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97. 'File 5/191 Kidnapping of Baluchis and Indians on the Mekran Coast and exporting them for sale at Oman and Trucial Coast'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains correspondence between various British Government officials in the Persian Gulf, who were responding to a perceived increase in the trade of slaves across the Gulf of Oman, from the Baluchistan coast to the Batinah and Trucial coasts on the Arabian Peninsula. A significant proportion of the volume is intelligence on maritime slave trading activities on the Baluchistan coast. This intelligence was collected by local Baluchis reporting to the Assistant Superintendent of the telegraph office at Jask (Mr Navarra), who telegraphed reports of the activity of dhows suspected of carrying slaves to the Arab coast to the Political Residency, then under the charge of Major Arthur Trevor. In the case of those boats suspected to be headed to the Trucial Coast, the Political Resident requested the Residency Agent at Sharjah [‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif] to use the intelligence to retrieve the slaves once they have arrived on the Trucial Coast. When there was evidence of either direct or indirect involvement on the part of one of the Trucial Coast shaikhs in slave trading, the Political Resident wrote directly to the shaikh concerned, warning him of the consequences of his actions (for example, folio 86). Conversely, when a shaikh had taken action in the rescue of a slave, he received praise from the Political Resident (folio 137).A report from Captain Brandon, Commanding Officer of HMS Cyclamen, which was patrolling the Baluchistan coast in order to deter slave traders, wrote that a well-known slave trader on the Makran coast was in receipt of a small annual subsidy from the British Government to protect the telegraph line in the area (folios 176-77). This suggestion was contested by Mr Navarra (folios 206-08), though he conceded that others involved in the slave trade on the Makran coast, who have seen their slaves intercepted by British authorities, had threatened to cut British telegraph cables in retaliation. Mr Navarra also suggested that the trade in slaves from Baluchistan to the Arabian Coast, besides being a result of the continued drought and famine in the Baluchistan region, had been recently encouraged by an increase in the trade of rifles from Arabia to Baluchistan, one being used to pay for the other.Physical description: Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover with circled numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. There is an earlier foliation system using uncircled numbers that runs through the volume. The earlier foliation system is referenced by annotations in the correspondence that refer to earlier correspondence existing in the volume.
98. 'File 11/6 Colonel Miles' Notes on Buraimi'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file contains a single report compiled by Colonel Miles, the Political Agent in Muscat, on a visit to the Buraimi in 1875. The report contains an extensive description of the Colonel's journey, including the geographic and botanical features of the region between Muscat and Buraimi as well as any military fortifications that exist. The report also describes the various tribal and clan leaders and their relationships to the Wahhabis in Nejd and the Sultan of Muscat and Oman. Most of the report is a personal account of Colonel Miles' impressions of the ruins and hamlets of the region, their ancient origins in legend and contemporary situation.Physical description: Foliation: the 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
99. 'File 14/6 EXPLOITATION IN MUSCAT TERRITORY BY GEOLOGISTS'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence on two matters in 1937 and 1940 respectively:Correspondence (includes copy of original letter in Arabic, folio 3) in 1937 concerns a complaint from the Sultan of Muscat and Oman about the arrival in Buraimi of a relative (Sultan bin Zaid) of the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi with representatives of an oil company to undertake oil reconnaissance.Correspondence in 1940 discusses proposed visits to Gulf by officers of Geological Survey of India.This correspondents are the Political Resident in the Gulf (William Rupert Hay); the Political Agent, Muscat; the Sultan of Muscat and Oman [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr].Physical description: Foliation: the 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
100. 'File 8/62 IV PRINCIPAL SHAIKHS & TRIBES OF OMAN.'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file relates to the principal shaikhs and tribes of Oman, and also to the Imam of Oman's administration. It largely consists of copies of (and various amendments to) two reports. The first of these is an account by the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat entitled 'Notes on the Tribes of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman' (full versions found at folios 11-37 and folios 90-116, the latter of which includes an enclosed map). This account provides written summaries of the main tribes, plus tables with further details, including principal settlements, estimated population, and estimated number of rifles.The second report is entitled 'A Note on the Imam's Administration in the interior of Oman' (ff 3-9 and ff 38-44). It includes details on the extent of the Imam's administration, a list of the tribes that currently support the Imam, and a list of walis appointed by the Imam.The correspondence, most of which is between the Political Agent and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, mainly concerns details from, and revisions to, the Political Agent's aforementioned account on the tribes of Muscat and Oman.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 139; 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 95-138, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
