Abstract: Aerial photograph of Hodeida [Al Hudaydah, Yemen]. Photographer unknown. Prepared by naval staff in the Admiralty's Naval Intelligence Division.Physical description: Materials: 1 black and white photograph.Dimensions: 148 x 191mm, on sheet 202 x 328mm.
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 32 of 1843, dated 1 May 1843. The enclosures are numbered 3-10 and are dated 14 November 1842 to 27 April 1843.The majority of the item consists of a summary (enclosure No. 3) of the proceedings of the Government of Bombay in response to the perceived hostilities committed by the Sherriff [Sharif] of Mocha, Hussain ben Ali Hyder [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī Ḥaydar], and his brother Hamood [Ḥammūd] against British subjects, following the Sherriff taking possession of the sea ports of Mocha and Hodeida [Al Hudaydah], following the evacuation of those places by the troops of Mahomed Ali Pasha [Muḥammad ‘Alī Pāshā al-Mas‘ūd bin Āghā].The ‘hostilies’ set out in the summary include the Sherriff of Mocha ordering that: the British flag which was hoisted in front of the house of the Acting Native Agent at Mocha, Abdool Russool [‘Abd al-Rasūl], be pulled down; no Englishmen be permitted to land armed; no supplies be provided to British or Honourable Company’s Government vessels without payment of duties; and all British merchants trading with Mocha and Hodeida should in future pay nine per cent duty instead of the customary duty of two and a half per cent.The summary also discusses: the Sherriff and his brother, acting as Governor of Mocha, preventing any further supplies being sent from Mocha to Aden and ‘throwing every impediment’ in the way of British commerce; the Sherriff seizing the private property belonging to the Acting Native Agent at Mocha; a Commissioner being appointed by the Sublime Porte [the Government of the Ottoman Empire] to remove the Sherriff, following representations made by the British Government to the Porte; intelligence that an arrangement between the Ottoman Commissioner and Sherriff Hussain has been nearly concluded, whereby the British flag would be re-hoisted and a bond of future friendly conduct towards British subjects would be made; and the view of the Political Agent at Aden, Captain Stafford Bettesworth Haines, that such a conclusion could not be accepted as ‘British dignity would be injured’ if no punishment was inflicted on the Sherriff of Mocha.Copies of the following documents are included in the summary as appendices: a letter from the Political Agent at Aden to the Secretary to the Government of Bombay, John Pollard Willoughby; a letter from the British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Stratford Canning, to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Earl of Aberdeen; and a treaty between the British Government and the Imaum of Senna [Imam of Yemen at Sana'a], dated 15 January 1821.Enclosure Nos. 4-7 relate to the Government of Bombay soliciting the instructions of the Governor-General of India in response to the application of the Imaum of Senna for British aid in his attempt to recover possession of the ports of Mocha and Hodeida.Enclosure Nos. 8-10 concern: the conduct of HM Consul and Honourable Company’s Agent in the Dominions of the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat (also spelled Muskat in this item), Captain Atkins Hamerton, in relation to the case of the alleged murder of an ‘Arab seaman’, who was a subject of the Imaum of Muscat, by a British seaman, James Dawson; the view of HM Government that the proceedings adopted by Hamerton in the case are illegal, and that his conduct in sanctioning the witnesses against the prisoner being placed in irons during a voyage to Mauritius is entirely disapproved of and highly censured; the Governor in Council directing that Hamerton be cautious in future not to send persons accused of murder to England without direct instructions from the authorities. Enclosure No. 8 includes a letter to Hamerton from the Colonial Secretary, Mauritius, with an enclosed letter from HM Procureur and Advocate General at Mauritius.Physical description: 1 item (82 folios)
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 20 February 1874 and received by the India Office Political Department on 16 March 1874. With reference to the letter from the Resident at Aden, No. 15-50, dated 20 January 1874, regarding the destruction of certain dhows by HMS
Thetis,the despatch draws attention to paragraph 18 of the Assistant Resident's report of his visit to Hodeida [Al Hudaydah], in which it is stated that enslaved persons are conveyed from the port to Busreh [Basra] and the Persian Gulf in Turkish [Ottoman] men-of-war [ships].Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 349, and terminates at f 350, 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.
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 4 of 1853, dated 13 January 1853. The enclosures are numbered 3-9. Enclosure numbers 3-6 are dated 12 December 1852 to 5 January 1853.Enclosure numbers 3 and 5 consist of two letters from the Political Agent at Aden, Captain Stafford Bettesworth Haines, to the Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay. The letters report:The state of affairs at Aden and within its vicinity, including an incident in which a 'marauding party' of forty men of the Subiee [aṣ-Ṣubayḥī] 'tribe' attacked a kafila [caravan] of camels and plundered the goods it was carryingActions taken by Haines in response to complaints from merchants at Hodeida [Al Hudaydah] claiming British protection that they had been treated unjustly by the Turkish [Ottoman] government of Hodeida in relation to increased customs dues, and in being forcibly removed from their houses so that Turkish soldiers could be accommodated in them.Enclosure number 5 includes enclosed copies of correspondence between Haines and the Senior Naval Officer at Aden, Charles William Montrion, and correspondence between other Indian Navy officers.Enclosures 4 and 6 are minutes by the Governor of Bombay, directing that copies of Haines's letters be sent to the Government of India and the Secret Committee, and approving of Haines's reported actions.Numbers 7-9, listed in the abstract of contents as copies of the
Bombay Overland Times, the
Bombay Overland Telegraph & Courier, and the
Bombay Overland Gazettenewspapers dated 13 January 1853, are noted as missing.Physical description: There is an abstract of contents of the despatch, numbered 1-9, on folio 48. These numbers are repeated for reference on the verso of the last folio of each enclosure.
Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:These three topographical views of the coastal towns of Hodeida, Loheia and El Cassar were sketched from on board ship.The upper view shows a fully worked watercolour drawing of the sketch found in WD3533, showing the town of Hodeida [Al Hudaydah] as it extends along the bay from the ‘North Fort’ to the ’South Fort’.The middle view shows a fully worked watercolour drawing of the town of Loheia [Al Luḩayyah]. In the background a mountain range recedes into clouds. A large, domed building is at centre, a fort at right and at far right a single ship is at sail.The lower view shows a fully worked watercolour drawing of the sketch found in WD3531, showing the town of El Cassar. Steep, rocky peaks rise prominently in the background while in the foreground a low-lying settlement of huts at centre is surrounded by vegetation at right and in the background. At right a fort dominates the coast, with a number of boats at anchor in the bay before it.Inscriptions:Recto:Above upper image, in pen: ‘North Fort N35E’; ‘South Fort N60E’Below upper image, in pen: ‘Town of Hodeida distant 2 miles. Highland visible in clear weather.’Below middle image, in pen: ‘Town of Loheia’Below lower image, in pen: ‘Town of El Cassar’Verso:Upper left, in pencil: ‘WD3536’Physical description: Dimensions:261 x 451 mmMaterials:Watercolour and pen on paperCondition:Surface dirt coats the recto and verso, particularly at edges and corners where staining is also visible. The right lower corner of the paper is lost. Repair work has stabilised the sheet.
Abstract: This item comprises enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee [Bombay Secret Letter], No. 18 dated 5 March 1856. The enclosures are dated 13-27 February 1856.The item comprises a report by Brigadier William Marcus Coghlan, Acting Political Resident and Commandant, Aden, to the Secretary to the Government, Bombay, on the situation in the Aden and the Red Sea coast region of Yemen, enclosing five letters conveying intelligence from: Captain John James Frushard, Indian Navy, Senior Naval Officer at Aden and the Red Sea Station; Stephen Page, HM Acting Vice-Consul and Officiating HC [Honourable Company] Agent at Juddah [Jeddah, also spelled Jedda in this item]; Mahmoud Pasha [Maḥmūd Pāshā], Governor of Yemen; Khajia Georgie Kastandi (Teoffani) [Georgie Kostanti Theofani] of Hodeida [Al Hudaydah]; and Haji Abd-er-Rassool [‘Abd al-Rasūl] of Mocha.Coghlan’s report and enclosures chiefly relate to the varying rumours of the advance of a force of between 30,000 and 50,000 of the Asseer [‘Asir, also spelled Aseer in this item] tribe southwards to Yemen with the intention of attacking and capturing Hodeida and other Red Sea ports of that country, and Lahedj [Lahej]. There is particular reference to:The arrival of the
Elphinstoneand the
