Abstract: A secret memorandum containing an extract of a letter, received by Edward Ernest Long, former editor of the
Indian Daily Telegraph, and written by an unnamed Indian Muslim. A copy of another letter, written by Long, dated 7 July 1916, precedes the main letter, in which Long describes the views of the Muslim as being ‘pro-Young Turk’, and a ‘fair exposition’ of the views of Indian Muslims. The letter from the Indian Muslim concerns Britain’s policy of non-intervention in the Holy Places of Islam, the Arab Revolt, and the bombardment of Jeddah in the Hedjaz [Hejaz/al-Ḥijāz] by a British naval vessel on 10 June 1916. The correspondent warns that the Arab revolt may hand the Turks a moral and military advantage, and cautions against British and Allied involvement in the Hejaz.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio 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.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to American influence and activities in the Persian Gulf. The correspondence is mostly between the Political Agency at Bahrain, the Political Residency at Bushire (later at Bahrain), and the India Office.The file opens with a copy (folio 3) of correspondence on the subject of American influence in Saudi Arabia, between the British Ministry at Jeddah and the Foreign Office, dated 4-10 May 1944.The file contains a report, dated 1 March 1945 (folios 5-9) by Tim Hickinbotham, Political Agent at Bahrain, on American activities in the fields of politics, commerce, aviation, and wireless and telegraphic communications.The file also contains a letter (folio 13) from the Persian Gulf Residency, Bahrain, to Doctor W H F Storm of the American Mission Hospital in Manama, dated 12 November 1949, regarding medical work in the Hadhramaut region of Yemen.At the back of the file (folio 14) are internal office notes.On the front cover of the file there is reference to 'File 18/8 and 1 A/20'. These files are believed lost or destroyed.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 3-14; 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 notes, memoranda, and correspondence relating to the visits and treatment of Japanese and Italian subjects and agents in the Persian Gulf. The correspondence is mostly between the Political Agency at Bahrain, the Political Residency at Bushire, the British Ministry at Jeddah, the India Office in London, the Home and Foreign Departments of the Government of India, and representatives of Imperial Airways Limited in Sharjah.The file covers the following matters:The visit of Mr Ohba, agent of the Japanese company Mitsui Bussan Kaisha, to Bahrain in February 1939, his attempts to secure a local shipping agent, and his subsequent visit to Sharjah;A tour of Saudi Arabia made by the Japanese Minister at Cairo in March 1939, and his request that two members of his staff also visit Kuwait and Bahrain, which was subsequently refused by the British Government;The movements of Kawamura (alias Muto), a Japanese Muslim convert engaged in anti-British activities in China;The treatment to be accorded to Italian and Japanese subjects in India and the Persian Gulf at the start of the Second World War, when both countries still declared to be neutral.The file contains (folios 24-25) a report from the Ministry at Jeddah on the Japanese Minister's visit to Saudi Arabia and includes details on agreements and proposals made between both countries relating to commerce, communism, and oil.At the back (folios 39-42) are internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) 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. Two additional sequences are also present between ff 2-38 and ff 39-42 respectively; these sequence are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams, and memoranda relating to the situation in the Hejaz at the time, with Ali entrenched in Jeddah and Ibn Sa'ud's Ikhwan in Mecca. The majority of the correspondence is between Reader Bullard, the British Agent in Jeddah, the Political Residency in Bushire, the British Residency in Aden, the Political Agency in Bahrain, the Political Agency in Kuwait, the High Commissioner in Baghdad, the Colonial and Foreign Offices, both in London, the High Commissioner in Jerusalem, the Government of India, and Ibn Sa'ud himself, or his representatives.Running through the volume and forming its backbone are several reports by Bullard about the situation on the ground in Jeddah. Around these, much of the papers relate to the question of who will govern the Holy Places of Mecca and Medina once Ali finally leaves.Other subjects covered in the volume are:The motivations and movements of St John Philby and Rosita Forbes;The actions of the Wahabi attackers;British concern with Indian Muslim opinion on the state of affairs;the prospect of a safe Hajj that year;reports of Soviet influence in the area;what to do about ex-King Hussein.Physical description: Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio of writing and continues through to the inside back cover. The first four folios are marked 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D, and then proceed as normal from 2 onwards. The numbers are written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The volume contains two original files bound together. The first file (folios 1A-207) has the original reference 61/11 VI (D 102) and covers the period 7 November 1933 to 30 August 1934 and relates to Hejaz-Najd affairs. The second file (folios 