101. 'File 8/62 Muscat State Affairs: Principal Shaikhs and Tribes of Oman'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file concerns relations between the Sultan of Muscat and Oman [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd] and the shaikhs of the Omani tribes. Much of the correspondence discusses the Sultan's ambition to secure the allegiance of the Omani shaikhs and consolidate his authority in the interior of Oman. The correspondence recounts meetings between British representatives and the Sultan, in which the Sultan discusses his intentions to assert control in the Omani interior once the Imam of Oman has died, and requests British assistance in order to do so.In addition, the file contains extensive discussion regarding British policy in relation to the internal affairs of Oman. Matters covered include whether the Sultan should be supplied with arms, ammunition, and RAF assistance, and whether the British should approach the Omani tribes directly, in order to smooth the way for oil exploitation in the interior. Also covered are exchanges of correspondence and meetings between certain Omani shaikhs and the British representatives at Muscat.As well as correspondence, the file contains compiled notes on the principal shaikhs and tribes of Oman (ff 5-9), and notes on the tribes of Buraimi and Trucial Oman (ff 118-135, including details of tribes beyond the limits of Trucial Oman and within the limits of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman), the latter being described by the Political Resident as 'scanty'.The Arabic language material consists of several items of correspondence, of which English translations are included.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 148; 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 2-106; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
102. 'File 8/64 II SULTAN'S RELATIONS WITH HIS TRIBES.'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file covers internal politics in and around the Sultanate of Muscat Oman. Much of the correspondence concerns the extent of control (or lack thereof) exercised by the Sultan of Muscat and Oman [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd] in the Omani interior. Related matters of discussion include the following: the evidence for the boundaries claimed by the Sultan along the Rub al Khali, and the question of whether Buraimi [Al Buraymī] forms part of his territory; the Sultan's relations with various tribes based near the Trucial shaikhdoms and his claims of authority over them; the views of Wilfred Patrick Thesiger on the situation in the Omani interior and the risk of parts of it falling under Saudi influence; the course of action to be taken by the British authorities regarding the Sultan and the tribal shaikhs.The file features the following principal correspondents: the Political Agent and Consul, Muscat; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Officer, Sharjah; officials of the Foreign Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 52; 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.
103. 'File 8/64 III SULTAN'S RELATIONS WITH HIS TRIBES'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file concerns relations between the Sultan of Muscat and Oman [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd] and the Omani tribes. It includes accounts of meetings between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Rupert Hay) and the Sultan, discussing the Sultan's efforts to increase his influence among the shaikhs of the Omani tribes.Much of the correspondence discusses future British policy regarding the Trucial states and central Oman. Of particular note is a letter from Geoffrey Warren Furlonge of the Foreign Office's Eastern Department to the Political Resident (ff 30-35), discussing several policy issues, including the following: whether the Trucial shaikhs should be encouraged to extend their authority over those tribes that may be considered as owing them allegiance; whether the British should enter into direct relations with the shaikhs of central Oman; proposals from the Political Resident for the creation of a Council of Trucial Shaikhs and the establishment of a separate Political Agency on the Trucial Coast.Other related matters covered in the correspondence include the following: reports of Omani shaikhs asserting their allegiance to neighbouring states, such as Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia; the issuing of identity certificates by the Political Officer at Sharjah to Omani tribe members, following earlier accounts of tribe members travelling to Saudi Arabia without certificates and being issued with Saudi travel documents.The file also includes Arabic and English copies of letters received by the Sultan from various Omani shaikhs. Other notable correspondents include the following: the Political Agent and Consul, Muscat; the Political Agency, Bahrain; the Political Officer, Sharjah.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 75; 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 53-74, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
104. 'File 8/67 MUSCAT STATE AFFAIRS: MUSCAT – OMAN TREATY.'
- Description:
- Abstract: This volume concerns relations between the Sultan of Muscat and Oman and the tribes of interior Oman. The volume contains multiple copies of notes produced in October 1920 by the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat, providing a British perspective on the history of political affairs in Muscat and Oman from the late 18th century to the present day (ff 6-22, ff 49-53 and ff 56-60). The notes attempt to summarise the underlying causes of the tense relations between the Sultan and the Omani tribes, before going on to document events during the period October 1919-October 1920, which culminated with the re-establishment of peaceful relations, following the conclusion of an agreement between the two parties (the Treaty of Sib, concluded on 25 September 1920). Related items include multiple copies of the English text of the 1920 agreement (ff 23-26, ff 53-55, and ff 60-62), and a Photostat copy of the Arabic text of the concluding part of the Treaty (f 154).The volume also documents the Sultan's relations with the Omani tribes in the years following the treaty. There is a series of letters written in 1924 between the Political Agent and Shaikh Isa bin Saleh [Shaikh ‘Īsá bin Ṣāliḥ al-Ḥārthī], who makes a request to import ammunition and protests against taxes that he claims contravene the Treaty of Sib. The correspondence dated 1932-1934 largely concerns the murder of a Muscat Government clerk at Sib, and the Sultan's frustration with the evasive response of Shaikh Isa bin Saleh on the matter. Also discussed in this part of the volume is the question of whether the Treaty of Sib will be renewed.In addition to the treaty text mentioned above, the Arabic language material mainly consists of correspondence between the British and Muscat authorities and various shaikhs and subjects of interior Oman (English translations are included).The volume includes copies of correspondence originally written in 1919. There is no material covering the periods 1922-1923, 1925-1931, and no material dated after 1934, with the exception of a note at the rear of the volume, which is dated 16 October 1961.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 156; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
105. 'File 3/4 BOOKS ETC: ROUTES IN OMAN'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains descriptions of eleven routes in Muscat and Oman, and the Trucial Coast, drawing on various sources of information. The entry for each route gives a general description, the distance, and the number of stages/approximate travelling time. The routes are:Dibah to Ras al KhaimahAbu Dhabi to BaraimiMahot to MutiMinhah to 'IbriSur to MinhahUmm al Qawain to FujairahDibai [Dubai] to ShinasSharjah to MurairSib to MutiSohar to Baraimi.The sources of information include journeys undertaken and information collected by British officers (with dates), especially Major Percy Zachariah Cox and Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Barrett Miles; the Persian Gulf Gazetteer(1908); and native information.The descriptions include details of settlements, inhabitants, topography, vegetation, caravan routes, water supply, fuel and fodder, forts and similar structures, and cultivation and livestock. Typescript, with occasional manuscript notes in red ink containing queries about the information provided.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 36; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
106. 'File 5/191 IV Individual slavery cases'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains correspondence relating to instances of slavery on the Trucial Coast. Of the eleven subjects contained in the volume, the first seven relate to the kidnapping and enslavement of individuals within the Trucial Coast and Oman area, frequently by tribes from the interior. Cases 8 to 11 involve slaves imported into the Trucial Coast and Oman region from the Baluchistan and Indian coast. These cases are similar to and in some instances linked to slavery cases in other Residency volumes, in particular IOR/R/15/1/222 and IOR/R/15/1/223.Subjects of note in the volume include the following:Subject 1: The kidnapping of a Muscat subject who was taken to Dubai, and the efforts of the Residency Agent at Sharjah (‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif), in correspondence with Shaikh of Dubai, to recover the man.Subject 2: A slave trading case on the Batinah coast, mid-1929. In a statement made by one of the recovered slaves, the kidnapper was identified. Bertram Thomas (Wazir to the Sultan of Muscat) wrote to confirm that he suspected the leader of the Yal Saad tribe (Shaikh Hilal) on the Batinah coast to be the suspect. However, Thomas advised against the arrest of Hilal, suggesting it would be 'fraught with serious political consequences', and could undermine the Sultan of Muscat's authority. This case is concurrent and directly associated with correspondence from Thomas found in file IOR/R/15/1/229. Notes at the front and end of subject 2's correspondence state that part of the correspondence was transferred to another file (IOR/R/15/1/229), although it appears to have been reinstated at a later date, before the file was bound.Subject 4: An incident in mid-1929 of the kidnapping and enslavement of some inhabitants of Sharjah, and their transfer to Abu Dhabi by Manasir Bedouins. The matter prompted a strongly worded response from the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Barrett) to the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi, demanding action to retrieve the slaves. Office notes written by the Residency Secretary detailed the relative weakness of the Trucial Coast shaikhs in relation to the Manasir tribe, which he described as being the 'irregular army' of Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd]. The Secretary added that the Residency Agent at Sharjah did not have any relations with the Manasir, and recommended a greater presence of the Resident or his Deputy in the area to 'tend to more cordial relations with all concerned.'Subject 7: A 1929 kidnap of two Muscat subjects taken to the Trucial Coast. Both individuals were recovered by the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi, under pressure from the Political Resident. However a ransom (or 'redemption' payment) of 160 rupees was made for one of the slaves. Correspondence followed over a two-year period, between the Political Resident, the Residency Agent at Sharjah, and the Muscat Government, relating to the question of liability for the reimbursement of the payment. The Political Residency was reluctant to approve or encourage reimbursement to the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi for the payment, insisting that the British Government cannot 'recognise any payments for slavery, and [therefore] cannot ask the Political Agent in this case to recover the money.'Subject 10: A case in 1933 of a man in Dubai who was suspected of having kidnapped his employer's son in Karachi six years earlier. The man was detained with the Residency Agent at Sharjah while correspondence between the Commissioner in Sind, Karachi, and the Political Resident, attempted to ascertain if the man was the suspect from Karachi. The man was finally sent to Karachi via Bahrain, where he was arrested and imprisoned pending trial. Office notes in the subject file link the case to that of a young Indian boy imported to the Trucial Coast in 1927 (IOR/R/15/1/223 – Subject 8: folios 87-205).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 338; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: each of the subjects into which the volume is divided has its own internal pagination system, expressed as page number xof subject number y. Subject 10 is out of sequence, having been bound into the volume after subject 11.
107. ‘WILFRED THESIGER’
- Description:
- Abstract: This file concerns the movements of Wilfred Thesiger at the end of his second crossing of the Empty Quarter [al-Rub‘ al-Khālī]. Correspondence in the file is between the Political Officer, Sharjah; the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Resident, Bahrain; the Political Agent, Muscat; the Residency Agent, Sharjah; G W Furlonge and B A B Burrows, Foreign Office, London; and Richard ('Dick') Bird, representative of Petroleum Development Oman.Details concern Thesiger’s arrival in Abu Dhabi on 16 March 1948 and his intention to proceed to Buraimi [al-Buraymī]; the preference of the Sultan of Muscat for Thesiger not to visit Muscat and the cancellation of his visa to enter the Sultanate of Oman; Thesiger's intention to collect plants and animal specimens at Buraimi and to travel from Abu Dhabi to Bahrain by dhow; Bird's desire that Thesiger should not proceed anywhere south of the village of Hafit [Ḥafīt]; Thesiger's legal status during his travels and restrictions on his movements; the retention of Thesiger's Bedouin and their raid on Bani Qitab; his arrival in Bahrain; requests by Thesiger for ammunition; concerns that he was responsible for raiding in Saudi Arabian territory; and his nickname 'Mubarak bin London'.The file also includes summaries of intelligence gathered from Thesiger (ff 38, 42) and Bird's letter regarding Thesiger's presence in Buraimi (ff 54-55).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 64; 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 1-61; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
108. '14/6 Vol I OFF SHORE OIL'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, and notes, relating to offshore oil and the definition of territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.The discussion in the volume relates to the following issues:A Saudi proclamation regarding seabed and subsoil rights and decree defining territorial watersA Persian Government draft Bill on seabed rights (folio 27)A draft declaration (folio 38) of the Muscat government and other Arab coast rulers.Further discussion (ff 31-33) surrounds the concern of the Governments of the United Kingdom and the United States to establish agreed jurisdiction to allow seabed drilling by oil companies on an agreed basis and prevent claims by other powers.Also discussed (ff 56-57) is the visit by Bertram Thomas to the Trucial Coast in November 1948 as a representative of an oil company.Included (ff 9-22) in the file are copies of the 'Royal Pronouncement concerning the policy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with respect to the subsoil and sea Bed areas in the Persian Gulf contiguous to the coasts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia'.The file features the following principal correspondents: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (William Rupert Hay); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London (Ernest Bevin); an official of the Foreign Office (Sir Bernard Alexander Brocas Burrows) the Political Agent, Muscat (Randall Erskine Ellison); HM Ambassador to Iran (Sir John Helier Le Rougetel).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 58; 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.