Abstract: This item consists of copies of correspondence, consultations, memoranda, resolutions, and minutes cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. The correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; the Military Board of Bombay; Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Waddington, Superintending and Executive Engineer at Aden; James Brown, Engineer; and the Government of India.The item concerns the proposals to supply water to the isthmus of Aden. The two proposals involve supplying water through a tunnel or by a military road. The advantages and disadvantages of both proposals are discussed, including details of the machinery and the equipment required, and the cost.The item contains a contents page and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘P.C. [Previous Communication] 6349, Collection No 3’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 335, and terminates at f 379 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.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding the possibility of developing agricultural and grazing land in Bahrain.The Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) was commissioned by Charles Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain to complete a report on Bahrain's water resources, and the file contains both this report (ff 15-29) and correspondence related to it. The BAPCO report on Bahrain's water resources contains a map of the country showing the distribution of artesian water wells (folio 18).Some of the file's correspondence relates to a visit made to Bahrain in March 1949 by Sir Herbert Stewart, Agricultural Adviser to the British Middle East Office. A report written by Stewart after his visit entitled 'The Possibilities of Agricultural Development in Bahrain' is also contained in the file (ff 41-47).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 59; 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 covers the proposal by the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited for oil concessions in Kuwait (also spelled Koweit) which were to be negotiated on the Syndicate's behalf by Major Frank Holmes.Included within the volume are copies of the draft agreements and correspondence between the Syndicate, the Colonial Office, The Government of India, The Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, The Political Agent in Kuwait and the Sheikh of Kuwait with regards to the various clauses proposed in the agreements. The correspondence focuses primarily on clauses in the draft agreement which would permit the Syndicate to pass any concessions granted on to their American owners, and the concerns of both the Sheikh of Kuwait (Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) and the British Government over British companies operating in Kuwait.Further correspondence and documents of interest in the file include:Complete copies of the first and second proposed draft agreements, in English and Arabic with comments by British officials (folios 111-131 and folios 205-223). A further copy of the second draft, in English only and with annotations, is also included in the file (folios 6-24);Correspondence between the Political Agent; Political Resident, and the Colonial Office focusing on the importance of Kuwait's strategic position in the Gulf and the likelihood of a British Military and Naval base being required again in the country once Iraq becomes independent in 1932;Interest in re-acquiring leases for the areas of Shuwaikh, Ras-al-Ardh, al-Dasmah and al-Nigara in Kuwait for use by the Royal Navy and Air Force;Correspondence regarding drilling for water and the establishment of wells which Major Holmes has undertaken for the Shaikh of Kuwait and British suspicions that the well sites are being used for speculative oil drilling;Correspondence between the British Government and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (A.P.O.C) regarding their possible interest in the oil concession in Kuwait.Physical description: Foliation: The volume has been foliated in the top right corner of each folio with a pencil number. The foliation sequence runs from the first to last folios, the only exception being folio 194 which is located on the verso of folio 193.Foliation anomalies: 1A, 1B, 1C, 59A, 134A, 139A, 164A, 223A, 223BCondition: The volume no longer has a back cover or spine, and only part of the labelling for the spine remains.
Abstract: The memorandum concerns the Seistan Water Award [Sīstān] arbitrated by Britain between Persia and Afghanistan; the award outlines the proportion of water from the River Helmond [Helmand] to be allotted to irrigation on both sides of the river. It is authored by Arthur Henry McMahon — the British commissioner appointed to draft the award — and includes his opinion on the legitimacy of these complaints.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at f 13, and terminates at f 20, 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 item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence, copies of contracts and other items related to the sinking of water wells in Bahrain, and the institution of a municipal water supply to the districts of Manama and Muharraq. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Clive Daly until September 1926, Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Barrett thereafter), Major Frank Holmes, representative of the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited, F. Madgwick, geologist, and Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, deputy ruler of Bahrain.After the forced abdication of Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah in 1923, public works projects in Bahrain, such as the sinking of artesian wells for the municipal water supply, were able to go ahead under the instigation of Shaikh Ḥamad (folios 28-30). The Eastern and General Syndicate Limited (London), represented by Major Frank Holmes, was awarded the contract to sink two wells in Manama and Muharraq to depths of 600 feet, in search of fresh water. The total expected cost of this first phase was 100,000 rupees (folio 5). A total of 300,000 rupees had been set aside by the Bahrain Government for the implementation of a water supply in Bahrain (folio 76). The Manama well struck good-quality water at 200 feet, and although Shaikh Ḥamad was keen to continue drilling to 600 feet, Holmes convinced the Shaikh against further drilling (folios 63-68). In the wake of the first two wells, water tanks capable of holding thirty tonnes of water were installed, and new contracts between Holmes and the Bahrain Government drawn up for the sinking of a further twelve wells, with the installation of the necessary pipework and tanks (folios 79-80, 82-83).A minor diplomatic incident was avoided when, in December 1924, the
Baghdad Timesreported that Holmes was travelling to Bahrain with drilling equipment. The Secretary of State for the Colonies wrote to the Resident, reminding him to in turn remind Shaikh Ḥamad that the British Government recognised the Anglo-Persian Oil Company's exclusive right to negotiate concessions for the exploratory drilling of oil in Bahrain (folio 39). The Resident replied to the High Commissioner in Baghdad that Holmes was interested only in sinking wells for water (folio 42). A later disagreement in 1927 arose between Holmes and the Bahrain merchant Khalil Kanoo, over the sinking of water wells in Bahrain. Holmes, who had by this point signed a concession to drill for oil in the state, objected to Kanoo's proposals to sink his own water wells in Manama (folios 108-14).Physical description: Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil notes in the top-right corner (but in some cases the top-centre) of each recto. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1A-1F, 81A, 81B, 84A, 84B, 111A, 111B.The following folios are fold-outs: folios 2, 4, 5, 14, 15, 23, 28-30, 32-34, 36, 37, 49-54, 70, 76, 90, 94, 104, 116.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence between British officials following a request made by Shaikh Mubarak Al Sabah, the ruler of Kuwait, for the British authorities to ensure an adequate water supply to Kuwait (a copy of the letter is contained on folio 3).The correspondence includes discussions between British officials and Shaikh Mubārak Āl Ṣabāḥ and later in the volume, with Shaikh Sālim al-Mubārak Āl Ṣabāḥ.The file contains correspondence with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and a firm based in Mohammerah named Messrs Strick, Scott and Company concerning different options for increasing Kuwait's water supply and the logistics and costs of these options.Much of the correspondence concerns the construction of a water plant by Messrs Strick, Scott and Company and the numerous difficulties that the project faces.Physical description: Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file's foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The file contains the following foliation errors: 1, 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D; 32 and 32A; 56, 56A and 56B; 90 and 90A; 128 and 128A, the file also contains the following foliation omissions: 5, 7 and 37.