Queenat Hodeida and the arrangements put in place by their commanders for the protection of the governor of the town and his familyDetails of the strength of the defences and fortifications at HodeidaThe apparent gratitude of Mahmoud Pasha, Governor of Yemen, for the arrival of the British vessels, his departure north to Lohea [Al Luhayyah] to reassure that town’s inhabitants, enrolment of additional soldiers, and impression that additional military assistance is on its way from Bombay.Coghlan’s report also covers news on the situation in Mecca and Juddah following the recent rebellion, including that: both cities are now tranquil; the rebellion led by Abd-el-Mutalib [Sharif ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib bin Ghālib bin Musā‘ad] has largely petered out since the military engagement at Tayf [Ta’if, also spelled Taif in this item] between ‘Bedowins’ [Bedouin] and [Ottoman] Turkish soldiers; and that a new Seriff [Sharif] is soon arriving in Mecca.Also included in the item is a Resolution of the Board indicating that the Governor in Council wants the number of volunteers from the Sind Irregular Horse for service at Aden to be raised to a full complement of one hundred men.Physical description: 1 item (10 folios)
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 1850, dated 11 May 1850.Enclosure No. 3, dated 28 April 1850, is a letter from the Political Agent at Aden, Captain Stafford Bettesworth Haines, to the Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Arthur Malet, reporting on affairs at Aden and within its vicinity. Haines states that ‘the several Arab Tribes’ adjacent to Aden are at peace with each other, the roads leading to Aden are ‘unmolested’, daily supplies are regular and abundant, and that no smallpox or other contagious disease exists at Aden or in the neighbourhood.Enclosure No. 4, dated 20 April 1850, is a letter from Haines to Malet, forwarding a report from the Senior Naval Officer at Aden station, Captain John Parke Sanders, commanding the Honourable Company’s sloop of war
Elphinstone, reporting on affairs at Jiddah [Jeddah, also spelled Judda in this item], Hodeida [Al Hudaydah] and Mocha. Sanders reports on matters including complaints from the ‘British Native merchants’ (also referred to as ‘Indian Merchants’) at Jiddah of the (in Haines’s words) ‘impositions, exactions, and other unlawful and arbitrary proceedings’ (folio 5) of the Turkish [Ottoman] Pasha of Jiddah, Haysb Pasha [Ḥasīb Pāshā], towards them, and the perceived lack of support and protection they had received from the British Vice Consul there.Enclosure Nos. 5-6, listed in the abstract of contents as copies of the
Bombay Overland Timesand the
Bombay Overland Telegraphdated 11 May 1850, are recorded as missing in a note dated 31 October 1906.Physical description: 1 item (9 folios)
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 17 of 1853, dated 1 March 1853. The enclosures are numbered 3-9. Enclosure numbers 3-6 are dated 3 to 24 February 1853.Enclosure number 3 is a letter from the Political Agent at Aden, Captain Stafford Bettesworth Haines, to the Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Arthur Malet, reporting that he has requisitioned the East India Company’s schooner
Mahito proceed to Mussowa [Massawa or Mitsiwa] with despatches for HBM Consul at Abyssinia [the Ethiopian Empire], and requested that its Commander, Lieutenant King, stop at Hodeida [Al Hudaydah] and Mocha on its return and report to Haines on the state of political and commercial affairs at each port. The letter includes an enclosed copy of the requisition letter from Haines to the Senior Naval Officer at Aden. Enclosure number 4 is a minute by the Governor of Bombay concurred in by the Board, approving Haines’s actions.Enclosure number 5 is a letter from Haines to Malet reporting on the state of affairs at Aden and in its vicinity. Haines reports matters including:The intention of the Sultan of Lahedge [Lahej or Lahij], Sultan Ali M Houssain [‘Alī I bin Muḥsin al-‘Abdalī], to build a small fort at Sheik Othman [Ash Shaikh Outhman] to protect the roads leading to Aden, opposition to this from Sultan Hamed Ibn Abdulla Foutheli [Aḥmad bin Abdullāh al-Faḍlī] and Haines informing the Sultan of Lahedge that in his opinion he had the right to erect any building he wished on his territory and to prevent other tribes entering and crossing his territoryThe sea port towns of Mocha, Hodeida and Loheiha [al Luhayyah] being in danger of attack from the Bedouin divisions of the Beni Yam [Banī Yām] tribe‘Mahomed’ Pashah [Kürt Mehmed Pasha] reaching Hodeida with a firman from the Sublime Porte [the Government of the Ottoman Empire] as Supreme Pashah over all the Turkish possessions in Yemen, and that finding on his arrival all the interior roads closed on their seaport towns and the inhabitants in great alarm, he has been collecting together all the Turkish soldiers he can, and that therefore news of a conflict may be expected.Enclosure number 6 is a minute by the Governor of Bombay concurred in by the Board, stating that a copy of Haines’s letter (enclosure No. 5) is to be sent to the Government of India and the Secret Committee.Numbers 7-9, listed in the abstract of contents as copies of overland summaries of the
Bombay Times, the
Bombay Telegraph & Courier, and the
