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‘Persian Gulf Gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Precis of Turkish expansion on the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf and Hasa [Al-Hasa] and Katif [Al-Qaṭīf] affairs.’ [‎16] (28/160)

The record is made up of 1 volume (80 folios). It was created in 1904. 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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16
have permitted tbe Turks to do so, or how are we to make the prohibition intellig-ible^ ? Or if
Persia, desirous to have a fleet in the Gulf to establish her claims to supremacy, should throw
herself on some foreign power and. procure vessels of war, on what grounds are we to remons
trate ? She could only do so on grounds equally applicable to the prevention of this expedition,
and by declining to interfere with this expedition, we almost debar ourselves from urging
those grounds against Persia, or at all events greatly weaken the force of the argument and the
value of the remonstrance. This expedition is like the little rent in the ernhankment, insigni
ficant in itself and easily repaired at first, but if not repaird, certain to end in the destruction of
the whole work."
60. Various despatches, ending with No. 28 of tke 20th May 1870, had
been addressed to the Secretary of State regarding the policy of the British
Government in the Gulf. Thus the precise relations in which the British Gov
ernment stood in regard to such powers as Turkey and Persia, as well as to the
less powers, not having been precisely determined, it was difficult for the Gov
ernment of India to adopt a tangible and intelligible policy.
61. Colonel Felly's telegram regarrling Koweit {vide paragraph 57) illus
trated the difficulties of the position. Koweit is a port on the extreme north
west of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; and Mr. Aitchison observed :—
" The inhabitants acknowleged the sovereignty of the Porte, and "se the Turkish flag,
though their allegiance to the Sultan is merely rominal. The ru ing family are a branch of
the Uttoobee tribe with the patronymic ' A1 Subah/ The Bahrein family, it will be remem
bered, are also a branch of the Uttoobees, Colonel Pelly was quite right in stating* that the
♦ Vide paragraph 57. Indian Government are not committed to inter
fere under trucial engagements as between
"Wahabis, Koweits, and Turks.' But neither are we, except in regard to Bahrein, committed
to interfere under trucial engagements as beiween Turks, Koweits, and the trucial Chiefs.
We are coiflmitted under the Treaty only to interference as between the trucial Chiefs them
selves. The Treaty with Bahrein has wider scope. The Chief of Bahrein agrees to abstain
from all maritime aggressions of every description, so looon as he receives the support of the
British Government against bimilar aggressions from the Chiefs and tribes of the Gulf; he
agrees to make known to the Resident, as arbitrator, all aggressions and depredations which
may be designed by sea against him ; ' and the British Resident engages that he will forthwith
take the necessary steps for obtaining reparation for every injury proved to have been inflicted,
or in course of infliction, by sea upon Bahrein, or upon its dependencies in this Gulf/ We are'
therefore, bound to interfere on behalf of Bahrein should any attack by sea be made or design
ed ; in regard to the other Chiefs, except incase of at'ack by one subscribing Chief upon
another, our interference is matter of policy and not of ouli[;ation."
Explicit assurances of the Porte-
62. On the 25th April, Colonel Herbert reported a rumour that, if the
ibid (No. 601.) expedition to Nejd was successful, it
would eventuallv be directed to the ac
quisition of Bahrein, Maskat, and the Arab Coast. He requested instructions
Being asked his authority for the statement, he replied that the report now
generally believed at Baghdad, and accorded with Turkish pretensions as
reported in his letter of 16th March 1870. That letter gave cover to a protest
by Midhut Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. on behalf of his Government against the proceedino-s which
Colonel Pelly had, with the sanction of the British Government, taken a short
time before at Bahrein. The Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. stated that—
" Bahrein and its dependencies are countries of the Ottoman dominions ard the Gov
ernment of those localities appertains to the Kaim-Makamiek of Nejd, subject to the Ottoman
Government"
The protest was sent to the Secretary of State under cover of a Secret d^-
patch No. 28 of 20th May 1870, from the Government of India, with the
remarks :—
^We have already informed Yoar Grace that any disposition to admit the pretension, of
Persia to supremacy over Bahrein would probably lead to the revival of similar obsolete claims
on the part of iurkey This result, which we foresaw, has now actuallv been brou-ht about
A nd as Your Grace will perceive from Col ;nel Herbert's letter of 6th March, which forms mU
of the enclosures of this despatch. His Excellency Midhut Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , the Governor -General nf
Baghdad, has formally claimed Bahrein and its dependencies as countries of the Ottoman domi
nions. This claim rests on no better foundation than that of Persia. It was surnmarilv re-'
jected by Lord Palmerston in 1851, and, iu our opinion, should net be re-opened/' "

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Content

Part 1 of a Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. gazetteer of historical and political materials, a précis of Turkish expansion on the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and Hasa [Al-Hasa] and Katif [Al-Qaṭīf] affairs. The précis was prepared by Jerome Antony Saldanha, whose preface (under which his surname is erroneously spelt Saldana) is dated 25 November 1904, and published by the Government of India Foreign Deptartment, Simla, India.

