‘Administration report on the Persian Gulf Political Residency and Maskat Political Agency for 1900-1901’ [15r] (37/144)
The record is made up of 1 volume (68 folios). It was created in 1901. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
23
P ART III.—TRADE EEPOET OF THE
PERSIAN GULF
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
FOE 1900.
There have been marked signs of improvement in trade both in imnort General
and export during the year under review, owing to the gradual recoverv of thp Remarki
country from the effects of the previous year's scarcity brought on by scanty
Imports.- —The imports into Bushire improved to the extent of Rs 60 98 0^7
while those into Lingah declined by Rs. 16,52,855. The articles which chiefly
contributed to increase Bushire imports are candles, cotton piece^oods dru^s
and medicines^ yarn and twist, glass and glassware, gold lace and 'thread
hardware, indigo, matches, metals, kerosine oil, porcelain and chinaware'
loaf and soft sugar, woollen goods and specie. The items shewino'decrease
in Lingah imports are dates, grain and pulse, pearls and specie.
Exports. —The exports from Bushire improved by Rs. 27,14,846 under the
heads of cotton, almonds, wheat, gum, opium, tobacco, carpets and specie
while those from Lingah decreased by Rs. 12,26,800 under the heads of "■rain
and pulse, pearls and specie.
Harvest. —The grain crop of the year was abundant, but the prices did
not fall to a sufficient extent to encourage exportations being undertaken on
any large scale; and the shipments made to London by the leading British firms
proving unremunerative, further operations in that direction were disconti
nued.
Fearl fishery. —The heavy decline both in the imports into, and exports
from, Lingaji is due to the failure of the pearl fishery on the Arab Coast of the
Gulf. The import of pearls declined by nearly eight
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
of
rupees
Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf.
, and the
export by^ six and-a-half
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
. The importance of Lingah as a commercial
port is entirely dependent upon the prospects of the pearl fisheries on the Arab
Coast, and any failure or success in these operations directly affects the
interests of that port, as it is used as an entrepdt for trade operations all over
the Arab Coast, and the product of the pearl fisheries is brought to it for
exportation abroad. From various reports received from 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.
Agents
at Lingah and on the Arab Coast, it was apprehended that the take during the
year would be very ^ limited. The apprehension has been unfortunatelv
realized, and the operations which were undertaken resulted in the output of
pearls of very small sizes, unsuited to the requirements of the market abroad.
Mr. Gaskin, the Assistant
Political Agent
A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency.
, in his report on the Bahrein trade,
mentions that one of the principal pearl banks to the north of the Bahrein
Islands was found diseased, and that the pearl fishery there proved a failure.
Gum Industry. —The new industry of gum is making rapid progress and
may eventually become an important item in the export trade of the Gulf.
Tragacanth is finding much favour in the United Kingdom and Germany, and
America might also come in for a share. The industry, however, does not appear
to be conducted with any foresight or method, and may suddenly die if the
operations for collecting the exudations are not manipulated scientifically.
A few years ago Tragacanth was quite unknown in Persia, and only the Kerman-
shah district contributed towards the exportation of that item via Baghdad.
It is now only three or four years that both Shiraz and Ispahan have come
forward to contribute towards this trade. The industry in the province of Ears
is said to be capable of great improvement, and vast tracts of land full of the
Tragacanth-producing plant, which were lying untouched before, are being much
utilized. From the reports which have been received, it appears that the
peasantry employed in the collection of the Tragacanth work in a reckless
manner, causing much damage to the plants, which are burnt down after incision
to such an extent as to render the same field unproductive for some years to
come. Though the Tragacanth fields are numerous and extensive, they will not
be able to withstand the wholesale depredations which are now being perpe
trated on them, unless the Persian Government undertakes their supervision
with a view to maintaining and improving the industry. As it is, this nascent
About this item
- Content
Administration Report on the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. 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. and Maskat [Muscat] Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. for 1900-01, published by the Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India, Calcutta [Kolkata], forming part of the Selections from the Records of the Government of India, Foreign Department, and based on reports sent to Government by 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. and other Agents in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
The Administration Report is organised as follows:
1. General Summary , submitted by Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Arnold Kemball, 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 the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (folios 4-10), including reports on: the year’s rainfall, harvest and wheat embargo; the governorship of Bushire; the public peace, including cases of violent incidents; public health, including incidences of smallpox and the plague; currency; customs administration, including the establishment of Belgian customs administration in the Gulf; compensation claims; the death of Queen Victoria; Resident’s tours. The General Summary also includes summaries for towns and regions, chiefly comprising accounts of local politics: Oman and Muscat, including agreement on the location of a French coal shed; Oman Coast; Bahrain, including reports from the Katr [Qatar] peninsula; Koweit [Kuwait] and Nejd, with a report on the fighting taking place between Abdul Rahman bin Feysul el Saood [Ibn Sa‘ūd] and the Emir of Nejd, Ibn Rashīd; Persian Arabistan; Fars and the Persian Coast; Persia Baluchistan. Further reports are included on: the slave trade, including numbers of slaves manumitted by British officials in the region; incidents of piracy; naval movements, chiefly British but also one incidence of a French vessel in the Gulf; changes in British official personnel; and movements and changes in foreign representatives. Appendix A contains meteorological data for the year. Appendix B contains data from dispensary reports.
