Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the debt recovery claims made in 1933 and 1935 by the Indian merchant Viroomal Vallabdas (also spelt Virumal Valabdas) of Dubai. His claims are against Shaikh Said bin Maktum the Ruler of Dubai [Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm bin Hasher Āl Maktūm] and his brother Shaikh Man’a bin Rashid Al Maktum [Shaikh Mani bin Rashid Āl Maktūm], also Arab pearl merchant Salim bin Mussabbah bin Hamudah of Dubai, and the estate of Khan Bahadur Shaikh Isa bin Abdul Latif, the former Residency Agent at Sharjah, who died in September 1935. The correspondence consists mainly of the several petitions made by the plaintiff Viroomal Vallabdas, as well as letters in English and Arabic from Khan Sahib Husain bin Hasan ‘Amad, the officiating Residency Agent at Sharjah, reporting his investigations to the Political Agent at Bahrain. There are English translations of a Tamask (credit note) from 1929 belonging to the defendant Salem bin Mussabbah bin Hamudah and an official record of the oral bankruptcy proceedings against him in 1931, before a Committee of Muslim citizens of Dubai and in the presence of his several creditors. In a letter to the Residency Agent, the defendant Shaikh Man’a bin Rashid Al Maktum refers to the settlement of similar debt recovery cases in Dubai, the current economic crisis and the losses suffered in the pearling industry.Physical description: Foliation: the main 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. Three additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 4-11, ff 4-41, and ff 13-41; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to a long outstanding debt recovery claim made by pearl merchant Shaikh Abdul Latif [Shaikh Abdul Latiff bin Shaikh Mahomed Al Abdul Razak] of Bombay against Khalaf bin Abdulla bin Utaibah and Ahmad bin Khalaf bin Utaibah of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The claim relates to a pearl transaction dating from 1926, which was originally brought to the attention of the Political Agent, Bahrain in 1936 by Khan Bahadur Abdur Rahman Zayani of Karachi, a friend of the claimant. Included in the file is a Power of Attorney granted by the claimant to his son Yusuf bin Abdul Latif in Bombay in 1945, to enable him to pursue in the Shaikh’s court in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, the debt judgements already made in his father’s favour by the Bombay High Court in 1939. The main correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Residency Agent, Sharjah who investigate the settlement of the debt claim between 1936 and 1939, and then again between 1947 and 1949, in response to further petitioning from Mohamed and Khalid bin Abdul Latif, also sons of the claimant and residents of Kuwait. Two letters and a memorandum by the Residency Agent about an attempted mediated settlement by a committee of merchants at Dubai in 1947, a letter from the Political Agent to Khan Bahadur Abdur Rahman Zayani of Karachi, and two letters from the claimant’s son Mohamed Abdul-Latif Al-Abdul-Razzak, a pearl merchant of Kuwait, are in English and Arabic.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 54; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 4-53; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to a debt recovery claim made in 1937 by Manibai, the widow of the Indian merchant Seth Dhamanmal Jethanand. Her claim is against her husband’s former business partner Seth Kishinchand (also spelt Kishandas) Nathamal, merchant of Dubai, regarding her entitlement to rental income from a jointly owned property in Dubai. The correspondence contains three petitions from Manibai, together with a copy of an agreement made at Karachi in 1933 between her son Chaturbhujdas (also spelt Chaturbhuj) Dhamanmal and Seth Kishinchand Nathamal, which contains the terms of a new lease for the property. Also included in the file are two letters from Seth Kishinchand Nathamal to Chaturbhujdas Dhamanmal at Karachi and to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire respectively. There are other letters, in both English and Arabic, from the Residency Agent at Sharjah who was charged with investigating the claim, to the Political Agent at Bahrain and also to a committee of local merchants. The committee’s valuation of the property, in Arabic, is also present in the file.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 29; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-26; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to a debt recovery claim in 1938 made by Ali bin Ibrahim bin Isa al Hyderabadi of Sharjah for money owed to him by Ahmad al Dalil of Dubai, a broker, to whom he had entrusted the sale of pearl dust at the end of the diving season. Most items of correspondence are in English and Arabic and include: several petitions from Ali bin Ibrahim bin Isa al Hyderabadi to the Political Agent at Bahrain; a letter from the Residency Agent at Sharjah to the Political Agent, reporting his investigation of the claim; a copy of a letter from the local judge or magistrate who is referred to as the Qasi [Cadi], to Shaikh Said bin Maktum [Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm bin Hasher Āl Maktūm] the Ruler of Dubai, reporting his efforts to settle the claim under Sharia law.