Abstract: The file concerns the drafting of a convention to establish a Conservancy Board for the Shatt-el-Arab (also referred to as the Shatt-al-Arab).The papers include: negotiations with the governments of Iraq and Persia [Iran]; the involvement of British shipowners in discussions; numerous drafts of the convention; the selection of Colonel John Ward, Port Director of the Port of Basrah [Basra], as British appointee to the Board (folio 450); the question of dues on shipping; comments by the Admiralty; involvement of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC); budget estimates for the Port of Basra; printed Port of Basra 'Schedule of Dues and Charges', 1935 (folios 244-272); papers on customs, quarantine, and police arrangements for the Shatt-al-Arab; Perso-Iraqi frontier negotiations; memorandum of instructions for the guidance of the British representatives in the negotiations for the conclusion of the convention, 1935 (folios 66-78); the proposed convention (folios 51-60); Ministry of Health paper on the transfer of quarantine arrangements in the Shatt-al-Arab to the Conservancy Board; and the agreement of the Iraqi Government to British participation in the convention (folios 6-9).The principal correspondents are the Foreign Office, HM Ambassador at Bagdad, HM Minister at Tehran, and the Mercantile Marine Department, Board of Trade.The French language content of the file consists of a single item of correspondence (folio 132).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 inside back cover with 594; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file concerns negotiations over a convention to establish a Conservancy Board for the Shatt-el-Arab (also referred to as the Shatt-al-Arab) between the governments of Iraq, Iran (also referred to as Persia), and the United Kingdom.The convention had two main objects: (1) to provide for the conservancy of the Shatt-al-Arab (i.e. its maintenance as a navigable waterway adequate to the needs of international shipping); (2) to control the navigation of the Shatt-al-Arab (i.e. to provide all shipping using the waterway with a uniform system of control, administration, and discipline in all matters necessary for safe and efficient shipping). The board was to consist of Iraq and Iran as the two riparian countries concerned, and the United Kingdom as the state owning over 90 per cent of the shipping using the river.The papers cover: Perso-Iraqi negotiations; the question of British participation in the convention; the views of the Shah of Iran; negotiations over the frontier between Iraq and Iran; dredging dues; the navigation of the river; Persian violations of Iraqi territory; the anchorage at Abadan; draft agreements on the frontier between Iraq and Iran; the Persian refusal to allow Iraq any say over the waters (the Karun) that flowed into the Shatt-al-Arab (e.g. folios 262-264); the interests of the Government of Turkey in the issue; the view of the Foreign Office that a single authority was required in order to achieve unified control over the whole waterway system (folios 245-246); quarantine and police posts; and the Port of Basra (budget estimates, and dues and charges).The main correspondents are the Foreign Office, the British Ambassador to Iraq, and HM Minister, Tehran.The French language content of the file consists of approximately ten folios of diplomatic correspondence and treaty drafts.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 first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 464; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The front and back covers, along with the two leading and two ending flyleaves have not been foliated. A previous foliation sequence, which is present between ff 291-464 and is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file concerns the possibility of establishing an international Conservancy Board for the Shatt-el-Arab (also referred to as the Shatt-al-Arab) between the governments of Iraq, Iran (also referred to as Persia), and the United Kingdom.The board was intended to ensure the efficient maintenance and navigation of the Shatt-al-Arab waterway. The United Kingdom was involved because of the close interests of British shipping in the conservancy of the Shatt-al-Arab.The papers cover: Perso-Iraqi frontier negotiations; drafts, signing (July 1937), and ratification (June 1938) of the Perso-Iraqi Frontier Treaty; Turkish approval of the frontier negotiations; the signing of the four power non-aggression pact between Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan (the Saad-Abad [Saadabad] Pact), 1937; Abadan anchorage; Foreign Office memoranda and minutes of meetings concerning a convention for the conservancy of the Shatt-al-Arab; the question of British participation in the convention; lighting and buoying; the involvement of Sir John Ward [serving with the Iraqi Government] in the discussions; the opposition of the Iranian Government to British involvement; the involvement of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC); the Port of Basra (including Foreign Office memorandum, folios 77-83); the Rooka Channel; and renewed discussion of the issue in 1945, including the importance of the Shatt-al-Arab for tanker traffic to supply Britain's war needs in the Far East.The main correspondents are the Foreign Office, the British Ambassador to Iraq, and HM Minister, Tehran.The French language content of the file consists of approximately twenty folios of diplomatic correspondence and treaties.There are no papers in the file dated 1941-44.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: this file consists of two physical parts. The foliation sequence commences at the first folio of part one (ff 1-169) and terminates at the last folio of part two (ff 170-329); 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; these numbers are printed, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out. The front and back conservation covers (parts one and two), have not been foliated.
Abstract: The volume comprises memoranda, notes, telegrams, correspondence and minutes, relating to the British Government’s policy on the future administration of Mesopotamia [Iraq]. Selected papers of the War Cabinet’s Mesopotamia Administration Committee, and its successors the Middle East Committee and Eastern Committee, are contained in the volume.The papers notably cover:Recommendations of the Mesopotamia Administration Committee, 21 Mar 1917, for the administration of the Basra and Baghdad [also spelled Bagdad in this volume] Vilayets, (respectively: direct rule; and an Arab state under an Arab ruler, in reality an ‘Arab façade’ or British protectorate in all but name), and views of the Government of India, HM Government and Major-General Sir Percy Cox, Civil Commissioner in Baghdad, including Cox’s suggestion that a Commission be sent out from England in Autumn 1917 to examine on the spot the potential administrative problemsThe Government’s decision to postpone sending a Commission to Mesopotamia, due to uncertainties engendered by the War, future political and military outcomes, and possible Peace terms (mainly in view of US President Woodrow Wilson’s powerful advocacy of the doctrine of ‘self-determination’)The recall of Cox to London in February 1918 and his proposal to the Eastern Committee, entitled ‘The Future of Mesopotamia’, 22 April 1918 (ff 102-112, 93-95 and 87-90), suggesting the precise form of administration, available resources, potential local candidates for the ‘Arab façade’ (notably King Hussein, [Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, King of the Hejaz], or the Naqib of Baghdad), and the means of consolidating British commercial influenceDecision by Captain Arnold Talbot Wilson, Civil Commissioner in Baghdad/Chief Political Officer, 15 September 1918, to amend policy and run both Basra and Baghdad Vilayets under one centralized, uniform administration directly from the Headquarters of the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad (f 62)Request by Wilson, 27 September 1918, for a small Commission to be sent out from England in October or November 1918 to discuss political and administrative questions, notably: the transfer from military to civil administration (f 60); the India Office’s endorsement of Wilson’s proposals (ff 58-59 and 51-52); and draft instructions to the Commission (ff 36-39)Agreement by the Foreign Office, Government of India and HM Government to postpone sending out a small Commission, pending the international Peace negotiationsWilson’s withdrawal of his request for a Commission following the Anglo-French Declaration of 8 November 1918 (Anglo-French Joint Statement of Aims in Syria and Mesopotamia - to encourage and assist in the establishment of government and administrations freely adopted by the native populations), citing lack of staff resources to guide a Commission now that they are diverted towards ‘ascertaining [the] trend of responsible indigenous opinion in Mosul, Southern Kurdistan, the Baghdad and Basra vilayats’ (f 15)Wilson's request, 19 July 1919, for an ‘officer of reputation and experience’ to be deputed from England to provide expert advice notably regarding financial matters (f 12), and discussion about sending Sir Walter Roper Lawrence.The volume also includes some correspondence, May-August 1918, between George Louis Beer, Lionel Curtis and Sir Malcolm C C Seton, India Office, concerning Beer's views on the position of India toward Mesopotamia, potential Indian immigration to German East Africa and South Africa, and the potential ‘civilizing’ role of the United States (ff 63-83).The principle correspondents are: staff of the India Office, notably John Evelyn Schuckburgh, Sir Arthur Hirtzel, Under-Secretary of State, Sir Thomas W Holderness, Permanent Under-Secretary of State, and Lord Islington [John Dickson-Poynder, 1st Baron Islington], Under-Secretary of State for India; Lord Robert Cecil, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; Lord Curzon, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; Percy Cox; and Arnold Wilson.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 183; 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 102-112; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence in the form of telegrams, minutes, Parliamentary notices and articles from
The Timesnewspaper. The correspondence is related to the administration of Mesopotamia [Iraq] and Sir John Hewett’s report on the topic. The volume contains two copies of Hewett’s report entitled ‘REPORT FOR THE ARMY COUNCIL ON MESOPOTAMIA’ (folios 95-142 and 145-196). The report contains a table of contents comprising the following headings: ‘The Scheme for Agricultural Development in 1918’, ‘Agricultural Development in 1919’, ‘Undertakings of Permanent Value for Mesopotamia’, and ‘Appendices’. Also included are printed photographs as follows (folio numbers are given for both report copies):‘HINDIYAH [Hindiya] BARRAGE.’ (f 97 and f 147)‘REMAINS OF TURKISH WEIR BELOW HINDIYAH BARRAGE.’ (f 97 and f 147)‘TURKISH BRIDGE OVER KHALIS CANAL AT DELI ABBAS [al-Mansuriya].’ (f 97 and f 147)‘HEAD REGULATOR TO HILLAH BRANCH OF EUPHRATES, BUILT BY TURKS AT THE SAME TIME AS THE HINDIYAH BARRAGE.’ (f 97 f 147)‘TURKISH HEAD REGULATOR TO MARUT CANAL FROM THE DIYALAH [Diyala].’ (f 97 and f 147)‘NAJAF.’ (f 99 and f 149)‘BRIDGE OF BOATS, KUT.’ (f 99 and f 149)‘TURKISH HEAD REGULATOR TO BALAD DRUZ [Balad Ruz] CANAL.’ (f 99 and f 149)‘WHARF OF LOCAL RESOURCES, AMARAH.’ (f 103 and f 153)‘WHARF OF LOCAL RESOURCES, HILLAH.’ (f 105, f 107, f 155, and f 157)‘SIRRIAH DAM.’ (f 107 and f 157)‘OLD MAHMUDIYAH [al-Mahmudiyah] CANAL.’ (f 107 and f 157)‘NEW MAHMUDIYAH CANAL, HEAD REGULATOR.’ (f 107 and f 157)‘NEW MAHMUDIYAH CANAL, 18 KILOMETERS FROM HEAD.’ (f 107 and f 157)‘GROUP OF ARABS.’ (f 109 and f 159)‘EUPHRATES WHEELS.’ (f 109 and f 159)‘FLOODS ON THE EUPHRATES.’ (f 111, f 113, f161, and f 163)‘HEAD OF RAZ CANAL.’ (f 113 and f 163)‘NEW KHALIS CANAL.’ (f 113 and f 163)‘PORT OF BASRAH [Basra].’ (f 116, f 119, f 166, and f 169)‘AMARAH BRIDGE.’ (f 122 and f 177)‘BAGHDAD BRIDGE.’ (f 122 and f 177).The second copy of the report also contains four maps. These are catalogued as IOR/L/PS/10/750, f 193, f 194, f 195 and f 196. Other issues discussed in the correspondence are the following:The request of the National Geographic Society, Washington, for copies of Hewett’s reportThe publication of Hewett’s reportA ‘Summary for the use of the Press. SIR JOHN HEWETT’S REPORT ON MESOPOTAMIA.’, (ff 11-25)The Civil Commissioner’s criticisms of the reportThe purchase of pumping sets required for irrigation purposes in Mesopotamia and the budget allocated for themThe approximate monthly administrative, naval, and military expenditure in MesopotamiaThe articles published in
The Timesentitled ‘The Future of Mesopotamia’, and ‘THE DEVELOPMENT OF MESOPOTAMIA’, attacking British Government expenditure in Mesopotamia.The main correspondents in the volume are: the Foreign Office; the Secretary of State for India; the War Office; the Under-Secretary of State, India Office; the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; the Government of India, Finance Department; the Government of India, Army Department; the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad; and Sir John Hewett.The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 196; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. The sequence contains two foliation anomalies: f 76a and f 171a.Pagination: the item contains three original pagination sequences between ff 11-25, ff 95-142, and ff 145-192; these numbers are typed and are not circled.
Abstract: Annual administration reports regarding Persia [Iran]. The reports provide a summary record of the main events and developments in Persia during the financial years of 1910 (ff 324-346), 1922 (ff 290-322), 1923 (ff 253-287), 1926 (ff 214-245), 1927 (ff 178-213), 1928 (ff 136-177), 1929 (ff 98-132), 1930 (ff 54-94), and 1931 (ff 3-52). The reports are divided into three areas: introductory letter, contents of the report and enclosures. A table of contents appears at the beginning of each report.Most of the reports include the following:General summary of eventsReview of the yearRelations with foreign countriesCapitulationsInternal affairsConcessionsTelegraphsBritish post officesTradeConsular affairsClaimsMilitary and naval affairsMedical affairsRefugeesMiscellaneous.The introductory letters are written by the British Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Persia (George Head Barclay in the case of the first report, followed by Percy Lyham Loraine, Robert Henry Clive, and Reginald Hervey Hoare successively for the remaining reports). The reports were printed for use by the Foreign Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 346; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front or back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: This item comprises an abstract of contents listing an enclosure to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 79 of 1847, dated 11 September 1847. The abstract states that the enclosure is dated 26 August 1847, however there is a note stating that the enclosure is ‘Missing 30/10/1906’. (See also IOR/L/PS/5/450, ff 400-404).Physical description: There is an abstract of contents of the despatch, numbered 1-3, on folio 474. There is a note on the abstract stating that the enclosure is ‘Missing 30.10.1906’.
Abstract: Enclosure nos. 2-18 to a despatch from the Secret Department, Government of Bombay [Mumbai], dated 17 January 1852. The enclosures are dated 16 June 1851-17 January 1852.The enclosures consist of copies of correspondence relating to four separate subjects.Folios 85-97 cover a complaint from the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Persia [Iran] that tents supplied to the British Mission at Tehran by the Government of Bombay in 1849 have proven to be of inferior quality to previous batches, and an enquiry into the tendering process and specifications of the tents.Folios 98-99 consist of an extract from a resolution by the East India Company Secret Committee relating to the establishment of steam navigation on the Indus and Punjab rivers for the purposes of communication.Folios 100-103 cover attempts to reduce the volume of communications between departments of the Government of India.Folios 104-113 cover the trade in enslaved persons within the dominions of the Imam of Muscat and Oman (including Zanzibar), and efforts against it by both the Imam and the British.The primary correspondents are: the Envoy in Tehran; the Government of Bombay; the Government of India; the Secret Committee; and the British Consul, Muscat.Physical description: 1 item (33 folios)
Abstract: The file contains a letter from the Political Resident, Persian Gulf, to the Commonwealth Relations Office listing outstanding cases that require decisions by the end of March 1948, and requesting relevant instructions. The cases relate to financial, staffing and estates issues in British Agencies in the Gulf.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 4; 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 correspondence related to the re-establishment of local administration in Persia [Iran] following the Anglo-Soviet Invasion in 1941. The focus of the file is the distribution of wheat, though security matters do receive some consideration. A large proportion of the papers are related to the appointment of Area Liaison Officers, Consular Liaison Officers, and Vice-Consuls to provide supervision of Persian provincial administration. This includes correspondence over the conditions, pay, and allowances of these officers.The main correspondents are as follows: Sir Reader William Bullard, HM Minister at Tehran (from 1943 Ambassador); Adrian Holman, Chargé d'affaires at Tehran; officials of the Foreign Office, officials of the India Office, and representatives of the External Affairs Department of the Government of India.The file includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 217; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: Two volumes containing a collection of letters and enclosures dispatched from Gombroon [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] Factory to ‘the Court of Directors for affairs of the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies’. Each letter has the date it was received overland, and the date it was read in Court noted at the end of it. At some point these letters were assigned numbers from 2487-2604, in red (turned to purplish) ink. Any missing numbers in between indicate that the letter is missing.The letters cover variety of issues and topics including:The state of affairs and military operations in a number of provinces in Persia [Iran] including, Mashad [Mashhad, also written as Mashat, Mushat, Mushatt and Musshat], Carmenia [Kerman], Gombroon, Yazd, and Spahaun [Eṣfahān]. Among the rulers involved in the operations were Shawrook Shaw [Shāhrokh Shāh Afshar, or Shāhrokh Mīrzā Afshār, c 1734-1796, also written as Sarook, Sharrook, Shawrooke, Sharooke and Shawroke], Carem Caun [Karīm Khān Zand, Vakil of Persia, also written as Carreemm], Ally Mardin Caun [‘Ali Mardan Khan Bakhtiyari, Ilkhani of the Bakhtiyari Tribe], Ahzad Caun [Āzād Khān Ghilza'ī, d 1782, Beglerbeg of Azarbāijān], Ahmed Shaw Afgoon [Ahmad Shah Afghan Durrani, known as Ahmad Shah Abdali r 1747-1772, also written as Ahmet Shaw Aphgoon] and Nasseir Caun [Nāsir Khān Āl Mazkūr, r 1162-1203/c 1749-1788]Indent of woollen goods proper for the Persian market including: the type of cloth, amount by piece, colours required, and their prices. On some occasions patterns of coloured woollen goods were attached to the list as in folios 4, 195 and 214Indent of iron, lead and tin proper for the Persian market and the amount in tonsAbstract of general expenditures at GombroonRecords of the Company’s cash balanceThe activities of the Dutch and the Russians in the regionReports on the activities of local Persian and Armenian merchants in the regionNews of Nadir Shaw [Nadir Shah, Shah of Persia 1732-1747] being killed by his own people in 1747A list of twenty-three rogoms [raqams or ruqums, also written as rogomms: royal grants confirming specific trading privileges] granted to the Company by Nadir ShawSuggestions to set up a Company house at the Island of Bhareen [Bahrain, also written Bahreen and Barren] or at the Island of Kishmish [Qishm]Reports on the status of the wool trade at CarmeniaNews of the deaths of Factory members Danvers Graves and Robert WentNews of Nasseir Caun appointing Moola Ally Shaw [Mulla ‘Ali Shah] to the Government of GombroonNews of the war between the Hoola Arabs [Hawala] and Nasseir Caun at BahreenLists of the Company’s servants in the Gulph [Gulf] of Persia containing their names, ages, stations, places, and salaries.The volumes include enclosures of letters exchanged with the Factory Warehouse Keeper, Danvers Graves, who took the place of the late Resident at Spahaun, John Pierson [also written as Peirsons]. Mr Graves was instructed to clear the Company’s debt at Spahaun, sort the outstanding bills, settle the affairs of the Carmenia bill, and provide a detailed account of Mr Peirson’s fraud accounts and his transactions with local merchants, particularly with Hodjee Ibrahim Bozoork [Haji Ibrahim Buzurg] and Mirza Boggher [Mirza Baqer, also written as Bagher]. The volumes also include records of the examinations of John Pierson before the Agent and Council at Gombroon, and remarks on his conduct and management of affairs at Spahaun.The volumes contain enclosures of letters from the Resident at Bussorah [Basra], William Shaw, to the Court of Directors for affairs at Bombay [Mumbai] reporting on the state of affairs in the region, ships sailing and arriving, the activities of the Aleppo traders, letters dispatched to Aleppo, and the Turks’ activities in the region.The letters in the volumes include records of the arrival and departure of ships, including the
Rose Galley, the
Welcome, the
Godolphin, the
Swallow, the
Heathcote, the
Fort William, the
Fort St. George, the
Jenney, the
Nancy, the
Prince of Orange, the
Drake, the
Oxford, the
Shaftesbury, the Boscawen, the
Man of War, the
Prince Henry, the
Hector, the
Guardian, the
Fezeraboony[
Fayz Rabbani], and the
Prince of Wales. Ships sailed mainly to and from Gombroon, Bombay, Bussorah, Surat, Bengall [Bengal], Boutchier [Būshehr, also written as Boucheir, Busshire], Madrass [Madras, i.e. Chennai], the Island of Socrata [Socotra Island], Batavia [Jakarta], Judda [Jeddah], China, Mocha, Muscat and England.Physical description: Foliation: this file consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at f 1 of volume one (ff 1-130) and terminates at f 247 of volume two (ff 131-247); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence regarding the level of direct influence held by the British Government and the Government of India over the administration of Muscat and other Persian Gulf states, and proposals for a reduction in this influence in favour of local rulers. The primary correspondents are the India Office and the Government of India.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 54, and terminates at f 65, 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.