'Existing Treaties between the British Government and the Trucial Chiefs, 1906' [27v] (69/160)
The record is made up of 3 volumes (68 folios). It was created in 1906. It was written in English and Arabic. The original is part of the 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
[ 4 ]
We opened these seas to the ships of all nations, and enabled their
flags to fly in peace. We have not seized or held your territory.
We have not destroyed your iudependence, but have preserved it. We
are not now going to throw away this century of costly and triumphant
enterprise; we shall not wipe out the most unselfish page in history.
The peace of these waters must still be maintained; your independence
will continue to be upheld; and the influence of the British Govern
ment must remain supreme.
There is one respect in which the Chiefs themselves can avert any
renewal of trouHe in the future. The British Government have no
desire to interfere, and have never interfered, in your internal affairs,
provided that the Chiefs govern their territories with justice, and
respect the rights of the foreign traders residing therein. If any
internal disputes occur, you will always find a friend in the British
Resident, who will use his influence, as he has frequently done in
the past, to prevent these dissensions from coming to a head, and to
maintain the status quo ; for we could not approve of one independent
Chief attacking another Chief by land, simply because he was not
permitted to do it by sea, and thus evading the spirit of his Treaty
obligations. I will mention a case that seems to lend itself to friendly
settlement of the character that I have described. You are all of
you aware that a certain portion of that strip of the Oman coast known
as the Batineh, on the opposite side of the Oman Peninsula, is under
the authority of the Chief of the Jowasmis. Nevertheless, his authority
is contested in some quarters. It is desirable that these disputes
should cease, and that the peace should remain undisturbed.
Chiefs, these are the relations that subsist between the British
Government and yourselves. The Sovereign of the British Empire
lives so far away that none of you has ever seen or will ever see his
face; but his orders are carried out everywhere throughout his vast
dominions by the officers of his Government, and it is as his representa
tive in India who is responsible to him for your welfare that I am here
to-day to exchange greetings with you, to renew old assurances, and to
wish you prosperity in the future.
About this item
- Content
The volume is accompanied by two duplicate copies. The volume is subtitled Treaties and Engagements in Force on 1st January 1906 between the British Government and the Trucial Chiefs of the Arab Coast; to which is Prefixed an Address Delivered by His Excellency Lord Curzon, Viceroy and Governor-General of India, to the Trucial Chiefs of the Arab Coast, at a Public Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). Held at Shargah [Sharjah] on the 21st November 1903 , and consists of a set of documents in English followed by versions in Arabic. The documents included are:
- General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulf An agreement made in 1820 between Britain and ten tribal rulers of the eastern Arabian coast, often seen as marking the start of 150 years of British hegemony in the region. , 1820;
- Engagement entered into by Sheikh Sultan bin Suggur, Chief of Ras-ool-Kheimah [Ra's al-Khaymah] and Shargah [Sharjah], for the abolition of the African slave trade in his ports, 1847;
- Treaty of Peace in perpetuity agreed upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on behalf of themselves, their heirs and successors, under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , 1853;
- Further engagement entered into by Sheikh Sultan bin Suggur, of Jowasmee, with the British Government, for the more effectual suppression of the slave trade, 1856;
- Additional Article for the protection of the Telegraph Line and Stations, agreed to before Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis Pelly, Acting British Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. , Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and appended to the Treaty of Peace of 4 May 1853, 1864;
- Mutual agreement entered into by the Trucial Chiefs of the Oman Coast through the medium of Haji Abul Cassim, Munshi A term used in the Middle East, Persia and South Asia to refer to a secretary, assistant or amanuensis. Munshis were employed in the British administration in the Gulf. , especially deputed on this service, and Haji Abdur Rahman, Government Agent, Arab Coast, written on the 3rd Rajeb 1296, corresponding with 24 June 1879;
- Protectorate Treaties, 1892;
- Agreement for the prohibition of the Arms Traffic, 1902.
In the event of any doubt arising about the interpretation of the treaty stipulations, the English text was to be considered decisive.
- Extent and format
- 3 volumes (68 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence is split between three identical volumes, the covers of which are not included. The sequence is as follows: Volume 1: ff. 1-23; Volume 2: ff. 24-46; Volume 3: ff. 47-68. These numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right hand corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. page of each folio. Each volume is split into English and Arabic sections. These each contain a separate pagination sequence, which mirror each other in their respective languages. These numbers are printed, and can be found in the top centre of each page.
- Written in
- English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- IOR/R/15/1/735
- Title
- 'Existing Treaties between the British Government and the Trucial Chiefs, 1906'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 1r:23v, back-i, front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 24r:46v, back-i, front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 47r:68v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence