‘Miscellaneous 16/4 Correspondence with – the Mespers, Bahrain, etc.’

Content

Correspondence exchanged between the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. at Bahrain and various steamship operators at Bahrain, as follows:

• until 1937, representatives of the Mesopotamia Persia Corporation Limited (MPC hereafter; briefly referred to as the Mesopotamia Iran Corporation in early 1937 and referred to as MesPers in the file title), including Deputy Managers J Russell and George William Reginald Smith);
• from 1937, representatives of Gray, Mackenzie & Company Limited, chiefly John H Leared;

Much of the correspondence sent by representatives of the MPC is written or typed on stationery belonging to the British India Steam Navigation Company Limited (see notes on Administrative Context).

Most of the correspondence is of a day-to-day nature:

• arrangements for the forwarding and receipt of special letters and packages, with bills of lading included;
• arrangements for the passage of individuals to and from Bahrain by steamer, with debit notes and receipts;
• steamer service timetables for 1935 (ff 113-114), Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ‘fast service’ timetables for 1937 (ff 152-158), and mail service timetables for 1941 (ff 203-205);

Other correspondence concerns:

• the passage of three distressed British seamen (DBS) in 1928, including an order for the conveyance of DBS (ff 34-37);
• a case of three Kuwaitis reported to be illegally hawking wares on steamers in 1937 (ff 136-144);
• from August 1939, correspondence related to the start of the Second World War, including travel restrictions and passport control, the increased costs of shipping due to war insurance and higher prices, and shipment of French goods in 1940 (f 167 onwards).

Extent and format

1 file (268 folios)

Arrangement

The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The file notes at the end of the file (ff 242-269) mirror the chronological arrangement.

Physical characteristics

The foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 270; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 4-269; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in

English in Latin script

Type

Archival file

Access & Reference

Original held at

British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity.

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

IOR/R/15/2/1497

Former external reference(s)

English Office: 16/4

History of this record

Date(s)

4 May 1926-18 Apr 1943 (CE, Gregorian)

Context of creation

Biographical history notes for the archive of Gray, Mackenzie & Company Limited (held at the London Metropolitan Archives: http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=18279&inst_id=118) states that the British India Steam Navigation Company Limited and Gray, Mackenzie & Company acted as one company. Moreover, the Mesopotamia Persia Corporation Limited was operated as an offshoot of three operations (Gray, MacKenzie and Company, Gray, Paul and Company, and Lynch Brothers Limited).

Subjects

TimetablesShippingPostal servicesmaritime transport

Places

Persian Gulf

People & organisations

British India Steam Navigation Company LimitedGray, Mackenzie and Company Limited, shipping agentsMesopotamia Persia Corporation Limited

Share this record

• Share on twitter
• Share on facebook

Cite this record in your research

‘Miscellaneous 16/4 Correspondence with – the Mespers, Bahrain, etc.’, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/1497, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000000282.0x0000e8> [accessed 19 April 2024]

Link to this record

https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000000282.0x0000e8

IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000282.0x0000e8/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Copyright: How to use this content