« Previous |
1 - 12 of 58
|
Next »
Number of results to display per page
Search Results
1. 'Agreement Between His Britannic Majesty's Government and the Persian Government.'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file consists of an agreement between the British Government and the Persian Government [a provisional agreement that was never ratified; it was later known as the Anglo-Persian Agreement], dated 9 August 1919. In the agreement, which consists of six clauses, the British Government agrees to continue to 'respect absolutely the independence and integrity of Persia'. It promises to supply – at the cost of the Persian Government – the services of whatever expert advisers may be required for reforms by the several departments of the Persian administration, as well as military officers, munitions and equipment. For the purpose of financing the aforementioned reforms, the British Government offers to provide a substantial loan for the Persian Government. The British Government also states that it is prepared to co-operate with the Persian Government 'for the encouragement of Anglo-Persian enterprise' in railway construction and other means of transport. The agreement concludes with a statement that both Governments agree to the appointment of a joint committee of experts for the examination and revision of the existing customs tariff.The agreement is followed by another agreement which concerns a loan of 2,000,000 lfrom the British Government to the Persian Government. This agreement is followed by an extract from a contract between the Persian Government and the Imperial Bank of Persia, regarding a previous loan of 1,250,000 l, dated 8 May 1911.The file concludes with two letters from Sir Percy Zachariah Cox, Acting British Minister at Tehran, to His Highness Vossug-ed-Dowleh [Woṯūq-al-dawla, Prime Minister of Persia], both dated 9 August 1919. In the first of these letters, Cox states that the British Government is prepared to co-operate regarding the following issues: the revision of existing treaties between the two powers, Persia's claims to compensation for damage suffered at the hands of other belligerents, and the rectification of the Persian frontier. In the second letter, Cox states that the British Government will not claim for the cost of the maintenance of British troops that were sent to Persia to defend its neutrality during the First World War, while on the other hand the Persian Government will not claim from the British Government an indemnity for any damage caused by British troops in Persian territory.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 205, and terminates at f 206, 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
2. 'Lighting and Buoying of the Persian Gulf, 1908-1928'
- Description:
- Abstract: Document providing a history of lighting and buoying of the Persian Gulf.Covering:first reconstruction: 1909-14 – assessment, programme of reconstruction; obstructive activities of the Turkish authorities, detail of buoys and lighthouses placed, and parts of the programme not completed;expansion: 1914-25 – including extensions to the original programme, and an overhaul of beacons;administration and finance – including light dues, responsibility for the cost of the service, the Government of India's role in administration and maintenance, and the creation of a Lighting and Buoying Fund;relations with Persia – listing occasions during the British management of the Lighting and Buoying Service when His Majesty's Government came into collision with the Persian Government;conclusions.It also includes an appendix listing lights, buoys, and beacons present at the time of writing (1928).Written by M J Clauson of the India Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 49, and terminates at f 51, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
3. 'Air Communication in the Persian Gulf. (Communicated by the Air Ministry)'
- Description:
- Abstract: Memorandum communicated by the Air Ministry on 23 August 1928 concerning air communication in the Persian Gulf.Covering:an introduction to the development of the Persian and Arabian air routes;flights on the air route along the Persian shore from 1918 onwards;the association of the Government of India with the route - consisting of extracts from a memorandum by the Indian Air Board (an Advisory Committee to the Government of India) in 1926 entitled 'The Past History and Future Development of Civil Aviation in India';the attitude of Persia towards the use of the route by a regular Civil Air Service operated by Imperial Airways Limited;the air route along the Arabian shore described by section, and detailing the attitude of the shaikhs.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 77, and terminates at f 79, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
4. 'Seistan and Mekran arbitration'
- Description:
- Abstract: This document opens by outlining the history of the boundaries between Persia and Seistan [Sīstān] and Persia and Mekran [Makran]. It goes on to discuss the involvement of the British with the dispute during the middle of the nineteenth century, and particularly focuses on the process of British arbitration. The document is largely compiled using extracts from, or references to, the correspondence of various Foreign Office officials.It was written by Lieutenant-Colonel Owen Tudor Burne, Secretary, Political and Secret Department, on 31 March 1875.Physical description: 5 folios
5. ‘Persian Gulf. Slave Trade.’
- Description:
- Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence and minutes, which are enclosures to a Political Letter from the Government of Bombay to the East India Company Court of Directors, dated 18 June 1846. A copy of this letter can be found at IOR/F/4/2157/103838.The item relates to suggestions by Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf, for the effective suppression of the ‘slave trade’ [trade in enslaved people] in the Gulf. Hennell points to deficiencies in the current agreements with the rulers of Ras-el Khyma [Ra’s al-Khaymah]; Amulgavine [Umm al-Qaywayn]; Ejman [Ajman]; Debaye [Dubai]; and Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi]. He recommends that the British government should try to establish agreements with the courts of Persia [Iran] and Turkey to suppress the ‘slave trade’.A minute by the Government of Bombay states that it would be for Her Majesty’s Government to approach Persia and Constantinople [Istanbul] on this subject. A copy of both Hennell’s letter and the minute are forwarded to the Government of India.The title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Bombay Political Department’, ‘P.C. [Previous Communication] 5410, Draft 786/46’, ‘Vol: 4’, ‘Collection N. 1 of N. 83’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’. The ‘N. 1’ has been crossed out with different ink.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 852, and terminates at f 856, 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.
6. 'Railways in Southern Persia. Note by Colonel E.C.S. Williams, R.E., C.I.E.'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file consists of a note written by Colonel Edward Charles Sparshott Williams, in which the author assesses the new practicalities and costs introduced by the Persian Government's desire to extend the proposed construction of a railway all the way from Mohamerah [Khorramshahr] to Teheran [Tehran]. He also makes specific comments and suggestions relating to clauses in the draft contract for construction of the railway.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences and terminates at folio 201, as it is part of a larger physical volume; this number is written in pencil, is circled, and is located at the top right corner of the folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel; this number is also written in pencil, but is not circled.
7. 'The Persian Question.'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file consists of a note written by the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, Sir Alfred Hamilton Grant. It concerns the future involvement of the Government of India in Persia. Grant suggests that the Government of India has the following options:to clear out of Persian entirely and 'leave it to stew in its own juice without financial or other assistance';to acquire a mandate to run Persia, retaining troops there, controlling the Government and practically administering the country;to acquire a mandate for some other power (such as America or Belgium) to undertake the task;to continue – with or without a mandate – to assist Persia on a limited scale.Grant goes on to list objections to the first three options before stating that the fourth course of action is the one that the Government of India would advocate. Grant cites the concerns of Sir Charles Marling [British Minister at Tehran] regarding Persian public opinion on the presence of the British in Persia. Grant concludes his note by proposing that a public declaration should be made to the Persian Government, in which His Majesty's Government would promise a number of actions – including the withdrawal of its military presence in Persia – in return for being able to assist the Persian Government in the regulation of its finances.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 161, and terminates at f 162, 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
8. 'Who's who in Persia. Calcutta: General Staff, India, 1916'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains brief biographical statements on individuals active in Persia [Iran], often including comments on their character, reputation, political affiliations, language skills, and attitudes towards European and regional powers. It also contains a number of genealogical tables, and information on important families.The volume has been annotated in several places, comprising additions or removal of material from pre-existing biographies, or the addition of new entries. Clippings from Government correspondence have also been pasted in. These additions are often stamped with a date, which range between 1920 to1923. Additional pages have been added to the volume at several points, most notably at folios 3-8, which contain details of appointments to the Persian Cabinet in 1920 and 1921.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 256; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.Additional pages have been pasted into the volume, alongside a number of annotations in blue pencil and black ink.
