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‘Administration Report on the Persian Gulf Political Residency and Maskat Political Agency for 1904-1905’ [‎161] (171/178)

The record is made up of 1 volume (89 folios). It was created in 1906. It was written in English. 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. .

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RESIDENCY An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. AND MASKAT POLITICAL AGENCY An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. FOR THE YEAR 190W9W .
161
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desert, due to the exposed life which both of them lead he
and the toxins generated by intestinal fermentation are' aZ ZTLibfff^
a great many cases of muscular and bone pains rrrnJ^iJ i 1 m j
rheumatic. Acute rheumatism is very rare. ' ' monJ y ciescribed as
12. Intestinal wofms are very common, due phipfl^y fr. +1, i 1
habits of the people and the uncleanly nature of their food and drink" wherebv
the ova of these ammals are conveyed into the alimentary canal. 7
1 13 ,- <iftheskin.—1U parasitic affections, such® rineworm of
the body and scalp, scabies and pediculosis are very common, rinsworm of the
scalp especially among children, giving rise to alopecia. D vers ^Xr from
SbodS papu erU1 0Willg t0 C011StaIlt COntact of 8alt water with
_ 14 Venereal are also fairly common, the chief forms met with
being gonorrhsea and syphilis. Soft chancre followed by suppurating bubo is
uncommon. ir s is
xr Epidemics-Ovlj one fatal case of cholera came under my notice in
November last; although enquiries were made no reports about further
authentic cases could be had. The disease did not prevail in an epidemic
form; probably only afew sporadic cases occurred.
- r v; 11 epidemic of measles broke out in February last and continued through
March. I lie epidemic was pretty severe and generally accompanied with
serious respiratory or intestinal complications. It accounted for a large number
of deaths especially among children—chiefly from bronchopneumonia or
noma.
16 Sanitation —The sanitary condition of the town is on the whole
satisfactory, and in many respects better than that of other places in the Persian
Gulf. There are no conservancy arrangements, but owing to the dryness of the
climate and the proximity of the sea the occurrence of noxious eflPects from the
decomposition of filth and refuse is to a great extent prevented.
The people being very slightly advanced m the scale of civilisation have
scant ideas of modesty, and use either the seashore, or the open plain, or the
roofs of their houses or the sides of the lanes for latrine. In any case, however,
the filth is either washed away by the sea twice a day or rapidly dried by the'
sun and thereby rendered innocuous, and so this System is far better from a
sanitary point of view than the system of well privies which is in vogue in
Bushire and other places. Some people, however, are now beginning to con
struct latrines in their houses, but the excreta are generally allowed to fall into
buckets which are cleaned out daily in the sea. Some nice wooden latrines
have also been erected lately on the seashore by the Sheikh and some of the
leading merchants, in which the filth falls into the sea and is washed away by
it, while at the same time the individuals are screened from public view.
House refuse and dead animals are either thrown into the sea or in the
roads.^ In the latter case they are allowed to rot where they lie and give rise to
offensive smells. The sullage water of houses on the seaside is allowed to run
into the sea—of those in the interior is either allowed to run on into the lanes or
into pits dug in the courtyard. In either of these latter cases noxious smells are
created, but as the soil is sandy and porous the water gets dried up soon.
17. Climate. —The climate of the place is dry and healthy. The last cold
weather was exceptionally severe as in most other places, and several oases of
death from sheer cold were reported both from sea and from land. The soil is
sandy and porous with underlying rock. In the eastern and western parts of
the town water is met with at a depth of from 10 to 15 feet, but in the central
part which is on a rather higher level, it is met with at a depth of about 20 feet.
The water of wells is very saltish and unfit for use, hence very few people
dig wells in their houses. Water for use is brought from wells supplied by

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Content

Administration Report on the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. and Maskat [Muscat] Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. for 1904-1905, published by the Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India (Calcutta).

The report is divided into a number of parts:

1. General Summary , prepared by Major Percy Zachariah Cox, Officiating 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (pages 1D-16), including reports on: the year’s rainfall and harvest, governorship of Bushire; public peace and tranquillity in and around Bushire; quarantine and public health, with details of plague and cholera epidemics in the region; administration of customs in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , including new posts created in the Imperial Customs Administration; postal service; events in the ports of the Trucial coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. , including an assessment of the year’s pearling season, comments about the character of each ruling shaikh’s administration, changes of rulers, visits made on shaikhs by the Resident; events in Bahrain [referred to as Bahrein], including the taking over of Political Agent’s duties by Captain Francis Beville Prideaux from John Calcott Gaskin, assessment of the year’s pearling season, the character of Shaikh Esa’s [Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah] administration, and unrest and violent incidents; unsafe conditions and customs at El Hassa [Al-Hasa] and El Katif [Al-Qaṭīf]; events in Koweit [Kuwait] and Nejd, including Captain Stuart George Knox’s appointment as Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. for Kuwait, Ibn Saood’s [Ibn Sa‘ūd] territorial gains in Nejd, and subsequent meetings between Wahhābī A follower of the Islamic reform movement known as Wahhabism; also used to refer to the people and territories ruled by the Al-Saud family. and Turkish representatives, and friction between Turkish officials and Shaikh Mubarak bin Ṣabāḥ Āl Ṣabāḥ’s Land Agent over the Shaikh’s date gardens; events in Persian Arabistan, including the appointment of governor, security in the region and violent incidents, including assaults on a Lieutenant Lorimer and Colonel Douglas; events in Kermānshāh, chiefly the appointments of British officials; events in Fārs and on the Persian coast, including restrictions on movement as a result of the cholera epidemic; events in Kermān and Persian Baluchistan, including the appointment of officials, epidemics of smallpox and cholera; the slave trade, with numbers of slaves freed; incidents of piracy; cases of arms trafficking; details of the Resident’s annual tour; the movements of British naval vessels, and changes of British and foreign official personnel. The appendix to part 1 contains statistical tables of meteorological data.