The preface is an historical outline of the struggle for political dominance in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , including Portuguese, British, Wahabi [ 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 expansion. The chapters (titles shown in italics) deal with the subject in an roughly chronological fashion:

1. Early history of Hasa and Katif , including: references to the area in Arabic writing; the first known Arab colonists; and early references to the area in British (East India Company) records;

2. Conquest of Hasa by the Wahabis and Turkish expeditions into Nejd [Najd] and Hasa, and their results 1800-1865 , including: conquest of the area by the Wahabis; Turkish expeditions to the area, 1811-19 and 1836-40; Amir Feysal’s [Fayṣal ibn Turki Āl Sa‘ūd] nominal dependence on Turkey, 1855; troubles in Katif, 1859-62; Turkish protest against British proceedings at Damaum [Dammām], 1862; the British war against Amir Feysal, 1865-66; obsolete title of award of Arabia by an Abbasid caliph to the Ottoman Porte; Ottoman ambitions in Arabia (Holy Ottoman Empire);

3. Turkish expedition to Nejd and Hasa, 1871-72 , including: origins of the expedition; intelligence from the 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. , Colonel Lewis Pelly; British policy in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and effects of the Turkish expedition on that policy; Turkish assurances to Britain, communicated to Bahrain (spelt Bahrein throughout) by Pelly; Turkish promise of non-interference with the rulers of the Trucial coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. ; narrative of the events leading up to and including the landing of the expeditionary force in Nejd; Turkish designs on Katar [Qatar], and their hoisting of the Turkish flag at Budaa [Al-Bidda]; Turkish naval activity in the Gulf, and Britain’s naval response; murder of a suspected Turkish messenger at Bahrain; reasons for the non-interference of the British Government in operations on land; further narrative of the expedition and affairs in Nejd; evidence of Turkish designs on Bahrain; Turkish assurances; relations between Turkey and Abuthabi [Abu Dhabi]; close of the Turkish expedition;

4. Internal affairs of Hasa and Katif, 1872-1904 , including: administration and internal organisation; and a list of governors at Hasa, including events of significance occurring during their rule;

5. Survey of the Katif coast, 1873-74 , including: British intentions and permission gained from the Ottoman Porte; complaints of British survey officers landing on the Nejd coast; written permission to land to undertake surveying.

6. Increase of Turkish military and naval forces in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and Turkish policy , including: a memorandum by Captain T Doughty on the state of affairs in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ;

7. (1) Trade Relations of Hindu and other traders of Bahrain with Katif, and their disabilities , and (2) Proposal appointment of a consular officer at Katif ;

8. Piracies , including: piracies in Katif and Bahrain waters, 1878; ; revolt in Hasa and piracies in Katif and Bahrain waters, 1878-81; Turkish responsibilities and jurisdiction for the purpose of suppressing piracies in Katif waters, 1878-81; piracies in Katif and Bahrain waters in 1883; piracies in Katif and Bahrain waters in 1886; piracies in 1887-88; piracies in 1891-92; piracies in 1899-1900; piracies in 1902 and the proposal of the Chief of Bahrain to maintain an armed dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. for the pursuit of pirates, 1902-03;

9. Murder of Sheikh Selman-bin-Diaij-el-Khalifa [Shaikh Salman bin Diaj Āl Khalīfah] , a cousin of the Chief of Bahrain and his party about 40 miles south of Katif. Question of satisfaction and compensation for it ;

10. Turkish designs on Oman and the rest of the East Arabian Littoral, 1888-1899 ;

11. Summary of British declarations against Turkish encroachments in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and of the Porte’s assurances, 1871-1904 .

The cover of volume, on which the title is printed, also has a number of different pencil and pen annotations, marking former external references or numbering systems (‘P.2557/29’, ‘No.5’, ‘C238’).

Extent and format
1 volume (80 folios)
Arrangement

The volume is arranged into eleven chapters, preceded by a preface. Each chapter is organised by subheadings, and its paragraphs numbered. The paragraph numbers are continuous throughout the whole volume, beginning on 1 at the start of the first chapter, and ending on 553/553A at the end of the eleventh chapter. A contents page at the front of the volume (ff.4-5) lists the chapters by their headings and subheadings, with each referring to paragraph, rather than page, numbers.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right hand 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 printed pagination sequence, with page numbers located top and centre of each page.

Written in
English in Latin script
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‘Persian Gulf Gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Precis of Turkish expansion on the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf and Hasa [Al-Hasa] and Katif [Al-Qaṭīf] affairs.’ [‎16] (28/160), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C238, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023514031.0x00001e> [accessed 13 May 2024]

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