Abstract: The volume contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (Maurice Clauson), the Foreign Office (John Cecil Sterndale Bennett), the Colonial Office (Owen Gwyn Revell Williams), representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited (Frank Holmes, Stephen Hemsley Longrigg, John Skliros, Ernest Vincent Packer), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch, Tom Hickinbotham), and the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Khan Sahib 'Abd al-Razzaq) regarding the conclusion of negotiations with Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktum Al Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm], Ruler of Dubai for an oil concession for his territory and the signing of the concession agreement on 22 May 1937.Correspondence includes discussions around the conclusion of a Political Agreement (folios 192-193) and Refinery Agreement (folios 194-195) between the British Government and Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL); the approval of drafts of an exchange of notes (folios 9-10) to be held with the Shaikh of Dubai once the agreements had been signed; and the final negotiations over the wording and clauses of the Commercial Agreement between the Shaikh of Dubai and Petroleum Concessions Limited.Also discussed are concerns by the representatives of the British Government about the movements of representatives of the California Arabian Standard Oil Company who were alleged to be attempting to persuade the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s to not sign concession agreements with PCL and to wait until the end of their option clauses to negotiate better terms with them; and attempts by the Shaikh’s of Sharjah (Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī) and Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] (Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī) to convince the Shaikh of Dubai to join with them in undertaking such an action.Also discussed in the volume is the reluctance by the Shaikh’s of Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah and Ajman (Rāshid Bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī) to accept the security undertaking owing to the inclusion of an unlimited amount of compensation liability; the proposal by the British Government to amend the undertaking so that compensation requirements would be subject to Shara’ [Sharia] Law which the Shaikh’s of Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah and Ajman ultimately agreed to, and including formal acknowledgements in Arabic and English of this undertaking.Other items of interest within the volume include:a report from Thomas Fulton Williamson and David Glynn Jones, geologists for Petroleum Concessions Limited on their survey of Ras al Khaimah, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and their cursory investigations in Ajman; also included is correspondence regarding the area of Jibal Fayah in Sharjah which the geologists were prevented from entering by the ruling Bani Kitab [Beni Qitab] tribe;meeting between the Shaikh’s of Abu Dhabi and Dubai at which Ahmad bin Khalif bin ‘Utaibah [Shaikh Aḥmad bin khalīf bin ‘Utaybah] and Shaikh Ahmad bin Hilal [Shaikh Aḥmad bin Hilāl], Ruler of Dhawahir [ Z̧awāhir] had served as mediator’s in order to settle the question of where the boundary between Abu Dhabi and Dubai should be;correspondence with Shaikh Saqar bin Sultan Al Hamid [Shaikh Saqr bin Sulṭān Āl Ḥamīd], Chief of Braimi [Al Buraymī] regarding a rumour that the Residency Agent at Sharjah was intending to visit Braimi in order to negotiate an oil concession and response from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf that they wished the Residency Agent to visit Braimi to establish personal contacts with local notables there;query from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf regarding the need for PCL to appoint a Chief Local Representative; and noting that Ernest Vincent Packer had been appointed as General Manager and whether they intended this to be the same as a Chief Local Representative or not;a request by PCL to employ Robert Sutherland Cooke as a negotiator in the Middle East and whether Cooke’s past employment difficulties in Iraq might hinder this request;the appointment of Basil Henry le Riolet Lermitte as Assistant Manager for PCL in Bahrain;a request for Mrs (Dorothy) Holmes to visit Sharjah with her husband which was initially rejected by the Political Resident over fears of setting a precedent for oil Company and Superintendent’s wives in the future but was ultimately approved as 'Um Rashid' (mother of the Shaikh of Dubai?) wished her to visit;correspondence between Major Frank Holmes and the Political Agent at Bahrain regarding his intention to commence negotiations for concessions with Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah as soon as the Dubai concession was signed;correspondence regarding the Shaikh of Umm al Qaiwain’s [Umm al Qaywayn] interest in opening negotiations with Petroleum Concessions Limited; and the possibility of opening negotiations with the Shaikh of Kalba [Kalbā] as it was now a Trucial Shaikhdom;correspondence regarding the alleged intrigues of Haji ‘Abdullah Williamson who was believed to be involving himself in local politics in the Trucial Shaikhdom’s and working for the California Arabian Standard Oil Company, whilst visiting there as an interpreter for Petroleum Concessions Limited;table detailing the amount of money being paid to each Trucial Shaikh under their Anglo-Iranian Oil Company options, including how often the payments are being made and which AIOC agent was handling the payments. The table also includes notes on instances where existing or future payments differed from the norm (ff 184-185).Correspondence with the Trucial Shaikhs and copies of agreements are in both Arabic and Engliash; letters written by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company have a Persian and English letterhead.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 288-300.Physical description: 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 5-287; 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 file concerns the arrangements for the supply of funds by the Political Agency, Bahrain for expenses incurred by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and its personnel in Bahrain (also spelled Bahrein) and the Trucial Coast.The correspondence is mainly from the Political Agent, Bahrain; staff of Air Headquarters, British Forces in Iraq, Hinaidi; the Residency Agent, Sharjah; and the Air Liaison Officer, RAF Bahrain (Wing Commander Aubrey Robert Maxwell Rickards). There is also some correspondence from the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.The papers cover: correspondence concerning the consumption of electricity by RAF personnel in Bahrain (e.g. folio 13); monthly bills of expenditure incurred by the Political Agency, Bahrain on behalf of RAF personnel, for the period March 1936 - November 1937 inclusive; correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain, and the Residency Agent, Sharjah concerning monthly payments to Shaikh Said bin Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm], Ruler of Dubai for hire of a petrol dhow and its guards, and to Shaikh Sultan bin Salim [Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Ras al Khaimah for pay of guards for a petrol barge, April 1936 - December 1937; receipts from RAF personnel for incidental expenses, and covering letters for payments of expenses issued by Air Headquarters, British Forces in Iraq, Hinaidi; correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf concerning the need to prevent the Residency Agent Sharjah from being forced to make advances to RAF officers, July 1936; correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Acting Adviser to the Government of Bahrain concerning payment of rent for Bahrain Aerodrome, August 1936; correspondence concerning payment of expenses in connection with the use by RAF personnel of the Bahrain Rest House (e.g. folio 113); sundry expenses incurred by the RAF in Bahrain (e.g. payment of expenses to the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) in connection with moving a crashed aeroplane, folio 134); and papers relating to the Air Liaison Officer, Bahrain (Wing Commander Aubrey Rickards), including correspondence between Rickards and the Political Agent, Bahrain, instructions concerning RAF accounting arrangements at Bahrain (folios 277-279), and correspondence concerning Rickards's death and estate, May - December 1937.The Arabic language content of the file consists of approximately sixty-five items of correspondence (all with translations into English) between the Political Agent, Bahrain, and the Residency Agent, Sharjah; and a small number of miscellaneous items.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 358; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Three additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 4-33, ff 296-309, and in the notes between ff 337-351; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file’s contents concern the implementation of civil air agreements, and the use of air facilities, at Britain’s aerodromes along the Arab coast (chiefly Bahrain (Muharraq), but also at Sharjah, Kuwait, and Qatar) in the period directly following the Second World War. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay), and incumbents of the post of Political Agent at Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Crawshaw Galloway, Captain Hugh Dunstan Rance, and Cornelius James Pelly).Subjects in the file include:Renegotiations between British Government officials (Persian Gulf, Foreign Office, Air Ministry) over the terms of the various air navigation regulations held with the various rulers of the Arab coast of the Gulf;Questions of the continued use of the aerodrome at Sharjah by the Royal Air Force [RAF], and the maintenance of British Overseas Airways Corporation [BOAC] staff and radio facilities at Sharjah;Renewal of the agreement between the British Government and Sheikh of Dubai over air facilities at Dubai;Requests from foreign airlines (France Air, Quantas, Czecho-Slovak Air) to fly over or land at aerodromes administered by the British in the Gulf;Hay’s concern of the lack of regulation of civil aviation in the Gulf, in light of the increasing number of flights and operators (both national and local) operating in the region, and in increasing tendency for foreign aircraft to not seek prior permission to land at Bahrain;Discussion in 1949 of the concept of ‘pre-packed airports’ being marketed by the likes of Westinghouse Corporation in the United States, with enquiries into their viability for the Gulf, and a lack of interest on the part of British officials at Bahrain (f 193) and Qatar (f 190);The installation of new light and radio facilities at Muharraq aerodrome in late 1950, in response to two fatal crashes by Air France aeroplanes that occurred in June 1950.Items of particular note in the file include:A letter from the Secretary of State for India, dated 26 June 1947, detailing the RAF’s long-term commitment at Sharjah, with a list of permanent buildings required at the Sharjah aerodrome (ff 69-71);A schedule of fees payable to the Sheikh of Bahrain for 1947, showing flights made into and out of Bahrain (f 63);A list of foreign aircraft landing at Bahrain during January to March 1949 (f 150);Notes of a meeting held at the Foreign Office on 25 September 1950, intended to address concerns over increasing local competition on air routes in the Gulf (ff 234-244).Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the cover and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present between ff 2-259; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence on a number of different, air-related matters, and is not restricted to air accidents suffered by Imperial Airways aircraft. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Political Agent in Bahrain, and the Political Officer on the Trucial Coast.The subjects covered by the file are:The emergency landing in March 1933 of an Imperial Airways ‘HANNO’ [Handley Page] aircraft at Jubail, in Ibn Saud’s [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] territory, the subsequent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the emergency landing, and discussion amongst British officials over whether a gift should be given to the Amir of Jubail, whose subjects lent assistance to the aircraft’s pilot (ff 4-46);Reports of a missing plane in the Gulf in March 1940 (ff 47-52);In July 1940, the theft of copper panels from the wireless station at the aerodrome in Sharjah, leading to the aerodrome’s inability to provide radio bearings to incoming aircraft. Further correspondence documents the investigation into the theft, and the apprehension of the culprits (ff 53-63);Through the remainder of the file, correspondence from 1941 to 1943 relating to the development of air facilities in a number of locations, as part of the Aden to Karachi air route. This correspondence includes: extensive arrangements for the temporary charter by the British Overseas Airways Corporation of the Sheikh of Dubai’s launch, to be used at Ras al Hadd; work at Masirah (island) and the sourcing of a launch to enable operations to proceed between the mainland and the island; unrest amongst the workers at Salalah.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 2-171; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains letters relating to the Indian Naval Squadron of the Persian Gulf. The three main correspondents are the following: Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire; Commodore John Patterson Porter, Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf; and Lieutenant James Tronson, Commander of the HC Brig
Euphrates. Most of the correspondence is between Hennell and Porter; however, a small number of the letters received by Hennell and Porter respectively are written by Tronson. Two additional correspondents appear in a couple of the enclosed letters in this file: Lieutenant Frederick Erskine Manners and Captain Archibald MacDonald. The two main subjects of the letters in this file are the relations between the various chiefs of the Arab coast and the whereabouts of the pirate, Saheil ben Ateish. Many of the letters addressed to Hennell relay information obtained from the Native Agent at Sharjah, Mullah Husain.Physical description: This volume has an original pagination sequence and a foliation sequence:Pagination: The pagination sequence runs from 1 to 154. The sequence is complete, although not every page is numbered.Foliation: The foliation sequence is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the front cover of the file, on 1A, and runs through to the final page of the file, ending on number 47. It should be noted that 1A is followed by 1B and that folio number 9 is followed by 10A and 10B. This is the sequence used by this catalogue to reference items within the file.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the past conduct and future employment of Major Frank Holmes and William Richard ‘Haji’ Williamson in the Persian Gulf. Most of the correspondence is between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Secretary of State for India, and concerns objections to the potential employment of Holmes as a negotiator on behalf of Petroleum Concessions Limited in Bahrein [Bahrain] and Koweit [Kuwait], and his past record as a negotiator on the Trucial Coast and as Chief Local Representative for the Bahrain Petroleum Company.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 68; 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 comprises copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 87 of 1847, dated 13 October 1847. The enclosure is dated 26 August 1847.The primary document is a despatch from Lieutenant Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Acting Political Agent in Turkish Arabia [Ottoman Iraq] (acting for Henry Creswicke Rawlinson who had taken a leave of absence), forwarding for the information of the Secretary to the Government of India and the Secretary to the Government, Bombay, copies of his despatches to Lord Cowley, HM Minister Plenipotentiary at Constantinople [Istanbul], with relevant enclosures, on the ‘affairs of the Baghdad Pachalic [Pashalik]’.The documents notably cover the following matters:British attempts to verify the authenticity of the communication from the Mootsellim [Mutasallim] of Bussorah [Governor of Basra] to Sheikh Mahomed ben Khaleefa [Shaikh Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah, Shaikh of Bahrain] inviting him to place himself under the protection of the Turkish [Ottoman] flag, including a corroborative document forwarded to Rawlinson by Major Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian GulfReactions of the independent Arab rulers of the Gulf regarding the appearance of an Ottoman brig of war [in the Gulf] and the alleged the claims by the Turkish officers on board of the intention to replace British influence in the Gulf with Turkish influence. Included are reports by John Croft Hawkins, Commodore Commandant Indian Navy, Squadron in the Persian Gulf, on the HC [Honourable Company] steam frigate
Queen, and the Agent at Shargah [Sharjah], regarding: the brig’s movements; the concerns expressed by Shaikh Mucktoom [Maktūm I bin Buṭṭī Āl Bū Falāsah of Dubai]; and the alleged ‘exultation’ of Sultan Ben Suggur [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī, Ruler of Sharjah and Ra’s al-Khaymah, Al Jazirah Al Hamra and Ar Rams, variously] at the potential loss of British influence (ff 263-268)Reports that Nejib Pasha [Muḥammad Najīb Pāshā, Governor of Baghdad] plans to survey ‘the old and ruined canals’ of Abooghraib [Abu Ghraib], Scindreeah [Sindria?] and Mahmoodiah [Mahmudiyah?], in order to repair them and bring the adjoining land back into cultivation and improve irrigationThe disturbed state of the country in Moosul [Mosul] due ‘principally to the internal dissensions in the large tribe of the Shammar [Šammar] Arabs’ (f 269)The question of whether British and Russian subjects travelling in the Turkish [Ottoman] dominions will be subject to new passport regulation fees, and Kemball’s scepticism, in communications with Colonel Justin Sheil, HM Minister at Tehran, regarding Nejib Pasha’s intention to exempt ‘native Englishmen’, taking into consideration the passport fees recently levied on Rawlinson and his party for the latter’s leave of absenceKemball’s scepticism, communicated to Sheil, regarding Nejib Pasha’s intentions of fulfilling instructions from the Turkish Government for the removal of a Turkish guard vessel from her anchorage off the mouth of the Haffer [Haffar] Canal to a station higher up the stream, and intention to escalate his dissatisfaction to the Porte via HM Minister at Constantinople (ff 272-273).Physical description: 1 item (20 folios)
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 18 of 1841, dated 26 March 1841. The enclosures are dated 10 August 1840 to 27 March 1841. They mainly consist of copies of correspondence sent and received by the Government of Bombay, relating to the Persian Gulf and Zanzibar.The correspondence is mostly between the following: the Secretary to the Government of Bombay (John Pollard Willoughby); the Secretary to the Government of India (Thomas Herbert Maddock); the Resident in the Persian Gulf (Samuel Hennell); the British Agent at Muscat (Captain Atkins Hamerton); the Superintendent of the Indian Navy (Captain Robert Oliver); and Commodore G B Brooks, Commanding the Indian Naval Squadron in the Gulf of Persia.The correspondence discusses matters including:The claim for compensation by Hajee Mahomed Ally Suffur (also spelled Hajee Mahomed Aly Jaffer) against the Shaikh of Kishm [Qishm, also spelled Kishin] for a quantity of sugar belonging to him, said to have been taken from the wreck of the buggalow
Futeh Ool Ruhman(also spelled
Futteh Ool Rahimanin this part) on the Island of QishmCaptain Hamerton proceeding on a mission to Zanzibar, and a deputation allowance of ten Rupees per day being granted to himThe suggestion of the Resident in the Persian Gulf that some small vessels should be attached to the Indian Naval Squadron in the Gulf, for the conveyance of important despatches to the Government of Bombay received via the Persian Gulf routeIntelligence received from Shiraz, including an account by the News Writer at Shiraz (Mirza Reza) of the ‘great disturbances’ which had recently taken place in the city, and news from other parts of Persia [Iran], including Kerman [Kirmān],Tehran, and Bushire [Būshehr]The proceedings of the Resident in the Persian Gulf in regard to the piracy stated to have been committed by Jubbur Rugragee (also spelled Jubber Ragragee) upon a boat belonging to Rasel Khyma [Ras Al Khaimah]The measures adopted by the Resident in the Persian Gulf for settling demands made against the Chief of Debaye [Dubai, also spelled Debayee], Shaikh Mookhtoom [Shaikh Maktoum bin Bati ibn Suhayl, also spelled Muckhtoom in this part], on account of the reported infractions of the maritime truce by his subjectsThe proceedings of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian GulfThe commanders and crews of the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat’s ships
Carolineand
Peidmontesebeing rewarded for the assistance they provided to the East India Company’s schooner
Emilyin March 1840, when it was in danger of being shipwrecked in Muscat CoveDr Thomas Mackenzie, the Civil Surgeon of the Residency in the Persian Gulf, being granted permission to proceed to Europe on furlough, and Assistant Surgeon Andrew Weatherhead being appointed to succeed him as Civil Surgeon.This part also includes enclosures relating to Oman, Bahrien [Bahrain, also spelled Bahrein in this part], and the Nejddee Country [Nejd, also spelled Nejdee in this part].Physical description: There is an abstract of contents of the despatch, numbered 1-40, on folios 391-397. These numbers are repeated for reference on the last verso of each enclosure.
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 13 of 1841, dated 28 February 1841. The enclosures are dated 18 February 1840 to 28 February 1841, and relate to the Persian Gulf and Zanzibar.The enclosures mostly consist of copies of correspondence between the Secretary to the Government of Bombay (John Pollard Willoughby) and the following: the Resident in the Persian Gulf (Captain Samuel Hennell); the Superintendent of the Indian Navy (Captain Robert Oliver); the Secretary to the Government of India (Thomas Herbert Maddock); and the British Agent at Muscat (Captain Atkins Hamerton).The correspondence concerns matters including:The suggestion of the Resident in the Persian Gulf that the European troops at Karrack [Kharg], should be removed from the Island and accommodated on shipboard during the hot season for health reasons, and the probable expense which would be incurred if this suggestion were adoptedThe British Agent at Muscat having arranged a passage to Bombay for the Chief of Sohar (Saied Hamood bin Azan) and his party, in the interests of maintaining good relations between the Chief of Sohar and the Imaum [Imam] of MuscatThe disapproval of the Government of Bombay of the transfer, at the suggestion of the Resident in the Persian Gulf, of a portion of the European crew of the East India Company’s steam ship
Bereniceto vessels of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf, in contradiction of orders given by the Superintendent of the Indian Navy to the Commander of the
BereniceThe British Agent at Muscat proceeding to Zanzibar, and requesting permission to employ a writer and interpreter whilst on the mission to ZanzibarThe opinion of the Resident in the Persian Gulf as to whether it was still necessary for a Native Agent to be employed at Muscat, in addition to the European officer appointed British Agent at Muscat.In addition, this part also includes the following:Extracts of letters from the Native Agent at Shargah [Sharjah] (Moollah Hoossain), reporting on events which had recently taken place on the Arabian Coast, principally concerning relations between Shaikh Sultan bin Suggur [Shaikh Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī] of Sharjah, his son Suggur, and Shaikh Mukhtoom of Debay [Shaikh Maktoum bin Bati ibn Suhayl of Dubai]Intelligence received from the Native Agent at Muscat (Rubil bin Aslan) about the state of affairs in Muscat (also spelled Muskat)Intelligence received from the News Writer at Shiraz (Meerza Riza) and other sources about events in Persia [Iran].Physical description: There is an abstract of contents of the despatch, numbered 1-40, on folios 59-66. These numbers are repeated for reference on the last verso of each enclosure.
