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49. ‘File 13/14 Customs exemption for Imperial Airways aircraft’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file’s contents relate to a request from Imperial Airways Limited for a change in the level of customs duty payable on goods brought into Bahrain by their aircraft, which, they argue, is unreasonably high. The principal correspondents in the file are unnamed representatives of Imperial Airways Limited, the Bahrain Political Agent, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, and the Political Resident, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard William Craven Fowle.The first part of the file is chiefly comprised of correspondence from Imperial Airways Limited (ff 3-10), who raise an objection to the high rates of duty paid on air freight at Bahrain, and recommending an adjusted duty based on the declared value of the goods plus a third of the air freightage. The second part of the file comprises discussion between the Bahrain Political Agent and Political Resident, in concert with officials from the India Office and Air Ministry, on the Imperial Airways request. Reference is made to the ruler of Bahrain, Sheikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah’s assent to the change (f 31). The file includes a copy of an official notice from the Customs House in Bahrain, dated 14 July 1934, announcing the agreed changes to the air freight customs duty at Bahrain (f 29).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present between ff 3-32; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
50. 'File 61/11 V (D 95) Hejaz - Nejd, Miscellaneous'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams, and memoranda relating to the Hejaz and Najd. Much of the correspondence is from the British Legation in Jeddah, with regular reports on the situation in that region sent to Sir John Simon, the Foreign Secretary in London. The rest of the correspondence is mostly between the Political Residency in Bushire, the Political Agencies in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Muscat, the Colonial Office, and the Government of India.The main subjects of the volume are:the change in name from 'The Kingdom of the Hejaz-Nejd and its Dependencies' to 'The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia';the announcement of Ibn Sa'ud's eldest son, Prince Sa'ud, as the heir apparent to the throne;the territorial dispute between Yemen and Saudi Arabia after the latter's absorption of the 'Asir region into its kingdom.A copy of the 23 September 1932 issue of the newspaper Umm al-Qurais contained in the volume (folios 57-58). It features the Royal Order proclaiming the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Other miscellaneous subjects covered in the volume include:relations between Italy and Saudi Arabia;a dispute between Ibn Sa'ud and his agent in Bahrain, al-Quasaibi [‘Abd al-‘Azīz al-Qusaibi], over a debt the former owes the latter;a revolt against Ibn Sa'ud by tribes loyal to ex-King Hussein coming from Sinai;a request for a loan made by Ibn Sa'ud to the British Government;relations between the Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia;relations between the USA and Saudi Arabia, including the visit of a Mr Gallant looking for oil concessions;concessions for the building of the railway between Mecca and Jeddah;the prospect of Saudi Arabia joining the League of Nations;the case of two slave girls seeking refuge at the British Legation in Jeddah.Other documents of note contained in the volume are:a copy of a new customs tariff for Saudi Arabia (folios 122-134)a 'Who's Who' of Saudi Arabia, produced by the British Legation in Jeddah and covering all those deemed important to know by the British (folios 183-200);an envelope containing the torn-out pages of an article in the International Affairsjournal (Vol. 12, No. 4, Jul., 1933, pp 518-534) entitled 'Ibn Sa'ud and the Future of Arabia.'At the back of the volume (folios 245-251) are internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio and continues to the inside back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, circled and located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Note that following f 1 are folios 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D. The sequence then continues as normal from folio 2. There are two other foliation systems present but both are inconsistent and neither are circled.
51. 'File 61/11 VIII (D 148) Nejd-Hejaz: Miscellaneous'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams, reports, and newspaper cuttings relating to Saudi Arabia. Much of the correspondence is made up of regular reports sent from the British Legation in Jeddah to the Foreign Office in London. The remaining correspondence is between the two aforementioned places and also: the Political Residency in Bushire, the Political Agencies in Bahrain and Kuwait, the India Office in London, the Government of India, Ibn Sa'ud, and Neville Chamberlain, the Prime Minister.There are a range of subjects covered in the volume, including:Saudi Arabian foreign relations, specifically with Egypt, Yemen, Turkey, and Britain;a new customs tariff and the reduction of imports into the Kingdom;Saudi Arabian concerns about the situation in Palestine;the internal financial situation;the acitivities of the Saudi Arabia Mining Syndicate;the prospect of Yemen signing the Treaty of Arab Brotherhood and Alliance;Anglo-Italian relations, including Italian propoganda in the region;religious policing in the country;a visit to Ibn Sa'ud in Riyadh by Harold Dickson, the Political Agent in Kuwait, and the negative reaction to it in the Arab Press;the restoration of the Hejaz Railway;discontent with Saudi rule in the Hejaz due to preceived financial exploitation, including details of the Egyptian-based group 'The Friends of Hejaz';the death of Ibn Sa'ud's nephew Emir Khalid ibn Mohammed in a car accident;new regulations for foreigners living in Saudi Arabia;the deterioration of Ibn Sa'ud's health.Notable in the volume is a report (folios 87-95) on an interview with Ibn Sa'ud by Reader Bullard, the British Minister in Jeddah at the time, a revised report (folios 135-136) on the heads of foreign missions in Jeddah, and the letter exchange (folios 165, 171-180) between Ibn Sa'ud and Neville Chamberlain.Physical description: Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio and continues through to the inside back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, circled and located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The only irregularities are the first four folios that run 1A through to 1D, then continuing as normal from 2.
