Abstract: Consists of a report by Valentine Hugh Wilfred Dowson entitled 'Notes on a few day's journey to the West of Maskat'. The report is divided into sections including climate; geology; communications; flora and fauna. There then follows three sections on agriculture. Agriculture I reports on labour, cultivation and implements and irrigation. The section 'Agriculture II' reports on dates and date palms, their distribution and incidence; cultivation; date of ripening; cooked dates, disease, yield, price, packing and varieties. The section 'Agriculture III' examines other crops such as fruit trees and ground crops. Other sections cover population, government, and trade.There is correspondence between Dowson and Major George Patrick Murphy, Political Agent Muscat discussing the report's significance. Also included is correspondence between Lionel Berkeley Haworth, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the India Office and Department of Overseas Trade about the potential of the date trade in Muscat.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence runs between ff 2-71; these numbers are written in a combination of pencil and type (sometimes the pencil corrects the type, or duplicates it), are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.Foliation errors. 1 and 1A.
Abstract: Imprint:Published by James Horsburgh, Hydrographer to the East India Company.Distinctive Features:Relief shown by hachures. Depth shown by soundings.Nautical chart of the coast of the Gulf of Oman compiled from the surveys carried out by the Bombay Marine’s officers between 1820 and 1829, with Al Batinah region labelled ‘Extensive track of hilly country’.Physical description: Dimensions:500 x 720 mm, on sheet 562 x 770 mm
Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence and minutes cited in, or enclosed with, an extract of a Political letter from the Government of Bombay to the East India Company Court of Directors, 31 March 1852. It is the first in a series of eight items about the Persian Gulf.The letter makes brief references to recent events in the Gulf. Related enclosures can be found at: IOR/F/4/2475/138724; IOR/F/4/2475/138725; IOR/F/4/2475/138726; IOR/F/4/2475/138728; IOR/F/4/2475/138729; IOR/F/4/2475/138730; and IOR/F/4/2475/138731.The item also contains correspondence from Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf, to the Government of Bombay regarding his imminent departure from the role of Resident and his last tour of the Arabian Coast of the Gulf, on which he is accompanied by his successor, Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball. Hennell's correspondence includes reports on his conversations with numerous rulers on the coast, including:Shaik Sultan bin Sugger, Joosmee 'Chief', of Shargah [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī, Leader of al-Qawāsim tribe, of Ra’s al-Khaymah and Sharjah]Shaik Abdoollah bin Rashed, leader of Amulgavine [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Rāshid al-Mu’allā, Shaikh of Umm al-Qaywayn]Syed Saeed, Imam of Muscat [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd, Imām of Muscat]Shaik Saud bin Thanoon, Chief of Aboothabee and Shaik of the Bunyas [Shaikh Sa‘īd bin Ṭaḥnūn Āl Nahyān, Shaikh of Abu Dhabi and the Banī Yās tribe]Shaik Mukhtoom of Debaye [Shaikh Maktūm I bin Buṭṭī Āl Bū Falāsah, Shaikh of Dubai].The conversations cover several topics, notably:Acts of 'piracy' committed by Abdool Ruheem bin Sabir [‘Abd al-Raḥīm bin Ṣābir] and Soheil bin Ateesh [Suhayl bin ‘Uṭaysh]The upcoming expiration of the current maritime truceComplaints by Shaik Abdool Ruhman of Kishm [Shaikh ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Ṣaqr al-Mu‘īnī, Shaikh of Qeshm]Relations between past and current rulers of Bahrein [Bahrain]Recent tensions between Syed Saeed and Syed Ges bin Azan of Sohar [Sayyid Qays bin ‘Azzān Āl Bū Sa‘īd of Suhar].The item also contains minutes by the Governor of Bombay, as well as a copy of Hennell's instructions for James McAllister, Civil Surgeon, who is in charge at Bushire [Bushehr] during Hennell and Kemball's absences.Hennell is also referred to as the Resident at Bushire. There are multiple spellings for individuals’ names and place names.The title page of the item contains the following references: 'Bombay Political Department', 'Draft No. 733 of 1852', 'Collection No. 7 (in 8 volumes)', 'Vol: 1', and 'Examiner's Office'. Originally, the Collection number was given as '1 of No. 35' but this has been crossed out.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 917, and terminates at f 934, 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 sixth in a series of seven items about the 'slave trade' [trade in enslaved people].The item relates to reports from Hajee Yacoob [Ḥājjī Ya‘qūb], Native Agent at Shargah [Sharjah], to Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Resident in the Persian Gulf, about 'slave trade' activity between Zanzibar, Amulgavine [Umm al-Qaywayn], Rusul Khymah [Ra’s al-Khaymah], and the Batinah coast of Oman. His reports include:Details of the vessels involved and the numbers of enslaved people taken onshoreCopy of a letter to him from the Imaum [Imām] of Muscat on the subject of the 'slave trade'Communications he has had with: Sheik Abdullah ben Rashid [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Rāshid al-Mu’allā], Sheik of Amulgavine; Abdullah ben Sultan [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Sulṭān], Sheikh of Shargah; and other 'chiefs' of areas involved in the tradeGeneral updates from Shargah regarding Sheik Sultan ben Suggur [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī], Ameer Fysul [Amir Fayṣal bin Turki bin Abdullāh Āl Sa‘ūd], and Sheikh Saeed ben Tahnoon [Shaikh Sa‘īd bin Ṭaḥnūn Āl Nahyān].Kemball forwards these reports on to the Government of