Abstract: This item comprises copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 4 of 1847, dated 15 January 1847. The enclosures are dated 9 November-15 January 1847.The item comprises resolutions on letters from the Secret Committee received by the HC [Honourable Company’s] steamer
Aucklandon 2 January 1847, and subsequent correspondence between: Secretary to the Government, Bombay; the Secretary to the Government of India; and the Post-Master General, Bombay. Also included is a minute of the President and Governor and the members in Council, Bombay.The papers cover the following matters:A document entitled ‘Heads of Instructions for the Police Magistrate at…’ (not included), forwarded by the Secret Committee, requesting the authorities in India to ascertain if the guidance can be made applicable to AdenAn enquiry, by the Secret Committee, as to whether the authorities in India have received any communication from the King of Johanna [Anjouan] regarding his claim to the Island of Mayotte now occupied by FranceConfirmation by the Post-Master General that he has received from England forty spare lids for the iron mail boxes (passing between England and India and through France), that he intends to request a further supply, and requesting instructions concerning the disposal of 155 old lids.Physical description: 1 item (14 folios)
Abstract: This item comprises copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 26 of 1844, dated 25 March 1844. The enclosures are dated 23 January-11 February 1844.The enclosures comprise despatches of Major Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, Political Agent in Turkish Arabia [Ottoman Iraq], to John Pollard Willoughby, Secretary to the Government, Bombay, and for the attention of the Secretary to the Government of India with the Governor-General, with associated enclosures, including a letter from Rawlinson to Sir Stratford Canning, HM Ambassador at Constantinople [Istanbul]. The principal matters covered are:Arrangements for postal communications between the Bagdad [Baghdad] Agency and the Government of India to be transmitted via Egypt and Damascus, utilising the private dâk [post] between Beyrout [Beirut] and Bagdad used by British merchants, due to the slow and irregular communications between India and the Persian GulfThe dispute between Turkey and Persia regarding Mohamerah [Khorramshahr], notably a lengthy memorandum by Rawlinson, dated 6 January 1844, giving an account of the early and modern history of the territory and the tribes within it (ff 444-480)Apparent atrocities committed by the Pasha of Moosel [Mosul] against the Nestorian Christians of the Kurdish mountains, and resumption of the Nestorian Commission (temporarily delayed due to the death of the Pasha of Moosel) sent to investigate the incidentPersian-Turkish tensions, including slow progress of treaty negotiations at Erzeroom [Erzurum]Unrest amongst Persian-Kurdish tribes on the frontier with Turkey and inability of Nejib Pasha [Muḥammad Najīb Pāshā, Governor of Baghdad] to prevent local Turkish retaliation against Kurdish ‘depredations’The application by Nejib Pasha for use of the HC [Honourable Company's] steamer of war
Nitocristo help suppress the ‘refractory’ Arab tribe inhabiting the marshes on the banks of the Euphrates River, and Rawlinson’s reluctance to interfere and referral of the matter to Sir Stratford CanningThe pretensions to independence (from the Ottoman Porte) expressed by the Pasha of Suliemaniah [Sulaymaniyah] and Rawlinson’s view that Britain should not support it.Physical description: The enclosure numbers 3-4 are written on the verso of the last folio of each enclosure, which also contain an abstract of the contents of the enclosure.
Abstract: This file, which consists of copies of Foreign Office and Colonial Office correspondence, concerns relations between France and the Imam of Yemen [Yaḥyá Muḥammad Ḥamīd al-Dīn], and French claims to Sheikh Said [Ra’s Shaykh Sa‘īd].Matters discussed in the correspondence include the following:The attitude that should be adopted by the British Government in the event of the French Government according official recognition to the Imam of Yemen.Details of a Treaty of Friendship between France and Yemen, signed on 25 April 1936.French claims to Sheikh Said (which reportedly rest on an agreement made in 1868 with local chiefs, and on a treaty with the Ottoman Government, signed in 1870).British concerns regarding the possibility of an Italian occupation of Sheikh Said.The Imam's decision to import arms for the fortification of Sheikh Said.The principal correspondents are His Majesty's Ambassador in Paris (Ronald Hugh Campbell), His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan), and officials of the Foreign Office and Colonial Office.In addition to correspondence, the file includes the following: a copy (in French) of the aforementioned Treaty of Friendship between France and Yemen (folio 50); a copy of a declaration (also in French) between France and Yemen, regarding Sheikh Said, dated 18 July 1936 (folio 5).The French material in the file consists of the aforementioned treaty and declaration (plus draft copies of the declaration) and several copies of a memorandum addressed to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs by the French Ambassador in London.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 72; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This file relates to the disputed south and south-western boundaries of Saudi Arabia. It primarily concerns an expedition to southern Saudi Arabia that was undertaken by Harry St John Bridger Philby in 1936, during which Philby was reported to have entered Yemeni and British territory. Much of the correspondence discusses Philby's visit to Shabwa [Shabwa, Yemen] (reportedly with an armed Saudi party), a visit considered by the British to be an incursion into the Aden Protectorate.The file's principal correspondents are the following: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Reader William Bullard); the Acting Political Resident, Aden (Morice Challoner Lake); Harry St John Bridger Philby; the Minister for Saudi Foreign Affairs [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd]; the Sultan of Shihr and Mukalla; the Imam of Yemen [Yaḥyā Muḥammad Ḥamīd al-Dīn].In addition to correspondence the file includes Philby's own account of his visit to Shabwa, in an article published in
The Timesin January 1937.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 70; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This file documents the British response to developments regarding the status of the Sanjak [administrative district, referred to in Arabic as Liwa] of Alexandretta, including the cities of Alexandretta [İskenderun, Turkey] and Antioch [Antakya, Turkey].The file features the following principal correspondents: His Majesty's Ambassador, Istanbul (Sir Percy Loraine, succeeded by Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen); His Majesty's Ambassador, Bagdad [Baghdad] (Sir Archibald Clark Kerr, succeeded by Sir Maurice Drummond Peterson); His Majesty's Ambassador, Paris (Sir George Russell Clerk, succeeded by Sir Eric Phipps); the British Consul, Aleppo (Archibald William Davis); the British Consul, Damascus (Gilbert MacKereth); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Reader William Bullard); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Anthony Eden); officials of the Foreign Office.The correspondence includes discussion of the following:The demography of the Sanjak of Alexandretta.Turkey's claim for the Sanjak to be given autonomy.The progression of Franco-Turkish negotiations, brokered by the League of Nations and resulting in the Sanjak's new autonomous status (in its internal affairs only), as granted in a League of Nations statute, concluded in January 1937 and brought into force on 29 November 1937.Reports of both Arab and Turkish demonstrations in Alexandretta and Antioch during January 1937 (as well as Arab demonstrations in Aleppo).Pressure from Syria and Iraq for the Sanjak to be partitioned between Syria and Turkey.The reported registration of non-Turkish electors in the Sanjak as Turks.Reported divisions in the Syrian Nationalist Government.The conclusion of a treaty of friendship between France and Turkey in July 1938.The announcement in September 1938 that the Sanjak of Alexandretta will in future be known as the Republic of Hatay, with Antioch as its capital.The Franco-Turkish agreement regarding the change of status of Hatay to that of a Turkish province, concluded in June 1939.The French language material in the file consists of several items of correspondence, plus copies of the aforementioned Franco-Turkish agreement (dated 23 June 1939) and the Turco-French treaty (dated 4 July 1938).The file includes two dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence (folios 2-3).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 287; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This file relates to boundaries in the Arabian Peninsula. The file begins with a Foreign Office memorandum (and an enclosed map) dated 30 April 1934, which provides a brief recent history of disputes and agreements regarding the eastern and south-eastern boundaries of modern-day Saudi Arabia.The remainder of the file, which dates from 1937, contains correspondence between the Foreign Office and the Colonial Office discussing the precise extent of the Aden Protectorate. Also discussed are the respective British and Italian interpretations of the Rome Understanding of 1927. The correspondence includes a second Foreign Office memorandum dated 23 August 1937 and entitled 'The Growth of the Aden Protectorate'.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 40; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This volume relates to the British occupation of Basidu, situated on Kishm [Qeshm] Island in the Gulf, close to the south coast of Persia [Iran], and occupied by the British since the early 1820s. It is stated in the correspondence that the site had been used mainly as a coal depot for British naval vessels until 1913, and that since then it has been retained on 'political grounds', as a potential bargaining asset in negotiations with Persia.The correspondence primarily concerns the British claim (or lack thereof) to Basidu, in the event of the Persian Government questioning Britain's ongoing occupation. It covers the history of Basidu's status and the various existing agreements that relate to it, as part of an attempt by the British to gather documentary evidence to support their claim. Also discussed are a number of reported incidents at Basidu, involving British representatives and the local Persian authorities, mainly regarding customs, taxes, and the presence of the British naval guard. In addition, the correspondence touches on Anglo-Persian relations in general, with occasional references being made to ongoing treaty negotiations between the two countries.The volume's principal correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the British Minister in Tehran; the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf; officials of the India Office, the Foreign Office, the Admiralty, and the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department. Other notable but less frequent correspondents include the following: the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India; the Viceroy of India; the Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station; the Law Officers of the Crown.Included with the correspondence are several related documents, including the following: two sketch maps (f 622); copies (in English and Arabic) of a treaty dated 1856 between Muscat and Persia, in which