52. 'File 4/9 II Anglo-Kuwait Relations (including Customs Duty for British Subjects)'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file contains correspondence between British officials (primarily between the Political Agent in Kuwait, Major Tom Hickinbotham and the Political Resident, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior) regarding the rate at which British merchants active in Kuwait were liable to pay customs dues in the country. This correspondence also discusses broader issues related to customs dues and the British presence in Kuwait.The majority of the correspondence is between British officials but the file also contains a limited amount of correspondence between the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah and the Political Agency in Kuwait that is in Arabic (accompanied by English translations).The file also contains a small amount of correspondence concerning the entry requirements (into Kuwait) for nationals of Syria, Lebanon and Egypt (folios 42-44).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 49; 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 2-41; 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.
53. 'File 8/60 MUSCAT STATE AFFAIRS: MUSSANNAH AND YAL SA'AD.'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file relates to the Yal Sa`ad [Yāl Sa‘d], a tribe based on the Batinah coast. The correspondence discusses the reported resistance of Yal Sa`ad tribesmen to the establishment of customs houses in the area. It also discusses reported smuggling and slave trafficking by the tribe, and the grounds for British intervention on behalf of the Muscat Government. Relates matters covered in the correspondence include the following: reported attacks on the coastal town of Masnaah [Mussannah] by Yal Sa`ad tribesmen, in opposition to the construction of customs buildings there; reports of the Yal Sa`ad having engaged in slave trading on the Batinah coast; the issuing of ultimatums by the Muscat Council of Ministers (with British support) to the Yal Sa`ad shaikhs at Wudam and Khadhra; the intensive bombardment of Khadra and other villages by Royal Navy ships, along with the capture and burning of several dhows, during October and November 1922, in an effort to force the submission of the Yal Sa`ad.Notable correspondents include the following: the Political Agent and Consul, Muscat; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf; the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India; the Sultan of Muscat and Oman, Taimur bin Faisal [Taymūr bin Fayṣal bin Turkī Āl Bū Sa‘īd].All of the material is dated between 1920 and 1923, with the exception of a letter at the end of the file from the Political Agent to the Political Resident, which is dated 8 September 1925 and reports on recent events at Swaiq [As Suwayq].The Arabic language material consists of several items of correspondence (English translations are included).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 133; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
54. 'File 8/9 FINANCE REVENUE & TAXES. CUSTOMS TARIFF 1932-1939'
- Description:
- Abstract: This volume relates to the finances of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. The correspondence is primarily concerned with the Sultanate's customs tariffs. It features extensive discussion between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat and officials of the India Office, Foreign Office, Dominions Office, Government of India, and the Board of Trade on the following related matters: Muscat's existing treaties with the United States and France (dated 1833 and 1844 respectively), and the advisability of these treaties – or at least their commercial clauses – being modified or denounced by the Sultan; the case for increasing customs import duties on certain goods (e.g. tobacco and alcohol), in an effort to increase revenue and restore the stability of the Sultanate's finances, and the likely effects that such an action would have on trade; the threshold (based on alcoholic content) to be used for identifying which alcoholic drinks should be subject to the proposed customs duty increase for alcohol, and the difficulty in translating the technical phrase 'under proof' into Arabic; the efforts of the British Government to secure the agreements of the Sultanate's other treaty partners (namely Canada, the Irish Free State, and France) regarding the proposed customs duty increase.The French language material consists of letters from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the British representative in Paris. The Arabic language material mainly consists of letters between British representatives and the Sultan of Muscat and Oman, most of which include English translations.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 374; 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.
