Number of results to display per page
Search Results
217. 'File 59/15 B (A 14) Muscat: slave trade under cover of French flag'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence and other papers relating to competing British and French interests in Muscat and Oman at the beginning of the twentieth century. The principal point of contention between British officials, represented by Percy Cox (Muscat Political Agent 1899-1903), was the use of the French flag by Omani vessels, permitted by the French Vice-Consul to Muscat, and regarded by the British as being exploited by the region's slave traders as a means of avoiding interference by British ships.Items of note include a letter from Cox to the Political Resident (Charles Kemball), dated 2 January 1902, discussing relations since 1891 between the Sultan of Muscat and British and French officials, the abuse of the French flag in the town, and the need for diplomatic negotiations between Britain, France and the Sultan to resolve the situation (folios 1F-37). Enclosed with Cox's letter is an eyewitness account (from a British Indian subject residing in Soor [Sur]) of slave trading activity in the town during 1901 (folios 31-35). The file also includes a letter from Cox to his French counterpart (Roger Laronce), dated February 1902, explaining that the Sultan protests at what he describes as the French Government's claims to exercise jurisdiction in Muscat territory over Omani subjects (folios 70-71), and Laronce's reply (folion 73); and a report of a tour of the Muscat coast aboard HMS "Amphritite" by Cox (folios 120-22) and Charles Windham, the "Amphritites's" captain (folios 147-49).Reference is made in a number of pieces of correspondence to a confrontation between Arab slave traders and the Portuguese in Mozambique on 18 March 1902 (folios 117-118, and 140-141). In May 1903 Cox writes to the Political Resident, informing him that he has received information from the British Vice-Consul at Mozambique, of around 100 inhabitants of Muscat and Sur being captured and killed in the confrontation (folios 178-180). Cox uses this incident to repeat his recommendation that a British Agent be installed at Sur (folios 145b-145d). Arrangements are also made to loan the Sultan of Muscat funds to enable him to buy his own steamer (folios 123-127), which Cox hopes will encourage the Sultan to take responsibility for his coast, and in particular Sur (folios 135-138). A blueprint of the steamer acquired for the Sultan is included in the file (foldout plan, folio 169).Physical description: Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to last page, using a combination of two numbering systems. The first foliation system uses blue or red pencil numbers in the top-right of recto and top-left of verso pages. This foliation system is the original foliation system, and is used in the references index pages (folios 1D-1E). This foliation is used on all pages with text, both recto and verso. The second, more recent foliation system uses circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of recto pages only, and is intended to fill the gaps left by the earlier foliation system. Foliation anomalies: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 145A, 145B, 146C, 145D. Foldout item on folio 169.
218. ‘File B/6 Miscellaneous Correspondence with the Political Agent, Muscat’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the settlement of various civil claims referred to the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat, chiefly by Omani subjects in disputes over money with relatives or associates currently living and working in Bahrain and Sharjah. There are also attempts by the Political Agent and the Muscat authorities to trace the heirs to family property in Oman following the death of the owners. The main correspondents are: the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat, the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Residency Agent at Sharjah and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain. Included in the file are several Arabic documents and letters from the High Court of Bahrain, the Secretary of Manama Municipality, and officials of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman.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 145; 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 4-125; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
219. 'File No. II/12 Foreign Dept Memoranda of Information re: affairs in Persia and Arabian shore of the Persian Gulf. Jan '09 --'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume mainly comprises printed reports for each month from January to August 1909 entitled 'Memoranda of information received during the month of ... relating to affairs in Persia, and the Arabian shore of the Persian Gulf'. The memoranda are dated and despatched by the Officiating Deputy Secretary to the Government of India (L W Reynolds). Also included in the file are letters of instruction from Deputy Secretary to the Government of India to the Political Agent, Kuwait, emphasising the confidential nature of the reports and with instructions on the procedure of transfer and acknowledgement to be followed by successive Political Agents. Also included in the file are letters of receipt from the Political Agent, Kuwait (William Henry Irving Shakespear; Stuart