9. ‘Book No 157 Old Index From May 1847 To November 1849’ Vol 157 Secret letters outward
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains copies of letters sent by Major Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, mainly to Arthur Malet, Secretary (later Chief Secretary) to the Government of Bombay in the Secret Department, at Bombay Castle.Their correspondence discusses events in the Persian Gulf between 1847 and 1849 and their significance for British foreign policy, relations and interests in the region. The main topics of discussion are: anti-slavery measures and the ambitions of both the Ottoman Turkish Government and the Persian Government, to extend their influence and authority over Bahrain and other Arab Maritime Chiefdoms of the Trucial Coast.Many of the enclosures referred to by the Resident in his letters to the Bombay Government and others, are present in the volume. Copies of the Resident’s Arabic correspondence with British Government native agents and ruling sheikhs, as well as his copies of correspondence between Ottoman Turkish and Persian officials, are in the form of English translations only and comprise:Letter of friendship from the Ottoman Governor of Bussorah [Basra] to Sheikh Mahomed bin Khuleefa [Shaikh Muḥammed bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah] the Chief of Bahrein, inviting the latter to put himself under the protection of Turkey (folios 10-11);Letter from Hajee Yacoob, British Government Pilot at Kharg [Khārk], reporting the intelligence gathering activities of Ottoman Turkish officials in Koweit [Kuwait] (folios 11-12);Letter from the Governor of Bunder Abass [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] enquiring about an alleged request made by the Imam of Muscat, to transfer to British protection, Bunder Abass and other lands in the Persian Gulf leased to him by Shah of Persia (folio 31);Letters from the British Government Native Agent at Muscat, reporting cases of public sale and purchase of slaves in the ports of Muscat, in contravention of the anti-slavery provisions of the Treaty of 1845 between Muscat and Great Britain (folios 36-38, 48-49);Letters from Mirza Abdool Jubbar [Mirza Abdul Jabbar], the Persian Consul at Bagdad [Baghdad] to Abdullah ben Ahmed [‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah] the former Chief of Bahrein, to Ali and Mahomed [Alī bin Muḥammed Āl Khalīfah and Muḥammed bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Khalīfah] the sons of the present ruler of Bahrein, Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa about the desire of the Persian Government to establish its authority over Bahrein (folios 51-55);Letter from the British Government Native Agent at Shargah [Sharjah] reporting the renewed importation of slaves into Lingah, in contravention of the Imperial firmans (royal decrees) and orders issued by the Persian authorities, prohibiting the maritime slave trade in their ports on the Persian Gulf (folios 61-62);Exchange of letters between the British Political Resident and Syed Soweynee [Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd] Governor of Muscat, regarding alleged Persian aggression against Bunder Abass and other lands on the Persian coast of the Gulf, belonging to the Imam of Muscat (folios 66-68);Exchange of letters of friendship between the British Political Resident and Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Chief of Bahrein (folios 74-76, 84);Exchange of letters between the British Political Resident and Sheikh Syed Humood ben Azan [Ḥamūd bin Azan Āl Bū Sa‘īd] the Chief of Sohar [Ṣuḥār] and the agreement with the British Government, signed by his son Syed Syf ben Humood [Sayyid Syf bin Ḥamūd Āl Bū Sa‘īd] on 22 May 1849, prohibiting the African slave trade in the ports of Sohar (folios 79-81).The volume also contains copies of several letters from the Resident to: Major Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, British Political Agent for Turkish Arabia at Baghdad; Lieutenant-Colonels Justin Sheil and Francis Farrant, British Minister Plenipotentiary and British Chargé d’Affaires respectively, at the Court of the Shah of Persia, Tehran; Commodore Hawkins, commanding the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf. The correspondence discusses similar topics, including the merits of seeking an extension of the anti-slavery orders issued by the Ottoman Porte, to allow for the confiscation of foreign Persian and Arab slave ships in Turkish waters, as well as native Turkish slave ships.Physical description: Foliation: the contents are numbered 2 to 140, from the front to the back of the volume. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right hand corner and encircled. Folios 42, 71, 87-133 and 136-140 are blank. The front cover of the volume and the inside back cover of the volume are unnumbered. This is the main numbering system and should be used for referencing this volume.Pagination: the contents were originally numbered 1-101, 103-167, from the front to the back of the volume. Pages 78-80 and 136-138 are blank. The number 102 has been omitted, resulting in an unnumbered page between pages 101 and 103. The numbering is written in ink in the top right or left corner of the recto and verso respectively. Unnumbered pages: the index at the front and back of the volume and the numerous blank pages towards the end of the volume.Condition: broken spine cover. Folio 26 and the unnumbered folio adjoining it have been stuck together at the corners. This does not obscure any text, since the inaccessible side of both folios is blank.
