Abstract: This item consists of copies of correspondence, minutes, and consultations cited in, or enclosed with, a political letter from the Government of Bombay.The correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; Major Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf; and John Croft Hawkins, Commodore Commanding Indian Naval Squadron, Persian Gulf.The item concerns the visit to the Gulf of HM squadron under the command of Commodore Sir Henry Martin Blackwood. The following incidents are described, with additional information supplied by Moollah Houssain, Native Agent at Shargah [Mullā Ḥusayn, Native Agent at Sharjah]:The grounding of HM ship
Foxoff the island of Seir Aboneide [Sir Bu Nuʽayr], and its return to Bombay for repairThe dispute between Sheik Sultan bin Suggur of Ras ul Khyma [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī of Ra’s al-Khaymah and Sharjah] and Sheik Muktoom bin Buthe of Debaye [Shaikh Maktūm I bin Buṭṭī Āl Bū Falāsah of Dubai] regarding Sheik Sultan bin Suggur’s plan to erect a fort at Khan [Al Khan]The dispute between Syed Soaweynee [Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd] and Sheik Sultan bin Suggur regarding the fort of Cassab [Khasab]The departure of Saad bin Mutluk [Sa‘d bin Muṭlaq al-Muṭayrī] from Brymee [al-Buraymi].The item contains a table of contents (f 425), and the title page (f 424) contains the following references: ‘P C [Previous Communication] 5507, Coll. 7, Vol. 18’, ‘D/t 197/47’, ‘Collection No. 6 of No. 53’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’.Multiple spellings for various personal and place names are present in the volume.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 424 and terminates at f 435, 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 and minutes cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. These political letters appear in IOR/F/4/2174/105546. It is the twenty-sixth in a series of forty-five items on the Persian Gulf.The correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; Major Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf; and Lieutenant Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Assistant Resident in the Persian Gulf.The item concerns Kemball’s report of his tour of the Arabian coast of the Gulf. This includes:The relations of the tribes of the Arabian coast with Saad bin Mootluk [Sa‘d bin Muṭlaq al-Muṭayrī]The construction by Sultan bin Suggur [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī], the Joasmee [al-Qawāsim] Chief, of a fort near to Debaie [Dubai], and the formation in response of an alliance between the rulers of Debaie, Ejman [Ajman], and Amulgavine [Umm al-Qaywayn]The formation of an alliance between Sultan bin Suggur and Sheikh Saeed ben Tahnoon of Aboothabee [Shaikh Sa‘īd bin Ṭaḥnūn Āl Nahyān, Ruler of Abu Dhabi]Kemball’s efforts to deter Saeed bin Guzeeb [Sa‘īd bin Qāzib], Governor of Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh], from getting involved in the disputes between the tribes of the Arabian coastAn enquiry from the Government of Bombay as to why Kemball went on this tour, and not Hennell.The item contains a table of contents (f 506), and the title page (f 505) contains the following references: ‘P C [Previous Communication] 5507, Coll. 7, Vol. 26’, ‘D/t 197/47’, ‘Collection No. 2 of No. 75’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 505 and terminates at f 526, 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, minutes, and consultations cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. The correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Government of India; Lieutenant James Tronson, commanding East India Company brigantine
Tigris, and Hajee Yacoob [Ḥājjī Ya‘qūb], British Agent at Shargah [Sharjah]. It is the second in a series of three items about the Persian Gulf.The item concerns:A report from Tronson about receiving the payment due from the shaikhs of Debaie [Dubai] and Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi] for cases of aggression committed by their subjects at seaInternal disputes at Debaie concerning the ruling familyThe refusal by Sheik Houssein [Shaikh Ḥusayn bin ‘Abdullāh of Bandar-e Charak] to pay the sum required by Kemball due to his subjects’ seizure of a boatRaiding expeditions in Batinah [Al Batinah] by Sheikh Sultan ben Suggur [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī of Ra’s al-Khaymah] and Humaid ben Rashid [Shaikh Ḥumayd bin Rāshid al-Na‘īmī of Ajman]The arrival of a firman directing Sheikh Abdul Rahman [Shaikh ‘Abd al-Raḥmān] to give up Bunder Abbas [Bandar ‘Abbas] to the Prince of Fars.The item contains a contents page and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Draft No 350-1853’, ‘Collection No. 1 of No. 16 of 1853’, and ‘Supplementary Volume 2’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 8, and terminates at f 17, 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 and consultations cited in, or enclosed with, a political letter from the Government of Bombay, which appears in IOR/F/4/2445/134344. The correspondents are Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Moollah Houssein [Mullā Ḥusayn], British Agent at Shargah [Sharjah]. It is the thirteenth in a series of twenty-one items on events in the Persian Gulf.The item concerns a plan by Sheik Mukhtoom ben Butye of Debaye [Shaikh Maktūm I bin