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61. Secret Letters Inward
- Description:
- Abstract: The file consists of secret letters sent to Samuel Hennell, British Resident in the Persian Gulf. The majority of this correspondence is from either the Government of Bombay, or the Secret Committee based at India House in London. These letters frequently contain enclosures (i.e. copies) of communications sent between the Government of Bombay, the Government of India, and the home authorities in Britain; this also includes correspondence with HM Consul-General to Egypt.The principal correspondents in the file are as follows:Patrick Campbell, HM Consul-General to Egypt.George Eden, Governor-General of India.Thomas Henry Maddock, Officiating Secretary to the Government of India with the Governor-General, writing in the Secret Department.Rear-Admiral Sir Lewis Frederick Maitland, Commander of the East Indies and China Station.Lestock Robert Reid, Acting Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay.Henry John Temple, Third Viscount Palmerston, Foreign Secretary for the United Kingdom.John Pollard Willoughby, Secretary to the Government of Bombay, writing in the Secret Department.The subject matter concerns the conquest of Nedjd [Najd] by Khorshid Pasha [Khūrshid Pāshā] on behalf of Mahomed Ali Pasha [Muḥammad ‘Alī Pāshā], Viceroy of Egypt; and his subsequent efforts to subjugate Bahrein [Bahrain] and the Arab tribes of Oman. It therefore covers British efforts to prevent the further advancement of Egyptian forces towards the Persian Gulf; this includes their reaction to the voluntary submission of Abdoola bin Ahmed [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], Chief of Bahrein, to Egypt, and their efforts to coordinate the Arab tribes against the Egyptians.The other main subject covered by this file is the diplomatic rupture between Britain and Persia. The occupation of Karrack [Khārk, Jazīreh-ye] by a British force from India, and the removal of the Residency from Bushire to that island are therefore covered as a result. The feasibility of an invasion of southern Persia is also discussed within the correspondence.Topics featured in the correspondence to a lesser extent include the following:The reprimand of Lieutenant-Colonel James Shiriff, Commander of the British force at Karrack, for undermining the political position of the Resident.The strengthening of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf.The removal of Shaikh Nasir [Shaykh Nāṣir] from the island of Karrack.A visit to the Persian Gulf by Rear-Admiral Sir Frederick Maitland aboard HMS Wellesley.A report from Captain Aikins Hamerton and Captain John T Leslie on their mission to obtain mules for the British force at Karrack.The provisioning of two steamers for an expedition to navigate the rivers Euphrates and Tigris.The correspondence in French only amounts to 5 folios (see ff 75-79), and consists of translations of Egyptian correspondence relating to British pressure on Khorshid Pasha to abandon his designs on Bahrein.Please also note that in the file Mahomed Ali Pasha is also spelt Mehemet Ali, and there is a degree of variation in the spelling of Khorshid Pasha. Pasha is also frequently spelt Pacha.Physical description: Condition: The content of the file is largely in good condition. However, ff 81-88 have a section missing — possibly a result of pest damage — and some of the text has been lost as a result.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: The file also contains an original pagination sequence, which is written in ink.
62. Letter from Harford Jones, Resident at Bagdad, to Henry Dundas, President of the Board of Control
- Description:
- Abstract: This part of the volume comprises correspondence, memoranda, notes, and other papers relating to the first years of the East India Company Residency in Bagdad [Baghdad, also spelled Bagdat in this volume]. The first section (folios 4-153) consists of letters from Sir Harford Jones, Resident at Bagdad, to Henry Dundas, President of the Board of Control. The letters contain intelligence, news, and, Jones's views on the matters discussed. Various subjects are covered, including:The French invasion of Egypt and their campaign in Syria, including the seizure of Alexandria (July 1798), the French defeat by the British at the Battle of the Nile (August 1798), the reaction of the Ottoman authorities to the invasion, the Siege of Acre (March-May 1799), and the Battle of Aboukir [Abu Qir] (July 1799)British fears of a French overland invasion of India and concerns about French influence in the regionEvents in Khorassan [historic region of Greater Khorasan, including north-east Iran and parts of present-day Afghanistan], including the Afghan ruler Zeman Shah's [Zamān Shāh Durrānī] advances on the Punjab, Persian plans to take Herat, and Jones's recommendation to the Government of India that a British representative be installed at Caboul [Kabul]Ottoman military efforts against the growing power of the Whabee [Wahhābī, also spelled Whahaubee in this volume] State in Central ArabiaThe East India Company's victory over Tippoo Sultan [Sulṭān Fātiḥ ‘Alī Ṣāḥib Tīpū, or Tīpū Sulṭān] and the consolidation of their imperial power in IndiaEvents in Europe, particularly those relating to the Napoleonic WarsTreatment of the Christian community in BagdadPolitical affairs in Persia [Iran], India, and Turkish Arabia [Ottoman Iraq]Relations with the Persian Court and the Ottoman Governor of the Baghdad Vilayet, Soliman Pashaw [Sulaymān Pāshā], including the diplomatic missions to Persia of Meerza Mehdi Ally Khan [Mīrzā Mahdī ‘Alī Khān Bahadūr] and Captain John MalcolmRussian movements and ambitions in the CaucasusPlague in Bagdad and the surrounding regionsCommercial and administrative matters.The second section (folios 154-512) consists of the enclosures to Jones's letters to Dundas which cover the same subjects.Correspondence included as enclosures is between Jones and various diplomatic and governmental officials, intelligence sources, merchants, and East India Company representatives from across the region, including: Robert Page Abbott, Agent for the East India Company at Aleppo (following his death in 1799, his wife, Louisa Abbott (née Vernon), took on the duties of Agent); John Barker, Consul at Aleppo; the Government of Bombay; Peter Tooke, East India Company Agent at Constantinople [Istanbul]; Francis Werry, Consul at Smyrna; John Spencer Smith, Ambassador to the Ottoman Porte at Constantinople (after November 1799, Earl of Elgin [Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin]); Nicholas Ducci, Agent at Latachia [Latakia]; Chairman of the East India Company Court of Directors; Rear-Admiral John Blankett, Commander of HMS Leopard, stationed in the Red Sea; Samuel Manesty, Resident at Bussora [Basra]; and Lord Minto [Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto], Envoy to Austria.Documents of note here include:A memorandum by Harford Jones on what preparations might be made for his Residency in Bagdad, dated London, 1 July 1798 (ff 4-7)Papers, in French, seized by the Ottoman authorities following the arrest of France's representatives in Bagdad, including Napoleon Bonaparte's proclamation to the Egyptian people following the seizure of Alexandria (ff 163-169)A short note by Jones on the history of the ruling families of Persia since Nadir Shah [Nādir Afshār] (f 171)The prospectus, in French, of a 'Commercial Company established in France under the auspices of the King for trade with Asiatic Turkey, Persia, and India' [French East India Company] (ff 173-174)A memorandum by Jones on the Whabee (ff 181-184)A letter, in Italian, from Accre [Acre] resident, Luigi Malagamba, concerning the French advance along the eastern Mediterranean coast towards Accre (ff 210-211)Extracts from the Bombay Courier Extraordinary, dated 4 June 1799 (ff 248A-248)A report by John Barker on the roads, conditions, resources, governance, inhabitants, and distances of the region between the eastern Mediterranean and the Euphrates River, dated 1799 (ff 264-268)A memorandum by Jones on the industry and trade of the copper deposits of the Taurus Mountains, dated 1 December 1799 (ff 294-302)Extracts of a report on the events which led to the loss of HMS Trincomaleein the Red Sea on 13 October 1799 (ff 304-306)A letter, in Latin, from Father Fulgentius a S Maria, Carmelite Vicar Apostolic of Persia and Mesopotamia and complaining of unjust treatment by the Ottoman authorities, dated Bagdad, 10 February 1800 (ff 331-332)Letters, in Persian, from Wafadar Khan [Raḥmat Allāh Khān Sadūzāʾī Kāmrān Khayli], Prime Minister to Zeman Shah, and concerning recent events of the time and the proposal of sending an English envoy to Afghanistan, dated Candahar [Kandahar], January 1800 (ff 351-352)News bulletins from Lord Minto in Vienna concerning events of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe (ff 485-488) and including an abstract of the Treaty of Lunéville (ff 495-496).Physical description: 1 item (511 folios)
63. PZ 5615/31 'Hejaz-Nejd: Hejazi representation at The Hague & in Batavia'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises correspondence relating to the diplomatic representation of the Kingdom of Hejaz and Najd at The Hague and in Batavia.The file includes a letter from HBM Minister, Jedda (Cecil Gervase Hope Gill) to HM Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, with background information on the representatives: Ibn Saud's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at The Hague (Shaikh Hafidh Wahba); the First Secretary in charge of the Hejazi Legation at the Hague (Shaikh Abdulla Ibrahim al Fadhl); and Hejazi Consul in Batavia (Seyyid Hamza al Ghouth). Also discussed is the issue of the financing of these posts by the Government of Hejaz and Najd.Correspondence also discusses the potential role of a Dutch bank in financing the delegation. Other correspondents include the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; the Under-Secretary of State for India; and the Secretary, Political and Secret Department, India Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 538, and terminates at f 543, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
64. PZ 53/31 'Disposal of Rebel Leaders - Ibn Mashur.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, and notes, relating to the case of Farhan ibn Mashur, who had committed various acts of rebellion against Ibn Saud.At the conference on HMS Lupinin February 1930 (the Lupin Conference) the King of Iraq (Faisal I) had given an assurance to the King of Hejaz and Najd (ibn Saud) that Farhan bin Mashur would return to ibn Saud via Syria subject to a pardon. However, ibn Mashur was allegedly abducted on the way through Syria and this was seen as a broach of Faisal's guarantee to Ibn Saud.The King of Iraq offered to hand over Ibn Mashur's family and property to the King of Hejaz and Najd as a gesture of good faith, a measure which was accepted by Ibn Saud.The discussion in the volume between British officials concerns the practicalities of the case and the need to maintain cordial relations between the two monarchs. It also discusses the agreements at the Lupin conference and implications for British action in this matter.The file features the following principal correspondents: the Political Secretary to the High Commissioner for Iraq (R S M Sturges); the Private Secretary to the King of Iraq, Baghdad (Abdullah Beg al Haj); the King of Iraq, (Faisal bin Hussein); the High Commissioner for Iraq (F H Humphrys); the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Sidney James Webb, Lord Passfield); the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonial Office; the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Government of Hejaz and Najd; HBM Minister, Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); and the King of Hejaz and Najd (ibn Saud).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 46, and terminates at f 133, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
65. PZ 63/31 'Arabia: Settlement of Iraq-Hejaz Raid Claims'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, and notes, relating to raid claims issuing between Iraq and the Kingdom of Hejaz and Najd.The discussion in the volume relates to the negotiations of compensation, final agreement and arrangements for payment and distribution to tribes.The file features the following principal correspondents: the High Commissioner for Iraq; the Secretary of State for the Colonies; Office of the Council of Ministers, Baghdad; the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mecca; the King of Iraq (Faisal I); the Secretary, Political and Secret Department, Government of India.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 134, and terminates at f 202, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
66. Political No. 110 of 1873, Forwarding Papers Regarding Affairs in Nejd and Bahrein
- Description:
- Abstract: This item consists of copies of a Political Despatch from the Government of India's Foreign Department to the Secretary of State for India, dated 7 July 1873 and received by the India Office's Political Department on 12 August 1873, forwarding copies of papers regarding affairs in Nejd [Najd] and Bahrein [Bahrain], in continuation of Secret Despatch No. 37 of 10 April 1873.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 2, and terminates at f 22, 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 eight foliation insertion anomalies (e.g. 2a, 3a, 8a etc.).
67. Political No. 130 of 1873, Forwarding Copies of Papers Regarding Affairs in Nejd
- Description:
- Abstract: This item consists of copies of a Political Despatch from the Government of India's Foreign Department to the Secretary of State for India, dated 28 July 1873 and received by the India Office's Political Department on 26 August 1873, forwarding copies of papers regarding affairs in Nejd [Najd].Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 519, and terminates at f 524, 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 insertion anomalies: f 519a, f 521a, and f 523a.
68. Political No. 220 of 1874, Forwarding a Copy of Papers Relating to the Operations of the ‘Turks’ in Nejd, and their Complaints Against the Chief of Bahrein
- Description:
- 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 11 December 1874, forwarding a copy of papers relating to the operations of the ‘Turks’ [Ottomans] in Nejd [Najd], and their complaints against the Chief of Bahrein [Hakim of Bahrain] for his hospitable treatment of the Wahabee [Wahhābī] Prince, Abdool Rehman [‘Abd al-Raḥmān], who was lately released from detention at Baghdad.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 572, and terminates at f 575a, 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 572a, f 573a, and f 575a.
69. Political No. 223 of 1874, Forwarding a Copy of Papers Relating to the Proceedings of the ‘Turks’ in Nejd and the Movements of the Wahabee Prince Abdool Rahman
- Description:
- 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 18 December 1874, forwarding a copy of papers relating to the proceedings of the ‘Turks’ [Ottomans] in Nejd [Najd] and the movements of the Wahabee [Wahhābī] Prince Abdool Rahman [‘Abd al-Raḥmān] (the papers listed in the abstract of contents themselves are not included). The despatch is in continuation of despatch No. 220 of 11 December 1874 [IOR/L/PS/6/122, ff 572-575a].Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 592, and terminates at f 593a, 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 two foliation anomalies: f 592a and f 593a.