10. ‘Book 131’ Secret letters inward
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains letters received by Captain Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf in 1841, mainly from J P Willoughby, Secretary to the Government of Bombay. At this period, the British Residency was based temporarily on the island of Karrack. The letters to the Resident contain information, guidance and instructions from the Governor in Council of Bombay. They also frequently include copies of pertinent correspondence between other British officials, mainly the Governor in Council of Bombay, the Governor General of India, the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, London and Lord Palmerston, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London. The letters and their enclosures discuss events in East Africa and the Persian Gulf in 1841 and their implications for British foreign policy, relations and interests in these regions. The main topics discussed in the correspondence are as follows:• Captain Atkins Hamerton’s mission to Zanzibar on behalf of the British Government, to investigate French ambitions in the East African territories of the Imam of Muscat, attempts by the French Government to establish a French Consular Agent at Zanzibar, French occupation of territory on the island of Nasbeh or Nos Beh [Nosy Bé], near Madagascar and the history of tribal warfare between its inhabitants. There are English translations of four documents seen by Hamerton in Zanzibar, including an agreement dated 29 April 1838 between Queen Smeko [Tsiomeko] of the Sucklavee [Sakalava] Tribe on the Island of Nos Beh and the Imam of Muscat. There is also an English translation of a letter sent by Lord Palmerston to the Imam of Muscat in September 1840 (folios 2-8, 14-17, 24-26, 75-90);• Plans for the evacuation of British troops from their military station on the island of Karrack [Khārk, Jazīreh-ye], following the return of the island to the ownership and control of Persian authorities, in accordance with a recent commercial treaty between Persia and Great Britain. The desirability of retaining a British settlement on Karrack and the British Government’s view that the British Resident should remain on the island and continue to conduct Residency business in the Persian Gulf from Karrack (folios 21, 63, 67-69, 74, 92-99, 107-110);• Discussion of British policy and measures for suppression of the maritime slave trade between ports in India, East Africa, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. The intention of the British Government to increase its demands on the Trucial Coast Chiefs of the Persian Gulf to actively prohibit the slave trade in their ports and equally the Imam of Muscat, with regard to his ports in Zanzibar and other East African territories. The intention of the British Government to ask the Persian Government to prohibit the slave trade in the Persian Gulf ports subject to its authority and control (folios 19, 33-36, 56-57,102-106, 111-117).Physical description: Foliation: the letters are numbered 2-26, 26A, 27-65 and 66-117, from front to back. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled. The front of the file cover is numbered 1 and the back of the file cover is numbered 119 on the inside. There is a blank internal cover enclosing letters numbered 66 to 117. The front of the internal blank cover is numbered 66A and the back of the internal blank cover is numbered 118 on the inside.Pagination: the contents of the file were originally numbered in ink as follows: 9, 11, 7, 8, 12, 14, 17, 19 and then in strict ascending numerical order from 21 to 377, but with many gaps in the sequence. This earlier numbering of the file is predominantly pagination, but includes remnants of some former foliation systems as well. Blank pages or folios and those containing brief details only, such as name and address, are usually unnumbered.
11. ‘Book 153 1847’ Vol 153 Letters inward
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains letters received by Major Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire between January and November 1847, mainly from the following British officials: Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil, British Envoy at the Court of the Shah of Persia, Tehran; Henry Wellesley (Lord Cowley), British Minister Plenipotentiary to the Ottoman Porte at Constantinople [Istanbul]; Major Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, British Political Agent for Turkish Arabia and British Consul at Baghdad; Lieutenant Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Acting British Political Agent for Turkish Arabia at the British Residency, Baghdad.The majority of letters to the Resident discuss British negotiations with the Ottoman Porte (Turkish Empire) for the suppression of the African maritime slave trade in the Persian Gulf. These letters are preceded or followed by numerous enclosures, which include related correspondence between Henry Wellesley (Lord Cowley) at Constantinople and Lord Palmerston, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at London, as well as the following Ottoman documents, prohibiting the future importation by sea of African slaves into the Turkish ports of the Persian Gulf:Ottoman Turkish transcripts and English translations of an imperial firman (royal decree) issued in January 1847 at Constantinople by the Sultan of Turkey (the Ottoman Porte), to the Governor of Baghdad, and an accompanying vizirial letter of instruction (folios 13-14, 16-17);English translation of a letter of instruction dated 22 February 1847, from the Governor of Baghdad to the Governor of Bussorah [Basra] (folios 21-22);Ottoman Turkish transcripts and English translations of two letters of instruction, one from the Ottoman Porte to the Governor of Baghdad and the other from the Governor of Baghdad to the Governor of Bussorah [Basra], requiring them to cooperate with British cruizers, over the disposal of slaves landed from seized Turkish vessels (folio 52-54, 61-64).A small number of letters and their enclosures to the Resident discuss British suspicions about Turkish ambitions towards Bahrain. Included is a French transcript of a letter extract, allegedly sent at the instigation of the Sultan’s Chamberlain to the Arab Chief of Bahrain, inviting the latter to place himself under the protection of the Ottoman Porte (folio 43).There are also several naval patrol reports addressed mainly to the Resident, from Commodore John Croft Hawkins, commanding the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf and also from Captain William Lowe. The latter reports the seizure of slave ships and includes a list of vessels belonging to subjects of the Imam of Muscat, detained for having slaves on board (folio 83).Physical description: Foliation: the contents are numbered 2-96, from the front to the back of the file. The front of the file cover is numbered 1. The back of the file cover is unnumbered. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled.Pagination: the contents were originally numbered in ink as follows: 3, 34-58, 73-81, 85-96, 105-118, 181-195, 204-207, 229-238, 256-271, 282-288, 312-328, 338-343, 350-353, 356-360, 363-366, 384-395. There are many gaps in the number sequence. The numbering is written in the top right or left corner of the page on the recto and verso respectively. Blank pages and pages containing only brief details, such as name and address of sender, are usually unnumbered.Fold-out folios: a three-page letter is partially folded over, along the right hand edge (folios 62-64).Condition: many folios are torn, stained or holey, as a result of which a negligible amount of text is obscured or lost.
12. ‘Book 158 1847-8’ Vol 158 Letters inward
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains letters received by Major Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire.The majority of letters are naval patrol reports submitted to the Resident by the following British officers in the Persian Gulf Squadron of the Indian Navy: Captain William Lowe, Commodore Thomas Grere Carless and Lieutenant Alan Hyde Gardner, all reporting from the Honourable Company (HC) sloop of war Elphinstoneand Commodore John Croft Hawkins, reporting from the HC sloop of war Clive. There is also a naval patrol report made by Lieutenant James Rennie, commanding the HC schooner Constance, to Commodore Thomas Grere Carless, commanding the Persian Gulf Squadron.The naval patrol reports describe the state of relations between the Arab Chiefs of the Trucial Coast Sheikhdoms and any violations of the Maritime Truce, based on observation, enquiry, meetings and other communications while on patrol along the Arabian and Persian coasts of the Persian Gulf.The file also contains letters received from Lieutenant Colonel Francis Farrant, British Chargé d’Affaires at the Court of the Shah of Persia, Tehran regarding Persian affairs. This correspondence includes Persian transcripts of two firmans (royal decrees) issued by the Shah of Persia to the Governors of Fars and Persian Arabia respectively, prohibiting any future importation by sea of African slaves into Persia.Physical description: Foliation: the contents are numbered 2 to 51, from the front to the back of the file. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled. The front cover of the file is numbered 1. The inside of the back cover is numbered 52. This is the main numbering system and should be used for referencing this file.As a result of earlier, mainly foliation sequences, the contents are also numbered in the range 2 to 346, with many gaps, from the front to the back of the file. The numbering is written in ink, usually on the recto only, in the top right corner.Condition: imperfections in the margins and along the outer edges of many folios have caused a slight loss of the text of some documents.