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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.’ [‎41] (53/160)

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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41
bis boats. These boats are now in possession of the people of Bahrein, and petitioner lees
the restoration of these boats to him.
n.; r 7
f< I beg, to inform you that these acts of plunder are contrary to law and to the customs
of the high Government. You know that the wish of the Government is to protect its sub
jects and to preserve them from intrigue and oppresion ; specially as Saood has seized all boats
by force, and whatever he has thus taken forcibly is in possession of the people of Bahrein who
have become protectors of what this oppressor has plundered. Under these circumstances,
such proceedings are contrary to the rules of civilzation and opposed to the customs of the
Exalted Government.
" I tind it necessary to request you to ascertain who possesses the boats of the petitioner,
and restore them to their original owner. This matter being one of justice, you should help
in arranging it satisfactorily as early as possible/'
151. The Bahrein Chief replied
u I have had great pleasure in receiving your welcome letter dated 20th Rarai!an 1268 an (j J
. . . ^acember 1871
have understood its purport and your wishes specially in regard to enquiries being made res
pecting the two boats which orginally belonged to Mahomed bin Hossein of Gwuttur, and
which were forcibly taken possession of by Saood bin Feysul and given to the people of Bahrein
while Saood was in authority.
" I have made enquiries, and find that Saood bin Feysuljwhen in authority was indebted
to two persons of Bahrein, and in payment gave them these two boats.
This is the true state of the ease, which I trust you will accept, as I am sure of its
correctness/'
152. The Chief received* a reply to his letter from the Turkish Bey at
• Fide enclosure of Bombay Government No. Katif, WllO, after acknowledging the
1010, dated i9th February i87o. Chief's letter, Wl 'Ote— ' : .
" " ' ■ : ' 5504 £ j. . u ; >; .V . f
" This reply is not accepted, as it cannot be admitted by law or custom. In reality
I did not expect to receive from a person like the Chief of Bahrein,who, notwithstanding his
need of being placed under the flag of Turkey, such an absurd and uncomformable reply.
The Effendi (t.e., Midhut Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. ) before leaving instructed me how I should act. My
request is that you will inform me of your final intentlm as to whether you will give what is
required of you in full, or that you will not conform with His Excellency's wishes.'
153. Meantime certain reports reached Colonel Pelly, which strengthened
his suspicions of the craft having been irregularly obtained by Saood. At
Colonel Felly's recommendation, therefore, the Chief sent the following reply
to the Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. under flying seal Letters which could be freely opened before reaching their destination. througb the Katif Bey :—
" I beg to enclose, for Your Excellency's information, a copy of a letter I have received
from Ali Beg, Kaimukam of Katif, purporting to be a reply to my letter to the address of
Your Excellency, dated 8th Shawal 1288.
" I regret to observe the menacing tone of the Kaimukam's letter.
As, regards the two craft in question, and which were brought to Bahrein before the
arrival of the Turkish authorities at Katif, I have already communicated to Your Excellency
what I believed to have been the facts of the case.
" As, however, I am most desirous that no possible suspicions should rest on me of in any
manner conniving at or sanctioning any irregularity at sea, and as it has been asserted that
His Highness Saood bin Feysul obtained the two craft in a manner which has been called in
question, 1 am requesting the persons to whom Saud bin Feysul presented the craft to place
them at my disposal in order that I may make them over in the presence of the British officers
at Bharein to whomsoever Your Excellency may depute to receive them.
On the 9th February Colonel Pelly signalled : Assistant Resident reports
Bahrein Chief accepted my counsel and rejoined to Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. accordingly. All
quiet."
Eeasons for non-interference of British Grovernment in operations
by land.
154i. Prom the commencement of the Turkish expedition both Colonel
Herbert and Colonel Pelly had repeatedly
secret, May 18^2, Nos. 52-88. expressed an opinion that the ultimate
object of the expedition was the acquisition of Bahrein, Maskat, and the
[C967PD] m

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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.

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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.’ [‎41] (53/160), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C238, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023514031.0x000037> [accessed 23 April 2024]

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