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'File 13/166 Forms of addresses while corresponding with native chiefs in the Gulf' [‎176r] (373/463)

The record is made up of 1 file (220 folios). It was created in 4 Jul 1912-3 Jul 1945. It was written in English and Arabic. 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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COPY.
G0KFID3NTTAT,.
The 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. ,
Bushire, the 30th January, 1937.
\]l~
119
P.O.Wo.146-3.
I"
Gould you please refer to correspondence ending with -
Walton's letter^ No.P.Z.8839/36, dated the 31st December, 1936, to
you, communicating His Majesty's approval of the proposal that the
Shaikhs of Kuwait and Bahrain should in future be addressed by all
British Authorities as "Your Highness". '
^• 'ith reference to the Ruler of Bahrain there has been some
correspondence as to whether the term 'Amir' as used by the Saudi
government when referring to this Ruler, is derogatory or not.
Briefly, the views of the various Authorities concerned have been
as follows:
(a) The Government of India understood that the term 'Amir',
as locally used in Saudi Arabia and the Arab Coast of
the Persian O-ulf, implied a degree of subordination to
the person by whom it is used, "'vide Menon's demi-offical
letter No.F.482-N/36, dated 27th August 1936, to
Walton.
(b) Loch, ^vide his demi-official letter No.751-S, dated the
12th October, 1936, to Clauson, copy to you under his
Printed Letter No.752-S, of same date, pointed out that
while it was true that the term 'Amir' was used for Bin
Saud's Governors in Hasa etc, the Ruler of Nejd used in
former days himself to be known as the wahabi Amir, that
in Kuwait the term appeared to be used as a high honorific,,
and that there v /as at present the 'Amir' of Transjordania.'
He did not think that exception need be taken to Bin
Saud's use of the term in connection with the Shaikh of
Bahrain. ^In a subseouent communication to me, however
Loch mentioned that the term was regarded in Bahrain as
suggesting subordination, but even so that exception need
not be taken to the Saudi use of the term.
(c) De G-aury, on the other hand, is of the opinion that if
the English style "His Highness" is inoroduced for the
Shaikh of Kuwait, it might be more suitable to use the
Arabic style 'Amir'. He considers, however, that it
would be preferable not to change the Arabic style at
present as it might prove rather "Too strong beer" for
the Shaikh,
(d) Bullard, vide his letter No,2144/306/26, dated the 15th
December, 1936, to Sterndale Bennett, a copy of which
I enclose, is of the opinion that Arabic nomenclature
was still too vague for any certain deduction as to
implied subordination to be drawn from the Saudi
reference to the Shaikh of Bahrain as 'Amir',
3, _ It will oe seen, therefore, that we have nothing definite
to guide us. On the one hand the term 'Amir' is applied to the
Ruler of Transjordania, who I suppose would take precedence of the
Rulers of Kuwait or Bahrain, and is regarded in Kuwait as a high
honorific; on the other, it is held in Bahrain to imuly subordination
My own opinion coincides with that of Bullard i.e. that Arabic
nomenclature is still too fluid for any conclusions to be drawn, and
tT.-L.-i I think,/
le Hon' Die
Sir Aubrey Metcalfe. KGIE., CSI.,
Foreign, Secretary to the Government
of India, New Delhi.
i

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Content

The file consists of telegrams, letters, memorandums, and extracts from the 'Alqabnamah', a register created and maintained by the British Government in India that lists details on the correct forms of address for the many princes, chiefs, sovereigns, and other notables in the Indian territories. It is this information, relating to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. context, that is the subject of the file.

The correspondence covers several decades and is mainly between the Political 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. in Bushire, the Political Agencies in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Muscat, 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. in Basra, the Consulate-General in Baghdad, the High Commissioner to Iraq, and the Government of India.

The main pattern of the file revolves around revisions of the 'Alqabnamah' and the discussion around these. Revisions were made in 1912, 1916/17, 1925/26, 1931, and then quite regularly between 1934 and 1944. The rulers mentioned in the file include the Sultan of Muscat, the Sultan of Nejd (later King of Saudi Arabia), the Sheikhs of Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, and the Trucial Sheikhs of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras al-Khaimah, Umm al-Quwain, Sharjah, Ajman, and Kalba. The information given in the register includes the size of the gun salute given to each ruler.

The file also includes correspondence regarding Persia, namely, the correct address for the Sheikh of Mohammerah (Khorramshahr), a standard for addressing Persian notables proposed by the Foreign Ministry of Persia, and the decision by the Iranian Prime Minister to abolish all old style titles and the adoption of more modern ones.

Folios 198-218 are internal office notes, dated from 27 Jul 1928 to 3 Jul 1945.

Extent and format
1 file (220 folios)
Arrangement

This papers in this file are arranged in rough chronological order.

Internal office notes (folios 198-218) date from 27 July 1928 to 3 July 1945. These use a referencing system related to one of the older, inconsistent foliation systems. Notes on a document are assigned a page number accordingly.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The main foliation sequence starts with the front cover and continues through to the last folio. This sequence is written in pencil, circled and positioned in the top right hand corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of the folios. Two further foliation systems are present starting on folios 2 and 4. These two sequences are also written in pencil in the same position as the main foliation sequence, but are not circled (with an exception being on folio 2). These sequences sometimes miss folios or number both sides of folios.

Condition: Due to wear and tear, some text at the bottom of the verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. side of folio 49 is obscured.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 13/166 Forms of addresses while corresponding with native chiefs in the Gulf' [‎176r] (373/463), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/237, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023574089.0x0000ad> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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