Bombay Gazettenewspapers, dated 1 March 1853, are noted as missing.Physical description: 1 item (10 folios)
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 20 of 1853, dated 14 March 1853. The enclosures are numbered 3-8. Enclosure numbers 3-5 are dated 28 February to 11 March 1853.Enclosure number 3 is a letter (with enclosures) from the Political Agent at Aden, Captain Stafford Bettesworth Haines, to the Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Arthur Malet, regarding the state of affairs at Aden and within its vicinity, including:Secret information Haines has received, corroborated by an enclosed translation of a letter from the Chief of Lahidge, Ali M Houssain Foudthel El Abdali [the Sultan of Lahej, ‘Alī I bin Muḥsin al-‘Abdalī], that the Foutheli [Fadhli] Sultan had instructed certain men to try to kill any men practising their guns on the Isthmus, or any of those who accompany the artillery unarmed to watch their practice; Haines states that the intention of the Foutheli Chief is ‘no doubt to annoy the Chief of Lahidge by if possible, involving him in difficulty with the English in Aden’News received in a letter from Hodeida [Al Hudaydah] of a ‘skirmish’ between ‘the Turks’ and Arabs of the Beni Yam [Banī Yām] tribe, resulting in the defeat of the latter, but leaving the inhabitants of Mocha and Hodeida still in fear of an attack from ‘the Arabs’, and their trade at a standstill due to the roads to the interior being closedThe arrival of the French man of war steamer the
Caimanat Aden, which is awaiting the arrival of the French Admiral ‘Jaines’ in the frigate
Jeanne D’Arc, who it is believed intends to visit Suez, Judda [Jeddah], Mussowa [Massawa], Hodeida, and Mocha.The arrival of the
Caimanat Aden is also reported in a letter from the Commander in Chief of the Indian Navy, Henry John Leeke, to the President and Governor in Council, Bombay, Lord Viscount Falkland (enclosure No. 4, which includes an extract of a letter from the Senior Indian Naval Officer at Aden).Enclosure number 5 is a letter from the Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay to the Officiating Secretary to the Government of India, forwarding copies of the above letters from the Political Agent at Aden and the Commander in Chief of the Indian Navy, for submission to the Governor-General of India in Council.Numbers 6-8, listed in the abstract of contents as copies of the
Bombay Timesoverland newspaper, the
Bombay Telegraph and Courier,and the
Bombay Gazette, all dated 14 March 1853, are noted as missing.Physical description: There is an abstract of contents of the despatch, numbered 1-8, on folios 452-453. These numbers are repeated for reference on the verso of the last folio of each enclosure.
Abstract: This file largely consists of copies of Colonial Office and Foreign Office correspondence relating to oil and mining concessions in Yemen. Matters discussed in the correspondence include the following:Details of a concession for the exploitation of oil and other minerals, reported to have been granted by the Imam of Yemen [Yaḥyá Muḥammad Ḥamīd al-Dīn] in 1932 to a man named Muhammad Sa'id Saqqaf (also transliterated as Mahommed Sakaf).Details provided by the Political Resident at Aden (Bernard Rawdon Reilly) regarding E R Bailey (formerly associated with the Eastern and General Syndicate) and his commercial interests in Yemen.Subsequent steps taken by the British Government to prevent Bailey from entering either Yemen or the Aden Protectorate.Details of a draft oil concession, which Petroleum Concessions Limited proposes to submit to the Imam of Yemen.Details of a proposed geological examination of Hodeida, in Yemen, reportedly approved by the Imam of Yemen, which is to be conducted by the French company, Compagnie Française des Pétroles.The file's principal correspondents are the following: Bernard Rawdon Reilly as Political Resident at Aden, and later, Governor of Aden; the Secretary of State for the Colonies; Petroleum Concessions Limited; the Imam of Yemen; officials of the Colonial Office, the Foreign Office and the Admiralty.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 commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 77; 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: This volume concerns relations between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Most of the correspondence is focussed on British policy in response to the Saudi-Yemeni conflict.Related matters that feature in the correspondence include the following:Reports in March 1934 that peace negotiations between Saudi and Yemeni representatives have failed.The British response to reports of the evacuation of Hodeida by Yemeni forces, which include the dispatch of HMS
Penzanceand proposals to fly aircraft over the town.Discussion as to whether the British Government should invite Italian naval cooperation regarding Hodeida.The presence of HMS
Penzance, and later HMS
