Abstract: A memorandum, written by Adolphus Warburton Moore, Assistant Secretary of the Political and Secret Department of the India Office, 1 September 1879.The document is a summary of correspondence, government reports, and published literature relating to the Turkish expedition into El Hassa [Al Hasa] in 1871, and was compiled in light of a proposed comprehensive arrangement with the Porte about the positions of the two powers along the Gulf coast, and policing responsibilities at sea. The correspondence is from the period 1870-1874 and is principally between various British Government departments and offices connected to the region, and the Turkish Government.The Turkish expedition called into question the sovereignty and jurisdiction of much of the Arabian Peninsula, as well as the coastline and islands of the Gulf. The correspondence contains discussions of these matters and reflects British fears of a loss of their monopoly over the control and security of the Gulf, and a disruption of the treaty relations they maintained with rulers in Bahrein [Bahrain], Guttur [Qatar], the Trucial Coast, Muscat, and Aden.The author quotes extensively from the correspondence and other sources, notes on which are to be found in the margin throughout.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation for this description commences at folio 131 and terminates at folio 144, 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. The main foliation sequence commences at the front cover, and terminates at the 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.Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.Condition: folio 131 is torn along one edge, with some loss of text.
Abstract: A printed memorandum written and compiled by Adolphus Warburton Moore for the Political and Secret Department of the India Office, and dated 2 December 1881.The document is a continuation of 'Persian Gulf - Turkish jurisdiction along the Arabian coast (Part II)' (IOR/L/PS/18/B19/2) and broadly addresses the same issues, namely, how to respond toTurkish claims to sovereignty along the southern coast of the Gulf that could potentially impinge on Britain's commitments with local rulers (in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast) and their security responsibilities at sea (the suppression of piracy).The document summarises correspondence from the previous two years (1879-1881) that had dealt with the matter, beginning with an outline of the opinions of officials from the main departments and institutions involved: the Foreign Office, the Government of India, and the India Office (whose opinion Warburton represents). Other correspondents include officials from the Residencies and Agencies in both the Persian Gulf and Turkish Arabia, as well as the Ambassador at Constantinople.The documents cover several topics, including:The threat to Bahrain from the Beni Hajir tribe and Ottoman ambitions to extend their sovereignty to the island, including the Turkish plan to build a coal depot on the island as a pretext to further political involvement;Questions of how to police the waters under Turkish authority;How Britain should deal with Shaikh Jasim [Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thāni] of El Bidaa [Doha];Turkish claims to parts of the coast of Guttur [Qatar].The document concludes with the perceived outcomes of the discussions, including closer ties with the ruler of Bahrain, who, in December 1880, agreed not to open relations with any foreign power other than Britain.The author quotes extensively from the correspondence and other sources, notes on which are to be found in the margin throughout.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation for this description commences at folio 4 and terminates at folio 18, 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 4-197; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the bottom right corner of each folio.Pagination: the document also has an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: A memorandum, written by Adolphus Warburton Moore, Assistant Secretary of the Political and Secret Department of the India Office, 1 September 1879.The document is a continuation of 'Persian Gulf - Turkish jurisdiction along the Arabian coast (Part I)' (IOR/L/PS/18/B19/1) and broadly addresses the same issues, namely, what to do about Turkish claims to sovereignty along the southern coast of the Gulf that could potentially impinge on Britain's treaty commitments with local rulers and their security responsibilities at sea (the suppression of piracy), and whether to come to some kind of comprehensive arrangement with the Ottoman Government to settle the matter. To support this, the document gives a history of recent affairs in the region, making extensive use of correspondence and memoranda mostly written between 1874 and 1879. The principal correspondents are from the Government of India, the Foreign Office, the India Office, and various political and diplomatic offices in the Persian Gulf, Turkish Arabia, and Constantinople. The matters covered by the document concern events at Bahrein [Bahrain], Guttur [Qatar] - including Zobarah [Al Zubarah], Odeid [al-‘Udaid], and El Bidaa [Doha] - Lahsa [al-Hasa], and the Trucial states.The memorandum concludes by outlining the position of the Foreign Office, the Government of India, and the India Office (represented by the author) on the following four matters:1. The status of Odeid;2. The need to better define areas of responsibility and jurisdiction with the Porte, and whether to hold them responsible for order along the coast under their authority;3. A revision of Britain's treaties with Bahrain, the Trucial chiefs, and Muscat;4. The arrangement of Persian Gulf business between the Bushire Residency and the Baghdad Political Agency.The author quotes extensively from the correspondence and other sources, notes on which are to be found in the margin throughout.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 148 and terminates at folio 168, 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. The main foliation sequence commences at the front cover, and terminates at the 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.Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: A printed memorandum written and compiled by Adolphus Warburton Moore for the Political and Secret Department of the India Office, and dated 12 February 1884.The document is a continuation of 'Persian Gulf - Turkish jurisdiction along the Arabian coast (Part III)' (IOR/L/PS/18/B19/4), dealing with British relations with Shaikh Jasim [Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thāni] of El Bidaa [Doha] in light of his recent poor treatment of British Indian traders resident in the town.The document summarises correspondence on the matter, outlining the opinions of officials from the departments and institutions involved, which include the Foreign Office, the Government of India, the India Office, and the Residency at Bushire.The document covers the British response to Jasim's actions, including claims for compensation, and the subsequent Turkish reaction to British threats against what was perceived to be Turkish sovereign territory.The author quotes extensively from the correspondence and other sources, notes on which are to be found in the margin throughout.Physical description: Foliation: the sequence for this description commences at folio 19 and terminates at folio 26, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 4-197; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the bottom right corner of each folio.Pagination: the document also has an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence and minutes cited in, or enclosed with, a Political Letter from the Government of Bombay to the East India Company Court of Directors, 13 January 1853, and found at IOR/F/4/2504/142185. Further enclosures to the letter can be found at: IOR/F/4/2504/142194; IOR/F/4/2504/142195; IOR/F/4/2504/142197; IOR/F/4/2504/142198; IOR/F/4/2504/142199; and IOR/F/4/2504/142200. The item is the twelfth in a series of sixteen items about the Persian Gulf.The item relates to complaints from Sheikh Sultan ben Suggur, 'Chief' of Rasel Khymah [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī, Shaikh of Ra’s al-Khaymah and Sharjah], to Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Resident in the Persian Gulf, regarding the Company policy of paying compensation, from incidents of 'piracy' and homicide, directly to the affected individuals rather than through their respective leaders. Sheikh Sultan's complaints also touch on wider issues relating to his right to administer the affairs of his people and his dissatisfaction with the amount of compensation offered in a recent case involving subjects of the Beniyas 'Chief' [Ruler of the Banī Yās tribe].Kemball forwards these complaints on to the Government of Bombay, along with his extensive comments on Sheikh Sultan’s complaints. He includes a memorandum of references of amounts previously paid to shaikhs between 1841 and 1851 to support his comments.The item also contains two extracts of letters from the Resident in the Persian Gulf to the Government of Bombay, dated 25 October 1850 and 30 January 1851, which contain details relevant to Sheikh Sultan's complaints.The Government of Bombay forward copies of the above to the Court of Directors.Whilst the item contains extracts of material dating from 1841, the bulk of the item's contents are dated 1850-52.The title page of the item contains the following references: 'Bombay Political Department', 'Draft No. 350 of 1853', 'Collection No. 1 of No. 8 of 1853', 'Vol: 12', and 'Examiner's Office'. Originally, the Collection number was given as '3' but this has been crossed out.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 1226, and terminates at f 1238, 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: Correspondence regarding relations between the people of Bahrein [Bahrain] and the Wahabees [Wahhabis] and the involvement of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Captain (James) Felix Jones, in affairs.The correspondence consists of letters and reports sent by Captain Jones to the Secretary to Government at Bombay (Henry Lacon Anderson, Alexander Kinloch Forbes) describing the situation in Bahrein in which an atmosphere of anxiety and alarm had arisen over reports that Mahomed ben Abdullah, Chief of Demaum [Dammam] was amassing men and boats for an attack on Bahrein, and detailing the response by Captain Jones to these reports, including the decision to send British vessels of war to help boost morale and assist in the defence of Bahrein; investigations made by these vessels into the forces massing to attack Bahrein; and the seizing of boats and vessels belonging to the Chief of Demaum and his supports. Also included is a copy of the Government resolution permitting Captain Jones to have Mahomed ben Abdullah and his supporters forcibly removed from Demaum.Enclosed with them are copies of correspondence and reports on affairs at Bahrein including accounts of the forces massing at ports including Demaum and Katiff [Al Qaţīf], which were sent to and from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf by Hajee Jassem [Haji Jasim], British Agent at Bahrain; Shaikh Mahomed ben Khalifah (also written bin Khuleefa) [Muḥammed bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah], Chief of Bahrein; Sheikh Alee bin Khuleefa [‘Alī bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah]; [Sheikh Mahomed ben Abdullah [Muḥammed bin‘Abdullāh], Chief of Demaum; Ameer Fysul ben Torkee [Faisal ibn Turki], Ruler of Nedjd [Najd]; The Senior Naval Officer Commanding the Persian Gulf Squadron (Charles Golding Constable, Charles John Cruttenden) ; Commander Philip William Fendell of HMS
Falkland; Commander Richard William Whish of HM Schooner
Mahi; and Commander William Balfour of HM Steam Frigate
Semiramis.Also included in the file is correspondence with Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson and Charles Alison, Her British Majesty's Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia, and Lewis Pelly, Charge d'Affaires at the Court of Persia, regarding Mirza Mehdi, Persian Agent for Foreign Affairs at Bushire, who is sent by the Prince Governor of Farsistan [Fārs] on a special mission to meet Ameer Fysul, Ruler of Nedjd [Najd] to discuss safe passage for Persian Pilgrims to Mecca, which the Political Resident believes is also being used as an opportunity to discuss Bahrein, which the Persians and the Wahabees have both laid claim to. Further correspondence on the matter includes intelligence reports from the British Agent at Bahrein, Hajee Jassem, including the arrival of Turkish emissaries at Bahrein and the decision by the Shaikh of Bahrein to hoist the Persian Flag at his forts.Later correspondence includes letters to and from Richard Rogers, Officiating Political Agent at Basreh [Basra], John McAdam Hyslop, Officiating Political Agent in Turkish Arabia, and Sir Henry Lytton Bulwer, HBM's Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire regarding Turkish functionaries who had been sent on a mission from Basreh to Bahrein; and the raising of the Turkish flag at Bahrein. This correspondence also includes letters written in both English and Ottoman Turkish to the Governor-General of Baghdad, and copies of letters in Arabic from the Shaikh of Bahrein to the Pasha of Baghdad.The file concludes with correspondence relating to Mahomed ben Khuleefa's attempts at retaliation, including blockading the Wahabee ports of Demaum and Katiff; and the decision in May 1861 to sign a convention and bond with the British Government:Terms of a friendly convention entered into between Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa, independent ruler of Bahrein on the part of himself and successors, and Captain Felix Jones, Her Majesty's Indian Navy, Political Resident of Her Britanic Majesty in the Gulf of Persia on the part of the British Government, 1 May 1861, in Arabic and English (ff 321-326).Translation of a bond sealed by Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa of Bahrein and entered into by him with Captain Felix Jones, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, 31 May 1861, in Arabic and English (ff 327-328).Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence runs across the two volumes, and is therefore split into two ranges ff. 1-182 & ff. 183-341. It commences at the first folio of writing in volume one and terminates at the last folio of writing in volume two. These numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right hand corner of the recto side of each folio. Foliation errors: 1, 1A.
Abstract: A historical memorandum relating to Egyptian claims to sovereignty over the Somali coast, written by A W Moore, Assistant Secretary to the India Office, in two parts, submitted 26 February 1876 and 11 October 1879.The first part of the memorandum provides a historical narrative of events leading from the discovery in June 1870 of an Egyptian warship at Berbera on the Somali coast, with consequent suspicions that the Egyptian Government wished to occupy that place, up to the production of a draft Somali Coast Convention in 1876. The memorandum reproduces correspondence between the Resident at Aden, the Secretary of State for India, and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in which the authors consider the impact of Egyptian and Turkish influence at Berbera on British trade interests at Aden; on the independence of local Somali tribes; and on British efforts to suppress the slave trade. The memorandum also includes the terms by which HM Government agree to recognise Egyptian sovereignty.Appendices to the first part of the memorandum reproduce several 'Treaty Relations with Tribes on the African Coast' and 'Geographical Notes'.The second part of the memorandum opens with an account of events which preceded the signing in 1877 of the Somali Coast Convention by the British Government and by the Egyptian Khedive, describing the Khedive's attempts to extend the limit of proposed Egyptian sovereignty as far south as the Juba River, and subsequent British threats to enter into agreements with Somali chiefs independently of the Khedive.The memorandum goes on to describe renewed discussions in connection with the procedure in Constantinople necessary to give validity to the Convention after it was signed by the Khedive, and reproduces a note issued by the Ottoman Porte, which asserts Turkish sovereignty over the territory covered by the Convention, but falls short of providing assurances against ceding any of that territory to other foreign powers.The memorandum closes with the reproduction of correspondence discussing the text of a proposed firman, to be issued by the Ottoman Porte, which would give validity to the Convention signed by the Khedive.Appendices to the second part of the memorandum reproduce the text of the 'Somali Coast Convention' and an 'Agreement in regard to the Island of Socotra'.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 31; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: The file correspondence begins with a note dated 1938 from the Residency Agent, Sharjah to the Political Agent, Bahrain announcing the succession of Shaikh Muhammad bin Hamad ash-Sharqi to the Trucial Coast Shaikhdom of Fujairah, on the death of his brother, Shaikh Saif bin Hamad ash-Sharqi, 24 December 1938. This is followed by a memorandum dated 1939 from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to the Political Agent, Muscat about the intention of the Shaikh of Fujairah and his son to travel on their existing Muscati passports and in this connection, the Resident also encloses an earlier Government of India memorandum from 1903, pointing to the existence of a consistent British policy of non-recognition and non-interference in the Sultan of Muscat’s long standing and disputed claim to suzerainty over Fujairah.Next in the file is an Arabic transcript and English translation of a letter from Shaikh Muhammad bin Hamad ash-Sharqi of Fujairah to the Residency Agent at Sharjah in April 1941, formally requesting treaty relations with Great Britain. The rest of the file comprises numerous letters and several memoranda, 1941-1950, mainly between the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Officer, Trucial Coast, Sharjah; and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. They discuss mostly the diplomatic handling of repeated requests by the Shaikh of Fujairah for recognition as an independent Trucial Coast Ruler under British protection and for British assistance in promoting oil company exploration in his territory, at a time when British Government policy was averse to increasing the number of independent minor Trucial Coast shaikhdoms. The file ends with an exchange of letters in 1950 between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Foreign Office officials in London, discussing the advantages of concluding a treaty with the Shaikh of Fujairah and the dangers of pursuing this course, should the Sultan of Muscat or the Shaikh of Sharjah take offence or actively renew their own historic claims to sovereignty over Fujairah.Included in the file is information about the extent of the territory of Fujairah, a list of its main towns and its political status (folios 32, 34-35). This information was compiled by the Political Officer, Trucial Coast, Sharjah in 1948 at the request of the Political Agent, Bahrain for submission to oil company officials at Petroleum Concessions Limited, Bahrain and Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited, Bahrain and Dubai.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) starts on the file cover (f 1) and ends on the last folio of writing (f 59) at the back of the file. The numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional and almost parallel foliation sequence is present in the file. 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 majority of the correspondence in this file discusses the activities of a Bahraini named Abdullah Zeerah (also spelt Zireh). In 1948, Zeerah travelled to Iran and announced in front of its parliament that the people of Bahrain wanted Persian rule to be re-established over Bahrain. The file contains translations of articles in the Iranian press regarding the incident. It also contains a typed copy in Arabic (with English translation) of an article about Britain's role in Bahrain that appeared in
Al-Arab Worldon 10 February 1948.The file also contains correspondence concerning demands for the formation of a legislative council in Bahrain.On folios 25-26, the file contains a list of political and cultural clubs active in Bahrain with short political assessments of each one written by Britain's Political Agent in Bahrain, Cornelius James Pelly.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 75; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio; an additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-71; 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 concerns Persian claims to Bahrain (also spelled Bahrein).The correspondence is mainly between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent, Bahrain. Other correspondents include the British Consular Agent, Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh], and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave). Enclosures to correspondence from the Political Resident include copies of correspondence from senior officials in the Foreign Office, the Government of India, the Colonial Office and the India Office, and other British officials in the region, including HBM's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia, Tehran (Sir Percy Lyham Loraine), the High Commissioner, Baghdad (Major-General Sir Percy Zachariah Cox), and the Consul at Shiraz (Herbert George Chick).The main topics covered in the papers are:reports by the Political Agent and Political Resident;discussion of the issue by the British Government and Government of India;the nature of the claims made by the Persian Government and the question of the British response to those claims;the issuing by the Persian authorities of passports and passes (
Ilm-o-Khabar) for Bahrain as though it were an inland port of Persia;use of British certificates of identity;anti-British agitation in Bahrain and support for a return to Persian rule;the need for the British Passport Office to make it clear to persons wishing to travel to Bahrain that they did not need a visa from the Persian Legation, London (folios 24-26);support for the Persian claim to Bahrain in the Persian press;proposal to give Bahrain the right to return a member to the Persian Madjliss [majlis] (folio 52);the question of British jurisdiction in Bahrain over foreigners;the history of Persian claims to sovereignty over Bahrain, including analysis of records held by the Government of India;attitude of the Bahrain ruling family;the treatment of Bahraini subjects in Persia, and the question of the protection of their interests by the British.The Arabic and Persian language content of the file consists of approximately ten letters, newspaper cuttings and associated items.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the 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 100-111; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. A third foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 7-116; these numbers are written in blue crayon, are circled, and can be found 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 report was printed for the Committee of Imperial Defence, November 1911, and approved on 14 December 1911. It concerns the situation in the Persian Gulf regarding the extent to which Turkish claims aligned with British interests, and engagements already made with the Sheikh of Koweit [Kuwait] and other chiefs.It includes the following:Report - The Standing Sub-Committee advise on the terminus of the Baghdad Railway, control of the navigation of the Shat-Al-Arab [Shatt al Arab], and the limits of Turkish sovereignty in the Shat-Al-Arab and on the shores of the Gulf.Proceedings - minutes of the First Meeting, 24 May 1911; and minutes of the Second Meeting, 15 June 1911.The following appendices are also contained in the report:I. Memorandum on Turkish aggression in the Persian Gulf, by the Foreign Office.II. Memorandum on local action in the Persian Gulf, by the General Staff, War Office.III. Letter on the Shat-Al-Arab and Koweit, from the Naval Commander-in-chief, East Indies, to the Government of India.IV. Report of the Inter-Departmental Conference on the Baghdad Railway terminus, by the Foreign Office, 1907.V. Foreign Office correspondence on the frontier of Muhamrah (Mohammerah)[Khorramshahr].VI. Memorandum on the Turco-Persian boundary question 1833-1906, by the Foreign Office.VII. Foreign Office correspondence on the frontier of Mohammerah, 1906-1911.Some treaty extracts and agreements are in French.Also contains three maps:f 25: 'MAP OF MOHAMMERAH AND DISTRICT PREPARED IN 1850'f 43: 'Sketch of APPROACHES TO KUWEIT HARBOUR AND SHATT AL ARAB'f 44: 'PERSIAN GULF AND ADJACENT COUNTRIES'Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 45; 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.
Abstract: This file consists of a memorandum by George Percy Badger (scholar and missionary) concerning Persian claims in Beloochistan [Baluchistan] and Mekran [Makran], particularly Gwadel or Gwadur [Gwādar] and Charbar [Chābahār]. It contains the following: a history of Persian encroachments in Beloochistan; a table outlining the political divisions of the maritime provinces of Mekran, and their respective governments; an assessment of Persia's jurisdiction on the Mekran Coast; details of the sovereignty of Gwadur; a discussion of hostilities between Persia and the Sultan of Muscat over Bunder Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] and other dependencies; a summary of the 1856 treaty between Persia and Muscat. A map depicting the political geography of Mekran is included on folio 5.The appendices include:a translation of the treaty between His late Highness Seyyed Saeed [Āl Bū Sa‘īd, Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘īd] and the Persian Government, relating to Bunder Abbas, etc., dated 1856;a report by Lieutenant-Colonel Frederic John Goldsmid on the claims of Persia, Khelat [Kalat], and Muscat, to sovereign rights on the Mekran Coast;extracts from Lieutenant-Colonel Goldsmid's diaries on defining boundaries and districts;a memorandum on Western Mekran by Lieutenant-Colonel Goldsmid.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 10; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.