55. The Suggestion of the Political Agent in Turkish Arabia of Increasing the Duty Levied at Bussorah on the Export of Horses
- Description:
- Abstract: This part of the volume consists of copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 124 of 1846, dated 29 October 1846.The enclosures, numbered 3-8 and dated 16 to 29 October 1846, consist of:Minutes of the Governor of Bombay and the Civil Members of the Board, regarding the suggestion made by the Political Agent in Turkish Arabia [Ottoman Iraq], Major Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, in a despatch to HM Ambassador at Constantinople [Istanbul], of increasing the duty levied on horses exported from Bussorah [Basra]A letter from the Secretary to Government of Bombay, Arthur Malet, to the Secretary to the Government of India with the Governor-General, Frederick Currie, forwarding copies of these minutes for submission to the Governor-General.Physical description: 1 item (9 folios)
56. Affairs at Aden and Within its Vicinity, and at Hodeida
- Description:
- Abstract: This part of the volume consists of copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 4 of 1853, dated 13 January 1853. The enclosures are numbered 3-9. Enclosure numbers 3-6 are dated 12 December 1852 to 5 January 1853.Enclosure numbers 3 and 5 consist of two letters from the Political Agent at Aden, Captain Stafford Bettesworth Haines, to the Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay. The letters report:The state of affairs at Aden and within its vicinity, including an incident in which a 'marauding party' of forty men of the Subiee [aṣ-Ṣubayḥī] 'tribe' attacked a kafila [caravan] of camels and plundered the goods it was carryingActions taken by Haines in response to complaints from merchants at Hodeida [Al Hudaydah] claiming British protection that they had been treated unjustly by the Turkish [Ottoman] government of Hodeida in relation to increased customs dues, and in being forcibly removed from their houses so that Turkish soldiers could be accommodated in them.Enclosure number 5 includes enclosed copies of correspondence between Haines and the Senior Naval Officer at Aden, Charles William Montrion, and correspondence between other Indian Navy officers.Enclosures 4 and 6 are minutes by the Governor of Bombay, directing that copies of Haines's letters be sent to the Government of India and the Secret Committee, and approving of Haines's reported actions.Numbers 7-9, listed in the abstract of contents as copies of the Bombay Overland Times, the Bombay Overland Telegraph & Courier, and the Bombay Overland Gazettenewspapers dated 13 January 1853, are noted as missing.Physical description: There is an abstract of contents of the despatch, numbered 1-9, on folio 48. These numbers are repeated for reference on the verso of the last folio of each enclosure.
57. Coll 30/74 'Bahrain: Qn. of customs duty to be charged on goods imported by air into Bahrain.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file concerns a request to the Political Agent, Bahrain from Imperial Airways Limited (made through their agents, Mesopotamia Persia Corporation Limited, Bahrain) for a reduction in customs duty charged on the c.i.f. (cost, insurance, and freight) value of goods imported by them into Bahrain. The issue arose from the company's contention that the cost of air freight was in most cases out of all proportion to the value of the goods. The papers show that there was initial resistance to the proposal from the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain, because Imperial Airways had not up to that point paid rent or landing fees for the use of Bahrain Aerodrome. However, agreement was reached in 1934 by the British authorities and the Government of Bahrain that the state should thereafter take into account only one-third of the cost of air freight in the assessment of customs duty on the value of imports.The abbreviation in the file title appears to stand for 'Question'.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 (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 26; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Condition: the top of portion of folio 3 has been torn off and is missing, entailing the loss of some (non-essential) text.
58. Coll 30/82 'Import duties charged by Sheikh of Koweit on goods arriving by sea.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file concerns various increases in import duty (from 4½% to 6½%) by the Shaikh of Kuwait on goods imported into Koweit [Kuwait] by sea, and the question of whether the increases should apply to British subjects. The increases are discussed against the background of the Bunder Shweikh lease of 1907 (copy, folios 44-60), which provided that the Sheikh should not collect duty on goods imported by British subjects at a rate in excess of 4%. The file includes correspondence from the Foreign Office, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, and Political Agent Kuwait. Agreement was reached that the 6½% increase of 1941 should also apply to British subjects and British-protected persons.The file contains some papers of an earlier date than the main date range: copy of the Bunder Shweikh lease dated 1907 (folios 44-60); extract from the report on the trade of Kuwait, 1932-33 (folio 43).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 first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 60; these numbers have been applied in ink with a hand stamp, 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.
59. Trade Reports on Bagdad and Bussora
- Description:
- Abstract: This item contains two trade reports compiled by Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad]:1. Tables displaying goods imported to Bagdad from Bussora [Basra], other parts of the Ottoman Empire, and Persia [Iran] and their approximate annual value in piastres.Attached are notes concerning import duties, exchange rates of gold and silver, the approximate customs revenue earned by the Pashaw [Büyük Sulaymān Pāshā, Governor of Baghdad], and the population of Bagdad.2. Tables displaying goods imported to Bussora from India, Mocha, Muscat, Bahreen [Bahrain] and Zibara [Zubarah], Bushire [Bushehr], Bagdad, and Aleppo, and their approximate annual value in piastres.Attached are notes concerning import duties, the approximate customs revenue earned by the Pashaw, and the population of Bussora.Physical description: 1 item (6 folios)
60. Letters and Enclosures etc., Received from Gombroon
- Description:
- Abstract: Two volumes containing a collection of letters and enclosures dispatched from Gombroon [Bandar-e ʻAbbas, also written as Gomroon] Factory to ‘the Court of Directors for affairs of the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies’. Almost every letter includes the date it was received overland, and the name of the ship it was received from. At some point these letters were assigned numbers from 2287 to 2385, in red (turned to purplish) ink. Any missing numbers in between indicate that the letter is missing. The letters cover a variety of issues and topics including:Reports on the activities of local Arab, Armenian, Ballooches [Baluch] and Persian [Iranian] merchants in the regionRecords of rogoms [raqams or ruqums, also written as rogomms: royal grants confirming specific trading privileges], and talligaws [ta‘liqa/ta‘lika: official order] granted or to be granted to the East India Company’s (EIC) establishments in Persia [Iran]The status of the wool trade at Carmenia [Kerman, also written as Carmania]Names of commodities traded with including: broadcloth, sugar candy, spices, copper, iron, cotton, coffee, wine, silk, pearl, wool, and riceRecords of the EIC’s servants in Persia covering their names, job titles, salaries, death, misbehaviours, complaints, and investigationsAccounts of Dutch, French, Portuguese and Russian [written as muscovite] activities in the regionAccounts of the Ophgoon [Afghan]-Persian war, covering details of the Ophgoons’ siege of Spahaun [Esfahan, also written as Spahaune] and Shyrash [Shiraz, also written as Shyrass], and their execution of members of the Safavid royal family, and state officialsRecords of famine, cannibalism and plague in PersiaAccounts from Spahaun and Carmenia factories, checked at GombroonGifts presented to Persian, Afghan and Ottoman officialsAfghan-British relationsThe Afghan-Ottoman warsThe Persian-Russian warsThe siege of Ormuz [Jazīreh-ye Hormoz, Iran] castle by the MuscatisCustoms imposed on English ships by Shaik Rachid at Bassidore [Shaikh Rashid al-Qasimi of Basidu, also written as Rachide, and Rushett]The dispute between the Factory officials and the Shawbunder [Shahbandar] of Gombroon over customsThe Shawbunder of Gombroon being assisted by the Arabs in his attempts to protect the port from the augwauns’ [Afghans’?] attacksA complaint about Cossum [Qasim], the wool merchant at CarmeniaCommunications with the Immaum of Muscat [Imam of Muscat, also written as Imaum of Muscatt].The volumes include detailed accounts of the state of affairs and inland military operations in a number of provinces in Persia including Tabreez [Tabriz], Hamadoon [Hamadan], Casbin [Qazvin], Tyroon [Tehran], and Yazd. Among the local governors and generals involved in the operations are Amanoolah Caun [Amanullah Khan, the Vizier of Esfahan, also written as Aumaunoolah and Amaunoolah], Mahomett Syed Sultan [Muhammad Sayyid Sultan, Governor of Gombroon], Mahmud Moman Caun [Mahmud Mu'min Khan, the Great Chancellor of the Kingdom of Persia], Alhamadaulet [E‘temad al-Dawla, Grand Vizier of Persia, also written as Athamadowlet], Shaw Sultan Hussain of Spahaun [Shah Sultan Husain Safavid], Shaw Mahmud [Shah Mahmud Hotak or Gilzi, Afghan Ruler of Gilzi dynasty], and Shaw Ashroff Sultan [Shah Ashraf Hotak or Gilzi, Afghan military commander, also written as Ashroph].The volumes contain records of letters from the Resident at Bussorah [Basra, also written as Bussorrah] covering the following: relations with Ottoman officials; letters received from the British Consull [Consul] at Allepo [Aleppo, also written as Alleppo]; the state of affairs in the region; the EIC’s sales and lists of goods; and communications with local merchants at Bagdatt [Baghdad] and Bussorah and lists of their names.The volumes also include detailed reports of the state of the Company’s trade in Persia covering the following: shipping; goods from and for Europe; the Factory’s accounts; customs and revenues; the trade of Persia in general; the EIC’s cash and exchanges; the private trade liberty and grievances of the EIC’s covenant servants.The volumes include records of the arrival and departure of ships, including the Syria, the Greenwich, the Phillipps[ Phillips], the Prince Frederick, the Britannia[also written as Brittania], the Marigold, the Margarett, the Deane, the Duke of York, and the Alleppo[ Aleppo]. Ships sailed mainly to and from Gombroon, Bombay [Mumbai], Surat [also written as Surratt], Bengall [Bengal], Bussorah, Boucheir [Bushehr], Cochin, Mocha, and Muscat.The volumes include some duplications, and some faded letters/enclosures.Physical description: Foliation: this file consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at f 1 of volume one (ff 1-131) and terminates at f 266 of volume two (ff 132-266); 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 intermittently present in parallel between ff 225-266; 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. The file contains four foliation anomalies: f 20a, f 20b, f 176a and f 176b.