Buṭṭī Āl Bū Falāsah of Dubai] to induce the Joosmee Chief [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī] to break off his peace agreement with the Beniyas Chief [Shaikh Sa‘īd bin Ṭaḥnūn Āl Nahyān], through the persuasion of Ameer Fysul [Amīr Fayṣal bin Turkī bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Sa‘ūd].The item contains a contents page and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Draft N 34 – 1852’, and ‘Collection No 32’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 232, and terminates at f 235, 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, minutes, and consultations cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. These political letters appear in IOR/F/4/2174/105546. It is the fourth in a series of forty-five items on the Persian Gulf. The correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; Major Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf; and Commodore Sir Henry Martin Blackwood.The item concerns the visit to the Gulf of HM ship
Foxand sloop
Pilotunder the command of Commodore Blackwood. It contains information provided by Hennell as to the state of affairs in the Gulf and the ports he might visit, and Blackwood’s report submitted on his return to Bombay. Topics covered include:The situation in Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi]A request made to Commodore John Croft Hawkins, Commanding the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf, for him to accompany BlackwoodThe proposal for Blackwood to visit Sohar to make a demonstration of force for the notice of Saad bin Mootluk [Sa‘d bin Muṭlaq al-Muṭayrī], and a later report that Saad bin Mootluk has left Beyreymee [al-Buraymi]The alleged insulting of Khajah Heskal [Khawājah Ḥizqīl bin Yūsuf], the Native Agent at Muscat, by a servant of the Imam of MuscatThe grounding of the
Foxon Seir Aboneid [Sir Bu Nu‘ayr] islandThe visit of Blackwood to Shargah [Sharjah], and his meetings with the Shaik of Debai [Shaikh Maktūm I bin Buṭṭī Āl Bū Falāsah, Ruler of Dubai] and Shaik Sultan bin Sugger of Ras el Khymah [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī, Ruler of Ra’s al-Khaymah]Blackwood’s efforts to mediate between Sultan bin Sugger and Syed Soweney [Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd], the Governor of Muscat, including the translation of a letter sent to Syud Soweney.The item contains a table of contents (f 298), and the title page (f 297) contains the following references: ‘P C [Previous Communication] 5507, Coll. 7, Vol. 4’, ‘D/t 197/47’, ‘Collection No. 3 of No. 20’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 297 and terminates at f 311, 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 file contains:Letters exchanged between the British Government in London, the British Government of India and the Bombay Government, the British Resident in the Persian Gulf and the British Agent Muscat, September 1840 to February 1841 about alleged French demands on the East African territories of the Imaum of Muscat in the vicinity of Zanzibar (folios 2-10);Letters exchanged between the British Envoy to Persia and the British Resident in the Persian Gulf, and an intelligence report from the British Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf, concerning Persian affairs, April 1841 (folios 23-25) and the evacuation of British troops from the Island of Karrack [Khārk, Jazīreh-ye], October 1841 (folios 40-41);Intelligence reports submitted by the British Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf to the Superintendent of the Indian Navy, February-March 1841 (folios12-19) and the British Resident in the Persian Gulf, March 1841 (folios 20-22) and which include English translations of letters from Sheikh Mucktoom [Maktūm] of Dubai (folio 19) and Sheikh Salmin ben Nassur of El Biddah [Doha] (folio 16), together with two Arabic promissory notes from the latter Sheikh (folios 23A and 23B). The reports relate to the British naval patrol of the Trucial Coast in the winter of 1841, referring to hostilities between the Chiefs of the Arab Ports and British enforcement of the Maritime Peace Treaty by the collection of money and goods from chiefs who had given protection to pirates or who had failed to take measures against any of their subjects known to have committed acts of piracy, as compensation to the rightful owners of plundered boats;Intelligence reports submitted by the British Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf to the British Resident in the Persian Gulf, July-October 1841 (folios 26-39) regarding his patrol of the Pearl Fishery banks during the summer pearling season.Physical description: Foliation: the letters are numbered 2-50, 23A, 23B, 23, 24-41, from front to back. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right corner and encircled, on the recto. Two small documents numbered 23A and 23B form a single folio. The front of the file cover is numbered 1.Pagination: the contents of the file were originally numbered in ink as follows: 29-33, 46-53, 69-70, 87-104, 106, 118-119, 123-125, 197-203, 212-223, 245-248, 250-251, 264. Blank pages and pages containing brief details such as name and address are unnumbered.One of two Arabic seals that appear on the reverse side of two Arabic promissory notes (folios 23A and 23B) is partly obscured by the strip of paper to which both documents are attached.
