1. ‘Persian Gulf. Reports upon the political treaties existing between the British Government and the neighbouring states on the Arabian coast and on the engagements for the suppression of the slave trade between the same parties.’

Description:

Abstract: This item consists of copies of correspondence, minutes, and consultations cited in, or enclosed with, a political letter from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai]. The correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; the Government of India; and Captain Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf.The item concerns a request by the Government of India for a report on the history of Britain’s relations with the states on the Arabian coast of the Persian Gulf, and the completion of this by Lieutenant Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Assistant Resident in the Persian Gulf. Kemball’s report was originally submitted with the political letter. The first part is included in this item, and the remainder can be found in IOR/F/4/2121/100025. An additional report on the territories belonging to the Imam of Muscat, produced by Captain Atkins Hamerton and also submitted with the political letter, is contained in IOR/F/4/2121/100026.This item contains the following sections of Kemball’s report:‘A memoir showing the nature and character of the political engagements existing between ‘the British Government and the Arabian Chiefs in the Persian Gulf’ (ff 95-109). This contains the following enclosures:‘Treaty entered into by Sir W Grant Keir with the Chiefs of the Arab Tribes in the year 1820’ [General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulf] (f 95)‘Neutral Ground and Restrictive Line or War Limit’ (f 96)‘Terms of a Maritime Truce for ten years agreed upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf, dated 1st June 1843’ (f 97).‘A similar memoir on the subject of the engagements which from time to time have been entered into between the British Government and these Chieftains for the suppression of the slave trade’ (ff 110-133). This contains the following enclosures, dating from August-September 1822:Requisitions made by Captain Fairfax Moresby to the Imam of Muscat [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd]; the English translation of the Arabic version of these requisitions and of the Imam’s answers; remarks by William Simson, Deputy Persian Secretary to Government, on the requisitions and answers; an additional requisition made by Captain Moresby, with a response by the Imam and a remark by Simson (ff 110-115).‘Copies of three treaties entered into by the British Government with His Highness the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat, on the 12th October 1798, 16 January 1800, and 31st May 1839’ (ff 134-141).The item contains a table of contents (ff 82-83), and the title page (f 81) contains the following references: ‘P C [Previous Communication] 5061, Coll. 5, Vol. 1’, ‘D/t 29/46’, ‘Collection No. 1 of No. 18’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 81 and terminates at f 143, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the volume also contains an original pagination sequence.

2. 'Book No. 102' [native letters inward]

Description:

Abstract: The volume contains full translations of some letters, and the translated substance of other letters addressed to the Resident in the Persian Gulf, the originals of which were in Arabic or Persian ['native letters inward'], for the year 1837.The correspondence falls mainly into two categories:(1) Letters from British Native Agents based at Bahrein [Bahrain], Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh], Muscat, Shargah [Sharjah], and Shiraz.(2) Letters from local rulers in the Persian Gulf. Those who figure most prominently include: Sultan bin Suggur [Sulṭān bin Saqr], Chief of Ras el Khymah [Ra's al-Khaymah]; Sheikh Abdollah bin Ahmed [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], Chief of Bahrein; Sheikh Kulufa bin Shakboot [Khalīfah bin Shakhbūt], Chief of Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi]; Sheikh Abdur Rahaman bin Suggur [‘Abd al-Rahman bin Saqr], Chief of Kishm [Qeshm]; Sheikh Maktoom [Maktūm bin Buṭṭī], Chief of Debay [Dubai]; Sheikh Nassir [Nāṣir], Governor of Bushire, and the Imam of Muscat [Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Sa‘īd].The correspondence concerns maritime peace and acts of piracy; trade; movements of East India Company naval vessels and other ships; the dispatch of correspondence; and local affairs, including the military operations in Nedg [Najd] of Shaikh Khalid [Khalid bin Saud] against Sheikh Fysul [Fayṣul, the Wahhabi Chief], with the assistance of Mahomed Ally Pasha [Muḥammad ‘Alī Pāshā], Ruler of Egypt, and the expedition of Sheikh Kulufa bin Shakboot against Adeed [Khor al-Udaid].Specific topics include:an approach by Sultan bin Suggur, Chief of Ras el Khymah, to renew the existing maritime truce [the Maritime Truce of 1835] (folios 27-28);news of the capture of Mombassa [Mombasa] by the Imam of Muscat (folio 29);news of the defeat of Sheikh Fysul in Nedg by Shaikh Khalid (folio 30);correspondence concerning the export of horses from Persia to Bombay, (folios 33-34);correspondence concerning Egyptian forces in Nedgd [Najd] (folios 34-36);reports submitted by the Agents at Bahrein and Shargah on the trade of those areas (folios 130-132).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 133, the last folio of the main run of text, but note that some text written in pencil also appears on the last folio before the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle and appear in the top right corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff 1, 1A, ff 93, 93A. This is the system used to determine the sequence of pages.Pagination: the volume also contains a pagination sequence, numbered 1-261, written in ink and latterly pencil (folios 2-132). The numbers appear in the top right corners of the rectos and top left corners of the versos.Condition: the volume has suffered some damage to the edges of pages, involving slight loss of text. However, the damage does not anywhere impair the sense of the text.

