Abstract: The file comprises copies of correspondence relating to a consignment of 100,000 rounds of ammunition given to the Government of Bahrain as a gift by the Government of India. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent in Bahrain (Hugh Weightman); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior).The file begins with a letter from the Political Agent to the Resident, dated 5 November 1939 (f 2), expressing concern that the Government of Bahrain’s recently acquired ammunition supplies are of First-World-War vintage, and not suitable for modern guns. The Political Agent asks if India might be persuaded to make a present of 100,000 rounds to Bahrain, given that ‘Muscat is getting rifles and ammunition for nothing’ and with the Government of Bahrain having given £30,000 to the British Government as a contribution towards the costs of the war. The remaining correspondence relates to this gift of 100,000 rounds, sent during 1940 in two consignments of 15,000 rounds and 85,000 rounds, in June and July respectively. A letter from the Political Agent to the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, dated 1 April 1940, informing him of the gift (f 19), and Shaikh Ḥamad’s reply, dated 3 April 1940 (f 20) are included in the file.The file notes (f 44) indicate that the file contained correspondence up to October 1945, however the items of correspondence from 1945, as indicated in a note written in the margin of the file notes, were moved to file 4/25. As a result, the latest date of correspondence in the file is 25 January 1941.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 in parallel between ff 2-43; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file includes letters, telegrams and other papers relating to messages of support received by British Government officials in the Gulf, from the Rulers of Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah, and from the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO), in response to events in Europe that resulted in Britain’s declaration of war against Germany on 1 September 1939. The file’s principal correspondents are: the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman); the Ruler of Bahrain (Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah).The file includes:correspondence between the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle) and Political Agent at Bahrain over the possibility of the Ruler of Bahrain making a gift to the British Government towards the defence of the empire, referred to by the Resident as the ‘Imperial Defence’ (ff 2-5);correspondence dated 29 August 1939, exchanged between the British Government and BAPCO officials, the former giving thanks for the latter’s offer of support and cooperation towards the British Government (ff 7-8);messages from various Persian Gulf rulers, made to British officials from 1 September 1939 onwards, offering both moral and material support at the start of the war, including: a telegram and letters from the Ruler of Bahrain, Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, the last of these letters offering a sum of £30,000 to the British Government towards the costs of war (ff 9-10, f 30, ff 32-33); a telegram and a letter from the Ruler of Dubai [Shaikh Sa‘id bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm] (f 17, ff 19-20); a telegram and a letter from the Ruler of Sharjah [Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr Āl Qāsim] (f 24, ff 28-29);letters of thanks sent by British Government officials to the various rulers of the Persian Gulf, in response to their offers of support, including a telegram from the Viceroy of India (Victor Alexander John Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow) giving personal thanks to the Ruler of Bahrain for his gift of £30,000 to the British Government (f 45).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 50; 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 1-47; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: Correspondence relating to gifts of ammunition cartridges made by British political officials to members of the ruling family of Bahrain, including the ruler, Shaikh Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah. Included in the papers are letters of thanks from the recipients of these gifts, often in both English translation and Arabic original.Interspersed amongst this correspondence is some related to a gift of two bags of sugar, given by the Political Officer on the Trucial Coast to Shaikh Mohamed bin Ali bin Huwaidin, chief of the Beni Qitab tribe, as a ‘favour of settlement’.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 35; 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 2-31; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence in the form of personal letters and calls sent mainly between the Political Agent, Bahrain, and the Ruler of Bahrain. The letters are about exchanging visits and gifts such as fruit, gazelles, and tea sets.Other letters were sent by cultural centres in Bahrain such as the Sporting Cultural Club (Nadi Al-Thaqafa al-Riyadhi) and the Bahrain Club (Nadi al-Bahrain) in Muharraq to the Political Agent inviting him to attend some activities taking place including cinema shows, Arabic drama, and the Shia commemoration of the Day of ‘Ashura.The main correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain (Cornelius James Pelly), and the Ruler of Bahrain (Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa). Most of the file is in Arabic.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 136; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence in the form of letters sent between the Political Agents in Bahrain including Percy Gordon Loch and Tom Hickinbotham and the notables of Manama, including, Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo and Abdulaziz Al-Qosaibi (al-Gosaibi). The letters are mostly personal and contain invitations for dinner, as well as exchanges of gifts such as books and fruits. Among other gifts were trees and seeds for planting; the Political Agents and the notables of Manama showed interest in introducing new trees to be planted in Bahrain. The recipients wrote back acknowledging the receipt of letters and gifts. The notables of Manama also passed letters between the Agency and a third party.A significant amount of the file is in Arabic.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 118; 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 5-115; these numbers are also written in pencil but are not circled.