2. Administration Report of the Muscat Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , 1900-01 , submitted by Captain Percy Zachariah Cox, His Britannic Majesty’s Consul and Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Muscat (folios 10-14), including: reports and incidents of a tribal or local political nature at Muscat; events at Dhofar [Z̧ufār], Sohar and Soor [Sur]; a report of the Sultan’s tours; Cox’s tours as Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. ; customs administration at Muscat; taxes; a pearling dispute; arms trafficking; a visit to Muscat by the bishop of Lahore; plague; the death of Queen Victoria; naval movements at Muscat, chiefly British also French vessels; the slave trade, including numbers of slaves manumitted at Muscat; and changes in official personnel. An appendix of statistics for dispensary activities, surgical operations, and civil hospital expenditure follows the report.
3. Trade Report of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. for the Year 1900 , submitted by Kemball, in his capacity at His Britannic Majesty’s Acting Consul-General for Fars and Khuzistan (folios 15-45), including summaries of: imports; exports; harvest; the pearl fisheries; the region’s new gum (tragacanth) industry; exchange; currency; specie; mule hire rates; freight and shipping, customs administration; and a more detailed breakdown of imports and exports by specific products. An appendix follows with trade data of the principal imports and exports from various Gulf ports, and number, tonnage and nationality of vessels, for the period 1898 to 1900.
4. Trade Report for Maskat [Muscat] , 1900-01 , submitted by Cox (folios 46-47), is a separate trade report with statistical data for Muscat for 1900, with summaries of key commodities.
5. Report on the Trade and Commerce of Mohammerah [Khorramshahr] and the Kārūn river for 1900 , submitted by William McDouall, His Britannic Majesty’s Vice-Consul, Mohammerah (folios 48-52), including summaries on: exchange; imports and exports; shipping activity; freight charges; activity on the Kārūn; caravan routes; agriculture; and health in Khorramshahr. An appendix follows the report, containing tabulated trade data.
6. Trade Report of Bundar Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] for the Year 1900 , submitted by Vere Hunt, Assistant Resident and His Britannic Majesty’s Vice-Consul (folios 52-59), with summaries on: trade, and reasons for its overall reduction; customs administration; the Nushki trade route and the Bandar-e ʻAbbās to Yezd [Yazd] and Kermān road; embargo on cereals; carriage rates; exchange and specie. An appendix follows the report, containing tabulated trade data for Bandar-e ʻAbbās.
7. Report on the Trade and Commerce of the Bahrein Islands for the Year 1900 , submitted by John Calcott Gaskin, Political Assistant, dated 27 January 1901 (folios 59-67), including a summary of trade, with particular focus on the pearl market; details of imports and exports; coinage, freight and shipping. An appendix follows the report, containing tabulated trade data for Bahrain.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (68 folios)
- Arrangement
The report is arranged into a number of parts and subsections, with statistic data in tabular format directly following written sections. There is a contents page at the front of the report (folio 3) which lists the report’s contents, and refers to the report’s own pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- IOR/V/23/79, No 385
- Title
- ‘Administration report on the Persian Gulf Political Residency and Maskat Political Agency for 1900-1901’
- Pages
- front, front-i, i-r:iii-v, 1r:68r, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence