Abstract: Part 3 comprises correspondence relating to an incident occurring in 1902 in which four Abu Thabi [Abu Dhabi] pearl fishers (described as being of the Sudan tribe) were murdered near Charak [Bandar-e Chārak], Persia, by inhabitants of the nearby port of Taona [Bandar-e Ţāḩūneh]. The part’s principal correspondents are: Major Percy Zachariah Cox (Political Resident in the Persian Gulf); Sir George Head Barclay (British Minister at Tehran); William Graham Greene (Assistant Secretary to the Admiralty).The correspondence covers:efforts by the British authorities to establish the identities and whereabouts of the perpetrators of the crime, and efforts to obtain compensation for the crime on behalf of the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi. Much is also made in the correspondence of the long period of time taken to resolve the case, and the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi’s frustration at the delay;the capture in 1909 by HMS
Redbreastof one of the men believed to have been involved in the murders (including a report of the capture by Lieutenant Commander Joseph Armand Shuter of HMS
Redbreast, dated 5 July 1909, ff 222-225);the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi’s refusal to detain the suspect at Abu Dhabi, for fear of the unrest that it might cause in the town, chiefly amongst the relatives of the murdered men;a proposal made by the Government of India to pay 11,000 Indian rupees as compensation to the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi, with hope of compensation forthcoming from Persia looking unlikely.A minute at the end of the correspondence, written by Sir Thomas William Holderness of the India Office, dated 1913 (f 190), offers a succinct précis of the events of the case.Physical description: 102 folios
Abstract: Part 2 consists of correspondence and memoranda relating to disturbances at Katif [Al-Qaṭīf] and the surrounding area. The correspondence is between the Government of India, Foreign Office, Admiralty, and India Office. Further correspondence, included as enclosures, is from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Political Agent at Bahrain, British Consul at Basrah, and British Ambassador at Constantinople.The papers cover the discussion over the British response to an outbreak of violence between some of the Bedouin tribes and the townspeople of Katif following a disagreement over date crops. The disturbance extended to acts of piracy along the Gulf coast. The correspondence addresses the question of what the Turkish response will be, whether they need assistance, and what naval assistance the British can offer. Included are naval reports from the three vessels in the vicinity: HMS
Lapwing,HMS
Sphinx, and HMS
Redbreast.Physical description: 1 item (73 folios)