Abstract: This handwritten memorandum concerns the Debai [Dubai] Incident of 1910-1911. The memorandum gives a background on British treaty relations with the Sheikh Buṭtī bin Suhayl Āl Maktum of Dubai, the arms blockade on the Trucial coast, and a narrative of the incident that occurred on 24 December 1910 and subsequent events. Printed copies of the principal telegrams relating to the Dubai Incident appear between folios 49-51.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this memorandumcommences at folio 41 and terminates at folio 51, 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 folios 7-147; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (Maurice Clausen, John Charles Walton) and Edward Henry Ommaney Elkington, General Manager of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (also referred to by their former name Anglo-Persian Oil Company) about options and concessions to explore for oil on the Trucial Coast.The volume discusses negotiations being undertaken by Hajji 'Abdullah Williamson on behalf of the D'Arcy Exploration Group (part of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company) with Shaikh Sultan ibn Salim [Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah], Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Sharjah and Shaikh Said bin Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm], Ruler of Dibai [Dubai] which resulted in the group securing two year options to explore for oil in those territories. Also discussed is the possibility of pursuing options to explore for oil in Ajman and Umm al Qaiwaim [Umm al-Qaywayn], and negotiations for a two year option in Abu Dhabi which is unsuccessful.Other matters discussed in the volume include:major Frank Holmes interest in exploring for oil on the Trucial coast, including his correspondence with the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi and his involvement in a new British oil exploration company which does not come to fruition;a trip taken by the Shaikh Shaqbut bin Sultan bin Said (Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān), Ruler of Abu Dhabi to Basrah [Basra] and Baghdad to seek medical advice, and rumours that he may also be discussing oil exploration whilst there;discussions held in the India Office regarding the British Government's future policy with regards to the Persian Gulf and the development of oil there; along with measures to be taken to safeguard British interests in the Gulf and minimise the additional workload that oil concession negotiations might add to the Political Residency;the formation of Petroleum Concessions Limited, a part of the Iraq Petroleum Company to manage non Iraqi concessions and pursue new ones. The intention was for the new company to manage the Qatar concession and to follow through exploration and negotiations for those areas that the D'Arcy exploration group had obtained options for as well as to look at possible concessions in the Kuwait neutral zone, the unallotted area of Bahrain, and the remaining areas of the Trucial Coast;possible interest by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in exploring Kalbah [Kalbā] and the island of Tunb [Greater Tumb] for oil and minerals.Other correspondents in the volume include the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf (Captain Vernon Saumarez Butler); and the British Vice-Consul at Mohammerah (also given as Khoramshahr) (Frederick Charles Leslie Chauncy) who relays correspondence and information relating to Persia, Iraq and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.The correspondence from the various Trucial Coast Shaikhs is in Arabic, with translations in English, and the letter-head for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company is in Persian and English.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 254-268.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside 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 2-272; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The volume discusses the intention of Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) to negotiate extensions on the options that the D’Arcy Exploration Company had acquired with the rulers of Abu Dhabi (Shaikh Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān), Ajman (Rāshid Bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī), Dibai [Dubai] (Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm), Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] (Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī) and Sharjah (Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī) and to open negotiations for concession agreements with them too.Included in the file is correspondence with the various rulers from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle) informing them of Her Majesty’s Government’s approval of the option negotiated with the D’Arcy Exploration Compan; and correspondence regarding the British Government’s knowledge and approval of the decision by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) for PCL to enter into negotiations with them through the PCL negotiator Frank Holmes. Also enclosed are copies of the proposed draft concessions for Abu Dhabi (ff 6-22), Dibai (ff 22-37), Ras al Khaimah and Sharjah.Further correspondence regarding the question of negotiations and concessions is included between Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktum, Ruler of Dubai and the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch) regarding the Shaikh’s request that Hajji ‘Abdullah Williamson accompany any surveying parties visit his territory; and his