Abstract: Bound volume containing two secret reports, both authored by Colonel Wilfrid Malleson (referred to as Division of the Chief of the Staff in the first report, and Assistant Quarter Master General for Intelligence in the second), and both issued by the Division of the Chief of the Staff in 1909.The first report is entitled
Statistics regarding the Masqat [Muscat] Arms Traffic (Revised.)(ff 4-16), and contains several appendices and fold-out tables giving details of: caravan routes along which arms trafficking is carried out on the Makran coast; total values of arms and ammunition imported into Muscat and other Persian Gulf ports; importers and (European) exports of arms.The second report is entitled
Special Reports on the Masqat Arms Traffic, Season 1908-09(ff 17-60), and comprises a number of reports on the arms trade through Muscat, submitted by ‘secret agents’, and a map illustrating the arms traffic from Muscat to Persia, Baluchistan and Afghanistan (f 59). The report also includes two appendices, lettered G and H. Appendix G is a letter (in French) dated 28 October 1907, from M Pick to Messieurs Malcom and Company of Muscate [Muscat]. Appendix H comprises lists (in French) of arms for sale, with prices given in French francs.The voluime includes a map illustrating the Muscat arms traffic, dated 1909, indicating routes taken by the Muscat arms trade from the Persian (Makran) coast and inland, into Persia, Baluchistan and Afghanistan (f 59).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 62; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: this part also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: The memorandum concerns various agreements — between the British and Persian Governments — relating to telegraphic communications between India and Europe via Persia. It outlines the landing rights that the Indo-European Telegraph Department has at Bushire and Jask. It also includes copies of a number of agreements and conventions signed between the two states, which are as follows:agreement for the construction of a telegraph line from Khanakeen [Khānaqīn] to Bushire, dated December 1862 (ff 25v-26);convention for an additional wire between Bushire and Khanikin [Khānaqīn] for the exclusive use of international messages, ratified 1 May 1866 (ff 26v-28);convention for the construction of a telegraph line between Guadur [Gwādar] and a point between Jask and Bendar Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās], ratified 25 August 1868 (ff 28v-29);convention for the erection of a third wire between Tehran and Bushire, and the replacement of wooden poles with iron ones, ratified 31 March 1873 (ff 29-31);the Jask agreement to extend the territory of the telegraph establishment, dated 25 February 1887.Also included in the memorandum is a letter (folio 26) from the Persian Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Governor of Bushire dated 18 May 1863, which orders the construction of a telegraph station at Bushire for the use of the British.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at f 24, and terminates at f 32, 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. Pagination: the file also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: Classified 'Secret'.Created by the War Office. Covers the northernmost fifty miles of the Persian Gulf and its hinterland extending 400 miles to the north and west into Lower Mesopotamia in present-day Iraq and Iran. Portrays freshwater and coastal hydrology, roads and tracks, railways, telegraphs, settlements, place names and international boundaries, and includes a Turkish-English translation of geographical terms. The position and numbers of rifles, sabres and guns are shown by overprints in red (British and Russian) and green (Turkish); an additional overprint details the sources of this information and is linked to a pasted typescript note. The classification 'Secret' has been added in manuscript. The sheet bears the series designation 'I[ntelligence].D[ivision].W[ar].O[ffice]. No. 1060.'Verso bears the annotation 'Mesopotamia'.Physical description: Materials: Printed in colour, with manuscript additions in crayon; a typescript note has been pasted in the eastern marginDimensions: 515 x 540mm, on sheet 680 x 662mm
Abstract: The memorandum is a report produced for the Inter-Departmental Committee on Eastern Unrest, which includes intelligence covering the period October 1922 to March 1923. It provides an overview of Russian-Persian relations and of changes made to Russian official representation at Tabriz, Tehran, and Kermanshah. It also reports on Bolshevik intrigue (and anti-British activities) in Persia, and to a lesser extent Iraq and India. This includes a brief report of anti-British articles produced by the Persian Press and efforts to suppress them, as well as reports on the Persian Communist Party.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 31; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: Memorandum concerning treaty rights of British ships in Persia. It covers the Anglo-Persian Agreement of 1920 and its repercussions on the coasting trade; it highlights how other powers that have treaties with Great Britain have the right to partake in the coasting trade of the United Kingdom, whereas these other powers reserve their own coasting trade to national ships. It details negotiations with Persia and the resulting Tariff Autonomy Treaty, and outlines British shipping interests in Persia. Written by the Board of Trade, 20 August 1928.An Annex is also included providing figures for the share of British shipping in the Persian coasting trade 1925-26, and lists the lines and steamers engaged in this activity.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences and terminates at f 75, as it is part of a larger physical volume; this number is written in pencil, and is located in the top right corner of the recto side of the folio.