70. Persian Gulf Affairs
- Description:
- 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 29 of 1853, dated 28 April 1853. The enclosures are numbered 3-16 and are dated 1 December 1852-21 April 1853.The papers relate to the march of a Wahabee [Wahhābī] force from Nedjd [Najd] to Brymee [Buraymi] in Oman via Guttur [Qatar].The correspondents are the Resident in the Persian Gulf (Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball) and the Chief Secretary to Government, Bombay.Physical description: 1 item (69 folios)
71. Coll 6/5 'Relations with Ibn Saud. Proposed meeting between Col. Biscoe and Ibn Saud. Koweit-Nejd Relations.'
- Description:
- Abstract: This volume consists largely of copies of Foreign Office correspondence (forwarded by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the Under-Secretary of State for India) regarding relations between Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and Kuwait. In addition, the volume contains copies of India Office correspondence with both the Foreign Office and the Colonial Office, as well as copies of correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Vincent Biscoe) and the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department.The beginning of the volume concerns a request made by Ibn Saud to use the occasion of a meeting with King Faisal [Fayṣal bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] of Iraq to open formal negotiations with the British regarding general questions relating to the Persian Gulf.The British response is that a meeting of this kind, at such short notice, would not be possible; however, proposals are made for a meeting between Ibn Saud and the Political Resident at a later date. Such a meeting, it is suggested, could also be attended by the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Ahmad al Jabir as Subah [Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ], for the purpose of discussing Nejd-Kuwait relations. Much of the correspondence discusses the efforts made by the British to arrange the proposed meeting with Ibn Saud (which would eventually take place at Hasa in January 1932). The volume includes a report from Biscoe recounting his meetings with both Ibn Saud and his representative, which include the following subjects of discussion: the Kuwait blockade; passport facilities for persons from Nejd travelling to India or Iraq; the possibility of consular status being afforded to representatives of Nejd in Bahrain and Kuwait; the possibility of an extradition treaty between Bahrain and Nejd.Also included in the volume are copies of letters and intelligence summaries from the Political Agent at Kuwait (Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson) to the Political Resident.The volume's other prominent correspondents include the following: the British Consul (later His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires) at Jedda, (William Linskill Bond, succeeded by Cecil Gervase Hope Gill); the British Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd; also held in an acting capacity by Fuad Bey Hamza]; Ibn Saud; the Ruler of Kuwait.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 commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 464; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers.
72. Coll 6/6 'Nejd: Nejd-Transjordan Frontier Raiding. Note from H.M.G. to Ibn Saud.'
- Description:
- Abstract: This volume largely consists of copies of Foreign Office correspondence (forwarded by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the Under-Secretary of State for India) regarding reported raids on the frontier between Transjordan and the Kingdom of the Hejaz and Nejd (later Saudi Arabia). Most of this correspondence consists of copies of letters and telegrams between the Foreign Office and the British Minister at Jedda, Sir Andrew Ryan, as well as translated copies of correspondence between Ryan and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of the Hejaz and Nejd (later Saudi Arabia). The volume also contains India Office correspondence with the Foreign Office and Air Ministry.The correspondence is chiefly concerned with reported raids carried out on the Transjordan frontier by tribes from Nejd and Transjordan. Much of the Foreign Office correspondence discusses the efforts of the British to arrange a meeting between Captain John Bagot Glubb (recently appointed as British Intelligence Officer attached to the Transjordan Bedouin Control Board) and his counterpart, Abdul Aziz Ibn Zeid [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin Zeid], in order to resolve respective claims regarding raids from August 1930 to February 1931, and to make arrangements for the future intercommunication of information.Also discussed are the following:An alleged crossing into Hejazi-Nejdi territory by British aircraft and cars from Transjordan.A proposed extradition treaty between Transjordan and the Kingdom of the Hejaz and Nejd.Reports of meetings between Glubb and Abdul Aziz Ibn Zeid.The question of nationality in relation to certain tribes on the Transjordan and Hejaz-Nejd frontier (namely the Beni Atiya [Banū ʿAṭiyya] and the Atun, which Ryan describes as being a section of the Howeitat [Banū al- Ḥuwayṭāt]).In addition to correspondence the volume contains copies of minutes from meetings in early 1931 of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for questions concerning the Middle East, which discuss possible measures (such as the withdrawal of the British Minister at Jedda) that the British could take in the event of Ibn Saud returning 'an unsatisfactory answer' to British demands relating to the situation on the Transjordan and Hejaz-Nejd frontier. Also included are copies of memoranda from Glubb, one of which responds to complaints made against him by the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the Hejaz and Nejd.Other correspondents besides those already mentioned include the Secretary of State for Colonies, the Colonial Office, the High Commissioner for Transjordan (Sir John Robert Chancellor, succeeded by Arthur Grenfell Wauchope), the British Resident at Transjordan (Charles Henry Fortnom Cox), and His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires at Jedda (Cecil Gervase Hope Gill).The volume includes three dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 780; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers.