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85. ‘File 28/35 Denial programme Qatar’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains copies of letters, agreements and other papers relating to the temporary cessation in 1942 of oil operations undertaken by Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited (PDQ) in Qatar, in response to events in the Second World War, and negotiations over an agreement between the Ruler of Qatar and the Political Agent at Bahrain for the cessation of operations, and continued payment of the concession and other costs. The volume’s principal correspondents are the Political Agent at Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield, superseded by Major Tom Hickinbotham in October 1943); the Manager of PDQ (Ernest Vincent Packer, also in the file as chief correspondent for Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL)); the Ruler of Qatar (Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī).The volume includes:a telegraphic instruction from the Under Secretary of State for India, dated 19 June 1942, informing of the Commander-in-Chief Middle East’s decision to plug all oil wells in Qatar and suspend drilling operations, ‘for reasons connected with the War Effort’ (f 10);a copy of a report marked Most Secret, detailing the oil denial proposals for PDQ’s operations in Qatar, prepared by Major E Boaden of the Royal Engineers, and dated 23 May 1942 (ff 19-20);correspondence dated June to July 1942, relating to the plugging and junking of oil wells in the Qatar oil field, and evacuation of oil and water supply equipment, under orders received by the Tenth Army (ff 45-53, ff 67-69);correspondence relating to arrangements to transfer oil drilling equipment from Qatar to Karachi;correspondence between PDQ/PCL, the Political Agent at Bahrain, and the Ruler of Qatar, relating to the protracted negotiation of terms for the suspension of oil operations in Qatar, chiefly concerning: retention and pay of guards to protect oil company property; salaries for the Ruler of Qatar’s representatives and the Director of Customs at Zekrit [Zikrīt, also referred to in correspondence as Zekhrit]; rent of the oil company’s house (Company House) in Doha [occasionally referred to as Dohah], and employment of servants; supply and use of the Company’s ice machine, water pump; provision of communications between Doha and Dukhan; maintenance of a launch between Zekrit and Bahrain;correspondence relating to the method of continued concession payments to the Ruler of Qatar: chiefly in the form of discussion over whether the payments should be in silver rupees, preferred by the Ruler but potentially difficult to supply, or in paper currency through the Eastern Bank Limited;multiple copies of the draft agreement of terms between the Ruler of Qatar and the Political Agent at Bahrain;correspondence dated October and November 1943 relating to arrangements for the Political Agent in Bahrain to visit Doha and the Ruler of Qatar, in order to conclude the suspension of operations agreement;a copy of the original agreement between the Ruler of Qatar and the Political Agent at Bahrain, dated 23 November 1943, setting out payments and facilities to be provided by PDQ during the suspension of operations in Qatar (in English and Arabic, with the latter signed by the Ruler of Qatar and Major Tom Hickinbotham, ff 336-338).While the volume’s correspondence begins in in May and June 1942, an extract of an earlier letter from the Political Resident, dated 5 June 1935 (f 6) provides the earlier date indicated in this catalogue entry’s date range.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 371; 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 incomplete foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 163-349; 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.
86. ‘File 28/39 Emergency Commissions’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence and other papers relating to emergency military commission (also referred to as the King’s Emergency Commission), and applications made by employees of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO), California-Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC) and the Government of Bahrain, for emergency military commission. The file’s principal correspondents are: the Political Agent at Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield); the Chief Local Representative of BAPCO (Ward P Anderson); and Doctor B S Chowdhury, Medical Officer at the BAPCO Awali Camp.The file includes:a printed copy of a despatch entitled Overseas man-power committee: volunteers from abroad, issued by the Foreign Office and dated 26 March 1942 (ff 17-18) which encloses a printed copy of a memorandum on Offers of service by British subjects living in foreign countries(ff 19-26);a letter from the Political Agent at Bahrain to the Chief Local Representative for BAPCO, dated 8 May 1942, enclosing Defence Regulation No. 2 of 1942, dated 8 May 1942, which stipulates that employees in undertakings whose work is deemed essential to the prosecution of war, may not leave their employment without prior consent from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (ff 12-14);applications from individuals (employed by BAPCO, CASOC and the Government of India), with copies of testimonials, work records, etc., who are seeking commission with the military, including the BAPCO Medical Officer, B S Chowdhury, whose application constitutes a large portion of the file’s correspondence.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 71; 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 17-70; 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.