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 38; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 4-36; these numbers are written in pencil or crayon, and are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains numerous courtesy letters expressing friendship, congratulations and thanks, which are exchanged mainly between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Shaikhs of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. The majority of courtesy letters received by the Political Agent, Bahrain are from the Dubai shaikhs, particularly from Shaikh Mani bin Rashid Maktum [Āl Maktūm, Shaikh Mana bin Rashid] who is the cousin of the Ruler Shaikh Sai’d bin Maktum [Āl Maktūm, Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm bin Hasher]. Several of the letters from Shaikh Mani bin Rashid Maktum contain complaints against Sayid Abdul Razaq the Residency Agent at Sharjah.The file also contains a small amount of claims correspondence relating mainly to debt repayment. This correspondence includes petitions received from local merchants and other inhabitants of Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah, as well as letters from the Residency Agent, Sharjah to the Political Agent, Bahrain reporting his investigations into some of the claims made and any settlements reached. The majority of letters are in Arabic and are also translated into English. Included in the file are two merchant letters in Persian and a short extract from a German ornithological report in 1937, together with an English translation, about white storks.Finally, there is a small amount of correspondence in 1937 between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Government of India regarding legal opinion on the service of summonses in the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 204; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-157; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file comprises correspondence informing the Shaikh of Dubai (Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm) of the Foreign Office's decision not to renew the Dubai Civil Air Agreement, which was due to expire in July 1951.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folio 2.Physical description: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 10; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 3-9; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the activities of the Imperial Bank of Iran in Dubai. The principal correspondents are: the British Agency at Sharjah; the Political Agency at Bahrain; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire (later, Bahrain); and representatives of the Imperial Bank of Iran in both Tehran and Dubai.The papers cover the following matters:the negotiations and final agreement for the opening of a bank branch in Dubai;the lease of land for the new bank building;the change of name to the British Bank of Iran and the Middle East in August 1949.The file also contains brief reports on the bank's activities for the years 1948 and 1949, written by the manager, M P Stott.Folios 6-10 are a copy of the agreement between the bank and the ruler of Kuwait, upon which the Dubai agreement was based. Folios 14-25 are the final Dubai agreement, in triplicate.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 62; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The file comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, and notes, concerning the establishment of banks in the Gulf including Dubai, Kuwait, and Muscat.Issues discussed in the correspondence include:Concerns relating to the establishment of the 'India and Persian Gulf Bank Limited' with a view to undertaking banking services in Muscat and DubaiApproval of the application by the Imperial Bank of Iran to open branches in Muscat and DubaiBanking Agreement between Sultan and Imperial Bank of Iran, 10 July 1948.Included in the file is a copy of the 'Banking agreement between the Shaikh of Dubai and the Imperial Bank of Iran dated 5th January 1956'The file features the following principal correspondents: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (William Rupert Hay); the Political Agent, Muscat (Ralph Ingham Hallows); the Secretary to the Government of India, External Affairs Department; the Sultan of Muscat and Oman [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr]; the Imperial Bank of Iran; and the Eastern Bank Limited.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 217; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 1-217; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence in the form of reports and diaries circulated between British Officials. The reports are concerned mainly with internal affairs in Muscat and Oman. The British Political Agent and Consul at Muscat reports to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire, on the present conditions in Muscat and the situation of failure between the state and the tribes nominally under it. The Political Agent also provides half-yearly statements of the revenue of the Muscat State finance along with comments on Bertram Sidney Thomas’ financial reports.Among other issues included in the reports are:the news of collecting
zakat(alms) money from various regions in Oman and Muscat and people’s reaction to thatShaikh ‘Isa bin Salih’s diplomacy in bringing conflicting tribes togetherthe clashes between the two main Omani factions, the Hanawi and the Ghafirithe Wahhabis’ occupation of al-Buraimi in the1800s, and how they influenced some of the tribes of al-Dhahira region who still identify themselves as Wahhabisthe relation between the Sultan of Muscat and Shaikh 'Isa bin Salih al-Harthi and his father Shaikh Salih bin Ali before himthe issue of succession of Sultan Taimur bin Faisalthe need of the British to protect al-Buraimi from the Wahhabisa summary of the history of Oman, its