Bombay with his own comments on the 'slave trade' activity and how to suppress it. The Government in turn forwards the above to Sir Henry John Leeke, Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Navy, requesting information on efforts to suppress the trade.The title page of the item contains the following references: 'Bombay Political Department', Draft Number '161 1854', 'Collection', 'Vol: 6', and 'Examiner's Office'. Originally, the Collection was described as 'No. 1 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 838, and terminates at f 849, 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: Correspondence mainly relating to the collection of finances. Non-payment by certain tribes on the Batinah Coast is identified as a threat to the revenue of the Muscat State and the visit of a sloop or flying boat to these regions is recommended. Correspondents include the Political Agent, Muscat; Captain Reginal George Alban, the Financial Adviser, Muscat State; the Political Resident, Persian Gulf. One letter describes the Sultan's tour of the Batinah coast.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. The file also bears a former foliation system comprising of uncircled numbers beginning at 51 (folio 2) and ending at 182 (folio 24).
Abstract: This file concerns actions to be taken by the British following reports that a number of shaikhs in the Shinas area of the Batinah coast are refusing to pay the zakat tax. The correspondence includes discussion of the following: whether threats or a demonstration are required to secure payment from the shaikhs, and whether an air reconnaissance of the area would have the desired effect of ensuring the payment of taxes. Also included is an account of a tour of the Batinah coast, undertaken by the Assistant Financial Adviser to Muscat State.The Arabic language material consists of a letter dated 11 November 1933 from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to the Sultan of Muscat and Oman, which also appears in English. Other correspondents include the following: Political Agent and Consul at Muscat, Major Claude Edward Urquhart Bremner; Air Officer Commanding, Baghdad.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 42; 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 concerns zakat revenue from date cultivation in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. It discusses the findings of a recent assessment of the Sultanate's date producing districts, which was undertaken by the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat, Captain Reginald George Evelyn William Alban. The two other correspondents besides Alban are the following: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle; the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 7; 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 relates to agricultural and industrial development in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. The bulk of the file consists of a copy of a report produced by Brian Joseph Hartley, Director of Agriculture, Aden, which is entitled 'A Preliminary Report on the Agricultural Resources of the Batinah Coast – Sultanate of Muscat and Oman' (ff 27-67). A similar report relating to the province of Dhofar was produced by Hartley two years previously (see IOR/R/15/6/282).Two letters exchanged between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Foreign Office discuss the steps that the Sultan of Muscat and Oman [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd] intends to take to implement the recommendations made by Hartley in his report. It is noted that the recruitment of an agricultural officer and a fisheries officer from India or Pakistan is being considered, with the Foreign Office suggesting that the Sultan should consider recruiting Palestinians for these posts, with a view to later allowing Palestinian refugees to settle as cultivators in Muscat.Also covered very briefly in the file is the recent visit of consulting geologist Sir Cyril Sankey Fox to Dhofar to examine lead ore deposits, and Fox's wish to carry out similar prospecting in Oman.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 68; 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 consists of letters sent outwards from the British Residency in the Persian Gulf; most of the letters have been penned by Samuel Hennell (Assistant Resident), followed by James Morrison (newly appointed Resident), and Thomas Mackenzie (Civil Surgeon). This correspondence is predominantly addressed to the following: Charles Norris, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay (Political Department); Thomas Elwon, Commodore of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf; and William Hay Macnaghten, Chief Secretary to the Government of India, at Fort William, Calcutta (Political Department).Some subjects briefly discussed include the replacement of the Governor of Bushire, Mirza Ally Khan [Mīrzā ‘Alī Khān], with Shaikh Nasir [Shaykh Nāṣir], which was achieved with the assistance of the Chief of Koweit [Kuwait]. The file also covers the increasing popularity of Humood ben Azan, Chief of Sohar [Ṣuḥār], and the corresponding decline in the authority of Muscat; the Chief of Sohar had formerly been a subject of the Imam of Muscat, Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Sa‘īd. The Imam called in the 'Maritime Arabs' to provide assistance with dealing with the Chief of Sohar, and the correspondence therefore discusses the Assistant Resident's fears that this could lead to an outbreak of general piracy and lawlessness.Another political matter that gets some attention is a contest over Katif [Al-Qaṭīf] between Fasil ben Turki [Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah Āl Sa‘ūd], Wahabee [Wahhabi] Chief, and Shaikh Abdoola bin Ahmed [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], Chief