Enterprise, at Hodeida.The state of affairs in Hodeida (as reported by the Commander of HMS
Enterprise) following its occupation by Saudi forces.Saudi concerns that Italy might intervene in the conflict on the side of the Imam of Yemen.Discussion as to whether or not the Italian Government's decision to land troops at Hodeida and Mocha – ostensibly to protect Italian interests – constitutes an act of intervention.Differences of opinion between the British and Italian Governments over the sovereignty of Asir.Reports in May 1934 of the suspension of hostilities and the beginning of peace negotiations.Unfounded rumours of the death of Imam of Yemen [Yaḥyá Muḥammad Ḥamīd al-Dīn].Notable correspondents include the following: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); His Majesty's Ambassador in Rome (James Eric Drummond); His Majesty's Ambassador in Bagdad [Baghdad] (Sir Francis Humphrys); the High Commissioner, Egypt (Miles Wedderburn Lampson); the Political Resident, Aden (Bernard Rawdon Reilly); the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Philip Cunliffe-Lister); the Commander of HMS
Penzance; the Commander of HMS
Enterprise; the Senior Officer of the Red Sea Sloops; the Command-in-Chief, Mediterranean; the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; officials of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the Admiralty, and the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department.In addition to correspondence the volume includes copies of political intelligence summaries from the Aden Political Residency, the Bahrain Political Agency, and the Kuwait Political Agency respectively, as well as a sketch map of the Arabian Peninsula.The French material consists of two items of correspondence. The aforementioned sketch map is dated June 1914; the rest of the volume dates from 1934, with most of the material falling within April-May 1934 (a few items of correspondence date from February-March 1934).The volume includes two dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 3-4).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 449; 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.An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 218-449; these numbers are also written in pencil and circled, but are crossed through.
Abstract: The volume, which bears the alternative title ‘Turco-Italian War: Italian action in the Red Sea’ on its first page (f 3), contains correspondence relating to the blockade by the Italian navy of ports on the Red Sea, including Hodeida [Al-Ḥudaydah], from 25 January 1912. This action was part of the broader Italo-Turkish War of 1911/1912.The seizures specifically dealt with in the volume include:SS
Tuna, seized by the Italian destroyer
Artigliereon 26 January 1912;the SS
Woodcock,seized by the Italian warship
Calabriaon 2 February 1912, and again by the Italian warship
Elba, on 27 March 1912;numerous native dhows and sambuks, including the
Fath-el-Khair,the
Atiat-el-Ramanand the
Muft-el-Khair.Correspondents in the file include: the British Ambassador to Rome (James Rennell Rodd); the Italian Foreign Minister (Antonio di San Guiliano); the Secretary to the Government of Bombay (Charles Augustus Kincaid); representatives of the merchants Cowasjee [also spelt Cowasji] Dinshaw & Brothers of Aden, owners of the vessel SS
Woodcock; Foreign Office officials (primarily Sir Eyre Alexander Barby Wichart Crowe); India Office officials (Thomas William Holderness; Arthur Hirtzel).Papers include:British Government correspondence relating to the state of affairs in Yemen and Hejaz, namely Italian support for Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Idrisi, and Turkish action against Ali Al-Idrisi;copies of resolutions and correspondence from representatives of the All-India Muslim League and Anjuman-i-Islam, raising concerns that the Italian blockade of Jeddah would prevent Muslims travelling to Mecca on Hajj;correspondence between British Indian traders and vessel owners operating on the Yemen coast, and Government representatives at Aden, relating to blockade actions, including the boarding of vessels by Italian naval officers, and confiscation of goods;correspondence between British officials and British and Italian Government officials (with some letters in Italian), relating to the seizure of vessels, confiscation of goods by the Italian naval officials, the subsequent referral of seizures to the Italian Prize Court [Commissione Delle Prede], and the settlement of individual cases.The file contains copies (in Italian, in addition to English translations) of the Commissione Delle Prede’s orders and regulations (f 17, ff 99-100, f 139, ff 145-146, ff 186-187), and a translation of the Commission’s hearing over the case of SS
Tuna(spelt
Thuna) (ff 69-70).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 315; 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 3-313; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.