concern over the inactivity of the D’Arcy Exploration Company with regards to their two year option and subsequent reluctance to discuss any extension to the option until surveying had commenced.The volume also contains correspondence between representatives of the India Office (John Walton, Maurice Clauson), the Director of Petroleum Concessions Limited (John Skliros) and representatives of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (Langlois Massy Lefroy, Edward Henry Ommaney Elkington) discussing potential boundary issues with regard to the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s territories; the need for a special risks clause should any Company employees wish to visit or survey the interior of some of the Trucial Shaikhdoms; the procedure to be followed for Major Holmes to be permitted to commence his negotiations; and discussions around the draft concession agreements presented to the India Office and possible requirements to be included in a political agreement between the British Government and PCL.Also included in the volume are:correspondence between Sir Andrew Ryan, HM Minister at Jedda, and George Rendel of the Foreign Office explaining the Red Line Agreement, which was concluded in 1928, including the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and Iraq Petroleum Company’s expectations under it and that the Kuwait Neutral Zone was not considered to be part of Kuwait proper and was therefore included within the agreement; reports submitted by the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Abdur Razzaq) to the Political Agent at Bahrain on the movements of Frank Holmes and his agents (Muhammad Yateem, Ashrif Halim) on the Trucial Coast including details of their visits to the various Shaikhs, and the topics discussed with them where known; the agreement that Petroleum Concessions Limited could open negotiations with the Shaikh of Bahrain (Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah) for a concession in the unalloted portion of Bahrain, and guarantees made by Major Frank Holmes to the Shaikh of Bahrain that PCL had no intention of transferring any potential concession to a third party but would exploit it through a subsidiary company which would most likely be named Petroleum Concessions (Bahrain) Limited; the proposal by Petroleum Concessions Limited to appoint Ernest Vincent Packer as Local Manager for PCL at Bahrain, and follow up of Packer’s references by the India Office; correspondence around the potential need for a separate Local representative to be appointed for Muscat should any concession be granted there, as the geographic area and expected workload would be too much if the local representative at Bahrain was expected to be responsible for both the Trucial Coast and Muscat.The draft concession agreements and correspondence to and from the Trucial Coast Shaikhs is in Arabic and English; the letter-head for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company is in Persian and English.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 237-243.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside 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 between ff 70-236; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The volume contains a record of negotiations between Major Frank Holmes and Ashraf Halim [Ashraf Halīm] on behalf of Petroleum Concessions Limited, and the Shaikh Sa'id bin Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm], Shaikh of Dibai [Dubai], over a concession agreement for Dibai, which resulted in a concession being agreed and the clauses of the concession being initialled by each party with the Shaikh of Dubai intending to sign the concession formally once it had been approved by the British Government, draft copies of the concession are included at folios 70-73 and 91-109.Also included in the volume are correspondence and meetings between Petroleum Concessions Limited (Stephen Hemlsey Longrigg), the India Office (John Walton, Maurice Clauson), the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch), the Petroleum Department (Harold Gordon Gunn), the Admiralty (Ebenezer Seal) and the Foreign Office (Terence Vincent Brenan) to discuss both the amended clauses of the concession agreement for Dubai and the necessary Political Agreement between Petroleum Concessions Limited and Her Majesty’s Government. The main points of discussion being the clauses in the Political Agreement relating to protection of Company Employees, jurisdiction for expelling foreigners from Dibai, and the need for a British controlled Refinery in the Persian Gulf.Also under discussion is the question of boundaries between the Trucial Coast Shaikhdom’s and how best to settle them in relation to concession agreements; and reports of communications between the Shaikh Sa'id bin Maktum, Ruler of Dubai and Shaikh Shakhbut bin Sultan [Shaikh Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān], Ruler of Abu Dhabi with the intention of settling themselves the boundary between their respective territories which the Political Resident believes to be the best solution to the boundary question, provided they are able to reach a consensus.Correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf , the Secretary of State for India, the Political Agent Bahrain and Petroleum Concessions Limited discussing the protection undertaking required by the British Government before the options secured by the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s could be approved. The correspondence confirms the acceptance by the Shaikh’s of Abu Dhabi and Dibai of the condition; the