3. ‘Vol 37, 38, 40 Letters inward and outward’

Description:

Abstract: The volume contains a mix of inward and outward letters, received and sent from the Residency. Most of the letters are outward letters, sent by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Ephraim Gerrish Stannus, Resident in the Persian Gulf, to various representatives of the Government of Bombay.The letters in the volume fall into three main categories:Reports on events in the Gulf, primarily concerning the hostilities being waged and peace deals brokered between the various tribes. Intelligence on the activities of Rahma bin Jaber [Raḥmah bin Jābir] appear extensively throughout the volume;The financial administration of the Residency, including such matters as disbursements and bills of exchange, which are sent onwards to the Accountant General in Bombay;Letters confirming the receipt of despatches, or covering notes forwarded with onward despatches, often sent between Basra or Tehran and Bombay.Physical description: 1 volume in one slipcaseFoliation: The foliation system starts on the first page of content and runs to the last page of content, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The front cover, front fly-leaf, rear fly-leaf and inside back cover are unfoliated.There is an earlier, possibly original pagination system that runs inconsistently throughout the volume, located in either the top-right or top-left of recto and some verso pages. The inconsistency of this pagination sequence is likely a result of the volume being comprised of three original volumes (each with their own pagination sequences) being merged into one volume.

4. ‘Translation of a letter from His Highness the Imaum of Muscat to Major General Sir William Grant Keir K. M. T.’

Description:

Abstract: Translation of a letter from the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat (Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd) to Major-General Sir William Grant Keir, dated 10 Rabī‘ II 1235 [27 January 1820]. The letter communicates the Imaum’s conformity with the treaties signed between Britain and the Arab tribes of the Persian Gulf following the British expedition against the al-Qawasim and their allies, and offers the Arabs access to his ports to trade. The Imaum also expresses his willingness to provide any further assistance that Keir may require subject to his receiving instructions from Bombay [Mumbai].The letter was enclosed in Keirs’s letter to HM Chargé d’Affaires to Persia [Iran], Henry Willock, of 10 February 1820 (see IOR/L/PS/9/68/257).Physical description: 1 item (3 folios)

5. 'Translation of the General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulph'

Description:

Abstract: Translation of a copy of the General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulph [Persian Gulf], signed on 15 January 1820. The treaty was enclosed in Major-General Sir William Grant Keir’s letter to HM Chargé d'Affaires to Persia [Iran], Henry Willock, of January 1820 (see IOR/L/PS/9/68/232).Physical description: 1 item (6 folios)

6. Despatches Relating to Expeditions to the Persian Gulph, 1819-1821

Description:

Abstract: The volume comprises copies and extracts of correspondence, with enclosures, relating to the Persian Gulph [Persian Gulf] Expedition of 1819 against the Joasmees [al-Qāsimī] at Rasul Khyma [Ra's al-Khaymah, various spellings in this volume] who the British deemed guilty of acts of ‘piracy’ in the region. The correspondence is between the Government of Bombay [Mumbai], at Bombay Castle, and the Court of Directors in London.The volume broadly covers three subjects, as follows:1. The period April 1814 to November 1819, leading up to the expedition and during which acts of ‘piracy’ were being committed in the Persian Gulph and along the coasts of Scind [Sindh] and Cutch [Kutch]. Matters covered include:Reports of captured trade vessels, mostly from IndiaDeployment of British naval patrols and stations to protect trade between India and the GulphA visit by the Resident at Bushire [Būshehr], William Bruce, to Rasul Khyma, to remonstrate with the JoasmeesA visit by Captain Lock, Commander of the Eden, to Bahrein [Bahrain] to investigate reports of the sale of Indian and European women prisoners at the island, and a subsequent prisoner exchange.2. The 1819 expedition. Matters covered include:The background to the decision to send the expeditionPreparations for and objectives of the expeditionThe progress and eventual success of the expeditionThe signing of the 1820 General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian GulfDiscussion of what to do with the former possessions of the JoasmeesThe establishment of a political agency and naval station on the Island of Kishma [Qeshm].3. Two expeditions, in 1820 and 1821, against the Beni Boo Ali [Banī Bū ‘Alī, various spellings in this volume], inhabitants of Jalan province and nominally under the authority of the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd], for alleged acts of ‘piracy’ and for the murder of a member of the Imaum’s government. Matters covered include:The visit of Captain W S Collinson, Commander of the cruiser Mercury, to Alashkarah [al-Ashkarah, various spellings in this volume] to remonstrate with the Beni Boo Ali in September 1820, and during which the murder of the Imaum’s government official took placeThe preparations for, progress of, and eventual failure of the first expedition in late 1820The preparations for, progress of, and eventual success of the second expedition in early 1821.Other matters covered by the volume include:Affairs of Central Arabia, in particular those concerning the Wahabees [Wahabi] and the campaign of Ibrahim Pasha against themBritish efforts to enlist Ibrahim Pasha's cooperation with the campaign against Rasul Khyma, including Captain George Sadlier’s [Sadleir] journey across Arabia in order to deliver a letter and a gift to the PashaA visit by Captain E Pratt, Commander of the Fly, to the Curia Muria [Kuria Muria] Islands in January 1821 in search of shipwrecked 'Lascars' [non-European sailors, usually from the Indian subcontinent, in the employ of the British]Relations between Britain and Persia [Iran], specifically relating to Britain’s presence on the Island of Kishma.The second part of the volume comprises the enclosures referred to in the letters of the first part. These enclosures consist of letters, reports, and extracts of Proceedings of the Government of Bombay. Correspondents include: Major-General Lionel Smith, Commander of the Second Expedition against the Beni Boo Ali; Lieutenant J M Guy, Commander of East India Company Cruizer Psyche; Captain A Hardy, Commander of East India Company Cruizer Teignmouth; Lieutenant-General Charles Colville, Commander-in-Chief, Bombay Army; Shaik Sultan Ben Suggar [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī, various spellings in this volume]; Shaik Zeid Ben Seif [Shaikh Zayed bin Sayf bin Mohammed al-Falahi], Acting Ruler of Debay [Dubai]; George Swinton, Acting Secretary to the Governor-General of the Presidency of Bengal, Fort William; Captain Thomas Perronet Thompson (and his successors (acting), Captain Charles James Maillard and Captain H R Deschamps), Political Agent, Kishma; Captain Price Blackwood, Commander of HM Sloop Curlew.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 293; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The sequence contains one anomaly, f 177a.The volume includes multiple original pagination sequences.

