandar Abbas].The papers cover: complaints about oppressive revenue farming at Bandar Abbas; the proposed lease of Bandar Abbas from the Government of Persia to Syud Toorkee [Sayyid Turkī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd, Sultan of Muscat and Oman]; the support of the Government of India for the proposal; and an intelligence report by the British Agent at Shiraz, dated 4 July 1871, on law and order and economic affairs at Bandar Abbas.The correspondence is dated 4 July to 7 October 1871.Physical description: There is an Abstract of Contents on folios 149-150, numbered 1-15.
Abstract: This item is comprised of copies of secret letters, despatches and intelligence reports.Correspondence concerning affairs in Bunder Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] and information on the arrival of the
Ajdahaat Muscat derived from a letter from the Acting Native Agent at Muskat [Muscat]. Correspondence discusses the resolution of the issue of the lease of Bunder Abbas by the Shah to the Imam of Muskat for an increased rent of 10,000 tomans.Correspondents are the Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent at Muscat; and HH Syed Saeed, Imam of Muscat [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd].Physical description: 1 item (9 folios)
Abstract: Topics covered include:The dispute between the Imam of Muscat and the Government of Persia [Iran] concerning Bunder Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās]Imports levied on British subjects at Muscat.Correspondents include: Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; H L Anderson, Secretary to Government, Bombay; Sedr Azim [Ṣadr-i Aʿẓam]; Imam of Muscat; Political Agent, Muscat; Mulla Ahmed, Political Agent at Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh]; and Commodore George Robinson, Commanding Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf.Physical description: 1 item (19 folios)
Abstract: This item is comprised of copies of secret letters, despatches, memoranda, translations of letters, and intelligence reports relating to events in Persia [Iran].Topics discussed include the relations of the Imam of Muscat with the Government of Persia in connection with Bandar Abbas.Correspondents include: Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, Political Agent in Turkish Arabia; H L Anderson, Secretary to the Government of Bombay [Mumbai]; Earl of Clarendon, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London; the Political Agent, Muscat; the Political Agent, Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh].Physical description: 1 item (21 folios)
Abstract: Fortnightly intelligence summaries (monthly from November 1945) submitted by HM Consul at Kerman, Persia [Iran], and covering events in Kerman and its surrounding province, Yezd [Yazd] and the Gulf port of Bandar Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās]. The reports cover: the movements and activities of Persian local government officials; the movements of British officials, British subjects and foreigners; local government affairs, including elections, and from 1945, the activities of the Tudeh Party of Iran; movements and activities of the Persian military and gendarmerie; local security; roads and communications; economic affairs, with a focus on agricultural production, food supply, food shortages and food prices; and British propaganda. The file also contains some correspondence relating to a guarantee given by the British Government to Hussain Khan Buchakchi, confirming that no action will be taken against him provided he hands over enemy nationals and does not engage in ‘banditry and robbery’ (ff 52-56, ff 65-66).The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 257; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: Fortnightly consular diaries (monthly from February 1946) submitted by HM Consul at Bandar Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās], Persia [Iran], covering the period March 1943 to October 1946. No diaries for the period November 1945 to January 1946 are included in the file. The diaries, which are organised under various subheadings, cover the following subjects: movements and activities of British and Persian officials; movements of foreigners; food supply, food prices, and rationing; economic activity, including a fish canning factory at Bandar Abbas; trade and shipping movements; communications, with particular reference to the roads from Bandar Abbas to Kerman and Minab, and the availability of motor vehicles; tribal and political affairs; local elections; security; public health; anti-locust activities; meteorological data, including minimum and maximum temperatures and rainfall; public relations, specifically local opinion on events in the Second World War; affairs at various places in the vicinity of Bandar Abbas, including Lingeh [Bandar-e Lengeh], Chahbar [Chābahār], Jask, and Hormuz [Jazīreh-ye Hormoz]. The file also contains the following reports: ‘Notes on road Bandar Abbas – Kerman’, August 1943 (f 44); appreciations of the conditions in the Bandar Abbas Consulate area for the periods 1 April to 15 August 1944 (ff 100-103), 1 January to 31 May 1945 (ff 164-167), 1 June to 1 December 1945 (ff 182-185), and 1 January to 30 June 1946 (ff 209-210).At the rear of the file is a copy of the consular diary for Ahwaz [Ahvāz] for January 1947, submitted by HM Consul at Ahwaz and presumably misfiled.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 218; 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: Printed and typewritten monthly reports submitted by the British Consul, or Acting/Officiating Consul at Kerman (George Alexander Richardson; Abdul Alim L K; Major Cecil Henning Lincoln; Lieutenant-Colonel George Arthur Falconer). The reports cover affairs in the Persian [Iranian] province of Kerman, as well as in the towns of Kerman and the Persian Gulf port of Bandar Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās]:the activities of local officials and local government, including courts and customsactivities of the Persian police, military and navycommunications, including roads, railways, and trade routesmunicipal affairs, including public workshealth and sanitation, including reports of outbreaks of diseasesecurity, including reports of crimeclimate, including rainfall and floodsagriculture and harvests (wheat, barley, opium)local trade and commercial activities, including carpet production, the activities of the National Bank of Persia/Iran, and the Government’s institution of monopoly companiesBritish interests, including the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC), the Indo-European Telegraph, and the movements of British individualsforeign interests in Kerman, including Russian, German and Japanesethe arrival and departure of vessels on the Kerman coast, and, attached to a number of reports for 1935, detailed lists of cargoesMinute papers are enclosed in front of many reports, containing notes made by India Office staff commenting on items of note in the report.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 534; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-533; these numbers are also written in pencil and circled, but are crossed through.
Abstract: Correspondence concerning the movements of the former Shah of Persia [Iran], Reza Shah Pahlavi, in the wake of his enforced abdication by the British Government in September 1941. The papers cover: arrangements for the removal of Reza Shah from Persia; discussion amongst British officials over where the Shah should be sent into exile, with Mauritius, British East Africa [Kenya], the Seychelles, Canada, and South Africa all discussed; reports of Reza Shah’s departure from the Persian port of Bandar Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] on 27 September 1941 (ff 85-86, ff 80-82); arrangements for the passage of Reza Shah and his touring party; Reza Shah’s stay in Mauritius, and his opinion of the islands; Reza Shah’s passage to South Africa; the movements of other members of the Persian royal family, including Reza Shah’s wives and children. The file’s principal correspondents are: the British Minister at Tehran, Reader William Bullard; the Foreign Office; the Governor of Mauritius, Bede Edmund Hugh Clifford; the External Affairs Department of the Government of India.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 180; 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 file contains papers, mostly correspondence, relating to: a tour of Muscat by Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and HM Consul-General, Bushire, in February 1940; his journey from Muscat to Bahrein [Bahrain] in the ship LT [Lighthouse Tender]
Nearchus; and a later tour of Bandar Abbas, Jask and Chahbar [Chabahar] in Iran by Prior in November and December 1943.The correspondence includes the following letters from Prior to the Secretary to the Government of India External Affairs Department: a letter dated 26 April 1940, which consists of a detailed account of his trip to Muscat, including the day he spent at Kuwait with Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson, and a stop to refuel and meet the Senior Naval Officer at Khor Kuwai [Khawr al Quway‘] on the way to Muscat, with twelve enclosed photographs [IOR/L/PS/12/3940, f 22; IOR/L/PS/12/3940, f 23; IOR/L/PS/12/3940, f 24; IOR/L/PS/12/3940, f 25; IOR/L/PS/12/3940, f 26; IOR/L/PS/12/3940, f 27; IOR/L/PS/12/3940, f 28; IOR/L/PS/12/3940, f 29; IOR/L/PS/12/3940, f 30; IOR/L/PS/12/3940, f 31; IOR/L/PS/12/3940, f 32; IOR/L/PS/12/3940, f 63]; and a letter dated 29 April 1940, recounting Prior’s cruise from Muscat to Bahrain, with stops at Qais [Kish] Island and Ras Tanura. Copies of these letters were sent from Prior to Roland Tennyson Peel at the India Office.The file also includes: a copy (sent from Prior to the Secretary of State for India) of a letter from Prior to Sir Reader William Bullard, HM Minister, Tehran, dated 28 January 1944, which contains a report of his tour of Bandar Abbas, Jask and Chabahar; a letter in response from Bullard to Prior dated 22 February 1944; and a letter from the Foreign Office to Bullard, dated 23 March 1944, regarding Prior’s report.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 66, these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.