refusal of the Shaikhs of Sharjah (Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī) and Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] (Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī) to agree to the condition as it contained references to compensation without any upper limit or detail of amounts; and the non-response of the Shaikh of Ajman (Rāshid bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī) to the agreement. The correspondence continues by discussing ways of convincing the Shaikh’s of Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah to agree to the undertaking and possible reassurances that could be given in relation to the question of compensation.Other topics discussed include:the continuation of negotiations with the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi regarding a possible concession agreement;the appointment of Ernest Vincent Packer as Chief Local Representative for Petroleum Concessions Limited, including correspondence from the India Office following up his references;reports through the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Khan Sahib Saiyid 'Abd al-Razzaq) of attempts by the Shaikh of Sharjah to convince the Shaikh’s of Abu Dhabi and Dubai to go back on their acceptance of the protection undertaking; and to convince the Shaikh of Dubai not to sign a concession agreement until all the Trucial Coast Shaikhs had an opportunity to come together and discuss the question of oil jointly;summary of Petroleum Concessions Limited’s position and progress in relation to the concession agreements they were pursuing; progress updates were given for the Kuwait Neutral Zone; Qatar; Bahrain and the Trucial Coasts along with details of the appointment of a Chief Local Representative, the intended movements of their geologists and their intentions in regards to the shipping of equipment and materials and the recruitment of employees.Reports from the Residency Agent at Shargah of the movements of Hussain Yateem [Husayn Yatīm] in Sharjah and Dubai; and unconfirmed rumours that he had been employed as an agent and negotiator for an American Petroleum Company and had approached the Shaikh’s of Sharjah and Dubai in this capacity.Draft concession agreements and correspondence with Shaikh's in Arabic and English.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 248-255.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside 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 present in parallel between ff 6-247; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence, primarily between Major Frank Holmes as negotiator for Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL), John Skliros, Director of Petroleum Concessions Limited in London, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent at Bahrain regarding progress in negotiations with Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Sharjah for a concession in his territories. The correspondence discusses the amendments to the agreement which the Shaikh wished to make, various conditions he wished to place on the concession. and negotiations over the financial terms of a potential concession. A draft copy of the concession agreement can be found at folios 94-111.Also discussed is the signing of the Debai [Dubai] concession and PCL's acceptance of the signed copy; along with the written agreement given by Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktum al Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm] to the Political Resident regarding a termination of contract undertaking.Further correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Secretary of State for India considers methods of applying pressure on the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s to sign concessions with Petroleum Concessions Limited in order to prevent American interests from acquiring concessions in the area. A letter is issued by the Secretary of State for India, on behalf of the British Government, to be used if negotiations and initial pressure failed to secure the concessions. The letter made it clear that the British Government would not permit more than one Oil Company to operate on the Trucial Coast and that they had approved agreements with PCL and were not prepared to permit negotiations with other Companies. The intention was for the letter to be used as a last resort as there could be difficulties if either Petroleum Concessions Limited or the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s came to learn of its existence before it was required.Other matters of note within the volume include:circular issued by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to all Consuls and Political Agents with powers to grant visa’s requesting that no visa for the Trucial Coast be granted to Haji ‘Abdullah Williamson without prior discussion with the Political Resident. Also included is a note of a discussion which the Political Resident had with Mr Gordon, Assistant General Manager for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company at Abadan, regarding Williamson’s activities on the Trucial Coast whilst being employed by Petroleum Concessions Limited;report on a conversation between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi (Shaikh Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān) over statements made to the Shaikh about Major Frank Holmes and Petroleum Concessions Limited and their British status, which the Political Agent was able to correct; and concerns about rumours being spread on the Trucial Coast which could cause problems for both PCL and the British Government;draft copies in Arabic and English of the proposed Umm-al-Qaiwain [Umm al Qaywayn] concession agreement (ff 48-65), Ajman Concession agreement (ff 30-47), and Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] concession agreement (ff 112-129);Correspondence regarding a disturbance in Kalba [Kalbā] which had briefly prevented individuals visiting Ras al Khaimah;letter from the Sultan of Muscat and Oman (Sayyid Taymūr bin Fayṣal bin Turkī Āl Bū Sa‘īd) to the Political Agent at Muscat (Ralph Ponsonby Watts) regarding an encroachment by the Geologists for Petroleum Concessions Limited into his territory in the Buraimi [Al Buraymī] district; and observations by the Political Agent of the need to define the limits of the Sultan’s territory as soon as possible.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers arewritten 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 5-214; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Olaf Kirkpatrick Caroe), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Tom Hickinbotham, Hugh Weightman), the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Khan Sahib Saiyid ‘Abd al-Razzaq), the Secretary of State for India and Burma (Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland), India Office (John Charles Walton, Alexander Colin Symon, John Percival Gibson) and Petroleum Concessions Limited (Frederick Lewisohn, Stephen Hemsley Longrigg, Frank Holmes, Basil Henry Lermitte, Ernest Vincent Packer) regarding negotiations for oil concessions on the Trucial Coast.The correspondence focuses on the negotiations between Shaikh Sultan bin Salim [Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] and Basil Henry Lermitte of Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) and the progress made in attempting to reach an acceptable agreement for both parties.Also included in the volume are details of the situation with the Shaikh Ahmad bin Rashid [Aḥmad bin rāshid Āl Mu'alla] of Umm al Qaiwain [Umm al Qaywayn] who wishes to await the conclusion of the Ras al Khaimah negotiations before agreeing to a concession with PCL; Shaikh Rashid bin Humaid [Rāshid Bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī], Ruler of Ajman who wishes to await the expiry of his existing option with PCL before commencing negotiations; and Shaikh Shakhbut bin Sultan bin Zaid [Shaikh Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān], Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with whom it is concluded that negotiations should be put on hold until the Shaikh’s uncle and chief adviser Khalifa bin Zaid [Khalīfah bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān] had returned from Braimi [Al Buraymī].Further discussions refer to Qatar, where PCL intended concluding their geological explorations and to commence their drilling programme; and Muscat and Dhofar where they hoped to make use of an RAF plane in order to reach more remote areas for geological survey.Also included in the volume is confirmation of the acceptance by Shaikh Sultan bin Saqar [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Sharjah of the political agreement and exchange of notes required by His Majesty’s Government in order approve the concession agreement made with Petroleum Concessions Limited; and the signing of the oil concession agreement in Sharjah on 13 September 1937. Later correspondence discusses some typing errors identified in the text of the concession agreement and the need for the political agreement to be the same as Debai’s [Dubai] and not the amended version recently approved by the India Office. Copies of the signed concession can be found at folios 6-85 and 157-175, and a copy of the political agreement and letters to be exchanged at folios 179-186.Other matters discussed in the volume include:formal confirmation by His Majesty’s Government of their approval of the grant of a concession by Petroleum Concessions Limited to the Shaikh of Debai and the acceptance by both parties of this approval. Also includes a printed copy of the Dubai Concession, political agreement and letters exchanged (ff 195-204);a letter from the Shaikh Shakhbut bin Sultan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi in response to the ultimatum issued to him by His Majesty’s Government preventing him from negotiating with any oil company not approved by them; and stating that he would negotiate with Petroleum Concessions Limited if approached by them but was otherwise free to negotiate with whomever he wished;request by Petroleum Concessions Limited to employ a French citizen, René Pomeyrol, as part of the geological team exploring Qatar and the Trucial Coast as no suitably qualified English geologists were available at that time; and to employ A Abdul Aziz Helmy as an interpreter on the Trucial Coast;letters sent by Haji ‘Abdullah Williamson to the Shaikhs of Ras al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi in which he proposes returning to the Trucial Coast and continuing negotiations with them, despite not being permitted to travel there or having the permission of Petroleum Concessions Limited to do so.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 202-215.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside 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 mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 7-203; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. The additional sequence is located in the same position as the main foliation, though some numbers are instead located on the verso. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superceded and therefore crossed out.