‘Beni Boo Ali Arabs’

Content

This item consists of copies of correspondence, consultations, minutes, and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay From c. 1668-1858, the East India Company’s administration in the city of Bombay [Mumbai] and western India. From 1858-1947, a subdivision of the British Raj. It was responsible for British relations with the Gulf and Red Sea regions. . The principal correspondents are: the Government of Bombay From c. 1668-1858, the East India Company’s administration in the city of Bombay [Mumbai] and western India. From 1858-1947, a subdivision of the British Raj. It was responsible for British relations with the Gulf and Red Sea regions. ; Lieutenant [John] Macleod, British Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; the Imaum of Muscat [Imam of Muscat, Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd]; the Chief of the Beni Boo Alli [Banī Bū ‘Alī], Muhumud Ibn Ali Jalamee [Muḥammad bin ‘Alī Jaylanī].

The main topic of the item is the concerns from the East India Company Court of Directors The London-based directors of the East India Company who dealt with the daily conduct of the Company's affairs. about the expedition against the Beni Boo Alli, particularly their doubts about: establishing whether the tribe were pirates; whether it was right to cut down the date groves and turn the watercourses; and whether the prisoners should have been sent to Bombay. The Government of Bombay From c. 1668-1858, the East India Company’s administration in the city of Bombay [Mumbai] and western India. From 1858-1947, a subdivision of the British Raj. It was responsible for British relations with the Gulf and Red Sea regions. and Lieutenant Lionel Smith reply to these allegations and justify the attack on the Bani Boo Alli with examples of their piracy, a description the expedition including the Imaum of Muscat’s role in destroying the date groves, and an explanation for bringing the prisoners to Bombay.

The item describes relations between the Beni Boo Alli and the British subsequent to the expedition including representatives from the Beni Boo Alli visiting Bombay, Bombay’s negotiations with Muscat to restore the Beni Boo Alli to their territory, and Bombay’s insistence that they be allowed to rebuild their houses.

The item includes a contents page, and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Political No. 7, Draft 293, P.C. 362, [Season] 26/7, Examiner’s Office 1825’.

Extent and format

1 item (87 folios)

Arrangement

The documents are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front of the item to the rear.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 197, and terminates at f 283, 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 The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Pagination: the volume also contains an original pagination sequence.

Written in

English in Latin script

Type

Archival item

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/F/4/895/23296

History of this record

Date(s)

8 Jan 1823-2 Jun 1825 (CE, Gregorian)

Related material

Related primary sources

Bombay Pol 9 May 1827, draft 293/1826-27, IOR/E/4/1047 pp 984-90

Subjects

PiracyMilitary operations

Places

MuscatBeni Boo AliAl Ashkara

People & organisations

Political ResidentGovernment of BombayImam of OmanBanī Bū ‘Alī (Tribe)

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Cite this record in your research

‘Beni Boo Ali Arabs’, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/F/4/895/23296, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000001762.0x000100> [accessed 2 July 2026]

Link to this record

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