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169. '1904-05. THE LORD CURZON. TELEGRAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE WITH SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA. COMMENCING FROM DECEMBER 1904.'
- Description:
- Abstract: This volume comprises printed copies of telegraphic correspondence, dated 8 December 1904-18 November 1905, of Lord Curzon of Kedleston, Viceroy and Governor-General of India, with St John Brodrick, Secretary of State for India.The beginning of the volume contains a detailed index of names, places and subjects (ff 5-12). This is followed by telegrams from the Secretary of State to Lord Curzon, numbered 1-468 (ff 13-83) and telegrams from Lord Curzon to the Secretary of State, numbered 1-490 (ff 85-188).Much of the correspondence covers subjects related to British India, including:The 1905 Partition of BengalArrangements for a tour of British India by the Prince and Princess of WalesAn earthquake in Punjab Province [in present-day Himachal Pradesh] on 4 April 1905The Indian Army and military mattersFinancial and administrative mattersMilitary and civil appointmentsLocal affairs in various Provinces and Princely StatesConstruction and management of railwaysManagement of telegraphic communicationsRecommendations and awards of Honours of the United Kingdom to members of the British Indian Army and Government and to indigenous Indian rulers and dignitariesMatters relating to the activities of the Viceroy of India, including Curzon’s resignation and the appointment of the Earl of Minto as his successor.Other subjects covered include matters relating to:The Aden Protectorate, including the delimitation of the Aden boundaryAfghanistan, including the Dane Mission to negotiate a treaty with the Amir [Ḥabīballāh Khān]The imposition of increased British authority in Bahrein [Bahrain]British Burma [Myanmar/Burma] and the frontier with ChinaKoweit [Kuwait]Muscat and Oman, including the hoisting of flags on the Musandim [Musandam] PeninsulaPersia [Iran], including Russian influence and a proposed British loanThe aftermath of the Younghusband Expedition [British Expedition to Tibet], including negotiations for a treaty with China regarding Tibet.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 188; 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.Pagination: the volume also contains two original pagination sequences.
170. ‘16/23-III Miscellaneous – Payments of Military Pension from the Bahrain Treasury and other Correspondence regarding’
- Description:
- Abstract: Memoranda, statements, forms and other papers relating to military pension payments made from the Bahrain Treasury. The principal correspondents are: the Political Agent in Bahrain; the Controller (or Deputy Controller) of Military Pension Accounts [CMPA] in the Lahore Cantonment. The file is a direct chronological continuation of ‘Miscellaneous:– Payments of Military Pensions from the Bahrain Treasury and their Correspondence regarding’ (IOR/R/15/2/1519).Papers in the file include:copies of monthly statements (submitted by the Agency) of the names of pensioners transferred from the Bahrain Treasury to other Pension Disbursing Offices, and lists of pensions brought on the Check register of the Bahrain Treasury, for months covering period August 1938 to May 1944. Most statements and lists are marked ‘nil’;monthly statements of casualties amongst members of OBI, IOM, VC and MC (Order of British India, Indian Order of Merit, Victoria Cross, Military Cross) on the Pension Establishment in the payment of the Bahrain Treasury. Statements are marked ‘nil’;circular memoranda from the CMPA and other Government administrations, concerning various aspects of pension payments, such as procedure, policy, overpayments, fraud, pay increases, cases of Indian military pensioners convicted in criminal courts;correspondence relating to checks on the identity of individuals claiming pensions, including depositions made by pensioners and supporting statements (recorded at the Agency) and certificates of verification, issued by the Political Agent;papers relating to the transfer of pension payments.The file also includes: fragments of a pension certificate (ff 131-134) and two complete pension certificates, dated 1933 (ff 283-285) and 1925 (ff 304-305) respectively, the former with an accompanying pension warrant and record of payments (f 286). The pension certificates include terms and conditions printed in English, as well as in a number of other languages used on the Indian subcontinent, including Punjabi, Hindi and Tamil.An invoice is included in the file, dated 19 May 1932 (f 339), which has no obvious relation to surrounding correspondence, and was presumably included in the file in error.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 368; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-346; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
171. Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee
- Description:
- Abstract: This file is composed of papers produced by the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee, which was chaired by George Curzon for most of its existence. The file contains a complete set of printed minutes, beginning with the committee's first meeting on 28 March 1918, and concluding with its final meeting on 7 January 1919 (ff 6-214 and ff 227-272).The file begins with two copies of a memorandum by Curzon, dated 13 March 1918, proposing the formation of the Eastern Committee. This is followed by a memorandum by Arthur James Balfour, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, approving Curzon's proposal, and a copy of a procedure for the newly created committee, outlining arrangements for committee meetings and the dissemination of information to committee members.Also included is a set of resolutions, passed by the committee in December 1918, in order to guide British representatives at the Paris Peace conference (ff 216-225). The resolutions cover the following: the Caucasus and Armenia; Syria; Palestine; Hejaz and Arabia; Mesopotamia, Mosul, Baghdad and Basra. They are preceded by a handwritten note written by Curzon 'some years later', which remarks on how they are a 'rather remarkable forecast of the bulk of the results since obtained.'Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 272; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
172. Papers of the Mesopotamian Administration (later Middle East) Committee
- Description:
- Abstract: This file mostly consists of minutes of meetings of the War Cabinet's Mesopotamian Administration Committee (later renamed the Middle East Committee), chaired by George Curzon.The papers are chiefly concerned with current and future British policy in Mesopotamia, which during the period covered was under British military occupation. However, the minutes also discuss matters relating to the wider Middle Eastern region, as reflected in the change of name to Middle East Committee in August 1917.In addition to minutes, the file includes the following: a draft report by the committee, dated March 1917, containing recommendations regarding future British policy in Mesopotamia and the wider region (ff 1-2); a letter to George Curzon from Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Sykes, dated 2 July 1917, recommending that the committee be renamed, in order to define its scope and work (ff 24-25).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 39; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
173. Aden Administration Reports, 1866-1885
- Description:
- Abstract: Annual administration reports of the Settlement of Aden. The volume contains the following reports:Administration Report of the Aden Settlement for 1866-67 (IOR/V/10/553/1)Administration Report of the Aden Settlement for 1867-68 (IOR/V/10/553/2)Administration Report of the Aden Settlement for 1868-69 (IOR/V/10/553/3)General report 'on the various Arab tribes in the neighbourhood of Aden, with which the Government of India have Treaty relations' 1871-72 (IOR/V/10/553/4)‘THE ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE RESIDENT AT ADEN FOR THE OFFICIAL YEAR 1872-73’ (IOR/V/10/553/5)Administration Report of Aden for the year 1873-74 (IOR/V/10/553/6)Administration Report of Aden for the year 1875-76 (IOR/V/10/553/7)Administration Report of Aden for the year 1876-77 (IOR/V/10/553/8)Administration Report of the Settlement of Aden for the year 1877-78 (IOR/V/10/553/9)Administration Report on Aden for the year 1878-79 (IOR/V/10/553/10)Administration Report on Aden for the year 1880-81 (IOR/V/10/553/11)Administration Report of Aden for the year 1881-82 (IOR/V/10/553/12)Administration Report of the Settlement of Aden for the year 1882-83 (IOR/V/10/553/13)Administration Report of the Settlement of Aden for the year 1884-85 (IOR/V/10/553/14).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 281; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: Multiple intermittent pagination sequences are also present.
174. Coll 30/70 'Bahrain: Amendment of contracts of Capt Parke, Commandant of Police, & Mr Belgrave, Adviser to the Sheikh of Bahrain: leave of Mr Belgrave, etc.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file concerns the terms of service of British officials working for the Government of Bahrain, principally Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain.The principal correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent, Bahrain; Belgrave; and officials of the Government of India, the Foreign Office and the India Office.The papers cover: changes to the contracts of Belgrave and Captain L S Parke, Commandant of State Police, Bahrain; discussion of Belgrave's pay, leave, and workload; proposed improvements to Belgrave's terms of employment; proposals to appoint an Assistant Adviser to the Government of Bahrain; the issue of 'nationalist agitation' against Belgrave, including an anonymous petition from the 'Bahrain Island Population' to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, calling for Belgrave's replacement as Adviser, and making complaints about his administration of Bahrain, particularly in terms of education, the courts, and the Bahrain police (folios 40-42); the Bahrain state budget, including a note of discussions at Bahrain on 16 March 1946 between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles Geoffrey Prior) and Belgrave, which covers all aspects of the administration of Bahrain, and is critical of Belgrave (folios 17-21); and discussion of Belgrave's possible retirement or dismissal.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 commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 189; 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.
175. File 8/22 Eastern Aden Protectorate Intelligence Summaries
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains periodic intelligence summaries for the East Aden Protectorate. From the beginning of January 1941 to the end of May 1941 the reports are weekly. From June 1941 they become monthly. The reports are composed by the Resident Adviser, based in Mukalla.Each report consists of an update on the political and tribal affairs of the statelets that make up the Eastern Aden Protectorate, including:the Qu'aiti State of Shihr and Mukalla;the Kathiri State of Seiyun;the Mahri Sultanate of Qishn and Sokotra;the Wahidi Sultanate of Bir Ali and Balihaf;the Shaikhdom of Irqa and Haura;the Indeterminate Area.News from neighbouring countries such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the Western Aden Protectorate was also sometimes included.From April 1942 the reports expand and include important summarised information on finances, education, medical matters, food security, shipping, military and naval matters, agriculture and fisheries, meteorology, internal security, the effects of the war, and slavery.Most likely due to shortages of paper during the war, the reports are sometimes printed on the back of old documents and maps, including a map of Britain and Europe showing an idealised interpretation of Britain's targets and progress in the Second World War. The title ('Britain - The Spear of Attack') and labels are written in Arabic. There is also a page of text referring to a map of shipping routes (not present) and promoting the work of the Royal Navy and its allies. It is likely these were used as propaganda to garner support in the Arab Middle East.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 286; 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.
176. File 1711/1920 'Mesopotamia: General Circulars. - 1920'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises copies of ‘Civil Administration of Iraq, General Circulars’. These are weekly compilations of general circular letters and notifications produced by, or relative to, the Civil Administration of Iraq. The copies were sent by the Office of the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, to the India Office and the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India, from 7 January (issue No. 1) to 1 November 1920 (issue No. 44). Issue Nos. 20, 22, and 23 are not present in the volume.Generally, each publication is divided into three parts. The first part relates to personnel matters within the Administration, such as appointments, dismissals, leave, examinations, and honours and promotions. The second part concerns recent notifications, circulars, and General Routine Orders (GROs) which cover a wide range of subjects connected to the Administration of Iraq, including finance, health, politics, veterinary science, transport, local (often distinguished as Arab and Kurdish) levies and gendarmeries, utilities, rationing, and numerous other miscellaneous matters. The third part consists of annexures usually directly related to the first two parts and often including tabulated lists of maps.Notable within the volume are the following documents:A copy of a letter from the India Office to the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, requesting a report on armed resistance to British occupation in Mesopotamia as mentioned in a recent General Circular (f 218)A genealogical table of the Shammar tribe of Central Arabia (f 161)A small booklet entitled ‘Note on Trees and Shrubs in Baghdad’ by the Director of Agriculture, Baghdad, dated 1920 (ff 96-102)A leaflet published by the British Museum (Natural History) entitled Directions for Preparing Small Mammal Skins, dated 1920 (f 85)Transcripts of debates on Mesopotamia held in the House of Commons and the House of Lords (ff 60-77)A leaflet entitled ‘Agricultural Leaflet No. 5: Flower Gardens in Mesopotamia’ (f 19).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 inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 294; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: There are multiple intermittent pagination sequences.
177. File 4722/1918 Pt 3 'Mesopotamia: Future Constitution (Question of further announcement of British intentions) (Transfer of Dep[artmen]ts to Civil Administration)'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume consists of drafts, copies, and originals of correspondence, memoranda, minutes, and notes relating to the British administration in and future constitution of Mesopotamia [present-day Iraq]. The volume covers British concern about increasing resistance to their presence in the country following the promises made by the Anglo-French Declaration of November 1918.Several matters are covered by the volume, including the following:The transition from a military to a civil administration in the countryThe future constitution of an independent Iraqi stateThe wording and timing of public announcements to be made about British intentions in the countryThe division of Mesopotamia into ‘tribal’, ‘rural’ and municipal districts under limited governing councilsThe announcement and drafting of the British mandate in MesopotamiaThe organisation and outcomes of inter-departmental conferences on Mesopotamia’s futureThe findings and proposals of the Bonham-Carter Committee regarding Mesopotamia’s constitutionBritain’s wider regional policyThe question of how the Kurds might fit into the future Iraq state.The principal correspondents are the following: the Foreign Office; the War Office; Arnold Talbot Wilson, Acting Civil Commissioner for Mesopotamia; and the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India. Other correspondence, included as enclosures, comes from political and military officers from across Mesopotamia and the wider region.Of note within the volume (folios 235-46) is a translated copy of an article written by Mohammed Roshide Riza [Al-Sayyid Muḥammad Rashīd Riḍā], a prominent Islamic scholar and reformist, entitled ‘Political Aspirations of the Arabs and the Moslem [Muslim] World’, dated 25 June 1919.The French language material consists of a draft copy of the French and British mandates in Syria and Mesopotamia respectively.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 297; 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 in parallel between ff 2-297; 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.
178. British Agents
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains correspondence relating to the employment and activities of British Agents responsible to the Persian Gulf Residency at Bushire. The correspondents include: Felix Jones, British Resident at Bushire; the Government of Bombay; Captain Christopher Palmer Rigby, British Consul and Agent at Zanzibar; Syed Thuweynee [Thuwaynī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd], Sultan of Muscat; the British Agency at Muscat; Commanders of the Persian Gulf Naval Squadron; the British Agency at Sharjah; the British Agency at Shiraz; Prince Tahmasp, Governor of Fars; Charles Murray (later Charles Alison), British Minister at Tehran; and Lieutenant R W Whish, Commander of the Mahi.The volume is organised into sections, each relating to a different topic, as follows:Subject 1: Relates to the British Agent at Muscat, covering the following matters:the dismissal of Heskael bin Yusuf as Agent due to lack of communication and inefficiency;the appointment by Jones of Henry Chester as Agent, and his subsequent removal because of the need for officers of his rank in the navy;the argument, put forward by Jones, for the need for a British-born agent at Muscat because of the sensitive political situation (the political split between Zanzibar and Muscat), a new telegraph station at Muscat that requires the expertise to operate, the slave traffic in Oman, and the growing influence of foreign powers (France) in the country;the appointment of William Pengelley as Political Agent at Muscat.The section contains (folios 24-32) detailed instructions for new agents at Muscat and a discussion of the protection to be given to banyans (Indian traders) in the region and the extent of British jurisdiction.Subject 2: relates to friction and disagreement between Jones and Hormuzd Rassam, appointed temporarily as British Agent at Muscat, caused by the former communicating directly with the Sultan of Muscat and the latter considering himself under the authority of the Residency at Aden, not Bushire.Subject 3: relates to Hajee Yacoob [Ḥājī Ya‘qūb], British Agent at Shargah [Sharjah], including praise and reward for his good service, and compensation paid to the family of Hajee el-Mir [Ḥājī al-Mīr], a munshi who drowned off Sharjah and was employed at the Agency.Subject 4: also relates to Ḥājī Ya‘qūb, specifically the transferral of a boat in store at Bassadore [Bāsaʻīdū] to Sharjah for the use of the Agent.Subject 5: relates to the position of British Agent at Shiraz after the Anglo-Persian War. Matters covered include:the re-appointment of Meerza Mahomed Hussun Khan [Mīrza Moḥamad Ḥasan Khān] as agent by Jones and his subsequent dismissal in favour of Hajee Mahomed Khuleel [Ḥājī Moḥamad Khalīl], who had been appointed by Charles Augustus Murray, British Minister at Tehran;the disagreement between Jones and Murray following these events;the routes of communication with India to be used and whether, if Shiraz is bypassed, to retain an agent there.Subject 6: relates to the resignation of Ḥājī Moḥamad Khalīl as agent at Shiraz and a cholera epidemic affecting the city.Subject 7: relates to the appointment of E N Castelli as British Agent at Shiraz, his retirement shortly afterwards, and the re-appointment of Moḥamad Ḥasan Khān. Also briefly covers Charles Murray's return to Europe on sick leave.Subject 8: consists of correspondence between the Resident at Bushire and Castelli, Agent at Shiraz, on miscellaneous topics, including the case of a Persian merchant in Bombay, naturalised as a British subject, seeking legal protection in Persia, and the death of Mirza Mahomed Ali Khan [Mīrza Moḥamad ‘Ali Khān] Nawabi Hindi.Subject 9: relates to the work of several munshis employed by the British Government, including:interpreter Meerza Mahomed Jawad [Mīrza Moḥamad Jawād] joins a mission to Muskat [Muscat];praise for the work of Abdool Kurrem [‘Abdul Karīm];Abdool Cassim [‘Abdul Qāsim] transferred from the Cliveto the Aucklandto be appointed the Commodore's munshi.Subject 10: relates to a claim by Khulfan Rattonsee on the estate of the deceased brother of Moolla Ahmed [Mullā Aḥmad], British Agent at Lingah and complaints made about former Muscat Agent, Hezkiel.Subject 11: relates to leave granted to Khodadad bin Mahomed [Khudādād bin Moḥamad], Slave Agent at Bāsaʻīdū, in order to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca.Physical description: Foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio of writing, on number 2, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 303. There are the following irregularities: f 55 is followed by f 55A; f 90 is followed by f 90A; f 106 is followed by ff 106A-B; f 158 is followed by f 158A; f 162 is followed by f 162A; f 195 is followed f 195A; f 207 is followed by f 207A; f 218 is followed by f 218A; f 237 is followed by f 237A; f 238 is followed by f 238A; f 255 is followed by f 255A; f 267 is followed by f 267A; f 278 is followed by f 278A; f 280 is followed by f 280A; f 286 is followed by f 286A.
179. Ext 5000/41(3) 'Persia - General Situation (Sept. & Oct. 1941)'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, and notes, relating to situation in Persia [Iran] following the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in August 1941.The discussion in the volume relates to the measures taken by Britain in consultation with the United States of America and the Soviet Union to form a regime in Persia that was aligned with British war aims. Correspondence discusses the need to remove the Shah who was 'hand in glove with the Germans' and implement some form of 'constitutional government' (see folio 232).Further discussion surrounds the temporary nature of these measures and guarantees to restore full sovereignty to Iran after the war, in the same way as other 'small nations'.Issues discussed include:Raids by tribesmenPrice of kerosene and staples such as breadUnrest in KurdistanStipulations of the Persian constitutionThe UK relationship with MoscowInstallation of the new Shah and arrangements for exile of the old ShahBritish policy towards administration of government in Persia.The file features the following principal correspondents: the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; the British Consul, Kermanshah (John Francis Robert Vaughan-Russell); HM Minister, Tehran (Sir Reader William Bullard).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 233; 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 1-232; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
180. Zanzibar, Muscat, Persia and Arabia
- Description:
- Abstract: Six memoranda pertaining to British handling of relations between Muscat, Zanzibar, and Persia. The authors are all connected to the India Office, in London, mostly members of the Council of India. Some seem to be written independently, others in response to earlier memoranda. All documents cover some or all of the following matters:The $40,000 annual subsidy that Muscat receives from Zanzibar;The murder of Thuwaynī bin Sa‘īd Āl Sa‘īd, Sultan of Muscat, by his son, Sālim bin Thuwaynī Āl Sa‘īd, who subsequently made himself Sultan;The East African slave trade;Persia's ambitions for a naval presence in the Persian Gulf;Measures to police the Gulf;The lease of Bandar Abbas from Persia by Muscat;How the region should be administered: to what authority - Foreign Office or Government of India - are the various offices responsible to.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation for this description commences at f 18, and terminates at f 46, 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 between ff 18-46; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and won't be found in the same position as the main sequence.