Abstract: This file concerns the disputed Hashtadan lands, on the Perso-Afghan frontier. It begins with a confidential letter, dated 24 May 1885, from Colonel Joseph West Ridgeway, Assistant Commissioner in charge, Afghan Boundary Commission, Camp Sinjao, to Earl Granville [Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville], Foreign Secretary, London.In his letter, Ridgeway summarises the current dispute, which began in March 1885, when the Persian authorities took steps to cultivate the disputed land, which had reportedly remained uncultivated for two generations. Ridgeway reports that on 12 April the Afghans responded by sending twenty irregular infantry with orders to stop the work. On 15 April, the Governor of Karaz (also spelled in the file as 'Karez') [Kārīz, Iran] arrived at Hashtadan with thirty Persian troopers. Ridgeway states that the matter was only temporarily resolved by William Rudolph Henry Merk, political officer on special duty with the Afghan boundary commission, who arranged that, pending inquiry, the Afghans should retire to Kafir Kala [Islām Qal‘ah, Afghanistan] and the Persians to Karaz.Ridgeway includes with his letter a series of enclosures which document the ongoing dispute. The enclosures are as follows:No. 1 Letter from Kazi Saad-ud-din Khan, agent of Abdur Rahman Khan, Amir [Emir] of Afghanistan, to Sir Peter Stark Lumsden, member of the Council of India and Afghan boundary commissioner, dated 23 March 1885No. 2 Letter from Sir Peter Stark Lumsden, Tirpul [Tir Pol, Afghanistan], to Kazi Saad-ud-din Khan, dated 26 March 1885No. 3 Telegram from Sir Ronald Ferguson Thomson, Her Britannic Majesty's Minister, Teheran [Tehran], to Sir Peter Stark Lumsden, no. 42, dated 2 April 1885No. 4 Letter from the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs (unnamed) to Sir Ronald Ferguson Thomson (no date)No. 5 Letter from William Rudolph Henry Merk, Hashtadan, to Sir Peter Stark Lumsden, dated 16 April 1885No. 6 Letter from Sir Peter Stark Lumsden to Kazi Saad-ud-din Khan, dated 17 April 1885No. 7 Letter from Kazi Saad-ud-din Khan to Sir Peter Stark Lumsden, dated 18 April 1885No. 8 Letter from William Rudolph Henry Merk to Sir Peter Stark Lumsden, dated 27 April 1885No. 9 Letter from William Rudolph Henry Merk to Sir Peter Stark Lumsden, dated 1 May 1885No. 10 Telegram from Sir Peter Stark Lumsden to Sir Ronald Ferguson Thomson, dated 2 May 1885No. 11 Letter from Sir Peter Stark Lumsden to the Governor General of Khorassan [Khorasan], dated 2 May 1885No. 12 Letter from the Governor General of Khorassan to Sir Peter Stark Lumsden, dated 5 May 1885No. 13 Extract from a report of Khan Baba Khan, Native Agent, to Colonel Joseph West Ridgeway, Assistant Commissioner in charge, Afghan Boundary Commission, dated 6 May 1885No. 14 Telegram from Sir Ronald Ferguson Thomson to Sir Peter Stark Lumsden, dated 7 May 1885No. 15 Extract from a demi-official letter from Sir Peter Stark Lumsden, Mashad [Mashhad], to Colonel Joseph West Ridgeway, dated 11 May 1885No. 16 Telegram from Colonel Joseph West Ridgeway to the Government of India, no. 549, dated 13 May 1885No. 17 Telegram from Colonel Joseph West Ridgeway to the Government of India, no. 557, dated 14 May 1885No. 18 Letter from Captain Albert Frederick de Laessoe to Colonel Joseph West Ridgeway, dated 22 May 1885In his letter Ridgeway makes special reference to the final enclosure, Captain Albert Frederick de Laessoe's letter, which concludes in favour of the Persian claim. Ridgeway suggests that, if possible, the matter regarding Hashtadan should be deferred until the question of the Perso-Afghan frontier can be resolved outright, preferably by one officer.It should be noted that the list of enclosures which follows Ridgeway's letter incorrectly states that item no. 10 is from Sir Ronald Ferguson Thomson to Sir Peter Stark Lumsden, whereas in fact the telegram is from Lumsden to Thomson.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence for this description commences at f 192, and terminates at f 197, 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 5-206; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: Two documents exist within these folios, one of which was written by Hermann Anderson Haines, Assistant, Public Works Department, on 19 September 1893, and the next by Captain Frederick Weston Peile MacDonald on 15 August 1893. The first document by Haines explains the history leading up to the boundary dispute between Persia and Baluchistan over the ownership of Mekran and the actions that have been taken by each party. It also focuses on the original documents, drawn up by Major-General Sir Frederic John Goldsmid, which marked the boundary. Haines closes the document by stating the necessity of speedy delimitation. The second document by MacDonald focuses mainly upon the benefits of quickly arranging a settlement over the boundary as he believes that it shows the support of the British for the people of Mekran and also provides a countermove against recent Russian involvement in the region.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 23, and terminates at f 31, 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 item consists of copies of correspondence, consultations, and minutes cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. These political letters appear in IOR/F/4/2203/108134. The correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; Major Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; and Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil, HM Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Persia [Iran]. It is the twenty-sixth in a series of thirty items.The item concerns:The proposal by the Governor of Fars, Hoossein Khan [Muḥammad Ḥusayn Khān Muqaddam Marāgha'i] to co-ordinate the movements of the naval squadron in the Persian Gulf with his projected tour by land to different ports on the Persian CoastMessrs Mills & Co’s request for assistance in recovering money owed to them by Bakir Khan [Bāqir Khān Tangistānī], Sheik of Tungistan [Tangistan]A possible rebellion by the chiefs of the Dashtistan [Dashtestan] against the authority of ShirazThe restriction of movement placed upon a Russian Armenian by Hoossein Khan.The item contains a contents page, and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Draft 700/47, Collection No 18 of No 54’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 771, and terminates at f 781 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 item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence and minutes cited in, or enclosed with, a Political Letter from the Government of Bombay to the East India Company Court of Directors, 31 January 1848. A copy of this Political Letter can be found at IOR/F/4/2238/112322, alongside details of further enclosures. The item is the fifty-fifth in a series of fifty-nine items on events in the Persian Gulf.The item relates to a letter, dated 8 November 1847, from Major Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf, to the Government of Bombay. Hennell confirms that the loan forcibly taken from a British subject by the Chief of Asseeloo [Shaikh of Bandar-e ‘Asaluyeh] has been repaid and therefore the boat detained as security for this payment has been returned to the owner, Ab-dool Nubbee [‘Abd al-Nabī]. An act of ‘piracy’ committed by the people of Khirrah [Kherreh] on a bugla belonging to the Company’s associate, Hajee Yacoob [Ḥājjī Ya‘qūb], is also briefly mentioned.The title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Bombay Political Department’, ‘Draft No. 345/48, Coll: 2, Vol: 55’, ‘Collection No. 11 of No. 21’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 595, and terminates at f 599, 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 item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: This item consists of copies of correspondence cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai]. The correspondents are the Government of Bombay and Major Samuel Hennell, British Resident in the Persian Gulf. It is the sixteenth in a series of twenty items on the Persian Gulf (the others are IOR/F/4/2180/106055, IOR/F/4/2180/106056, IOR/F/4/2180/106057, IOR/F/4/2180/106058, IOR/F/4/2180/106059, IOR/F/4/2180/106060, IOR/F/4/2181/106061, IOR/F/4/2181/106062, IOR/F/4/2181/106063, IOR/F/4/2181/106064, IOR/F/4/2181/106065, IOR/F/4/2181/106066, IOR/F/4/2181/106067, IOR/F/4/2181/106068, IOR/F/4/2181/106069, IOR/F/4/2181/106071, IOR/F/4/2181/106072, IOR/F/4/2181/106073, and IOR/F/4/2181/106074).The item concerns the privileges of British subjects being granted to the Agent in Persia of Messrs Graham & Co.The item contains a contents page, and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Draft 282/47, P.C. [Previous Communication] 5573, Coll[ection]: 10, Collection No 12 of No 11’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 94, and terminates at f 96, 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.
Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, extracts of a Political Letter from the Government of Bombay to the East India Company Court of Directors, 16 February 1856. A copy of this letter can be found at IOR/F/4/2641/169196, alongside details of further enclosures. The item is the tenth in a series of twelve items on events in the Persian Gulf.The item contains correspondence principally exchanged between: Commander Felix Jones, Acting Resident in the Persian Gulf; Captain Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident in the Persian Gulf; and Charles Augustus Murray, HBM's Minister at Tehran. The correspondence dates from October to December 1855 and covers a number of subjects regarding relationships between the Resident and different officials within the Persian [Iranian] Government, including:Disputes between British merchants and the Dureya Beggee [Daryā Begī, or Governor] of Bushire [Bushehr] regarding the rate of customs duty charged on horses imported and exported at that portDetention of British merchandise at Sheeraz [Shiraz] by Hajee Kewaum [Ḥājī Mīrzā 'Alī Akbar Shīrāzī, Qavām al-Mulk, or the Sheriff of Shiraz]Steps taken by Disbrowe to obtain payment of a fine owed by the 'Chief' of Lingah [Shaikh of Bandar-e Lengeh]Construction of a wall opposite the Residency property in Bushire which may obstruct the building from sea breezesRelations between the Dureya Beggee and the ResidentComplaints by the Sedr Azim [Ṣadr-i Aʿẓam, or Prime Minister] against actions taken by Disbrowe, whilst Acting Resident, in a sea dispute between two Persian tribesComplaint by Jones of disrespect shown to him by the Sheikh of Chaab [Banū Ka‘b, tribe].The correspondence contains many enclosures, including extract copies of earlier correspondence between former Residents in the Persian Gulf and Governors of Bushire, dating from 1846. These relate to previous customs arrangements and provide details of: people involved; the number of animals shipped; and the price of duty paid and on which basis. They include orders granted by Hajee Meerza Aghasee [Ḥājjī Mīrzā Āqāsī], Prime Minister of the Persian Government, in 1844, and by Houssein Khan, Sahibi-Ikhtiyar, Governor of Fars [Muḥammad Ḥusayn Khān, Ṣāḥib Ikhtiyār], in 1845.Additionally, in Disbrowe's response to the complaint by the Sedr Azim, he includes extracts of earlier correspondence, dating from 1846, as proof of Persian governors permitting British intervention in sea disputes on the Persian coast.Jones sends a copy of the above to the Government of Bombay, who in turn forward it to the Court of Directors.As well as Jones, Disbrowe and Murray, correspondents include A Malcolm, an agent for a British horse trader, and Ahmed ben Mahomed Tahir, Kethkhoda of Dillom [Aḥmad bin Muḥammad Ṭāhir, Kadkhudā of Bandar Deylam].The item contains multiple spellings for multiple personal and place names.The title page of the item contains the following references: 'Bombay Political Department', Draft Number '633 [18]56', 'Collection No. 1 of No. 16 of 1856.', 'Vol: 10', and 'Examiner's Office'. Originally, the Collection number was given as '6' but this has been crossed out and replaced with '1'.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 558, and terminates at f 592, 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 item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence cited in, or enclosed with, a Political Letter from the Government of Bombay to the East India Company Court of Directors, 16 June 1847. A copy of this Political Letter can be found at IOR/F/4/2238/112322, alongside details of further enclosures. The item is the sixth in a series of fifty-nine items on events in the Persian Gulf.The item relates to updates provided by Lieutenant Arnold Burrows Kemball, Assistant Resident in the Persian Gulf, to Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil, HM Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Persia [Iran]. The topics mentioned include:The arrival of Samud Agha Sirchung [Ṣamad Āghā Sarhang] at Kazeroon [Kazerun] and his demands against the chiefs of Bashtistan [Dashtestan]The arrival of Bankir Khan [Bāqir Khān Tangistānī], the Tungistoon [Tangestan] Chief, at Bushire [Bushehr] to assist Sheikh Nassir [Shaikh Nāṣir] in his dispute with the merchants of that portThe desertion of the town of Gonava [Bandar-e Genaveh] due to the combined threat of attack from Meerza Ahmed Khan [Mīrzā Aḥmad Khān Bihbahānī], son of the Governor of Bebahan [Behbahan], and Kaid Mahomed Hyder Shoolee [Kayīd Muḥammad Ḥaydar Shulī].The title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Bombay Political Department’, ‘Draft No. 345/48’, ‘Collection No. 2 of No. 78, Vol: 6.’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 260, and terminates at f 266, 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 item also contains an original pagination sequence.