Abstract: The file consists of a memorandum giving an account of the Aden frontier delimitation, and treaty relations with the Aden tribes from 1873. Compiled by the Foreign Office, 11 December 1905.It discusses the following: tribes with whom Her Majesty's Government has direct relations; boundary disputes and Turkish encroachments; protectorate treaties and agreements; the British Demarcation Commission survey; and the military and naval support.The French content of the file is limited to a memorandum extract by Nicholas O'Conor, HM Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, 11 August 1904.A despatch concerning maps of the frontier delimitation from Edward Grey, Foreign Secretary to His Majesty's Ambassador, dated 8 March 1906, is included as a supplement.Also included is one map: IOR/W/LPS/18/B156 (i),
Map showing tribes and new boundary of the Aden Protectorate.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 170, and terminates at f 176, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, 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 175-181; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are circled.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: The volume discusses the disputed Turco-Persian Frontier, particularly at Mohammerah, and the negotiations in Constantinople to attempt to settle it.The correspondence focuses on:the differences of opinion over the actual boundary at Mohammerah, including several maps demonstrating these differences;movements of Turkish and Russian troops;ownership of the Shat-el-Arab and questions of access for navigation;copies of treaties, correspondence and memoranda dating back to 1639 relating to the question of the Turco-Persian frontier.The principal correspondents in the volume are the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Edward Grey); the Secretary of State for India (Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Sir Percy Zachariah Cox); the British Ambassador to Constantinople (Sir Gerard Lowther); the British Ambassador to Russia (Sir George Buchanan); the Viceroy of India (Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst); the British Ambassador to Tehran (Sir George Head Barclay); representatives of the Foreign Office (particularly Alwyn Parker) and the India Office; and Arthur Talbot Wilson, on special duty in relation to the Turco-Persian Frontier.This volume is part one of two. Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 436; 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.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence related to a number of issues concerning the slave trade and slavery in the Gulf region:Correspondence related to the League of Nations Advisory Committee of Experts, and its request for information about slavery in the Persian Gulf region. The papers include a report of the fourth session of the Experts Committee, dated 10 April 1937 (folios 8-40)Correspondence related to tensions in Dubai in March 1938, arising as a result of the proposed expulsion of two men accused of arms trading, and the increasing numbers of slaves being manumitted on the Trucial Coast. The other side of correspondence on this matter can be found in the Bushire Residency file '5/193 III (B46) Slavery in the Gulf' (IOR/R/15/1/227)Allegations of slave trading in Abu Dhabi, emerging in early 1938, and discussions between the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle), Bahrain Political Agent (Hugh Weightman) and the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf, on the best means of punishing the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi. The other side of correspondence on this matter can be found in the Bushire Residency file '5/193 IV (B55) Slavery in the Gulf' (IOR/R/15/1/228).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 283; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 48-263, and ff 264-279; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence between ff 8-49.
Abstract: Following on from the previous file (IOR/R/15/6/183), this file mainly concerns issues arising in relation to the boundary between Muscat-controlled Gwadur [Gwadar] and the state of Kalat. It features the following principal correspondents: the British Agent, Gwadur; the Political Agent and Consul, Muscat; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Agent to the Governor-General and Chief Commissioner in Baluchistan; the Minister of External Affairs, Muscat and Oman; the Sultan of Muscat and Oman [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd]; officials of the Government of India's External Affairs Department.The file includes discussion of the following: reports that Kalat state authorities are building a road which will pass through Muscat territory; reports of coast watchers of Kalat state patrolling in the Gwadur area; details of the Gwadur district, including its extent and limits, its customs and its population size; reports of Muscat subjects being mistreated and subjected to forced labour in Kalat state; the case for laying down a 'working line' of the Gwadur-Kalat boundary for the benefit of British political officers on each side, and whether the Sultan of Muscat and Oman and the Khan of Kalat should both be informed of such an arrangement; whether the question of the formal demarcation of the Gwadur-Kalat boundary should be reopened; dissatisfaction among neighbouring tribal leaders near Gwadur over the Sultan of Muscat's recent decision to cease paying their annuities.Also included in the file are four maps depicting Gwadur and the surrounding region. The Arabic language material mainly consists of correspondence between British officials in the Gulf and representatives of Muscat and Oman.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 107; 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 2-106; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The majority of the correspondence in the volume relates to Sir George Maxwell's report on slavery in Arabia, submitted to the League of Nations Advisory Committee of Experts on Slavery in around 1936. The file should be read in conjunction with IOR/R/15/1/227, which contains a continuation of correspondence on the subject.British officials in the Persian Gulf liaised with their colleagues at the Foreign and India Office, to produce reports for Maxwell and the League of Nations Advisory Committee of Experts on Slavery. In January 1936 Maxwell sent questionnaires for completion to British representatives in the Gulf (folio 144). The questionnaire covered information such as size and population of states, and numbers, ethnicity and religion of slaves. Completed copies of the questionnaire from the Political Agents in Kuwait (folios 151, 160) Muscat (folio 153) and Bahrain and the Trucial Coast (folios 155-58) are included. A letter from Maxwell to Mr Walton at the India Office (folios 200-218), written July 1936, describes the political dimensions of the Slavery Committee talks, and the outcome of Maxwell's discussion with Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Loch, Political Agent Bahrain, about the status of slavery in Bahrain. Included with the letter are two enclosures written by Maxwell, the first regarding Islamic law in relation to slavery, the second on domestic slavery in the Arab region.Further correspondence in the volume, related to Maxwell's requests for information, takes place between officials from the Foreign Office, and British officials in the Persian Gulf region. A telegram from a Foreign Office official in London, to the British Legation at Jiddah [Jeddah] in January 1935, discussed the political implications of the League of Nations/Maxwell's investigations regarding Saudi Arabia, while Britain's own negotiations with Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] were ongoing (folios 78-79). A letter sent from the Political Residency to the India Office in September 1936 (folio 20-31), pointed out inaccuracies made by Maxwell about slavery in the Gulf, in his letter of July 1936.Also of note in the file is a letter sent from the Bahrain Political Agent (Loch) to the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle) in January 1936, discussing the impact of the global economic depression upon the pearling industry in Bahrain. Loch stated that 'slaves do not ... mind much where they go, so long as they have an owner who feeds and clothes them' and that born slaves 'are anxious to remain as slaves' (folios 130-31). Loch also recalled an anecdote for Fowle, of an old man who produced his manumission certificate to a medical officer. The man got angry when told by the officer that the certificate gave him his freedom, and not as the man insisted, that it proved he was a slave and was entitled to be fed by his owner.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 235; 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 also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The volume contains confidential correspondence related to the slave trade and slavery, exchanged between a number of British Government representatives. It should be read in conjunction with IOR/R/15/1/226, of which this file is a continuation, there being numerous references to it in some of the correspondence in this volume (for example, on folios 18-19, and 20).A large proportion of the correspondence is high-level, relating to requests from the British Government and the League of Nations for information on the nature and extent of slavery and the slave trade in the Persian Gulf. This correspondence is composed of memoranda sent to the Persian Gulf Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle throughout the period covered by the file), from staff at the India Office in London, and from Sir George Maxwell, then a member of the League of Nations Committee on Slavery. Other correspondence is lower-level, mainly comprising letters sent between the Political Resident and the Political Agent in Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Loch, Nov 1932-Apr 1937), and the Political Resident and the other Political Agents and naval officers in the Gulf region.George Maxwell wrote a report on slavery in the Persian Gulf in 1935 (National Archives: FO371/18915). Further details on the extent of slavery, the trade in slaves and abolition efforts were requested by Maxwell in 1936. As the centre of British administration on the Arab Coast, Maxwell was particularly interested in Bahrain (folios 7-11). He asked British officials for information about treaties and legislation introduced by the British Government, manumission figures, details of the trade and the routes it used. The report compiled by the Political Resident stated that, to all intents and purposes, Bahrain was a slavery-free state. The report detailed no significant new legislation, low manumission numbers, and, with no discernible organised trade, no information on known slave traders and trading routes (folio 88). Maxwell was disappointed at the 'meagre' amount of information forthcoming (folio 86), leading to a more detailed report being compiled by the Political Resident (folios 115-119). Maxwell wanted a new proclamation be made in Bahrain, effectively announcing that the state had abolished slavery outright (folio 118). A proclamation to this effect was made by the Shaikh of Bahrain in August 1937 (folio 113).Other correspondence in the volume (folios 160-225) relates to a flashpoint in Dubai in March 1938, in which civil unrest amongst the people of Dubai was provoked by Sheikh Sa'id bin Maktum's decision (under British direction) to deport two men dealing in arms. According to the Residency Agent at Sharjah ('Abd al-Razzaq Razuqi) the root cause of the unrest was the growing concern created by increasing numbers of slaves (and in particular domestic slaves) being manumitted by the Residency Agency (folio 159). This was seen by Dubai inhabitants as a threat to the pearling season (folio 169) and the wider economic stability of the town (folios 203-04). The civil unrest in Dubai caused consternation among British officials, who were anxious to remain on friendly terms with the region's shaikhs and their subjects. With the likelihood of global war looking increasingly likely, the British Government desired that the Trucial Coast region, which was a staging post on the air supply route from Britain to India, remain politically and socially stable (folios 198-200).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 241; 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 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 related to slave trading activity in the Persian Gulf, including intelligence reports on suspected slave traders, and the movement of suspected slaves across the Gulf by traders. The volume also includes a number of reports on the extent and nature of the slave trade in the Persian Gulf during the period in question. Two reports are written by the Political Resident (Sir Hugh Biscoe) in 1930. The first describes the extent of the slave trade in the Persian Gulf (folios 34-40), with details on the principal slave trade routes and sources of slaves, including the Makran coast and the Nejd and Hejaz regions of Arabia. The second report investigates the character of domestic slavery in the Persian Gulf (folios 43-50). Domestic slaves, wrote Biscoe, include those employed as bodyguards to the shaikhs, house servants and coffee makers. Biscoe noted that the lots of these slaves were generally good, contrasting their lot to the 'industrial slaves', i.e. those employed as pearl divers or date plantation workers. Biscoe described the region's indebted pearl divers as being 'virtual slaves.' Another report, written by Charles Belgrave, Advisor to the Ruler of Bahrain, describes the pearling industry around 1930, and the measures taken by the previous Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Clive Daly) to improve the lot of indebted pearl divers (folios 23-26). The volume also contains a report, written in 1934 by the then Political Agent in Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Loch, on the slave trade in Nejd/Hejaz regions (folios 159-60). Loch writes that slaves taken from the Baluchistan-Makran region generally end up in this part of Arabia. A list of slaves manumitted at Sharjah between 1936 and 1938 is also included (folios 174-80).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 218; 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 9-170; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: This volume is mainly comprised of correspondence relating to the boundary between Muscat-controlled Gwadur [Gwadar] and the state of Kalat. Much of the correspondence discusses longstanding British concerns that the boundary should be officially defined and demarcated before any valuable minerals are discovered in the area. A settlement of the boundary is initially suggested in May 1913 by the Agent to the Governor-General and Chief Commissioner in Baluchistan (Lieutenant-Colonel J Ramsay); the issue is raised again in May 1938, with the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Sir Trenchard Craven William Fowle) making the case for the establishment of a small boundary commission for the purpose of settling the frontier dispute.The volume includes discussion of the following: the Sultan of Muscat's concerns regarding a reported Trans-Persian railway survey near Gwadur in 1912; territorial disputes between the Gwadur and Mekran authorities; trade disputes between Kalat and Muscat (also spelled as Maskat and Masqat in the earlier correspondence); whether the Burmah Oil Company and Indian Oil Concessions Limited should be permitted to negotiate with the Sultan of Muscat, in spite of the fact that the Sultan cannot grant an oil concession without the Government of India's approval; the likelihood of the Khan of Kelat being in favour of demarcation; travel arrangements and expenses for the proposed boundary commission; the alleged crossing of the Gwadur boundary by Kalat state officials; rumours of the Khan of Kalat's intentions to invade Gwadur; reported incidents between Muscat and Kalat subjects.The volume features the following principal correspondents: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent and Consul, Muscat; the Agent to the Governor-General and Chief Commissioner in Baluchistan; the British Agent, Gwadur; the Sultan of Muscat; the Director of the Persian Gulf Section of the Indo-European Telegraph Department; the Assistant Political Agent, Mekran; officials of the Government of India's External Affairs Department.Also included in the volume is a sketch map of Gwadur and the surrounding region. The Arabic language material mainly consists of correspondence between British representatives and the Sultan of Muscat. The file also includes a small amount of correspondence in Farsi.Whilst the volume includes material dating from 1912 to 1942, it should be noted that there is no material covering the period of 1920-1936.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 215; 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 62-202; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: Document outlining the status of the Islands of Tamb, Little Tamb, Abu Musa, and Sirri. It includes the following: an introduction to the status of the islands; a history of the islands prior to 1887; the occupation of Sirri by Persia, 1887; the temporary Persian occupation of Abu Musa and Tamb, 1904; the status of Sirri in 1909; the erection of a lighthouse on Tamb Island, and communications to the Persian Government and the Sheikh of Shargah [Shaikh of Sharjah], 1912-13; statements made by His Majesty's Government to the German Government as to the ownership of Abu Musa, 1907-14; reassertion of the Persian claim to Tamb and Abu Musa, 1923; Persian customs interference at Abu Musa, 1925-26; reassertion of the Persian claim to Tamb, 1928; and a final summary.Written by John Gilbert Laithwaite of the India Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 23, and terminates at f 26, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, 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: The memorandum is concerned with a recent deterioration in diplomatic relations between Iraq and Persia; particular focus is given to the following issues:Persia's refusal to officially recognise Iraq;Persia's desire for judicial privileges for its subjects within Iraq;border disputes between Iraq and Persia, with a historical overview from 1842;the policy of the British Government.It also includes a list (folios 4v-5) of recent events between August 1927 and May 1928, which have impacted relations between Iraq and Persia.It has been signed by Charles William Baxter, Foreign Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 5; 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 contains an original printed paginated sequence.
Abstract: Letter and Enclosures to HM Secretary of State for India, dated 17 October 1871, concerning Persian movements on Chaga [Chagai] and the Seistan [Sīstān] Boundary.The papers cover: political intelligence; tribal movements; reports of raids; the possibility of a threat by Persia against the territory of Khelat [Kalāt], and northern and western Beloochistan [Baluchistan]; and the need for a speedy settlement of the Seistan boundary question.The papers consist mainly of diary extracts and correspondence from Captain Charles Henry Harrison, Political Agent, Khelat.The Enclosures are dated 25 August to 20 September 1871.Physical description: There is an Abstract of Contents on folio 244, numbered 1-10.
Abstract: The file consists of correspondence between William Lee-Warner, India Office, Secretary to the Political and Secret Department, and Pelham James Maitland, Resident at Aden, concerning Aden delimitation and accusations of Turkish encroachments, dated 28-29 July 1902. An additional note by Maitland gives his own views on the boundary question, provides a history of the question, and covers the present situation as regards the territories of the Amir of Dthali [Aḑ Ḑāli‘].Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 16, and terminates at f 22, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, 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 21-27; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are circled.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.