of Bharein [Bahrain]. The defeat and capture of ‘Alī Mirzā, Prince of Shiraz, by the troops of Mahomed Shah [Muḥammad Shāh Qājār] is also briefly mentioned.The topic that gets the most attention is an 'outbreak of piracy' instigated by the Beniyas [Bani Yas] tribe under their Chief, Shaikh Khuleefa ben Shackboot [Khalīfah bin Shakhbūṭ] of Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi], and their subsequent suppression via British naval power. It therefore covers the process of establishing restitution payments for the Beniyas's 'acts of piracy', and subsequent measures taken by the British to enforce the Chief's compliance.Some letters in the file attempt to draw the attention of the Government of Bombay to the poor state of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf; the Resident considers the resources available to be inadequate for the duties required of the force. It therefore contains the Resident's recommendations to the Government concerning the number and types of ships that should be stationed in the Gulf.The file contains the following notable enclosures:Memorandum of the property and cash plundered by the subjects of Shaikh Khuleefa ben Shackboot of Aboothabee, the restitution of which is required by that Chief, dated 14 January 1835 (see f 5).List of the vessels plundered by the Joasmee [Qāsimī] and Beniyas tribes when cruising against Sohar on the coast of Batinah [Al-Bāṭinah] as allies of the Imam of Muscat, dated 27 February 1835 (see f 19v).List of demands to be made on the Chief of Aboothabee in compensation for the 'outrages' committed by the Beniyas on the 'peaceable Arabs' of the Persian Gulf, dated 27 April 1835 (see f 39v).General statement of the vessels 'detained or piratically' seized by the Beniyas tribe and subsequently recovered by the Persian Gulf Squadron, dated 21 May 1835 (see f 48).Translation of a truce agreed by the Arabian Chiefs for a period of six months, dated 21 May 1835 (see ff 51v-52).Statement of the cash and property received from the Beniyas together with detail of disbursements, dated 5 July 1835 (see ff 55v-56).Sketch of naval means estimated as required for the efficient discharge of the duties of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf, dated 16 December 1835 (see ff 85v-86).The content has undergone a degree of weeding as indicated by the gaps in the original pagination, and some content is therefore missing as a result. In addition, some letters are only present as fragments (i.e. only the beginning, or the end of certain letters can be found within).Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the cover and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The file contains the following foliation corrections; 1, and 1A.Pagination: An original pagination sequence is also present in the file; this sequence is written in ink, and the numbers are located in the top outermost corner of each page. There are gaps in the pagination indicating that the file has undergone a degree of weeding.
Abstract: The file contains Secret and Political correspondence sent inwards and outwards from the British Residency in the Persian Gulf; the file primarily represents communications between the Resident, and the Secret and Political Department of the Bombay Government.It covers diplomatic relations with Persia, which includes British naval measures to prevent the importation of slaves; reports on Persian fortification work on the island of Khārk, Jazīreh-ye; British proposals to occupy Khārk, Jazīreh-ye; Shaikh Houssein Nasir's failed attempt to restore himself to the position of Governor of Bushire in 1853; along with the withdrawal of the British Envoy, Charles Augustus Murray, from Tehran at the end of 1855, and the suspension of diplomatic relations.Bahrain is also a subject of much of the correspondence, the principle topic being the reconciliation mediated by the Resident between Shaikh Muḥammed bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah, Chief of Bahrain, and Shaikh Mahomed bin Abdullah, Chief of Demaun in 1855. Followed by British efforts to prevent the Al Ali tribe from relocating to the Arabian Coast, and settling in the region of Demaun [Ad-Dammān] that same year; the Al Ali tribe was viewed as a threat by the rulers of Bahrain.Also included in the file is correspondence relating to the replacement of the Treaty of Maritime Truce 1843 with the Perpetual Treaty of Maritime Peace 1853, which was signed between Britain and the Shaikhs of the Arabian Peninsula. This includes the Resident's resolution of a crisis caused by a discrepancy in the English and Arabic expiry dates of the 1843 treaty, which had meant that not all parties were working to the same timetable. In relation to this topic, the issues Shaikh Sulṭān bin Saqr has with a ruling of the East India Company Court of Directors — indicating that compensation payments for violations of the Maritime Truce should be paid directly to injured parties without reference to their ruler — are also covered.A dispute between Syed Saeed [Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Sa‘īd], the Imam of Muscat, and Tahmesp Meerza, the Prince Governor of Fars Province, over Bandar-e ʻAbbās is another issue discussed in the file; a Persian force marched against the settlement in 1854. The main point of concern being the Imam's desire to recruit assistance from Bahrain, and Basra to support his claim over the town, which the British feared could lead to the disruption of maritime peace in the Persian Gulf.Physical description: Foliation: The main 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.The file contains the following foliation corrections; 1, and 1B; 125, and 125A.Pagination: The file has also been paginated; this sequence is written in a combination of blue crayon and ink.