George Knox; William George Grey).Each memorandum includes a table of contents. Topics covered in the memoranda include:Abu Musa and Hormuz red oxide concessionArabistan, Ahwaz-Borasjun and Khaf-Seistan telegraph linesappointment of an Italian agent at Muscatarms traffic in the Persian Gulfdhows arbitration awardinsecurity of Persian trade routesKarun irrigation projectLighting and buoying in the Persian Gulfmurder of subjects of Chief of Abu DhabiNajd affairsPerso-Aghan relationsPersian deputation to RussiaProposed loans to local rulersRelations with the Shaikh of Mohammerah and the Bakhtiari khansRiots and disturbances in Persiaroad concessionsShaikh of Kuwait's properties at FaoTour of Consul-General, MeshedPhysical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 89; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
220. 'File No. II/9 Foreign Dept Memoranda of Information re. affairs in Persian Gulf, Maskat & Arabian Shore of the Persian Gulf. Nov '07 - Dec '08.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume mainly comprises printed reports for each month from October 1905 to December 1908 entitled 'Memoranda of information received during the month ... regarding external affairs relating to the Persian Gulf, Muscat and Arabian shore of the Persian Gulf'. The memoranda are dated and despatched from the Foreign Department of the Government of India.Topics covered in the memoranda include:arms trade at Muscat with Afghansproposed appointment of Italian consul at MuscatMuscat trade reportpiracy committed on a dhow near KuwaitNajd affairs and relations with the Ruler of Najd (Ibn Sa'ud)mining of red oxide on Abu Musa and Sirri islandsovercrowding of pilgrim ships in the Persian Gulfquarantine arrangements for the Persian Gulfpearling industry in the Persian Gulfnative dhows at Lingah flying the German flaglighting in the Persian Gulfinstallation of wireless telegraphy on vessels in the Persian GulfThe file ends with an acknowledgement by the Political Agent, Kuwait (William George Grey) of receipt of the Memoranda of Affairs from the Political Agent, Kuwait (William Henry Irvine Shakespear).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 65; 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 1-64; these numbers are also written in pencil but, where circled, are crossed through.
221. ‘File 16/73 Development of Artesian Water in Muscat’
- Description:
- Abstract: Correspondence in the file dated 1941 is the result of an enquiry from the Political Agent in Muscat (Captain Tom Hickinbotham) to the Political Agent in Bahrain (Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban), about the prospects for an artesian water supply at Muscat, or elsewhere on the Batinah Coast (folio 3). A second set of correspondence, dated 1946, concerns arrangements for a Petroleum Concessions Limited geologist to visit Muscat to assess the area. Aside from the Political Agents at Bahrain and Muscat, the other principal correspondent in the file is Ernest Vincent Packer, representing Petroleum Concessions Limited, and Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) 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 30; 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 3-26; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
222. ‘File No. 16/77 Fisheries – Reports etc’
- Description:
- Abstract: Correspondence relating to the fishing industry in the Persian Gulf, and discussions regarding the industry’s expansion using modern technologies such as trawlers and refrigerated storage. The file includes:requests from the British Government (Foreign Office and Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries) for details of Bahrain’s fishing industry, including import/export regulations;correspondence relating to the Ruler of Bahrain’s [Shaikh Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah] wish to increase the local fish supply in Bahrain, with investments in the islands’ fishing industry;Foreign Office papers concerning the development of the Persian Gulf’s fishing industry, with a particular focus on Muscat and Bahrain. The papers include correspondence from George Colin Lawder Bertram, Fisheries Expert for the British Middle East Office (BMEO), relating to the prospects of improving fisheries at Bahrain (ff 17-18);correspondence from and regarding the commercial company Persian Gulf Associates, set up by former employees of the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO) who intend to establish a large-scale fishing operation at Bahrain.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 72; 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 2-8; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
223. 'File 5/190 V Manumission of slaves at Muscat: individual cases'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains correspondence related to slave manumission cases heard at the Political Agency in Muscat. The majority of the manumission cases featured in the volume are straightforward, with correspondence following a regular pattern. The Political Agent at Muscat (Major Watts for most cases, who was in charge from June 1935 to April 1939) sent slave manumission statements to the Secretary to the Political Resident in Bushire. In those cases where slaves had absconded from the Trucial Coast, the Political Residency referred the details of the case to the Residency Agent at Sharjah (‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif until August 1935, 'Abd al-Razzaq Razuqi from 1936) requesting he make enquiries into the slave's story. In many of the Residency Agent's enquiries, it was found that slaves were not in fact slaves, but indebted divers who were seeking to escape their debts. In a number of cases the Sharjah Agent sent details of divers' debts to the Political Residency (see for example, folios 170-175). In these situations the Political Residency authorised the issue of a manumission certificate to the indebted pearl diver, on the proviso that he return to the Residency Agent at Sharjah to settle his debts.Subject 7 of the volume includes a statement made at the Political Agency at Muscat in 1935, by a man who was seeking to retrieve his son, who he claimed had been kidnapped from him (folio 54). Enquires by the Residency Agent at Sharjah revealed that the man in fact gave his son as security against a debt, and that the boy would be sold unless the security was paid back (folio 67). Ongoing investigations carried out by the Political Agent at Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Loch) showed that the boy was sold (or 'mortgaged') three times, twice in Ajman and once in Sharjah, the last time to an uncle of the Shaikh of Sharjah. The Political Resident wrote to Loch in July 1936, stating that there is a 'clear case against the shaikh of Sharjah for breaking his Slave Trading Agreements with us.' However, it was noted that 'any action against the shaikh of Sharjah might have an adverse effect on [Frank] Holmes' negotiations about oil, and also make us unpopular in Sharjah.' (folio 87) The Resident suggested a fine of 500 rupees for the Shaikh of Sharjah, as punishment for the slave trading offence.Physical description: Foliation: the 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. A previous foliation sequence between ff 331-449, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
224. 'File 27/4 Miscellaneous Trade Reports'
- Description:
- Abstract: This volume relates to the trade reports of various British agencies and consulates in the Persian Gulf. The first folio of the volume contains a list of contents that is not entirely accurate. The volume does begin with a report entitled 'Report on the Trade of Oman, Bahrein [ sic], and Arab Ports in the Persian Gulf', which is dated 12 April 1904; however, the remainder of the volume contains only the following trade reports:trade reports for Bahrain for the financial years of 1904-1905, 1913-1914, 1916-1917, 1917-1918 and 1919-1920;trade reports for Muscat for 1913-1914, 1918-1919, 1919-1920, 1921-1922 and up to and including 1931-1932.Aside from these reports the volume consists of brief letters and memoranda between the Political Agent, Kuwait, and his corresponding officers in the Gulf, which serve as evidence that the trade reports for the places listed in the contents were received by the Political Agent, even though only the Bahrain and Muscat reports mentioned above are present.Each report relating to Bahrain and Muscat provides a summary of the year's trade. Appended to each report are tables of statistics that contain details of imports and exports (i.e. quantities and values of goods) and shipping returns, not only for the year in question but also for the two preceding financial years.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 349; 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.
225. ‘The sum of 10,000 rupees granted to Captain Seton to enable him to build a House for the Residency at Muscat. The amount of the intended increase to the Resident’s Allowances will be determined by the Bengal Government’
- Description:
- Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence, minutes and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, letters to and from the Government of Bombay. The item relates to the salary and allowances of Captain David Seton, the Resident at Muscat, with particular mention of Seton's request for money to build a house for the Residency and his complaints about his salary in comparison with his predecessor, Dr Bogle. In his correspondence, Seton also makes reference to the poor health that he has endured over the years as a result of his service in the region and the fact that he has been forced to forfeit 'comfort, health and affluence' and use his own funds for public service. The item also includes discussions on the raising of allowances for the position of Resident at Muscat, with the Government of Bombay requesting input from the Government of Bengal.The item contains a statement of the allowances drawn monthly by Captain David Seton during his time as the Resident at Muscat (f 53 verso).Correspondents: Government of Bombay; East India Company Court of Directors; Captain David Seton, Resident at Muscat; Gilbert Lord Minto, Governor General in Council, Fort William; Henry Shank, Private Secretary to Governor of Bombay.The title page of the item contains the following references: 'Political No. 17, Season 1808/9, Draft 170, Para 71' and 'Examiner's Office October 1808'.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 46 and terminates at f 58, 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 volume also contains an original pagination sequence.