Ibadhisect, the establishment of the
Imama(religious leadership) and the ruling family founded in 1744the rebellions of 1895 and 1913The last report in the file is of the visit of the Senior Naval Officer to the Trucial Coast in May 1931, and his notes on the internal affairs in Ras al-Khaimah and Dubai.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 59; 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.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence regarding a period of tensions and hostilities that took place between the rulers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm bin Hasher Āl Maktūm and Shaikh Shakhbūṭ bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān respectively.The correspondence discusses the reasons behind this conflict including the disputed ownership of Ghanadhah [Khor al-Ghanadhah], as well as other incidents of aggression committed including the looting of camels.Most of the correspondence in the file is between British officials at the Political Agency in Bahrain, the Political Residency in Bushire and the Residency Agent in Sharjah. However, the file also contains correspondence with local rulers, primarily Shaikh Saʻīd and Shaikh Shakhbūṭ. This correspondence is in Arabic accompanied by English translations.On folios 232-233, the file contains a chart with details of the boundary between the two Shaikhdoms and the respective claims made by the rulers of each.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with folio 292; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between folios 4-264; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A written pagination sequence exists between folios 273-289.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence related to individual cases of the enslavement and trade of Baluchis from the Makran coast and Karachi, to the Trucial and Oman Coast, and in particular to Dubai. The correspondence is predominantly between Government representatives in Karachi/Sind, the Persian Gulf Political Resident at Bushire (of which there were three incumbents during the period covered), and the native Residency Agent at Sharjah, ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif. The cases discussed touch upon British attempts to identify and recover Baluchis reportedly taken and transported to the Trucial Coast, repatriation measures, the terms of punishment for traders/kidnappers, and the expenses incurred at offering protection for recovered slaves.Of particular interest in the file are reports on the slave trade between Baluchistan and the Gulf, 1923/24 (folios 98-114); correspondence between the native agent at Sharjah and the Trucial Coast shaikhs on slave trade (e.g. folios 361-362); and the Hindu community of Dubai’s efforts to take action against the trade of Hindu boys from Karachi (folio 364).Physical description: Foliation: The volume is foliated with circled pencil numbers from the front cover to the last folio, in the top-right corner of each recto. An earlier foliation system uses uncircled pencil numbers, also in the top-right corner of each recto.Condition: There is some insect damage on the front cover and a small number of folios, but not sufficient to impair legibility.
Abstract: The file comprises: 1) copies of extracts, or complete copies of, Persian Gulf Trade War Bureau reports, numbered 29 to 37, and issued weekly and dated between 15 August 1942 and 2 November 1942; 2) copies of correspondence concerning the re-export trade from the Arab Coast, chiefly from Dubai to Persia [Iran] and other countries.The Persian Gulf Trade War Bureau reports are arranged by country (Persia, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Dubai) and by subject or commodity (sugar, tea, cotton, etc.). They contain extracts and intelligence gleaned from intercepted mail and telegraphic correspondence, chiefly from merchants but also from newspapers and other organisations, and report on a range of subject matter related to trade, including: suspected or known cases of smuggling, fictitious orders used to increase quotas, and the re-export trade from Dubai. Some of the reports contain intelligence relating to wartime developments in Europe, which is struck through in red or blue pencil. The final report in the file (ff 76-87) contains statistical tables showing trade in various commodities between India and the key ports of the Persian Gulf.Correspondence related to the re-export trade from Dubai chiefly takes place between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay; Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield), and the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Khan Sahib Saiyid ‘Abd al-Razzaq), and discusses the reasons behind the flourishing re-export trade from Dubai, methods of limiting the re-export trade, stock levels of sugar in the Gulf.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 95; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional mixed foliation/pagination sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-94; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.Two previous foliation sequences, which are also circled, have been superseded and therefore crossed out.