87. ‘File 28/43 Removal of the pilot-balloon observatory in a grave emergency’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains copies of correspondence relating to the operation of Bahrain’s Pilot Balloon Observatory, used to recorded meteorological data, during wartime. The file’s principal correspondents are: the Political Agent at Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield); and the Superintending Meteorologist at the Indian Meteorological Department.The file includes:correspondence concerning a request from the India Meteorological Department for details of arrangements for the removal of the Bahrain pilot balloon observatory (its staff and equipment) in the event of an emergency, including: a query from Squadron Leader Guy Harris, Senior Air Staff Officer at RAF (Royal Air Force) No. 215 Group, that the Indian Meteorological Department’s details are vague, and that more information about the nature of emergency and evacuation are required; further details from the India Meteorological Department, of the anticipated requirements in moving the Pilot Balloon Observatory from Bahrain in an emergency (ff 2-5, f 8);correspondence between the Meteorological Assistant at the Pilot Balloon Observatory and the Political Agent at Bahrain, regarding the discontinuation of meteorological data sent by the Observatory to the Agency on a fortnightly basis during wartime, with the Political Agent replying that he would like to continue receiving the data, considering it essential, and that the data shall be treated in a confidential manner (ff 6-7).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 10; 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 2-8; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
88. ‘File 28/44 Miscellaneous correspondence – Town Major’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises miscellaneous correspondence relating to the work of the Town Major (also referred to as the Defence Officer in the Persian Gulf) Major (later Lieutenant-Colonel) H T Hewitt.The file includes:various advance warnings from Hewitt of field gun exercises, artillery practice, tactical marches;reports of theft in Bahrain, and plans to tackle theft, including: theft of Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) property (f 22, f 40); theft from the Bahrain port area, with correspondence relating to proposals for a secure area at the port (ff 55-60);reports of incidents involving members of the Defence Police and other military personnel, including a motorcycle accident involving a sergeant of the Royal Engineers (ff 2-9); civil imprisonment for fourteen days of a recruit from the 15 Indian Staging Section for disobeying orders (ff 46-47);a report of a lapse in security measures at the BAPCO refinery, in which an unauthorised vehicle was allowed access to the BAPCO refinery area (ff 49-54);other miscellaneous items including: leave requests; Bahrain communications; appointment of an official photographer; a notice of thanks from Hewitt, acknowledging the assistance of numerous individuals in working towards the ‘occupation’ (landing of troops at Bahrain), dated 25 May 1943 (f 44).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 77; 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 2-69; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. An additional mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 72-76; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
89. ‘File 28/45 Oil field personnel for war purposes’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains copies of correspondence concerning the deployment and retention of oil company personnel for war purposes, and includes:correspondence dated October and November 1942, relating to a request forwarded from H S Bowlby of the Petroleum Department, London, to the Political Agent at Bahrain, for any available drillers employed at either the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) or California-Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC), to replace drillers from the Attock refinery in the Punjab, who have been sent to a military oil reconstruction unit in Burma [Myanmar]. The Chief Local Representative (Ward P Anderson) writes that BAPCO cannot spare any drillers, while the CASOC representative (Charles E Davis) writes that one or two drillers may be spared, though they require a period of rest first (ff 2-8);correspondence dated April and May 1944, relating to a British BAPCO employee requesting transfer to another sphere of oil operations, and deliberation amongst British Government officials over the request, in light of a shortage of experienced engineers. An India Office official writes that the employee should offer his services to a British Company or undertake military service, or that BAPCO might retain the employee until the end of the war (ff 9-16).The date given on f 6 is incorrect, and should (as indicated on f 7) read 6 November 1942, not 6 October 1942.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 19; 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 2-16; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
90. ‘File 28/46-I Miscellaneous war requirements’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises correspondence associated with a miscellaneous assortment of matters arising in wartime Bahrain:an enquiry from the Government of India in November 1942, for 2,600 mother of pearl shells, which are required by the Superintendent at the Mathematical Instrument Office in Calcutta [Kolkata], including: enquiries into the availability of the shells at Bahrain and on the Trucial Coast; the nature of the ‘Sadaify’ shells required; Indian demand for mother of pearl (ff 2-11, f 29);proposals to bring criminal charges against a Bahrain trader, accused of undersupplying coral towards the construction of a jetty for the Royal Navy at Jeddah [Jiddah] Island, including statements made by the trader, and the dropping of claims after the trader withdrew his financial claims (ff 12-18, f 23, ff 30-32);correspondence dated from March 1943 relating to arrangements for Major S Hills of the Royal Engineers, to rent a house owned by Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad [‘Abdullāh bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah] (ff 19-22, ff 24-28);correspondence dated September 1944 relating to delays in the despatch of a Government telegram, a result of human error at the Cable and Wireless office in Bahrain (ff 41-47);correspondence dated September 1944 relating to: an aeroplane accident at Muharraq, arrangements for Major Dalton of the United States Air Training Corps to meet the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah, flying of the United States flag at Muharraq (ff 51-57);correspondence and witness statements relating to a drunken brawl in November 1944, involving an oil worker (ff 59-68);The file also includes: sale of Naafi (Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes) cigarettes to civilians (f 33); alcohol imports at the Bahrain Petroleum Company (ff 34-36); PAIFORCE (Persia and Iraq Force) telegrams concerning anti-locust operations (ff 38-39); a photograph of Shaikh Muḥammad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah in the Egyptian newspaper Bourse Egyptienne(ff 49-50); a request for mineral analysis of a rock collected at Jabal Akjdar, Oman (ff 69-70).The title on the file cover originally read ’Miscellaneous war requirements’. However, the word ‘requirements’ was struck through in blue pencil, possibly while the file was open.