208-243) has the original reference 61/6 VII (D 95) and covers the period 2 February 1931 to 5 August 1932 and relates to Najd affairs. Both contain letters, telegrams, memoranda, and reports sent between the British Legation in Jeddah, the Foreign Office in London, the Political Residencies in Bushire and Aden, the Political Agencies in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Muscat, the High Commissioner in Trans-Jordan, the High Commissioner in Baghdad (later the British Embassy following Iraqi independence in 1932), the Colonial Office in London, the Government of India, and Ibn Sa'ud.The main subject of the first file is the territorial dispute between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Contained in the volume are papers concerning Saudi Arabian advances into the territories of 'Asir and Yemen and the subsequent Treaty of Taif that largely settled the dispute. There is also coverage of diplomatic conversations between Italy and Britain regarding the dispute, including secret talks in Rome. Included is the full Arabic text of the Treaty (folios 143-150A) and an English translation (folios 156-177).Other subjects covered in the first file are:the visit of M. Maigret, the French Charge D'Affairs, to Riyadh to speak with Ibn Sa'ud;the visit of Talaat Pasha Harb;a provisional agreement signed by the United States and Saudi Arabia;the prospect of gold in commercial quantities in the Hejaz.Notable documents contained in the volume are a report on the heads of foreign missions in Jeddah, and a revised (June 1934) report on the leading personalities in Saudi Arabia.The subjects covered by the second file are:details and significance of a resurgence in war dancing by the Saudis;the visit of Charles Crane to see Ibn Sa'ud;a request for military assistance made by Saudi Arabia to Turkey;the conditions of entry into Hasa for Hindu merchants.At the end of each file are several pages of internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio and continues through to the inside back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, circled, and located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. There are the following anomalies: 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D; 11A and 11B; 24A; 30A; 132A; 143A; 150A; and 236A. There are two other sequences, both uncircled and incomplete.
Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams, memoranda, and reports relating to the Hajj pilgrimage to the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina. The majority of the correspondence is between the British Agency (later British Legation) in Jeddah, the Foreign Office, Colonial Office, and Indian Office in London, the British Residencies in Bushire and Aden, the High Commissioners in Cairo and Baghdad, the Political Agencies in Bahrain and Kuwait, and Ibn Sa'ud.Contained in the volume are the annual reports on the pilgrimage composed by the Agent in Jeddah for the years 1929-1935 inclusive. Each report consists of some or all of the following:a general introduction;information on quarantine;statistics;information on health, transport, customs, 'mutawwifs' (pilgrim guides), religious policy, tariffs and the cost of pilgrimage, and pilgrims from other Muslim regions of the British Empire (India, Afghan, Malay, West Africa, Sudan, Iraq, Palestine, Transjordan, Sarawak, Somalia, Zanzibar and East Africa, South Africa, Aden, Hadhramaut, Muscat, Bahrain, and Kuwait).Other documents cover the following subjects:the Hajj under King Hussein and the implications of a Wahhabi conquest of the Holy Cities;an attack on Yemeni pilgrims by the Ikhwan in August 1923 and the subsequent fighting;an Egyptian Medical Mission to Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina to assist with the pilgrimage;Jeddah's water supply;a new motor road between Medina and Najaf;Japanese interest in the pilgrim trade;the formation and progress of a National First-Aid Society in the Hejaz and Nejd;the religious tolerance of the Wahhabis, specifically the kissing of the Black Stone in Mecca.At the back of the volume (folios 205-206) are internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio and continues through to the inside back cover, the numbers written in pencil, circled, and located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The only irregularities are the first three folios (ff 1A-1C).Fold-out folio: f 2.There is an inconsistent and incomplete pagination sequence that is also written in pencil but is not circled.
Abstract: The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, printed reports and notes, relating to the Consulate Affairs in Jeddah, following the outbreak of war with the Ottoman Empire and the withdrawal of the British consul at Jeddah.Further discussion surrounds correspondence with Italy and the Netherlands over arrangments for the maintenance of buildings and the payment of staff, and the refusal of the Turkish Government to allow the American Consular Agent in Aden to visit Jeddah.The principal correspondents in the volume include the Viceroy, Lord Hardinge; the Political Resident, Aden, the Paymaster General's Office; the Under-Secretary of State for India and the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed in the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 185; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The front and back covers, along with the leading flyleaf and ending flyleaf, have not been foliated.
