Abstract: The volume contains letters and reports related to tribal disturbances at Sur. The correspondence is mainly concerned with the issue of the Amirs of Ja'alan [Emirs of Ja'lan] Bani Bu Ali rebelling against the Sultan of Muscat and Oman and claiming the following rights: to rule over Sur, to pay no customs taxes, to interfere with the affairs of the tribes of Sur by force, and to establish their own customs in the village of Aiqa [Al ‘Ayjah].The volume also includes correspondence regarding the following: petitions raised by the Sur Hindu traders; the settlement of the account of a Chinese merchant; the death of one of the Amirs of Ja'alan, Shaikh Muhammad bin Nasir Al Hamudah, on 4 February 1929; and the visit of Sa‘id bin Taymur al Bu Sa‘idi to Sur to settle the problems there.The volume also includes: copies of questionnaires related to Sur; a list of the estimated expenses of the Muscat Levy; various reports on Sur; and reports regarding the building of two customs posts- one at Aiqa and one at Muqrimatain [or Maqrumtain], Sur.The main correspondents in the volume are the following: the Political Agent, Muscat; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire; the Government of Muscat and Oman; and the Amirs of Ja'alan.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 340; these numbers are printed, 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 3-338; 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 A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers.
Abstract: This file contains detailed tabulated trade reports (largely in Arabic) for the port of Kuwait for the year 1920-21. Expanded trade records are recorded on large folded sheets that organise the trade records according to method of transport (steam versus sailing ship), ports of origin, commodity, quantity, and value in rupees. Most of the trade tables record imports but a few also record exports from Kuwait. The few letters that precede the records pertain to an exchange between the Ruler of Kuwait, Ahmed Al Jabir Al Sabah [Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ], and the Political Agent in Kuwait.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 97; 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 2-96; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This file concerns the position of Director-General of Customs, in the Government of Muscat and Oman. The correspondence covers the following: the return from leave of the current occupant of the position, M A Rashid (in post since 1946, on deputation from the Government of British India, now the Government of Pakistan); the possibility of Rashid's period of deputation being extended; rumours that the Sultan of Muscat and Oman wishes to re-employ Rashid's predecessor, Maqbul Hussain.The file's principal correspondents are the following: the Political Agent and Consul, Muscat; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Muscat; the Government of Pakistan's Customs House, Karachi.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 12; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This file follows on from the previous file [IOR/R/15/6/205] in subject matter. It documents actions taken and considered by the Government of Muscat and Oman (with military assistance from the British Government) in order to assert its authority over the coastal town of Sur and the surrounding area, including Aiqa [Al ‘Ayjah], a village inhabited by members of the Bani Bu Ali [Banī Bū ‘Alī] tribe.The file primarily concerns customs control, and the correspondence discusses at length a dispute between the Sultan of Muscat and Oman [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd] and the Shaikh of Aiqa, Ali bin Abdullah Al Hamudah, regarding the Government's attempts to establish a customs post in the village. Notable correspondents include the following: the Political Agent and Consul, Muscat; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Commanding Officer at Air Headquarters, Iraq Command; the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf; Captain Reginald George Evelyn William Alban, Financial Adviser to the Government of Muscat and Oman; the Sultan of Muscat and Oman; Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Hamudah.The correspondence covers the following: preparations for combined 'punitive operations' (i.e. the naval bombardment of Aiqa's fort and the aerial bombardment of Ja'alan by the Royal Navy and RAF respectively) in the event of Shaikh Ali's refusal to comply with the Sultan's demands; contributions made by the Government of Muscat and Oman towards expenses incurred by the RAF during its recent aerial reconnaissance of the area; a meeting between the Political Agent and Shaikh Ali at Sur on 17 February 1933; the terms offered by the Sultan to Shaikh Ali.Also included in the file is a brief report entitled 'Instructions regarding the Control of Operations including the Employment of Air Forces on the North-West Frontier of India', dated 1 August 1931 and produced by the Government of India (ff 68-72).The Arabic language material mainly consists of correspondence between the Political Agent, Shaikh Ali, and the Sultan of Muscat (English translations are present in almost all cases).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 266; 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 relates to the appointment of Mehta, who had previously acted as Agent for British India Steam Navigation (BISN) at Dibai [Dubai], to a position in the Hamalbashi Branch of the Customs at Shargah [Sharjah], responsible for the collection of customs revenue, and ensuring the correct quantity and condition of all merchandise arriving by sea and subject to customs duty, at a salary of 15% of net income from customs. The position is also referred to in the papers as 'Financial Adviser to the Sheikh of Sharjah'. The papers consist of correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Office of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, January-February 1933, together with copies of earlier correspondence on the subject dated November-December 1932.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 9; 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 2-8; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This file concerns a request from the Sultan of Muscat and Oman [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd] for the services of a Government of India customs officer. The correspondence covers requirements for the role, terms of service, the sourcing of potential candidates, and the deputation of Mohammed (also spelled as Mohammad and Mahomed in the correspondence) Ismail Rajabdin, an appraiser at Customs House, Karachi, as Director of Customs for the Government of Muscat and Oman, in April 1939, for a period of three years.Also discussed are the following: the question of whether Mohammed Ismail's contract should be extended after the initial period of three years; Mohammed Ismail's resignation in January 1942; the Sultan's decision to hand responsibilities for customs to the Government of Muscat and Oman's Finance Officer.The file's principal correspondents are the following: the Political Agent and Consul, Muscat; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Sultan of Muscat and Oman; the Government of Muscat and Oman's Director of Customs; officials of the Government of India's External Affairs Department.The Arabic language material consists of correspondence between the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat, and representatives of the Government of Muscat and Oman, including the Sultan of Muscat and Oman (English translations are included in almost all cases). The file's contents date from 1939 to 1942, apart from three brief notes at the rear of the file, which are dated January 1948.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 59; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This file relates to landing contractors at Muscat. The correspondence concerns the question of whether goods transhipped in Muscat harbour should be subject to landing charges. It follows a complaint from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company regarding charges incurred for transhipping aviation petrol at Muscat.Notable correspondents include the following: the Political Agent and Consul, Muscat; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company; the Sultan of Muscat and Oman [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd]; the Government of Muscat and Oman's Director of Customs.The Arabic language material consists of letterheads on two letters from Messrs Khan Bahadur Nassib bin Mahomed and Son.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 20; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: In order to enhance the revenues of the Muscat State there was an attempt to establish a customs post at Aiqa near Sur. Correspondence discusses how the Bani Bu Ali embarrassed the Political Agent, Trenchard Craven Fowle and the President of the Council of State, Saiyid Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr]; this led to censure of the Officiating Political Agent, Trenchard Craven Fowle and Captain Reginald George Alban for taking unnecessary action.Hugh Vincent Biscoe made representations on behalf of the Officiating Political Resident, Trenchard Craven Fowle, to the Foreign Secretary of the Government of India; Biscoe received confirmation that Fowle was exonerated of blame and that concerning the error of judgement of Captain Reginald George Alban no further action was required.Correspondents are Evelyn Berkeley Howell, Foreign Secretary to the Government of India; Hugh Vincent Biscoe, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; Officiating Political Resident, Major Trenchard Craven Fowle.Physical description: The foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Foliation errors: 1 and 1A
Abstract: This file contains miscellaneous demi-official correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain and the British Political Resident at Bushire, as well as with the British Political Agent at Kuwait and Sheikh ‘Īsā bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah.This correspondence concerns various issues related to Bahrain affairs and the British Political Agent's interactions with Sheikh ‘Īsā bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah and the Sheikh Qāsim bin Mahzā’, Qāḍī of Bahrain. In addition, issues covered within this correspondence include the subject of slavery; the appointment of Inam ul Hakk; Captain Francis Beville Prideaux's archaeological interests; the visit to Bahrain of George Ambrose Lloyd, Honorary attaché of the Embassy of Constantinople, in 1907; and British compensation claims against Turkey following the First World War.Physical description: Foliation: There are two foliation sequences. The first sequence, which is circled in crayon, is incomplete. The second sequence, which is written in pencil in the top right corner, begins on number 1, on the first letter, and runs through to 21, ending on the inside of the back cover of the file.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence between Stuart George Knox and David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer, British Political Agents at Bahrain, and Percy Zachariah Cox and Richard Lockington Birdwood of the British Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, as well as with Sheikh ‘Īsā bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain. In addition, included within the file are office notes of various conversations between the Political Agent with the ruler of Bahrain and Seth Rao Sahib Tirathdas Maharaj, Director of Customs at Bahrain.The correspondence and notes concern Turkish customs regulations at the Eastern Arabian ports of al-Qaṭīf and al-‘Uqayr pertaining to the landing and levying of duty on Bahraini and non-Bahraini goods, and the system of issuing cargo certificates. Included in this file are two examples of stamped cargo certificates in Arabic (f. 6 and f. 7).Physical description: Foliation: Foliation starts on file cover and terminates on the final folio before the back cover. Foliation is in pencil in circled numbers in top right of recto.
Abstract: The file concerns the abduction from Dilam [Bandar-e Deylam] in Persia to Koweit [Kuwait] of two Persian customs guards by the crew of a Persian dhow. The nakhoda of the dhow feared punishment after his cargo was judged to be contraband by the Persian authorities, and so fled to Kuwait, with the customs guards on board and under arrest. When in Kuwait, the Shaikh of Kuwait [Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ] banished the nakhoda and his boat from Kuwait in perpetuity.The papers include a statement made by the nakhoda of the dhow (folio 14) and correspondence from various British officials, including the Foreign Office, as to what attitude the British should adopt, should a complaint be made about the incident by the Persian Government.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 front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 15; 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 concerns reports of interference with Kuwaiti dhows by Iranian (also referred to as Persian) customs and naval authorities. The papers contain witness statements, letters of protest by the Shaikh of Koweit [Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, Ruler of Kuwait], reports, discussion of the incidents by British officials, and representations by HM Minister at Tehran (later HM Ambassador, Tehran) to the Government of Iran.The papers concern four main incidents:The arrest of the nakhoda of a Kuwaiti dhow at Kharaj (also referred to as Kharg) Island [Jazīreh-ye Khārk], February 1934 - March 1937 (folios 160-178).The firing on a Kuwaiti dhow by an Iranian launch, near Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh], June 1936 - March 1937 (folios 132-158).The seizure of a Kuwaiti dhow by Iranian customs authorities at Qusbeh [Qoşbeh-ye Manī‘āt], February - April 1937 (folios 64-130).The seizure near Lingah of a Kuwaiti dhow (the
Furat)outside Iranian territorial waters, by an Iranian naval sloop, thought to be HIMS
Babr, February - May 1937 (folios 5-62).Folios 72-110 consist of later correspondence, dated April 1947 - February 1948, also on the subject of interference by Iranian naval vessels with Kuwaiti dhows, which has been misfiled. A note on folio 3 states that the file 'seems to have got out of order'.The file also contains significant correspondence from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent, Kuwait; and the British Consul, Kerman.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 180; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.