Abstract: The volume contains letters written mainly in 1850 and a few letters written in December 1849. Most letters are from Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire to Arthur Malet, Chief Secretary to Government, Political Department, Bombay. The British Political Resident’s letters provide the Governor in Council of the Bombay Presidency with an up to date account of affairs in the Persian Gulf and usually enclose copies of other, relevant official correspondence, including:English translations of numerous Arabic letters regularly received by the British Political Resident from Moollah Houssein and Hajee Jassem, the British Residency native agents at Shargah [Sharjah] and Bahrein [Bahrain] respectively, reporting events and intelligence gathered in their territories;English translations of five Arabic letters from the Chiefs of Bahrein [Bahrain] and Sohar [Ṣuḥār] in Oman, to the British Political Resident, in response to the latter’s demands or proposals (folios 23-24, 61-63, 81, 93-94);Transcripts of four letters received by the British Political Resident from Commodore Porter, Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf aboard the ship Clive and Lieutenant Alexander Foulerton, commanding the ship Mahi, reporting on their patrols and intercepts at sea in the Persian Gulf (folios 13, 15-16, 35-38).The letters written by the British Political Resident, the British Residency native agents and the Indian naval officers contain reports mainly about the following: acts of piracy and other hostilities committed by rival Bedowin [Bedouin] tribes, relations between the Trucial Coast chiefs and the success of Indian naval peace-keeping boat patrols along the Arabian coast of the Persian Gulf, in accordance with treaty obligations. The Indian naval boats were expected to prevent attacks by sea upon the Arabian Ports of the Persian Gulf and to suppress all acts of maritime aggression against the crews, cargoes and slaves of trading vessels. The specific events in 1850 that are reported and discussed in this volume of letter correspondence include:The siege of the town of Sohar by Syed Soweynee, the Governor of Muscat, following the resumption of power by Syed Humood ben Azan, the deposed Chief of Sohar (folios 17, 22-29, 31-33, 35-36);The piracy of Soheil ben Ateish (folios 15-16, 20-21, 44-45, 87-98);Renewal of aggressions at sea between the inhabitants of Debaye [Dubai] and Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi] who steal each other’s slaves and boats, and the demands of the British Political Resident that rival chiefs Sheik Mukhtoom of Debaye [Āl Maktūm, Shaikh Buṭṭī bin Suhayl, Chief of Dubai] and Sheik Saeed ben Tahnoon of Aboothabee [Shaikh Said bin Tahnun Āl Nahyān, Chief of Abu Dhabi] should intervene to ensure that reparations are made (folios 15-16, 18-19);Plans of Sheik Mukhtoom, Chief of Debaye and Sheik Sultan ben Suggur, Chief of Shargah [Āl Qāsimī, Shaikh Sulṭān bin Saqr, Chief of Sharjah] to rebuild Adeed [Khor al-Udaid] and the steps taken by Sheik Saeed ben Tahnoon, Chief of Aboothabee to prevent it (folios 11-12);Plans of Ameer Fysul [Amir Faisal bin Turki], Chief of the Wahabee to organise a military expedition to rebuild Adeed, the reaction of Sheik Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Chief of Bahrein [Āl Khalīfah, Shaikh Muḥammed bin Khalīfah, Chief of Bahrain] and the opposition of Sheik Saeed ben Tahnoon, Chief of Aboothabee to the Ameer’s plans (folios 15-16, 18-19, 30, 57-60);Aggressions against the territories of the Imam of Muscat, in particular the siege and conquest of the Fortress of Shinas by the forces of Syed Humood ben Azan, Chief of Sohar and Sheik Sultan ben Suggur, Chief of Shargah (folios 39-43);The demands of the British Political Resident that Sheik Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Chief of Bahrein should strictly control the licensing of Bahrein boats in order to prevent acts of piracy and also, that he should make reparation for a Karrack [Khārk, Jazīreh-ye] boat, cargo and crew captured by a party of the Huwajir Tribe of Bedouins, using a boat they had obtained in Bahrein (folios 46-58, 61-65, 68-69, 77-82);The fears of Sheik Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Chief of Bahrein that fugitive members of the Uttobee Tribe of Arabs resident on Kenn Island [Kish Island] were planning to attack Bahrein and also the mediation of his brother, Sheik Ally [Āl Khalīfah, Shaikh ‘Alī bin Khalīfah] over the demand by the British Political Resident that the ruler of Bahrein should make a public apology for his insulting remarks about the British Government (folios 55-60, 70-76);The mediation of the British Political Resident over a proposed arrangement whereby Sheik Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Chief of Bahrein would pay an annual allowance to his cousins, the two impoverished sons of the late ex-Chief of Bahrein, Sheik Abdoollah ben Ahmed [Āl Khalīfah, Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad], on condition that they would dwell quietly on Kenn Island and give up all further schemes and claims against Bahrein (folios 85-86, 93-96);Negotiations by Sheik Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Chief of Bahrein with the Shereef of Mecca [Sharif of Mecca], for Turkish protection of his territories, a policy the British Political Resident fears other maritime Arab Chiefs might adopt (folios 83-84).Title page (folio 2): the following words in the title, ‘Department’, ‘Residency’ and ‘on’ are no longer complete. Damage along the right hand edge of the title page has obliterated part of these words. File cover title (folio 1): the abbreviated title ‘Book 166 Part 3 1850’ is written on the front cover of the volume.Physical description: Foliation: the letters in the volume are numbered 3-13, 14, 14A, 15-99, from front to back. The front cover of the volume is numbered 1 and the title page is numbered 2. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right hand side corner, on the recto of every folio.The 37 letters in the volume were originally numbered in ink and in most cases, on both the recto and verso of every folio, in the top right or left hand corner respectively, as follows: 3-20, 25-39, 41-55, 60, 62-85, 90, 94-115, 129-152, 156-169, 181-192, 197-200, 210-213, 222-231, 236-242, 254-258. Some of the gaps in the number sequence are due to the fact that blank folios and folios containing address details were not numbered.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence and notes related to air facilities required by Imperial Airways (from 1940 the British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) along the Arabian Coast. The file therefore contains a number of lists (some of which are categorised by priority) prepared by the Air Ministry outlining British requirements for navigation beacons, wireless transmissions sets, direction finding sets, moorings for flying boats etc; the lists prepared by the Air Ministry are revised over time to reflect changing requirements, for example the introduction of night flying. Also covered in the file is the establishment of a petrol dhow at Dubai in 1934 (see folio 402 for a copy of the agreement), and consideration in 1938 of arrangements for the provision of fuel at Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al-Khaymah] for Imperial Airways in cases of emergency.Another topic featured in the file is the introduction of a flying boat service by Imperial Airways in 1937, and the selection of a suitable stopping point along the Arabian Coast. The selection process is covered, which includes consideration of Dubai (also spelt Debai and Dabai), Ras al Khaimah, and Umm al Qaiwain [Umm al-Qaywayn] as potential sites. This process culminates in the Dubai Commercial Air Agreement (1937): see folios 223-226 for a copy of the agreement with both Arabic and English translation. This includes an agreement respecting security arrangements for passengers transferred between the alighting area at Dubai and their accommodation at Sharjah: see folio 199 for an English translation of the agreement. Further correspondence relating to its renewal in 1943 can also be found in the file. The prospects for the future use of Dubai and Sharjah, as of 1946, are also briefly discussed at the end of the correspondence.Material related to a survey of Sharjah Creek in 1939 and Dubai Creek by Bernard Whitteron in 1941 can be found between folios 36-57. This includes sketch maps the two creeks: Dubai (folio 48) and Sharjah (folios 53, and 55-56). It has been included in consideration of possible engineering work to enhance their navigability and hence their utility for flying boats.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent at Bahrain (Tom Hickinbotham, Hugh Weightman, and Reginald George Alban), officials of the Air Ministry, and officials of the India Office.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 466; 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 2-465; these numbers are also written in pencil but are not circled.
Abstract: The correspondence discusses an incident at Debai [Dubai] on 24 December 1910 in which a landing party from HMS
Hyacinthentered Debai to search a house for illegally trafficked arms and came under fire from local residents.The correspondence includes detailed accounts of the incident by British naval officials, and discussions regarding the terms and conditions that were imposed on the Sheikh of Debai [Shaikh Buṭṭī bin Suhayl Āl Maktūm] in the aftermath of events.The principal correspondents include the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Percy Zachariah Cox), the Naval Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station (Edmond John Warre Slade), the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India (Arthur Henry McMahon), the Viceroy of India (Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst), the Secretary of State for India (Robert Crew-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe), the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Edward Grey), and representatives of the India Office and the Foreign Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 160, and terminates at f 230, as 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.