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'Persian Gulf - Turkish jurisdiction along the Arabian coast (Part I)' [‎137v] (15/30)

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The record is made up of 1 file (14 folios). It was created in 1 Sep 1879. It was written in English and French. 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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i -
14
course between maintaining the present state of
things and an absolute abandonment of it, and
withdrawal from the protectorate of the G-ult at
the expense of our own £?ood name, and ail tlie
benefits that have flowed from our policy for the
last half century. The Arab Chiefs have no con-
fidence in Persia, and we cannot consent to be
associated with Persia in a duty which the Ohiets
have committed to our hands alone, or to be en-
tangled in all the complications which concurrent
action or jurisdiction with her would bring about.
If we are no longer prepared to continue the per
formance of the tasks we have undertaken, we
must withdraw altogether; but the consequences
of such a step would be so disastrous, not only to
our national honour, but to the peace of the Gulf,
to the prosperity of the tribes inhabiting the littoral,
and to the lives and property of our subjects, who,
during the peace of the last 50 years, have settled
on the shores and embarked enormous capital in
the pearl fisheries and the trade with the mainland,
that we cannot contemplate this course as one the
consideration of which Her Majesty's Government
•could for a moment entertain."
Lastly, in a Despatch dated the 3rd April 1871
<No. 13, Secret), having primary reference to the
affairs of Muscat, the Government of India wrote,
para. 6:—
"Whether our policy in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. rests
on engagements contracted with the Arab Chiefs
of the littoral, or on measures adopted for the
security of our subjects and the protection of com
merce, it is one which we have constantly pursued
for the last fifty years, with the happiest results as
regards the peace of these seas. It is a policy from
which, for reasons already set forth at length, it is
neither possible nor desirable that we should
recede."
Ueturning to the Nejd correspondence, it is to
be noticed that the Indian Government did not
stand alone in its uneasiness. On the lith May
1871,* Her Majesty's Minister at Teheran tele- * Home Correspou
graphed that the Shah was desirous of obtaining <lence, Vol. 67, p. 603.
some assurance respecting the Turkish expedition
" as affecting Bahrein."
On the 30th May 1871, the Viceroy of India
inquired by telegraph whether, in case of need, he
might instruct Colonel Pelly to stop by force " any
" military operations by sea on the part of the
<c Chiefs either for or against the Turks." Lord
Mayo advised this course, and that the Turkish
Government should be informed accordingly.
The Secretary of State replied on the following
day: " Trucial Chiefs may be interdicted from
" maritime operations, but no others."
These orders were reported by Sir H. Elliotf to
Aali Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , who " expressed his thanks for the com-
" munication, and having in unequivocal terms
" repeated his assurances that the Porte contem-
" plated no naval operations, said that it had no
4
i
/
/
t Despatch, No. 225
dated 8th June 187l'.
Home Correspondence.
Vol. 67, p. 815.
i
I
J

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Content

A memorandum, written by Adolphus Warburton Moore, Assistant Secretary of the Political and Secret Department of the 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. , 1 September 1879.

The document is a summary of correspondence, government reports, and published literature relating to the Turkish expedition into El Hassa [Al Hasa] in 1871, and was compiled in light of a proposed comprehensive arrangement with the Porte about the positions of the two powers along the Gulf coast, and policing responsibilities at sea. The correspondence is from the period 1870-1874 and is principally between various British Government departments and offices connected to the region, and the Turkish Government.

The Turkish expedition called into question the sovereignty and jurisdiction of much of the Arabian Peninsula, as well as the coastline and islands of the Gulf. The correspondence contains discussions of these matters and reflects British fears of a loss of their monopoly over the control and security of the Gulf, and a disruption of the treaty relations they maintained with rulers in Bahrein [Bahrain], Guttur [Qatar], the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. , Muscat, and Aden.

The author quotes extensively from the correspondence and other sources, notes on which are to be found in the margin throughout.

Extent and format
1 file (14 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation for this description commences at folio 131 and terminates at folio 144, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. The main foliation sequence commences at the front cover, and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right 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.

Condition: folio 131 is torn along one edge, with some loss of text.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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'Persian Gulf - Turkish jurisdiction along the Arabian coast (Part I)' [‎137v] (15/30), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B19/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023557918.0x000011> [accessed 13 May 2024]

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