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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.’ [‎31] (43/160)

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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81
121. On the 8th June Colonel Pelly signalled that the Bullfinch had
arrived at Bahrein on the 3rd, and that he purposed proceeding in company
with the Hugh Hose to Katif.
122. The Magpie was reported to be at Jask on the 5th June and on the
point of leaving for the Gulf. The Lynx arrived at Angaum on the 16th J uly.
123. From this time there appears to have been no difficulty regarding the
vessel required for the Gulf. Before leaving Bahrein for Bushire Colonel
Pelly, on the 16th December, requested the Senior Naval Officer to have one
vessel uninterruptedly present in Bahrein Harbour in order to watch events
and afford moral support to the Chief. The instructions of Government with
regard to the course to be pursued in the matter of the murder of the Turkish
messenger were communicated to the Senior Naval Officer, who was also asked
to let a vessel of war show itself off El Bidaa where the Turks were then about
to land troops. Communication was to be kept up with the tracial Chiefs on
the Pirate Coast.
Case of the " Snipe "
124. Colonel Pelly on the 1st July telegraphed that the Snipe, said by
o . » . io«, v i.Koni him to be a British ship had arrived in
Secret, August 1871, Nos. 147-301. i-j i • -i i • i
(No. 159.) Bushire roads, having on board some 20
Turkish troop. The Commander of the
Bullfinch, then at Bushire, presumed she would not be allowed to proceed.
The Hon'ble J. E. Stephen gave the following opinion on the case. He said :—
The case strikes me thus : The Snipe is carrying contraband of war for the Turks-
This exposes her to seizure by the Arabs, but I do not see how it authorizes a British cruiser
to interfere. British cruisers never interfered with the British ships which chose to run the
northern blockade into Charleston.
u No doubt the maritime truce puts us in a singular position in the Gulf ; but surely
Persia is not a party to it, nor does it extend so far north as Bushire.
" As at present advised, I think Pelly should be told to permit the Snipe to proceed
warning her Commander that he will not be protected if the Arabs attack him/'
125. Government, accordingly, on the 2nd July, directed the Commander
of the Bullfinch to allow the Snipe to proceed, but to warn the Master that he
was liable to hostile seizure. On the same date the Ambassador at Constanti
nople was informed of what had occurred, and it was added :—
" It would be desirable that the Turkish Government should abstain from employing
British vessels in such a manner in the Gulf. Can a friendly remonstrance be made to that
effect I"
126. Sir H. Elliot on the 6th replied :—
" Orders have been seat to Midhut Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. to abstain as much as possible from employing
British vessels for transport of Turkish troops destined for Nejd Expedition.^
In a despatch of the same date to Lord Granville, Sir H. Elliot wrote :—
" I communicated the substance of it " [i.e., the telegram from India) to Server EfEendi,
and pointed out that the employment of vessels bearing the British flag in carrying troops
engaged in an expedition of this nature would give rise to erroneous interpretation by the
native tribes upon the coast, and that I should be glad if he could meet the wishes of Lord
Mayo in the matter.
" His Excellency said that, without taking a positive engagement that British vessels
should not be employed at all, if there should be a necessity for it, he would desire that they
should not be engaged for the conveyance of troops, if it could be avoided."
127. Erom a telegram of the 3rd July, however, it appeared that the Snipe
was not a British vessel. Colonel Herbert signalled :—
" Ottoman Government has engaged Ship Snipe bearing British flag, said to be property
of Hajee Jaber, Persian Governor of Mohamrah, for conveyance of correspondence and com
missariat supplies to Kateef, under contract to reach on 4th instant, having put into Bushire,
she is reported as detained by Anglo-India authorities. Midhut Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. requests she may be set
at liberty. Please reply immediately."
128. Noting on the telegram the Eoreign Secretary observed :—
" This telegram very much alters the aspect of the ease. It appears she is not a British
tcssc I j but belongs to one of the local Persian Governors^ and unauthorizedly sails under the

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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.’ [‎31] (43/160), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C238, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023514031.0x00002d> [accessed 19 April 2024]

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