226. ‘Précis of correspondence relating to Zanzibar affairs from 1856 to 1872. Prepared by Captain P D Henderson, attached to the Foreign Department’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file is a précis of correspondence related to affairs at Zanzibar between the years 1856 and 1872, prepared by Captain Philip Durham Henderson of the Foreign Department in the Government of India. The contents of the précis, which includes reports from Christopher Palmer Rigby, the British Consul at Zanzibar, and Sir William Marcus Coghlan, relate to: the death in 1856 of the Sultan of Muscat Syed Saeed [Sa‘id bin Sulṭān al-Sa‘id] without a direct heir; the succession struggle between Syed Thoweynee [Thuwaynī bin Sa‘id al-Sa‘id] and Syed Majid [Sa‘id Majid bin Said al-Sa‘id]; British arbitration in the dispute; succession arrangements at Muscat and Zanzibar; the slave trade between Zanzibar and Muscat. The précis is organised into six chapters (labelled I to VI), as follows:I – Events preceding the arbitration by the Government of India;II – Arbitration of the Government of India;III – Proceedings subsequent to the arbitration relating to the question of subsidy;IV – Events at Zanzibar from the arbitration to the death of Syed Majid;V – Events in Zanzibar from the death of Syed Majid;VI – Slave Trade.The contents page lists four appendices (labelled A to D) that are not included in this copy of the précis.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 81, and terminates at f 137, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right hand corner of the recto side of each folio. An additonal foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 6-192; these numbers are also written in pencil but, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.Pagination: The file also contains an original printed pagination sequence 1-105.
227. ‘1904. THE LORD CURZON OF KEDLESTON. CORRESPONDENCE WITH SECRETARY OF STATE, MR. BALFOUR, SIR A. GODLEY, &C.’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume consists of printed copies of letters to and from Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India, dated 1 January to 28 April 1904. The correspondence is mainly between Curzon and (William) St John Fremantle Brodrick, Secretary of State for India, and Sir Arthur Godley, Permanent Under Secretary of State for India. There is also one letter from Curzon to Arthur James Balfour, British Prime Minister.There is an alphabetical index of names, places and subjects on folios 3-9. The volume is then divided into two parts: letters to Curzon (folios 10-40), followed by letters from Curzon (folios 42-89).The correspondence relates to a variety of subjects including:The attitude of the Amir of Afghanistan, and British policy towards himWar Office and Army ReformThe Bain Case (in which the Government of India were ‘quite erroneously’ supposed to have interfered with the administration of justice to the detriment of an innocent man)The proposed partition of Bengal'The Bushire [Bushehr] Incident' [a diplomatic incident during Curzon's cruise in the Persian Gulf in 1903, in which Curzon left Bushire without landing there, due to a perceived attempted slight by the Persian Government towards him]Indian and Chinese labour for the Transvaal ColonyThe Viceroy’s appointment as Lord Warden of the Cinque PortsThe question of the abolition of Cooper’s Hill College [the Royal Indian Engineering College]Treatment of correspondence between the Secretary of State for India and the ViceroyThe Viceroy’s position in relation to the Secretary of State for India and the British CabinetMembers of the Viceroy’s CouncilCotton cultivation in IndiaThe Government of India’s fiscal despatchMilitary matters, including Lord Kitchener’s attitude to reinforcements for India in the event of warThe suggested inclusion of Muscat in Anglo-French negotiationsRelations between soldiers and ‘natives’ in India, and the responsibility of the Commander-in-Chief for recent ordersParliamentary debatesThe Police Commission Report, including the Secretary of State’s objection to its publicationThe Russo-Japanese War, including its bearing on India and probable effect on Russian policy in Persia [Iran] and AfghanistanThe Tibet Mission [the Younghusband expedition].Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 89; 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, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
228. 'Plan of Bushire in 1853 with the forts and shewing approximately the works since added. Made by Mid.n. A.W. Stiffe, in 1853, under the orders of Lieut: Constable, I. N.'
- Description:
- Abstract: Imprint:Calcutta, Lithographed by H.M. Smith at the Surveyor Generals Office.Distinctive Features:Relief shown by shading.Shows the position of the building of the British Residency, Persian Flagstaff (flagpole), the Great Mosque and Armenian Church.Explanation to colours at upper left.Inscriptions:Signed by the Deputy Surveyor General.Physical description: Dimensions: 320 x 199 mm, on sheet 407 x 800 mm