the Imam of Muscat acknowledges Kishm Island as being part of the Persian Empire (f 179 and ff 221-223); draft and final copies of an India Office memorandum dated 18 October 1933, outlining Britain's understanding of the history of the status of Basidu from 1720 to 1928, including extracts from nineteenth century reports and related correspondence (ff 46-54 and ff 123-159); a submission of reference, prepared by the India Office and the Foreign Office, for the Law Officers of the Crown, requesting the latter's legal opinion on the strength of the British claim to Basidu (ff 43-45 and ff 67-83); a copy of a secret report on Basidu, prepared by the Commander-in-Chief at the East Indies Station, containing extracts from the East Indies Station's records and notes from the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf (ff 16-38).The Arabic language material consists of the aforementioned treaty text. The material written in French consists of small extracts from correspondence and treaty articles. It should be noted that there is no material covering the years 1924 and 1925.The volume includes two dividers, which give a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence (ff 4-5).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 651; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The volume contains papers relating to the ownership and sovereignty of the islands of Tamb and Abu Musa (and Little Tamb and Sirri) in the Persian Gulf, and negotiations for a general treaty between the United Kingdom and Persia [Iran]. The papers mainly consist of correspondence and India Office Political and Secret Department minute papers.Most of the volume concerns the seizure of a dhow [sailing vessel] from Debai [Dubai] (according to the reports of British officials) near the island of Tamb (also spelled Tunb and Tanb in the volume) by Persian customs officials. The British Government considered the island of Tamb to be owned by the Shaikh of Ras al Khaimah, and the papers discuss the expectation of the Trucial Shaikhs that Britain should take action against Persia, in accordance with Britain’s Treaty obligations to the Trucial Shaikhs. Thus, the papers also concern: the British Government’s claim for compensation from the Persian Government for the Trucial Shaikhs and the passengers of the dhow; the response of the Persian Government that Tamb was Persian territory and that therefore this incident took place in Persian territorial waters, and that the dhow was carrying smuggled goods; and the proposal that the British Government should immediately pay 5,000 rupees from Indian revenues as compensation to those affected by the Tamb incident, in anticipation of any settlement of the claim against Persia.The Tamb incident raised the general question of the claim of the Trucial Shaikhs to the islands of Tamb and Abu Musa (the latter of which was considered by the British Government to be owned by the Shaikh of Sharjah) as well as Little Tamb and Sirri. Thus the volume also includes: papers relating to an article drafted by the British Government for inclusion in a forthcoming general treaty with Persia, under which Persia would withdraw its claim to Tamb, Little Tamb, and Abu Musa, in return for the Trucial Jowasimi [Qawasim] Shaikhs relinquishing their claim to Sirri; and negotiations between the British Government and the Persian Government about this and other issues, as part of the general treaty negotiations with Persia.The main correspondents are as follows: the India Office; the Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf; the Admiralty; the Government of India Foreign and Political Department; the Foreign Office; the Commander in Chief, East Indies; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Colonial Office; HM Chargé d’Affaires, Tehran, and HM Minister, Tehran.The volume also includes a copy of the India Office memorandum ‘Status of the Islands of Tamb, Little Tamb, Abu Musa, and Sirri.’, by John Gilbert Laithwaite, dated 24 August 1928.In addition, the volume includes the following items in French: correspondence between Sir Robert Clive, HM Minister at Tehran, and Abdolhossein Teymourtache [Teymūrtāsh], the Persian Minister of Court, dated January to March 1930; correspondence between Clive and Mirza Mohamed Ali Khan Feroughi, the Persian Minister of Foreign Affairs, dated 9 August and 21 October 1930, and an Aide-mémoire by the British Legation at Tehran, dated 21 October 1930.The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 532; 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 between ff 193-532, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: This part contains papers relating to the status of certain islands in the Persian Gulf. A large proportion of the papers concern the policy to be adopted by the British Government (as decided by the Persian Gulf Sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence) in relation to islands in the Persian Gulf whose ownership by Persia [Iran] had not been established (in the view of the British Government). These islands included Farsi, Arabi, Harqus and Qran.The papers mainly consist of correspondence and India Office Political and Secret Department minute papers. The main correspondents are as follows: the India Office; the Foreign Office; HM Chargé d’Affaires, Tehran, and HM Minister Tehran (Sir Robert Henry Clive); the Acting Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs; the Admiralty; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Colonial Office; and the Government of India Foreign and Political Department.The papers also include printed copies of India Office memoranda by John Gilbert Laithwaite entitled ‘Status of certain Groups of Islands in the Persian Gulf.’ (27 August 1928), and ‘Status of the Islands of Tamb, Little Tamb, Abu Musa, and Sirri.’ (24 August 1928).Physical description: 1 item (102 folios)