7. Vol 27 Letters Outward

Description:

Abstract: A collection of letters outward by John MacLeod, Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, between 12 December 1822 and 1 September 1823. The majority of letters are sent to British officials at Basrah, Tehran and Tabriz, including Captain Robert Taylor and Major Henry Willock, and to British naval and military officers operating in the Persian Gulf, including Captain Frederick Faithfull and his successor, Captain Hardy. These letters cover a number of topics, including MacLeod's 1823 trip to the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf; procedures for enforcing the General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulf of 1820 following the withdrawal from Qishm; relations between Britain, Persia, the sheikhs of the Arabian littoral of the Gulf, Raḥmah bin Jābir al-Jalāhimah and the Imam of Muscat; construction works undertaken by the Arab shaikhs; and procedures for pilotage at the port of Bushire.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover with pencil numbers enclosed in circle in the front top right corner of each folio. An original pagination sequence 1-43 starts on folio 2 and consists of larger pencil numbers on top right of recto and top left of verso of each folio.Condition: There is some insect damage to the bottom right hand corner of the volume causing some of the text to be missing on the bottom right hand corner of the recto and the bottom left hand corner of the verso of the folios 1-7.

8. Vol 31: Letters Outward

Description:

Abstract: The volume consists of letters sent outwards from the office of the Resident in the Persian Gulf. The subject matter focuses on British relations with various powers in and around the Persian Gulf during 1823; more specifically, on enforcing the provisions of the General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulf (1820), and talk of an intended Persian invasion of Bahrain. It also outlines the outcome of a tour of the Arabian coast by John Macleod in January 1823.Other matters covered include the state of the Residency house at Bushire, and an investigation into William Bruce's involvement in the case of Muḥammad Nabī Khān, along with some limited reporting on the possibility of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān being removed from the position of Governor of Bushire by Prince Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mirzā.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences on the first page of text and continues through to the 3rd folio from the back of the volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: A pagination sequence also runs through the volume between ff 2-191; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the top outermost corners of each page.

9. Vol 35: Letters Outward

Description:

Abstract: The volume consists of letters sent out by Ephraim Gerrish Stannus, the Resident in the Persian Gulf, and James Pringle Riach, the officer placed in charge of the Bushire Residency during his absences; the Resident is required to make a number of trips to the Arabian Coast during the period covered by this volume.The subject matter covered includes political activity in Persia principally relating to Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān, the Shaikh of Bushire, and Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mirzā, the Prince at Shiraz; this includes some discussion concerning a possible Persian expedition to retake Bahrain, and the insecure position of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān at Bushire. The impact and consequences of an earthquake, which occurred at Shiraz are also reported.A great deal of correspondence is related to the Resident's role in enforcing the General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulf 1820, which aims to curb piracy in the Gulf. There is therefore a great deal of material relating to mediating a dispute between the dependants of Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Sa‘īd, the Imam of Muscat (principally Shaikh Ṭaḥnūn bin Shakhbūṭ Āl Nahyān), and Sulṭān bin Saqr. There is also some material concerning the arrangement of transportation for the Resident's trips to the Arabian coast.Captain William Owen's efforts to suppress the slave trade in East Africa are covered to a degree by the correspondence; the Captain's authorised declaration of a British Protectorate over Mombasa is reported, along with his threats against other dependencies of the Government of Oman (for example, Zanzibar). There is also a limited amount of material concerning the Imam of Muscat's threats to blockade the port of Basra.Physical description: Condition: The front cover of the volume is detached from the binding, which is itself in poor condition, and many sections are loose. Much of the body of the volume is in good condition, but care must be taken as some of the folios are very fragile.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The volume contains the following amendments to the foliation; 1, and 1A; 20, and 20A; 90, and 90A.Pagination: The volume contains an original pagination sequence written in ink between ff 2-140; these numbers are located in the top centre of each page.

10. Vol 36: Letters Inward

Description:

Abstract: The file consists of correspondence addressed to the Resident in the Persian Gulf, Ephraim Gerrish Stannus. The subject matter covered includes British trade in the Persian Gulf, the settling of disputes between signatories of the General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulf 1820, and the suppression of piracy; the Resident has the responsibility to enforce and maintain the treaty. Two other topics covered are the cession of Mombasa to the British Government, as a result of the actions of Captain William Owen, and the rights and privileges of the British at Basra.Physical description: Condition: The binding has been completely lost, and the body of the file is therefore loose. However, the folios themselves are in good condition.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The file contains the following foliation amendments; f 34, and f 34A.Pagination: An original incomplete pagination sequence written in ink can be found between ff 2-79; these numbers can be found in either the top right, or left corners of each page. Blank pages have not been paginated, and some gaps are present in the sequence.

11. Vol 29, 30, 32, 33: Letters Inward

Description:

Abstract: The volume consists of correspondence addressed to the Resident in the Persian Gulf in 1823. Initially, Captain John Macleod fills the role of Resident, but he is replaced following his death by Lieutenant-Colonel Ephraim Gerrish Stannus towards the end of the year. This file is made up of correspondence selected from four separate volumes and bound together in chronological order; it is far from a complete set.The content of the correspondence relates to British political relations in the Persian Gulf; more specifically, relations with Oman and Persia, along with matters related to the enforcement of the General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulf of 1820. It also concerns itself with the restoration of the Banī Bū ‘Alī tribe to their native territory, from which they were removed by a British Expedition against them in 1821.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the last folio of text (f 53); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: The volume contains original pagination in ink. However, it is inconsistent because the letters have been taken from separate volumes, then later combined in chronological order. The pagination therefore does not reflect the order of the present volume.

12. Persian Gulf Affairs

Description:

Abstract: This item comprises copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 77 of 1847, dated 4 September 1847. The enclosures are dated 26 July 1847 (although some internal copy documents date back to 1 April 1847).The primary documents are two letters from Lieutenant Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Acting Political Agent in Turkish Arabia and Consul in Baghdad, to the Secretary to the Government of India (via Bombay), enclosing his recent letters to Lord Cowley [Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley, known as Lord Cowley 1847-1857], HM Minister Plenipotentiary at Constantinople [Istanbul, Ottoman Empire], and related correspondence.The subjects covered notably include:Powers possessed by British cruisers to act against ‘piracy’ in the Persian Gulf under particular circumstances, including a summary of British relations with the Arab Maritime chiefs and the 1820 General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulf; the tacit endorsement of the Shah of Persia [Iran] and Governor of Fars of British policing of the Gulf against ‘lawlessness’ detrimentally affecting commercial traffic; and Hennell’s annoyance with Rawlinson for raising a point of international law with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs that could threaten the continuance of the policing policyThe activities of Turkish [Ottoman] functionaries in the Persian Gulf, notably a letter from Mahomed Khoorshid [Mehmed Hurshid Pasha], Governor of Bussorah [Basra], to Sheikh Mahomed bin Khuleefa, [Shaikh Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah, Shaikh of Bahrain], 1 April 1847, implying the submission of the latter’s ships to the Porte [Ottoman Empire]; and denial of such a policy by Nejib Pasha [Mehmed Necib Pasha also known as Muhammad Najib Pasha], Governor of BaghdadThe Porte’s instruction to Nejib Pasha to give up to British cruisers any enslaved people landed from Turkish vessels, and Kemball’s concerns that some of the freed ‘slaves’ may be influenced to remain in Turkey and risk further subjugation and exploitation.Physical description: There is an abstract of contents of the despatch, numbered 1-4, on folio 442- These numbers are repeated for reference on the verso of the last folio of each enclosure.