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 77; 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 2-72; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. An additional mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 73-75; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
91. ‘File 28/54 Victory Day – celebrations’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises copies of letters and Government of India circulars relating to the arrangement of celebrations to commemorate the defeat of Germany and the end of hostilities in Europe, and subsequent letters of congratulation, received by British officials in the Persian Gulf from some of the Gulf’s rulers. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior; Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Crawshaw Galloway); the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Tom Hickinbotham; Cornelius James Pelly); the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave).The file includes:correspondence dated October and November 1944 concerning arrangements for the celebration of victory in Europe, including plans for and minutes of a meeting held by the Political Agent at Bahrain on 15 November 1944, and Government of India circulars dated 27 and 28 September 1944 providing details of: the tone to be set at celebrations; the nature of celebrations; how victory and the cessation of hostilities will be formally announced; involvement of Government publicity organisations (e.g. radio, press, film) in celebrations (ff 2-9, f, 13, f 15);detail, in a Government of India letter to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, dated 27 March 1945, of the budgets set aside for victory celebrations in Bushire, Muscat, Bahrain and Kuwait (500 Indian rupees each, f 12);correspondence dated early May 1945, of final arrangements for the announcement of the cessation of hostilities in Europe, and celebrations in Bahrain, including a telegram forwarded from the Government of India, dated 8 May 1945, making the formal announcement of VE Day being set as 8 May 1945 (ff 16-28);Letters of congratulation received from the Ruler of Qatar, Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī, and the Ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Sa‘id bin Maktum Āl Maktum, as well as Haji Salih Sulaiman al Mana [Ṣāliḥ Āl Māni‘] of Qatar, in Arabic with English translations. Enclosed with one letter from the Ruler of Qatar are congratulatory telegrams to be forwarded to King George VI and Prime Minister Winston Churchill (ff 30-42).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 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 mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-22; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
92. ‘File 28/55 Provision of machine guns for Bahrain police’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises copies of correspondence relating to the purchase of machine guns by the Government of Bahrain, through the Political Agency, for use in Bahrain. The file’s principal correspondents are: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle; Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior); the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman); officials at Royal Air Force (RAF) Headquarters in Iraq; Government of India officials; the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave).The file includes:correspondence concerning an order for machine guns, initiated by the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah’s request through the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain in March 1939, that he would like to purchase twelve Bren guns (f 5), including: discussion amongst British Government officials over the long delays involved in obtaining Bren guns (f 9); Government proposals for Vickers-Berthier (VB) guns as an alternative, and the relative merits and demerits of VB against Bren guns (f 14); the eventual order of VB guns, with equipment lists (ff 38-42), and their despatch to Bahrain from Karachi in September 1939 (f 70); the Government of Bahrain’s order for ammunition for the guns (ff 56-57);arrangements for a Havaldar instructor to be sent to Bahrain to assist in the training of use of the machine gun (f 45, f 74, ff 80-81), and arrangements for training sessions at Bahrain (ff 82-86);correspondence dated September and October 1939 between RAF and Air Ministry officials, concerning the need for a Defence Officer in the Persian Gulf (f 65, f 88);further correspondence dated from June 1940 onwards, relating to the supply of machine guns and ammunition for the Bahrain Defence Force, and the loan of VB guns by the Government of Bahrain to the Bahrain Defence Force (ff 103-120);acknowledgements of receipt dated September and October 1939 respectively, from the Chief Local Representative of the Bahrain Petroleum Company, Milton H Lipp, for sixteen Verey light pistols and ammunition (f 78), and one revolver with ammunition (f 92).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 130; 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 3-124 and between ff 125-129; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