Abstract: The discussion in the file relates to the use of wakf properties [waqf] (property donated by Islamic rulers for pious uses) in Jeddah and Mecca intended for Indian pilgrims. The British had information which led them to believe such properties were being used as private property but that they could be restored to the use intended by the donors.The Government of India's recommendation led to updated lists (ff 78-80; f 73) being compiled by the British Consul at Jeddah. Included in the file is a copy (ff 51-52) of the memorandum 'Indian Waqfs and analogous properties in the Hejaz' by HM Minister, Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan).The principal correspondents in the file are: the British Consul, Jedda; the Viceroy; and the Government of India, Foreign and Political Department.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 40, and terminates at f 80, 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 41-80; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file comprises telegrams, correspondence, memoranda, and notes, relating to the location of the archives of the British Consulate, Jeddah, relating to the period 1909-16. Correspondence between the Government of Bombay and the Government of India describes how the archives were deposited with the Government of Bombay for safekeeping in 1913.The file lists the contents of the archives and effects (ff 587-592).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 584, and terminates at f 598, 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.
Abstract: This item comprises enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee [Bombay Secret Letter], No. 3 dated 2 January 1856. The enclosures are dated 10-29 December 1855.Three letters from Brigadier William Marcus Coghlan, Acting Political Resident and Commandant in Aden, to the Secretary to the Government, Bombay, covering the following matters:A general report on the state of affairs in AdenIntelligence from Hodeida [Al Hudaydah] and Mocha describing a serious outbreak of fighting at Mecca, apparently resulting from the proclamation (firman) by the Ottoman Porte [Government of the Ottoman Empire] abolishing slavery at Mecca and Jeddah and the Resident's desire to send a steam vessel to Jeddah to ascertain the seriousness of the situationIntelligence received from the Vice-Consul at Suez and the Consul-General in Egypt, respectively relating to the recent firman of the Porte and the reported insurrection at Mecca, and what specific edicts the Egyptian Government has made with regard to abolishing slavery in its territories.Also included are: two Resolutions of the Board acknowledging Coghlan’s general report and the ‘urgent’ need to despatch a steamer for duty at Aden; and a letter by the Secretary to the Government of India authorising Coghlan to continue the blockade of Berbera until its objectives achieved.Physical description: 1 item (14 folios)
Abstract: This file discusses plans for the construction of a lighthouse near Jeddah harbour. It includes the following principal correspondents:The British Agent and Consul at Jeddah (Reader William Bullard, succeeded by Hugh Stonehewer Bird).The British Vice-Consul at Jeddah (Stanley R Jordan).His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires to Jeddah (Albert Spencer Calvert).His Majesty's Minister at Jeddah (Sir Andrew Ryan).Officials of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the Board of Trade's Mercantile Marine Department, the Admiralty, and the Corporation of Trinity House.Agents and representatives of various shipping companies and associations, including the Bombay and Persia Steam Navigation Company Limited, the Persian Gulf Steam Navigation Company Limited, Alfred Holt and Company, the UK Chamber of Shipping, and the Liverpool Steam Ship Owners' Association.The correspondence discusses the following:The condition of an existing beacon on the Mismari Reef, near Jeddah harbour.Attempts made by the British Agent and Consul at Jeddah (Reader William Bullard) to persuade King Hussein [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] to agree to the construction of a lighthouse close to Jeddah harbour.Investigations into whether the various reefs cited as suitable locations for the proposed lighthouse are within King Hussein's territorial waters or not.Ownership of the Jeddah-Port Sudan cable.Ibn Saud's [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd's] reported willingness to meet the expenses for the construction of the proposed lighthouse, following his deposition of King Hussein (later in the correspondence it is suggested that Ibn Saud had been misunderstood, since it is reported that he would not be willing to fund the construction of the lighthouse).Details regarding the requirements for the proposed lighthouse (e.g. which kinds of lights are most suitable) and the overall cost of construction.A report by the Commander of HMS
Endeavour, S A Geary Hill, regarding the most suitable location for the proposed lighthouse.Difficulties encountered in appointing an engineer to survey the reefs near Jeddah harbour.Reports that the Saudi Government intends to increase tonnage dues at the port of Jeddah.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 160; 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 contains correspondence regarding the mail service between Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Bombay [Mumbai], India. It is particularly concerned with an adjustment in postal charges to meet the cost of distributing mail from Jeddah after it reaches Bombay. The correspondents are: the India Office; the Commissioner of Police, Bombay; the Government of Bombay; and the Government of India.The file includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 7; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.