Abstract: The file is concerned with the Bushire Residency [Persian Gulf Political Residency] Toshakhana — a store of gifts kept with the Bahrain Political Agency, so that they would be available for presentation to the Trucial Coast Shaikhs when needed. Regular stock accounts are submitted to Bushire to keep the Residency updated on the number and range of articles being held on its behalf. The bulk of the file is concerned with the acquisition of new articles for the Bushire Toshakhana; the purchase of weapons and ammunition makes up almost the entirety of these purchases. The file therefore contains supporting correspondence, invoices, payment receipts, as well as export licenses and 'No Objection Certificates' to facilitate the export of weaponry. The principal suppliers are F P Baker and Company Limited and Suleman Omer and Company, Karachi.Also contained in the file is correspondence between British officials in the Persian Gulf; this correspondence is either concerned with new acquisitions for the Toshakhana, the transfer of articles between agencies, or making arrangements for presenting gifts to the various Shaikhs of the Trucial Coast. The main corresponding officials are the Political Agent, Bahrain (Charles Geoffrey Prior, Percy Gordon Loch, and Tom Hickinbotham); the Political Resident, Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle and Hugh Weightman); the Secretary to the Political Resident; the Residency Agent, Sharjah; and the Trucial Coast Political Agent.Also within the file is an exchange from July 1941 (folios 249-251) between the Bahrain Political Agent and Charles Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, regarding arrangements for cleaning the weaponry stored in the Toshakhana.The Arabic language content consists of a couple of letters (folios 43-44 and folio 60) with English translation from the Bahrain Political Agent to the Residency Agent, Sharjah, as well as five letters (folios 45-50) from the Political Agent presenting gifts to various Trucial Coast Shaikhs; their translated replies in English can be found on folios 70-75.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 337; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are present in parallel between ff 3-303 and ff 305-316; these numbers are written in pencil, but are not circled (except for a number of circled numbers which have been crossed out).
Abstract: The file is concerned with the Bushire Residency [Persian Gulf Political Residency] Toshakhana — a store of gifts kept with the Bahrain Political Agency, so that they would be available for presentation to the Trucial Coast Shaikhs when needed. Regular stock accounts are submitted to Bushire to keep the Residency updated on the number and range of articles being held on its behalf. The file is primarily concerned with the acquisition of new articles for the Toshakhana, their circulation to British officers serving in the Persian Gulf, and the purchase of surplus stock by said officers; weapons and ammunition make up the bulk of these transactions, and wartime restrictions are reflected in the file. The file therefore contains supporting correspondence, invoices, payment receipts, as well as export licenses and 'No Objection Certificates' to facilitate the export of weaponry. The principal supplier is Suleman Omer and Company, and the principal shipping agent is Gray Mackenzie and Company Limited.The main correspondents within the file are as follows: the Political Agent, Bahrain (Edward Wakefield, Michael Dixon, and Tom Hickinbotham); the Political Resident, Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior and William Hay); the Secretary to the Political Resident; the Political Officer, Trucial Coast (Maurice Patrick O'Connor Tandy, Richard Bird, and Raymond Murphy); the Political Agent, Kuwait (Cornelius James Pelly); and the Political Agent, Muscat.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 261; 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 in parallel between ff 2-238; these numbers are also 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: This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding the desire of the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, to obtain a wireless radio transmitting set as a gift. The potential complications involved in such a gift and the broader political context are discussed. The correspondence also discusses a yacht (or 'launch') that was given to the Shaikh as a gift by the Kuwait Oil Company.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 29; 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 2-27; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: Correspondence and file notes relating to horses (a young mare and filly) given as a gift to the Political Agent at Bahrain (Captain Charles Geoffrey Prior) by the King of Nejd and Hejaz, Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] in 1930. The correspondence concerns: Prior’s disdain at the gift, noting that the mare is ‘quite useless’ (f 3, f 10); the transfer of the horses to stables in Bahrain belonging to Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah; file notes dated 1933, concerning Prior’s successor’s (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch) attempt to determine the present circumstances of the horses, and their transfer to Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah (ff 5-8). The file contains a single letter in Arabic.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 13; 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 2-12; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: Correspondence concerning two horses given to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Vincent Biscoe) by the King of Nejd and Hejaz, Bin Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] in 1932. The majority of the correspondence takes place between staff at the Political Agency in Bahrain and the Political Residency in Bushire in the wake of Biscoe’s sudden death in July 1932, and relates to attempts to dispose of the horses and their offspring. Aside from Agency and Residency staff, the file’s other principal correspondent is the Bahrain merchant Abdul Aziz Alqosaibi & Brothers [‘Abd al-‘Azīz al-Quṣaybī], who are charged with looking after the horses while a buyer is found, and regularly send invoices for expenses incurred in keeping the animals. Correspondence from Abdul Aziz Alqosaibi & Brothers is in Arabic, with some letters translated into English.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 61; 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 3-57; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The item consists of extracts of Political Letters and Political Consultations from the Government of Bombay relating to gifts of glassware and porcelain for the King of Persia and the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat. In particular, the extracts are concerned with the decision to detain, in India, the glassware intended for the King of Persia until further instructions from the Home Authorities can be received. This is due to the recent refusal of the Court of Persia to receive an envoy from the Indian Government. After receiving dispatches from Henry Willock, His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Tehran, the order is given to transport the gifts to Bushire so that they may be conveyed to the King.Correspondents include: the Government of Bombay; the Court of Directors; William Newnham, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay; George Swinton, referred to as Chief Secretary to the Supreme Government; Henry Willock, His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Tehran; Mountstuart Elphinstone, Governor of Bombay; T Hoiver, Warehouse keeper; Captain Ephraim Gerrish Stannus, Resident in the Persian Gulph [Gulf].The item also contains a table of contents noting the page number, date, author and recipient of each letter (f 6 recto). Despite appearing in the title and in the first extract Political Letter, no further mention of gifts to the Imaum of Muscat appears in the item.The title page of the item contains the following references: 'Bombay Political Department P.C. 598, Draft 444, 1828/9', ‘Collection No. 8’ and 'Examiner's Office 1828’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at f 21, 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.
Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence, minutes and resolutions, cited in, or enclosed with, a Political Letter from the Government of Bombay to the East India Company Court of Directors, 30 August 1854. The enclosures are dated 28 August 1852-August 1854.The item relates to a gold Turkish snuffbox presented, amongst other gifts, to Major Atkins Hamerton, HM Consul and Company Agent in the dominions of the Imaum [Imām] of Muscat, by the Imaum in 1852. Hamerton forwards the gifts to the Government of Bombay, who order them to be sold at public auction except for the snuffbox which is to be held in the treasury. Hamerton provides details of the gifts' background and former owners, who include Mahammed Ali the Vice Roy of Egypt [Muḥammad ‘Alī Pāshā al-Mas‘ūd bin Āghā].The item also contains later papers from 1854 in which the Government of Bombay orders a list (included in item) of presents from 'native chiefs', including the snuffbox, to be sold at auction by Bennett & Company. After failing to sell for its estimated value, the box is returned to the Acting Sub-Treasurer. The Government of Bombay order the box to be sent to the Court of Directors, for deposit in their museum at East India House.The title page of the item contains the following references: 'Bombay Political Department', Draft Number '20 1855', 'Collection No. 7 of No. 61 of 1854', and 'Examiner's Office'. Originally, the Collection number was given as '1' but this has been crossed out and replaced with '7'.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 957, and terminates at f 969, 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 item also contains an original pagination sequence.