93. ‘File 28/57 I Volunteers for national service’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises applications made by individuals in Bahrain (chiefly employees of the Bahrain Petroleum Company, BAPCO) to undertake military service in time of war, and correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman) and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior) over official policy towards volunteers for military duty. Besides the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Political Resident, the other principal correspondent in the volume is the Chief Local Representative for BAPCO (John S Black; Roger Anthony Kennedy).The volume includes:letters from or letters concerning numerous individuals, most of whom are BAPCO employees, and are either applying for military service or offering their services (including medical and engineering expertise) to the British Government. Many letters contain résumés, medical certificates and employment references. The letters are dated either from September 1939 (on the event of the declaration of war in Europe) or from June 1940 (the commencement of hostilities in Europe);correspondence between a range of Government officials, military officials and BAPCO representatives, concerning: the release and departure of individuals from employment in Bahrain; enquiries after their suitability, and copies of testimonials and medical certificates; details of the military commission of individuals; the granting of exit permits by the Political Agent to individuals to leave Bahrain for military service (as well as for other reasons, such as relocation on the grounds of ill-health, transfer of office, leave);correspondence, papers and official notices relating to Government policy on British subjects wishing to volunteer for military service, in Britain and in India (ff 72-74, ff 151-155, ff 164-170, ff 295-298, ff 320-324);correspondence between the Political Agent and Political Resident, dated June 1940, concerning: the deteriorating situation in Europe; the possible application in Bahrain of the British Compulsory Service Act; the attitude of British BAPCO workers in Bahrain; the prospects of a manpower shortage at the BAPCO refinery should British subjects volunteer for military service; plans for the replacement of BAPCO’s British employees with men from the United States; the reluctance of most men requesting leave for military service to carry out their service in India (ff 94-110, ff 118-120).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 345; 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 mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 5-341; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
94. ‘File 28/57-V Defence Regulation No. 2 of 1942 (Working of)’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises correspondence and other papers relating to the rescission of Defence Regulation No. 2 of 1942, made under the Persian Gulf States (Emergency) Order in Council (1939), which prohibited employees of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) from quitting their employment without the prior consent of the British political authorities. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior); the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Tom Hickinbotham; also T E Rogers, officiating in Hickinbotham’s absence); the India Office (Roland Tennyson Peel).The file includes:correspondence discussing difficulties raised by the Regulation (employees either having difficulties returning home for their leave, or not returning after their leave has completed), and the possibility of rescinding the Regulation in August 1944, rejected on the grounds that important expansion work on the refinery at Bahrain was ongoing, and that the Regulation was working effectively for all but one or two ‘ill-disposed employees’ (ff 3-4, ff 8-10, f 13, ff 21-22);correspondence dated from July 1945, concerning the suspension, and then the rescission of the Regulation, including copies of Regulation No. 1 of 1946, which officially repealed Regulation No. 2 of 1942 (ff 23-36);copies of correspondence sent by His Majesty’s Consul at Khorramshahr (Andrew Charles Stewart) to His Majesty’s Ambassador at Tehran (Sir Reader William Bullard), concerning difficulties encountered in enforcing a similar Regulation at the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), where many employees were reported to be deliberately reducing their output in order to force managers to dismiss them (ff 6-7, ff 11-12);correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Chief Local Representative at BAPCO (Ward P Anderson) over the Regulation and its enforcement in relation to Indian employees taking leave (ff 16-19).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 44; 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.
95. ‘File 28/64 Exemptions from customs dues on oil companies’ stores’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises copies of correspondence relating to customs and transit duties payable on equipment and stores owned by Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited (PDQ) that are passing from Qatar through Bahrain, as a consequence of the shutdown of the Company’s operations in Qatar in 1942. The file’s principal correspondents are: the Political Agent in Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield); the Manager of PDQ (Ernest Vincent Packer); and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave).The file includes:correspondence between the Political Agent, PDQ Manager, and Adviser to Government, including: Bahrain Government agreement that exemption of duty and transit fees should be made for equipment sold to British military forces; PDQ objection to having to pay a two per cent transit duty on stores returning to Bahrain; a list of materials being shipped by PDQ from Qatar via Bahrain (f 29); the Bahrain Government’s eventual waiving of all transit duties on PDQ stores;correspondence relating to a similar enquiry concerning customs and transit duties made by the California-Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC), and the Bahrain Government’s concession that duty be waived on equipment being brought through Bahrain for purchase on behalf of the United States Armed Forces.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 37; 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 2-33; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
96. ‘File 28/65 Treatment of foreigners and enemy foreigners’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains a copy of a secret Government of India letter, dated 28 September 1945, containing instructions for the treatment of foreigners and enemy foreigners, after the cessation of war hostilities: removal of enemy foreigners from India; compulsory repatriation, with consideration of relaxation of compulsory repatriation under certain conditions (risk of persecution on return to their own country; connections with India; involvement in work of national importance); review of individual cases; withdrawal of restrictions on enemy foreigners, including exclusion from major ports and the provinces of Assam and Bengal. The file also contains a copy of a memorandum from the Home Department of the Government of Bengal, dated 10 October 1945, concerning the withdrawal of ‘mild’ restrictions on British subjects of foreign origin, which required them to notify the authorities of changes of address or intention to travel.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 8; 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 mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-6; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.