2. Annual Administration Report of the Maskat [Muscat] Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. for the Year 1904- 1905, prepared by Major William George Grey, Officiating Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. (pages 17-20) including reports on inter-tribal quarrels; the political situation in Muscat; the cholera epidemic; fires caused by the hot weather in Muscat; customs administration at Muscat, Soor [Sur] and Gwadur [Gwadar]; arms trafficking; rainfall; the acquisition and construction of new government buildings; the slave trade, including measures taken to suppress the trade, and numbers of slaves seeking manumission at Muscat; the marriage of the Sultan’s son, Sayyid Taimoor [Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr]; events at sea, including the wrecking of the British vessel Baron Inverdale and the murder of its crew.

3. Report on the Trade and Commerce of Bushire for the Year 1904 , prepared by R A Richards, His Britannic Majesty’s Vice-Consul (pages 21-128), with general remarks on imports and exports, with additional notes on tea, wheat, and vegetables; rates of exchange for London and Bombay; cost of freight and transport; customs, and the effect of the new Customs Tariff on small traders; advice to shippers and steamship companies; and total figures on the numbers and tonnage of shipping at Bushire. Appendix A is comprised of tabular data showing trade figures for the years 1902-04, indicating: the value and quantities of all goods imported and exported between Bushire and England, and between Bushire and other countries in the world; imports and exports to and from to other ports in the Gulf, with details of the nationalities and tonnage of vessels, and volumes and values of the different categories of goods traded.

4. Trade Report for Maskat [Muscat], 1904-05 , prepared by Major William George Grey, Officiating Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Muscat (pages 129-32), with an overview of trade, included value of imports and exports, and chief items traded; and percentages of Muscat trade to other countries. Appendix A includes tabular data of imports and exports into Muscat for the years 1902-04, indicating the quantities of goods and their value in dollars, and the tonnage and nationality of vessels visiting Muscat.

5. Report on the Trade and Commerce of Arabistan for the Year 1904 , prepared by William McDouall, His Britannic Majesty’s Consul for Arabistan (pages 133-40), with a general overview of trade; rate of exchange; shipping; details of the local cotton trade, caravan trade routes; agriculture (wheat, dates and wool); public works; health; and customs. Appendix A contains tabular data of trade into the port of Mohammerah [Khorramshahr] and other Kārūn ports for 1904.

6. Trade Report of Bunder Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] for the Year 1904 , prepared by Lieutenant William Henry Irvine Shakespear, His Majesty’s Britannic Consul, Bandar-e ʻAbbās (pages 141-49), including: general remarks on the year’s trade; customs tariff and duties; opportunities for British trade and the progress of rival trade; difficulties faced in trade at Bandar-e ʻAbbās, including a lack of banking facilities and inadequate landing and storage facilities; rate of exchange; freight; and shipping. Appendix A contains tabular data presenting comparative data on trade between the years 1903 and 1904, value of trade, and nationalities and tonnage of trading vessels at the port.

7. Report on the Trade of the Bahrein [Bahrain] Islands for the Year 1904 , prepared by Captain Francis Beville Prideaux, Assistant Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. (pages 150-56), with reports on trade, including: the activities of Messrs Gray Paul & Co. of London, and the German company of Robert Wonckhaus; trade in cotton, rice, coffee and dates; assessment of the pearl fishing season; export of oyster shells. Appendix A contains tabular data presenting an overview of Bahrain’s principal imports and exports during 1903-04.

8. Trade Report for Koweit [Kuwait] , 1904-05 , prepared by Captain Stuart George Knox, Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. (pages 157-62), including estimated figures for the year’s trade. Appendix A contains tabular data of import and exports at Kuwait for the year ending 31 March 1905. Appended to the trade report is a medical report, prepared by Daudur Rahman, Assistant Surgeon at Kuwait, dated 2 April 1905, which reports on the work of the Kuwait dispensary, with an overview of the prevalence of diseases in the town (including eye diseases, tuberculosis, rheumatism, skin diseases, venereal diseases, and cholera epidemic), sanitation measures, and mortality.

Extent and format
1 volume (89 folios)
Arrangement

The report is arranged into a number of parts with subheadings, with statistic data in tabular format following each written part as appendices. There is a contents page at the front of the report (page 1B) which lists each part of the report with its page number.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The volume contains an original printed pagination sequence, which starts on the title page and ends on the last page; these numbers are located in the top outermost corners of each page. Additions to this sequence have been made in pencil to account for any pages not originally labelled. In consequence, the following pagination anomalies occur: 1, and 1A-D.

Written in
English in Latin script
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‘Administration Report on the Persian Gulf Political Residency and Maskat Political Agency for 1904-1905’ [‎161] (171/178), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/6/504, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023282068.0x0000ad> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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