Abstract: Consists of a report by Valentine Hugh Wilfred Dowson entitled 'Notes on a few day's journey to the West of Maskat'. The report is divided into sections including climate; geology; communications; flora and fauna. There then follows three sections on agriculture. Agriculture I reports on labour, cultivation and implements and irrigation. The section 'Agriculture II' reports on dates and date palms, their distribution and incidence; cultivation; date of ripening; cooked dates, disease, yield, price, packing and varieties. The section 'Agriculture III' examines other crops such as fruit trees and ground crops. Other sections cover population, government, and trade.There is correspondence between Dowson and Major George Patrick Murphy, Political Agent Muscat discussing the report's significance. Also included is correspondence between Lionel Berkeley Haworth, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the India Office and Department of Overseas Trade about the potential of the date trade in Muscat.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence runs between ff 2-71; these numbers are written in a combination of pencil and type (sometimes the pencil corrects the type, or duplicates it), are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.Foliation errors. 1 and 1A.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding the possibility of developing agricultural and grazing land in Bahrain.The Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) was commissioned by Charles Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain to complete a report on Bahrain's water resources, and the file contains both this report (ff 15-29) and correspondence related to it. The BAPCO report on Bahrain's water resources contains a map of the country showing the distribution of artesian water wells (folio 18).Some of the file's correspondence relates to a visit made to Bahrain in March 1949 by Sir Herbert Stewart, Agricultural Adviser to the British Middle East Office. A report written by Stewart after his visit entitled 'The Possibilities of Agricultural Development in Bahrain' is also contained in the file (ff 41-47).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 59; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The file contains telegrams and memoranda concerning the administration of local resources in Mesopotamia by the British military authorities, 1917-19.The main correspondents are: the War Office; Commander-in-Chief (C in C), India; and General Officer Commanding (GOC), Mesopotamia.Subjects covered include: irrigation; farming and food supply arrangements for the local population; enhancing the navigability of the River Euphrates; the dredging of Hammar lake; local production of agricultural resources for military needs; railways; river transport; shipping; the question of the rank and grading to be accorded to the Director of Local Resources, Mesopotamia; extent of cultivated areas; the formation of the Irrigation Directorate; agricultural machinery; agricultural development; the cost to the Government of India of the economic development of Mesopotamia (folio 36); the creation and staffing of the Directorate of Agriculture; dairies and grass farms; military stores; and the appointment of military engineers.Marked 'Secret' and 'Please return to Room 164 Military Dept. India Office.'.There is only one item of correspondence dated 1916. The papers are mainly dated 1917-19.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 98; 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 between ff 2-97; these numbers are written in blue crayon.
Abstract: The volume comprises annual reports and administration reports, submitted by Political Officers, for the following divisions in occupied Mesopotamia [Iraq]: Samara; Ba'qubah; Khaniqin [Khānaīqn]; Samawah; Shamiyah [Shāmīyah]; Hillah; Dulaim [Anbar]; Basrah; Qurnah; 'Amarah [Al 'Amārah]; Kut; Nasiriyah; Kirkuk; and the Kuwait Agency [Kuwayt].The administration reports often include details under the following headings: tribal and political boundaries; revenue; irrigation; agriculture; industry; municipalities; judicial; education; medical and sanitation; housing; police; jails; Shabanahs; labour; Waqf; establishment and personnel. They often contain appendices, providing statistical tables, special reports, notes on prominent personalities, lists of ruling Shaikhs, and details of court cases and prisoners.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 233; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence (445pp, including maps and tables).
Abstract: Administration Report on the Persian Gulf Residency and Muscat Political Agency for the year 1884-85, published by Authority by the Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta [Kolkata]. A copy of a letter from Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Charles Ross, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, to Henry Mortimer Durand, Secretary to the Government of India (Foreign Department), dated 18 May 1885, is included in the report (folio 5), the original of which submitted the report to Government, under the following headings:Part 1 (
General Summary), written by Ross, dated 30 April 1885 (folios 6-11), containing summaries of local political affairs, and incidents or events of particular note for: Oman and the Pirate Coast; Bahrain; Nejd, El-Hasa [Al-Hasa] and El-Katr [Qatar]; Fars; Persian Arabistan; Persian Baluchistan; and Bassidore. The report also records a marked increase in the slave trade to the Gulf from Africa; summaries of changes in official personnel; British naval movements in the Gulf; and a summary of meteorological events observed at the Bushire observatory. Appendix A contains tabulated and graphical meteorological data for the year, supplied by the Bushire observatory.Part 2 (
Administration Report of the Muscat Political Agency for the year 1884-85), submitted by Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Barrett Miles, Her Britannic Majesty’s Political Agent and Consul at Muscat (folios 12-23), containing a summary of affairs at Muscat, and an additional short report on the revival of the slave trade between Muscat and Zanzibar, a likely result, suggests Miles, of the departure of HMS
Londonfrom Zanzibar. Appendix A is a report of Miles’s visit to Ras Fartak. Appendix B is an historical sketch, also written by Miles, on the Portuguese in Eastern Arabia.Part 3 (
Report on Trade for the Persian Gulf for 1884), written by Ross and dated April 1885 (folios 24-59), comprising a short summary of the year’s trade, with notes on: grain; opium; cotton; tobacco; imported goods; the increase in piece goods; sugar; the activities of European firms in the Gulf; steamers; the Dutch Commercial Treaty; trade routes; naphtha springs; and pearl fishing. Appendix A comprises tabulated data on import, exports and revenue, in the Gulf ports of Bushire, Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh], Bunder Abbass [Bandar-e ʻAbbās], Bahrain and the Arab (Oman) coast. An index to the trade tables can be found at folios 25-26.Part 4 (Trade [at Muscat]), submitted by Miles (folios 59-66), comprising a short summary of the year’s trade at Muscat, and an appendix containing tabulated data on imports and exports at Muscat (listed by commodity), and the nationality and average tonnage of vessels visiting Muscat.Physical description: Condition: Some tears and holes in the paper, but not sufficient to impair legibility. Fold-out at f 10.Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio, on number 4, and ends on the last folio, on number 66.Pagination: The volume contains an original typed pagination sequence.
Abstract: Administration Report on the Persian Gulf Residency and Muscat Political Agency for the year 1885-86, published by Authority by the Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta [Kolkata]. A copy of a letter from Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Barrett Miles, Officiating Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Her Britannic Majesty’s Consul-General for Fars, to Henry Mortimer Durand, Secretary to the Government of India (Foreign Department), dated 17 June 1886, is included in the report (folio 46), the original of which submitted the report to Government, under the following headings:Part 1 (
General Summary,folios 47-54), containing summaries of local political affairs, and incidents or events of particular note for: the ‘Pirate coast of Oman’; Bahrain (spelt as Bahrein throughout); Nejd, El-Hasa [Al-Hasa] and El-Katr [Qatar]; Fars, including Bushire, Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh], Bassidore (mistakenly spelt Rassidore in the heading), and Bunder Abbass [Bandar-e ʻAbbās]; Persian Arabistan; and Persian Baluchistan. The report also records a marked increase in the slave trade to the Gulf from Africa, due to the departure of HMS
Londonfrom Zanzibar; summaries of changes in official personnel; British naval movements in the Gulf; and a summary of meteorological events observed at the Bushire observatory, including a severe gale which caused extensive damage to ports and towns throughout the Gulf. Appendix A contains tabulated and graphical meteorological data for the year, supplied by the Bushire observatory. Appendix B is a report entitled ‘A résumé of what has been done in the Persian Gulf as regards to the introduction of the Arabian date-palm in India’ written by A. R. Hakim, Assistant to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.Part 2 (
Administration Report of the Muscat Political Agency for the year 1885-86), submitted by Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Mockler, Her Britannic Majesty’s Political Agent and Consul at Muscat, dated 28 June 1886 (folios 55-58), containing a summary of affairs at Muscat, and an additional short report on the seizure of slave traders in Muscat waters during the course of the year. Appendix A is a set of notes written on a tour through Oman and El-Dhahireh [Adh-Dhahirah] in December 1885 by Miles.Part 3 (
Report on Trade for the Persian Gulf for 1885), written by Miles, dated 17 June 1886 (folios 59-92), comprising a short summary of the year’s trade, with notes on: exports (cereals, opium and tobacco); imports (Manchester goods, copper, sugar, naphtha and asbestos); shipping; exchange; the pearl trade. Appendix A comprises tabulated data on import, exports and revenue, in the Gulf ports of Bushire, Bandar-e Lengeh, Bandar-e ʻAbbās, Bahrain and the Arab (Oman) coast. An index to the trade tables can be found at folio 60.Part 4 ([at Muscat]), by Mockler (folios 92-102), comprising a short summary of the year’s trade at Muscat, and also containing tabulated data on imports and exports at Muscat (listed by commodity), and the nationality and average tonnage of vessels visiting Muscat. Appendix A that follows the report is a note on the weights and measures used in the pearl trade of the Persian Gulf, written by Mockler.Physical description: Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio, on number 45, and ends on the last folio, on number 102.Pagination: The volume contains an original typed pagination sequence.
Abstract: Administration Report on the Persian Gulf Residency and Muscat Political Agency for the year 1886-87, published by Authority and printed by the Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta [Kolkata]. A copy of a letter from Colonel Edward Charles Ross, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Her Britannic Majesty’s Consul-General for Fars, to Henry Mortimer Durand, Secretary to the Government of India (Foreign Department), dated 2 June 1887, is included in the report (folio 336), the original of which submitted the report to Government, under the following headings:Part 1 (
General Summary, folios 337-43) containing numbered summaries of local political affairs, and incidents or events of particular note for: 1) Muscat state; 2) the pirate coast of Oman; 3) Bahrain; 4) Nejd, El-Hasa [Al-Hasa] and El-Katr [Qatar]; 5) Fars, including Shiraz, Bushire and its districts, Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh] and Bunder Abbass [Bandar-e ʻAbbās]; 6) Arabistan; and 7) Persian Baluchistan. The report also includes summaries for: 8) British actions against the slave trade; 9) Official appointments of British personnel and naval movements; 10) climatic observations, recorded by the observatory at Bushire; and a short note on the celebration of Queen Victoria’s jubilee in the region. Appendix A contains tabulated and graphical meteorological data for the year, supplied by the Bushire observatory.Part 2 (
Administration Report of the Muscat Political Agency for the year 1886-87), submitted by Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Mockler, Her Britannic Majesty’s Political Agent and Consul at Muscat, dated 21 May 1887 (folios 344-45), containing a summary of affairs at Muscat.Part 3 (
Report on the trade of South Persia for the year 1886, folios 345-55), comprising a short summary of the year’s trade, with notes on: exports (cereals, tobacco); imports (Manchester [cotton] goods, metals and sugar); and shipping, including notes of freight, exchange and customs. Appendix A comprises tabulated data on import, exports and revenue, in the Gulf ports of Bushire, Bandar-e Lengeh, Bandar-e ʻAbbās, Bahrain and the Arab (Oman) coast. An index to the trade tables can be found at folio 346v.Part 4 (
Muscat trade report for the year 1886-87), submitted by Mockler, dated 21 May 1887 (folios 356-62), comprising a brief summary of the year’s trade at Muscat, and also containing tabulated data on imports and exports at Muscat (listed by commodity), and the nationality and average tonnage of vessels visiting Muscat.Physical description: Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio, on number 335, and ends on the last folio, on number 362.Pagination: The volume contains an original typed pagination sequence.
Abstract: Administration Report of the Persian Gulf Residency and Muscat Political Agency for 1892-3, published by the Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India (Calcutta), forming part of Selections from the Records of the Government of India, Foreign Department, and based on reports sent to Government by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent at Muscat.The report is divided up into a number of sections and subsections, as follows:Part 1,is a General Summary (folios 146-151) written by Adelbert Cecil Talbot, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. This section gives a summary of developments in the region during the previous year and is divided up as follows:1. 'Oman Muscat Coast2. 'Oman Pirate Coast3. Bahrain4. Nejd5. El Katif [Al Qatif]6. El Hasa [Al Hasa]7. Kowait [Kuwait]7. (sic) El Katr [Qatar]8. Persian Arabistan9. Fars and Persian Coast10. Persian Baluchistan11. Slave Trade12. Royal Navy Vessels13. Political Appointments14. ObservatoryAppendix A to part 1 (folios 151-152) contains the following tabular statistics charts:Table No. 1 - Table showing Force and Prevailing Directions of Winds and recorded Rainfall at Bushire for the year 1892-93.Table No. 2 - Abstract Table of Meteorological Observations for the year ending 31st March 1893 taken at the Residency Observatory, Bushire, 1892-93.Table No. 3 - Abstract Table of Meteorological Observations for the year ending 31st March 1893 taken at the Civil Hospital, Muscat.Part 2is an Administration Report of the Muscat Political Agency for the Year 1892-93 (folios 153-154) written by Major James Hayes Sadler, Political Agent and Consul, Muscat. The report provides a summary of political and military developments in Muscat during the previous year.Part 3, is a Report on the Trade and Commerce of Southern Persia and Mohammerah for the Year 1892 (folios 155-156) written by Adelbert Cecil Talbot, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. The report discusses trade developments in the region during the previous year. It is followed by Appendix A (folios 157-164) which contains a series of 24 tabular statistics charts related to different aspects of trade in the area.Part 4, is a Muscat Trade Report for the year 1892-93 (folios 165-170) written by Major James Hayes Sadler, Political Agent and Consul, Muscat. The report contains a number of detailed tables related to trade to/from Muscat.Part 5, is a Report on the Trade of Mohammerah for the Year 1892 (folio 171). The report is followed by Appendix A (folios 172-173) which contains a series of tables related to trade to/from Mohammerah.Physical description: Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio, on number 144, and ends on the last folio, on number 173.Pagination: The volume contains an original typed pagination sequence.
Abstract: Administration Report of the Persian Gulf Residency and Muscat Political Agency for 1893-94, published by the Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India (Calcutta), forming part of Selections from the Records of the Government of India, Foreign Department, and based on reports sent to Government by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent at Muscat.The report is divided up into a number of sections and subsections, as follows:Part 1, is a General Summary (folios 118-123r) written by Colonel Frederick Alexander Wilson, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and is divided up as follows:1. Oman-Muscat Coast,gives a summary of political and military developments on the coast with a brief comment on trade matters.2. Oman Pirate Coast,gives a summary of relations between the various ruling families on the coast.3. Bahrain,summary of developments in Bahrain during the previous year including news that the Ottoman Governor of El Katif [Al Qatif] had put up notices there asserting Turkish (Ottoman) sovereignty over Bahrain. It also reports a decline in pearl-fishing caused by a cholera outbreak and heavy rainfall that led to a number of fatalities.4. El Hasa and Ojair,a brief account of tribal movements and gatherings in the area.5. El Katif [Al Qatif],a summary of events in El Katif; records an outbreak of cholera, the appointment of a new Ottoman governor and other developments.6. El Katr [Qatar],a summary of events in El Katr during the previous year including details of a confrontation between Shaikh Jasim and forces of the Ottoman Government.7. Persian Arabistan,a summary of events in the region in the previous year. Reports outbreaks of disease and several other matters.8. Fars and Persian Coast,a summary of events in the region in the previous year including details regarding a cholera outbreak, an embargo on the export of wheat, the appearance of locusts, serious flooding in Shiraz and several other matters.9. Persian Baluchistan and Mekran,a summary of developments in the region during the previous year including details of raids and violence on the Perso-Baluch frontier, a large fire at Gwadur and several other matters.10. Slave Trade,a brief summary of the status of slave traffic in the region that reports no slave dhows were captured during the previous year.11. Royal Navy Vessels,records movements of British Government ships in the region and reports that Captain J H Pelly of the H. M. S.
Sphinxwas Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf throughout the year with the exception of temporary intervals.12. Political Appointments,reports details of changes in staff during the previous year including the appointment of John Calcott Gaskin as Extra Assistant Resident and Vice-Consul in June and Surgeon-Captain P Lumsden as Residency Surgeon also in June.13. Observatory,points the reader to Appendix A (see below).Part 1 contains the following Appendix: A) Table showing force and prevailing directions of winds and recorded rainfall at Bushire for the Year 1894-94 (folios 123v-124).Part 2,is an Administration Report of the Muscat Political Agency and Consulate for the Year 1893-94 written by Major James Hayes Sadler, Political Agent and Consul, Muscat (folios 125-126).Part 3,is a Report on the Trade and Commerce of the Consular District of Bushire for the Year 1893 written by Fred A. Wilson, Consul General (folios 127-129). Appendix A to part 3 consists of 25 tabular charts related to trade and commerce in Bushire and the surrounding region (folios 129-136).Part 4,is a report entitled 'Trade Statistics for 1893-4' written by Major James Hayes Sadler, Political Agent and Consul, Muscat (folios 137-142). The report contains a number of detailed tables related to trade to/from Muscat.Part 5,is a Report on the Trade of Mohammerah for the Year 1893 (folio 143). The report contains a description of the state of trade in Mohammerah. Appendix A (folios 144-45) contains several tabular charts regarding imports and exports to/from Mohammerah and the surrounding region.Physical description: Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio, on number 116, and ends on the last folio, on number 145.Pagination: The volume contains an original typed pagination sequence.
Abstract: Administration Report of the Persian Gulf Residency and Maskat [Muscat] Political Agency for 1894-95, published by the Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India (Calcutta), forming part of Selections from the Records of the Government of India, Foreign Department, and based on reports sent to Government by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent at Muscat.The report is divided up into a number of sections and subsections, as follows:Part 1,is a general summary (folios 62-65v) written by Colonel Frederick Alexander Wilson, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. The summary gives an outline of regional developments during the previous year and is divided up as follows:1. Oman-Maskat Coast2. Oman Pirate Coast3. Bahrein [Bahrain]4. Nejd5. El Hasa [Al Hasa] and Ojair ['Uqayr]6. El Katif [Al Qatif]7. El Katr [Qatar]8. Persian Arabistan9. Fars and Persian Coast10. Persian Baluchistan and Mekran11. Slave Trade12. Royal Navy Vessels13. ObservatoryAppendix A to Part 1 (folio 66) contains two tables; 1) Table showing force and prevailing directions of Winds and recorded Rainfall at Bushire for the year 1894-95 & 2) Abstract of Meteorological Observations for the year ending 31st March 1895 taken at the Residency Observatory. Bushire.Part 2,is an Administration Report on the Maskat Political Agency and Consulate for the year 1894-95 (folios 67-69) written by Lieutenant John Frederick Whyte, Political Agent and Consul, Maskat. The report provides a summary of political and military developments in Maskat throughout the previous year.Part 3,is a report on the Trade and Commerce of the Consular District of Bushire for the Year 1894 (folios 70-72) written by Colonel Frederick Alexander Wilson, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. The report contains a summary of matters related to trade in the region and a description of imports to/exports from Persia. Appendix A to part 3 (folios 73-80v) contains 25 tabular statistics tables related to trade in the region.Part 4, is a Trade Report of Maskat (folios 81-86) written by Lieutenant John Frederick Whyte, Political Agent and Consul, Maskat. The report contains a number of tabular statistics tables related to trade to/from Maskat.Part 5,is a Trade Report of Mohammerah for the Year 1894 (folios 87-88) written by W McDouall, Vice-Consul, Mohammerah [Khorramshahr]. Part 5 contains the following appendices: A) A series of tabular statistics tables related to trade to/from Mohammerah (folios 88v-90) and B) a note on the Conditions of Date Cultivation in Persian Arabia (folio 90v).Physical description: Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio, on number 60, and ends on the last folio, on number 90.Pagination: The volume contains an original typed pagination sequence.
Abstract: Administration Report of the Persian Gulf Residency and Maskat [Muscat] Political Agency for 1895-96, published by the Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India (Calcutta), forming part of Selections from the Records of the Government of India, Foreign Department, and based on reports sent to Government by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent at Muscat.The report is divided up into a number of sections and subsections, as follows:Part 1, is a General Summary (folios 257-261) written by Colonel Frederick Alexander Wilson, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, that provides a summary of regional developments during the previous year and is divided up as follows:1. Oman Maskat Coast2. Oman Pirate Coast3. Bahrain4. Nejd5. El Hasa6. Persian Arabistan7. Fars and Persian Coast8. Persian Baluchistan9. Slave Trade10. Piracy11. Royal Navy12. Official Changes13. ObservatoryAppendix A to part 1 (folio 262) contains the following two tables:Table No. 1 - Table showing the force and prevailing directions of wind and recorded rainfall at Bushire for the year 1895-96.Table No. 2 - Abstract of meteorological observations for the year ending 31st March 1896 taken at the Residency Observatory, Bushire.Part 2, is an Administration Report of the Maskat Political Agency for the year 1895-96 (folios 263-264). The report is written by Captain Francis Granville Beville, Political Agent and Consul, Maskat and provides a summary of developments in Maskat during the previous year.Part 3, is a Report on the trade and commerce of the consular district of Bushire for the year 1895 (folios 265-266). The report is written by Colonel Frederick Alexander Wilson, Political Resident, Persian Gulf and provides a summary of trade developments during the previous year. It is followed by Appendix A (folios 267-281) which contains a series of 25 statistics tables related to several aspects of trade in and around the port of Bushire during the previous year.Part 4, is a Maskat Trade Report (folios 282-293) written by Captain Francis Granville Beville, Political Agent and Consul, Maskat. The report contains a series of statistics tables related to trade to/from Maskat during the previous year.Part 5, is a Report on the trade and commerce of Mohammerah for the year 1895 (folio 294). Appendix A (folios 295-297), that follows the report, contains a series of statistics tables related to trade to/from Mohammerah during the previous year.Physical description: Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio, on number 255, and ends on the last folio, on number 297.Pagination: The volume contains an original typed pagination sequence.
Abstract: Administration Report on the Persian Gulf Residency and Muskat [Muscat] Political Agency for 1899-1900, published by the Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India (Calcutta), forming part of the Selections from the Records of the Government of India, Foreign Department, and based on reports sent to Government by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent at Muscat.The report is divided up into a number of sections and subsections, as follows:Part 1, is a General Summary (folios 268-71) written by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm John Meade:Section 1: entitled
General, includes: a report on the year’s rainfall and harvest; the Governorship of Bushire; public peace and tranquillity in and around Bushire; public health and measures to restrict cholera and the plague in the Gulf; Persian currency; customs house arrangements in Bushire; compensation claims; and the Resident’s tours through the region during the year;2: Oman – Muscat: including: a change in personnel, with the role of Political Agent being taken over by Captain Percy Zachariah Cox from Major Christopher George Forbes Fagan; the Sultan of Muscat’s finances; French proposals to construct a coal depot in Muscat; use of the French flag by Muscat vessels; association of the French flag with the arms and slave trades; the impact of cholera and plague in the region;3. Oman – Pirate coast, including: a list of the those shaikhs in the region who have met with the Resident in the past year; Arab-Persian relations over Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh], and the expulsion of Persians from that port; the discovery of a large pearl at Kumzār and its subsequent sale for a lower-than-expected price; the prevalence of smallpox on the Arab coast;4. Bahrain, including: the wounding of two British-Indian subjects; difficulties discharging cargoes in Bahrain; and the death of Aga Muhummad Rahim, the Native News Agent in Bahrain;5. El-Nejd, with no report due to the recommendation that no one be deputed to travel there;6. Koweit [Kuwait]: no particulars reported;7. Persian Arabistan: the navigation of the Kārūn river, and opening up of river and land routes for trade;8. Fars and Persian coast: Bandar-e Lengeh in Persian hands; the arrival of the British Vice-Consul for Bunder Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās];9. Persian Baluchistan: delays in compensation claims against the murder of Mowladad Khan; a change in the Directorship of the Persian Gulf Telegraphs Department; rumours of a revolt against the Shah in Persian Baluchistan;10. Slave Trade: numbers of slave captured and manumitted during the year;11. Piracy: cases of piracy reported during the year, with details of where and against whom they were committed;12. Navy: details of the movements of British naval vessels (Sphinx, Lapwing and Pigeon) and significant foreign vessels, including Russian warship Gilyak;13. Official Changes: changes in British personnel;14. Changes among foreign representatives, with particular reference to German, French and Dutch representatives.An appendix to part 1 (folios 272-75) includes statistical tables comprising meteorological data for the region; dispensaries in Bushire and data for the numbers of patients, diseases, surgical operations and income and expenditure of the Residency dispensary.Part 2 (folios 276-78) is a separate report from the Muscat Political Agency, written by Cox, with reports on events in Muscat, Rostak [Rustāq], Sohar, Soor [Sur], and Dhofar [Z̧ufār], including: accidental shootings by Wahabee [Wahhābī] tribesmen; the appearance in Muscat of cholera and the plague; British and foreign naval movements in Muscat; and a statistical overview of manumission applications heard at the agency.Appendix A to Part 2 (folios 278v-85) is a detailed report with statistical data on the cholera epidemic in Muscat and Oman, written by the Lieutenant-Colonel Atmaram Sadashiv Jayakar, Chief Surgeon at Muscat. Jayakar’s report contains historical data on outbreaks of cholera in Muscat, symptoms of the disease, mortality statistics, treatment and its results, preventative and sanitation measures. Civil hospital and dispensary statistics follow on folios 285v-287v.Part 3 (folios 288) is a trade report of the Persian Gulf for 1899, written by Meade. Its appendices (folios 289-328) comprise tables showing the value of all goods imported and exported to and from various parts of the Gulf region, and the numbers of vessels (with figures on tonnage) of various nationalities plying their trade in the region in each port.Part 4 (folios 329-30) is a separate trade report with statistical data for Muscat for 1899-1900.Part 5 (folios 331-35) is a trade report for Mohammerah [Khorramshahr] and the Kārūn river for the year 1899.Physical description: The report is arranged into a number of sections and subsections, with statistic data in tabular format directly following written sections. There is a contents page at the front of the report (f. 267) which lists the report’s contents in alphabetically ascending order, and refers to the report’s own pagination sequence.