Abstract: Correspondence in the file dated 1941 is the result of an enquiry from the Political Agent in Muscat (Captain Tom Hickinbotham) to the Political Agent in Bahrain (Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban), about the prospects for an artesian water supply at Muscat, or elsewhere on the Batinah Coast (folio 3). A second set of correspondence, dated 1946, concerns arrangements for a Petroleum Concessions Limited geologist to visit Muscat to assess the area. Aside from the Political Agents at Bahrain and Muscat, the other principal correspondent in the file is Ernest Vincent Packer, representing Petroleum Concessions Limited, and Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited.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 30; 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 3-26; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: Correspondence relating to the supply of fresh water at the Political Agency in Bahrain. The file’s principal correspondents are: the Political Agent or Assistant Political Agent at Bahrain (numerous incumbents); the Clerk-in-Charge of the British Naval Base at Jufair [Al Jufayr]; the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf [SNOPG] (Commodore Cosmo Moray Graham); the Commanders of various British vessels in the Persian Gulf Squadron (including HMS
Fowey, HMS
Deptford, HMS
Bideford, HMS
Shoreham).The bulk of the file is letters sent from the Political Agency, approximately on a weekly basis, requesting water from different sources. Between 1935 and 1938 requests were sent to British naval vessels at Bahrain, following an arrangement agreed between the Political Agent and the SNOPG. The naval vessels at Bahrain had on-board distilling plants, enabling them to produce their own drinking water. From 1938, requests for water were sent to the Clerk-in-Charge at the British naval base at Jufair.Wartime correspondence acknowledges anticipated and actual shortages in freshwater supplies. A note by the Political Agent (Hugh Weightman) dated 22 September 1939 details revised quantities and distribution of water at the Agency (f 209). Two pieces of correspondence from the SNOPG to the Political Agent, dated 24 August 1940 and 24 January 1942, note respectively the reduced water distillation capacity of British naval ships, and subsequent inability to continue supplying water to the Agency (f 263, f 304).Other papers in the file relate to:the Commandant of the Bahrain State Police’s displeasure at the use of his sepoys to convey water to the Agency (ff 2-4);requests for increases or decreases in water supply at the Agency, in response to visits by the Political Resident, or absences from the Agency of the Political Agent;water distribution lists for staff at the Agency (for example, f 243).The file notes at the end of the file (ff 307-329) offer further insight into policies and arrangements relating to water supply at the Agency, including distribution lists for Agency staff.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 330; 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 also present in parallel between ff 2-301, and ff 308-328; 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.
Abstract: This file relates to two separate subjects. The first is the reported murder of Abdullah bin Ahmad al-Rawaf, a Saudi Arabian subject, by Beni Hasan tribesmen. The second is a trip to Sur, which was recently undertaken by the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat, Major Tom Hickinbotham. The correspondence includes a brief report by the Political Agent of his visit to Sur, as well as his description of a lake near the village of Ghail Shaab, which he highlights as a potential source of fresh water for visiting sea vessels.The Arabic language material consists of letters addressed to the Wali of Sur by Ali bin Abdullah al Hamood [Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Hamudah, Emir of Ja'alan] and Suleiman bin Abdullah al-Rawaf, son of Abdullah bin Ahmad al-Rawaf.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 18; 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 contains correspondence among British officials in the Persian Gulf and London, as well as the Kuwaiti Government on various means of securing a reliable supply of water for Kuwait. The papers vary from proposal for a condensing plant, and possible pipeline from Basra in Iraq, to obtaining the details of how much such ventures would cost and which firms could possibly oversee their construction. The papers also contain letters from various Kuwaiti merchant contractors and the Kuwait Oil Company relating to the construction of a pipeline from the oil company to Kuwait's principal settlement.The file also contains early maps of Kuwait's geology used to ascertain the viability of groundwater.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 232; 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. Two additional irregular foliation sequences are present in parallel between; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are at times crossed out.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence relating to the supply of water to Kuwait from the Shatt-al-Arab estuary which lies within the territory of Iraq. The papers contain incidents relating to the payment of customs duties, the customary drawing of water from populations surrounding the estuary, and the boring of water wells within Kuwait as an alternative. The majority of the correspondence is between the Political Agency in Kuwait, the Political Residency at Bushire, and a variety of experts and Kuwait Oil Company employees with expertise to bear on the matter of obtaining fresh water supplies for Kuwait.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 234; 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. Two irregular additional foliation sequences are present in parallel between ff 30-233; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to a scheme for a water supply for Manama, Bahrain. The correspondence is between the Political Agency in Bahrain, the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave), and the Bahrain State Engineer (Hubert Poyntz-Gaynor Leigh). The file includes:a draft of the initial proposal, written by WB Steele, the State Engineer, with details of pumps, storage, mains, control, and drainage (folios 3-6);excerpts from minutes of the Anti-Malarial Committee meetings of 16, 22, and 29 July 1940 relating to the proposal (folios 7-9);correspondence concerning all aspects of the scheme, including its revival and expansion after the end of the Second World War;Government notices and circulars related to the scheme.Folios 19-21 are internal office notes.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 23; 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 2-17; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.