Abstract: This file is divided into two sections. The first section (folios 2-21) consists of fourteen letters from Bushire to Tehran, two letters from Bushire to Baghdad and two letters from Tehran to Bushire. The letters from Bushire are written by Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Resident in the Persian Gulf, to one of the following: His Excellency Colonel Justin Sheil CB, Her Majesty's Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Persia, Tehran; William Taylour Thomson, Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at the Court of Persia, Tehran; Colonel Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, Political Agent in Turkish Arabia, Baghdad. In addition, there are two letters from William Taylour Thomson to Arnold Burrowes Kemball. Subjects covered in the first section include: British relations with the Persian Government; the state of affairs in Tangestān and Bandar-e 'Abbās; the retrieval of consignments of indigo, which formed part of the plundered cargo of the
Centaur. The second section (folios 24-59) consists of fourteen letters from Commodore George Robinson, Commander of the Persian Gulf Squadron, to Kemball and eight letters addressed by Kemball to Robinson. Many of Robinson's letters include enclosed copies of letters from various officers of the Naval Squadron (namely Lieutenants James Tronson, Robert Anstice Stradling, Charles Golding Constable and David Rose Dakers), which include not only accounts of duties carried out in the lower end of the Gulf but also reports of intelligence received from the native agents at Sharjah and Bandar-e Lengeh respectively. Subjects covered include: attempts made by Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah Āl Sa‘ūd, ruler of the Second Saudi State, to obtain a tribute from the Governor of Muscat, Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘id al-Sa‘id, for the Al-Bāṭinah coast; the various duties carried out by officers of the Squadron, such as seizing boats that have imported slaves into ports along the Arab coast.Physical description: Pagination: There is an original pagination sequence which is written in ink, in the top right corners of the rectos and in the top left corners of the versos. The sequence is consistent, although not all of the pages have been paginated.Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. This sequence begins on the third folio after the front cover, on number 1A, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 62. It should be noted that the sequence begins on f 1A and is followed by f 1B and f 2. This is the sequence used by this catalogue to reference items within this file.
Abstract: This file consists almost entirely of letters received by the Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire. The Resident at this time was David Anderson Blane. The principal correspondents are the following: Commodore William Sowden Collinson, Commander of the Indian Navy in the Persian Gulf; Charles Norris, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay; John Bax, Secretary to the Government of Bombay; Samuel Hennell, Assistant to the Resident in the Persian Gulf.Two of the letters contain enclosures. In his letter of 27 August 1832, John Bax encloses a copy of a letter from Charles Malcolm, Superintendent of the Indian Navy, to John FitzGibbon, 2nd Earl of Clare, Governor and President in Council, Bombay, together with a copy of Bax's reply to Malcolm.In his letter of 3 July 1832, Samuel Hennell encloses copies of his correspondence with Shaik Rashid ben Hamed [Shaikh Rashid I bin Humaid Al Nuaimi], Chief of Eyman [Ajman], and Henry Wyndham [Windham], Commander of the Honourable Company brig of war the
Tigris, respectively.Subjects covered in this file include: the state of confusion in Muscat, following the departure of the Imam [Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Bū Sa‘īd] for Zanzibar; the imprisonment of the Imam of Muscat's son and nephew by Soud Bin Ally Bin Saif [Saud bin Ali bin Saif], Chief of Burka [Barkā’, Oman]; the effects of the outbreak of plague in Bushire; the reported seizure by Sultan bin Suggur [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Ra's al-Khaymah and Sharjah] of three forts on the Batinah [Al-Bāṭinah] coast belonging to the Imam of Muscat; details of Samuel Hennell's efforts to recover property reportedly plundered from some of the Imam's subjects by dependents of Rashid ben Hamed; the British Government's alliance with the Imam of Muscat; the movements and states of repair of various Indian Navy ships (including a list of ships employed by the Indian Navy).Physical description: Pagination: There is an original but incomplete pagination sequence, with gaps present in the file between folios 1 and 28. The numbers are written in ink and are located in the top outermost corners of each page.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio with content (i.e. text) and terminates at the last folio with content; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. This is the sequence which has been used by this catalogue to reference items within the file.