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'Sirri Island Occupation by the Persian Govt. 1887-1902' [‎165v] (337/469)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (235 folios). It was created in 18 Sep 1887-27 Jun 1902. It was written in English, Arabic and Persian. 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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Question of the status of the Island of Sirri.
ceding. In September of 1887 an armed party with two small cannon was sent
to erect a flagstaff and to hoist the Persian fla| on Sirri, and this proceeding
certainly has not the appearance of an ordinary incident in the course of a
long maintained possession.
It has constantly been alleged on the part of the Persian Government
that Persian possession has been quite independent of the Joasmees, who have
held authority on the Persian coast; and that it has ;been exercised independ
ently of them, but there has been no proof of these allegations. Thus the
Amin-es-Sultan informed Her Majesty's Charge d'Affaires in December 1887
that Sirri and Tamb had paid taxes to the Persian Government for nine years
previously, and that documents in support of Persian claims were at Bushire.
Yet the then Resident Colonel lloss was at once informed by the Malik-ut-
Tujjar, who was Governor at Bushire at the time, that he had no such documents.
The proofs of the former dependence of Sirri on Persian authority which were
asked for by Her Majesty's Legation in March 1888, have also not been given.
On the other hand, it is certain that the condition of the Joasmees on the
Persian coast in past times was not that of ordinary subjects, nor were their
Chiefs who heldT authority there, in the position of Governors such as are
usually subordinate to a paramount power. Nearly 150 years ago they crossed
over to aid Mulla Ali Shah, Governor of Ormuz and Bunder Abbas, against
his sovereign, and took possession of Lingah and other places on the coast. In
1809 a British naval and military expedition against the Joasmees, after
dealing with Has-el-Khymah, had to operate against them on the Persian coast,
destroying their boats at Lingah and attacking Luft. Similar action was
necessary again in 1819-20 when the co-operation of the Prince Governor A Prince of the Royal line who also acted as Governor of a large Iranian province during the Qājār period (1794-1925). of
Shiraz was requested in the operations against Lingah, Mughu, Charak and
Tawanah, which had completely identified themselves with the Joasmees, The
military force was, after the expedition, stationed in Kishm, then a depend
ency of Muscat.
The conclusion from these historical facts is certainly not that the
Joasmees having obtained a footing on the Persian coast, thence derived an
authority over outlying islands, but rather that they carried with them to their
new settlement a possession in the islands which they already possessed; and
the fact that a section of these Arab intruders later acquired the status of
Persian subjects, and held their authority on the coast in subordination to the
Persian Government as local Chiefs or Governors, cannot affect any original
rights the tribes may have held in common.
P. A. Wilson,
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. , Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
No, 88, dated Bushire, the 23rd August 1895.
From —CoLGNBL F. A. Wilson , 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. , Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
To-*-The Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department.
In continuation of my letter No. 63, dated 31st May 1895, I have the
honour to report that the Island of Sirri continues to be used as a harbour of
refuge by run-away debtors from Debai on the Arab coast. Some more pearl-
divers from Debai are said to have recently absconded to that island, and the
Chief of Debai has again addressed 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. Agent on the Arab coast on
the subject, and solicited the assistance of Government in recovering the debts
due by the fugitives. I have instructed 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. Agent at Lino-ah to
communicate unofficially with the Deputy Governor of Lingah, and see 5 what
can be done in the matter. It is, however, not improbable that I may receive
further complaints of this nature from the Debai Chief, and I venture to
hope that an early decision of the question of the status of the island will be
arrived at, to enable me to deal satisfactorily with such cases in future
2

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Content

This file contains correspondence concerning the Persian claim to the island of Sirrī, as well as their claim to and occupation of that place. In addition there is information concerning rival claims by Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. rulers, details concerning Dubai pearl divers on the island and details concerning other Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. islands, including Abu Musa [Abū Mūsá] and Tanb [Ṭanb].

The correspondence in this file is between 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 the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. at Bushire; ‘Abd al-Qasim and ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, 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 Sharjah; Āghā Muḥammad Amīn Badr, 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. Agent at Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh]; Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qāsimī One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. , ruler of Sharjah; Maktūm bin Ḥashr Āl Maktūm, ruler of Dubai; and various British officials in the Foreign Department of the Government of India. There are also copies of correspondence between 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. and Foreign Office officials.

Folio 2 is an index, and folios 4-9 are a precis of documents within the file for folios 10-115. Subjects covered include: Persian flag hoisted on Sirri [Sirrī] (folios 18, 48); Persian refusal to remove the flag (folios 127-131); Memorandum by the Resident on Persian refusal (folios 141-144); Hajji Ahmad Khan [Hājjī Aḥmad Khān]'s Report (folios 80-93); Legation correspondence with the Persian Foreign Office (folios 70-77); Documents tendered in support of the Persian claim (folio 52-59); Shaikh of Shargah [Sharjah]'s claims to Sirri (folios 27-28); Persian claim to Abu Musa island (folio 80); Shaikh of Debai [Dubai] complains of pearl divers absconding to Sirri and the Persian Coast (folios 116-118, 154-160, 167-190); Chief of Ras El Khaimah [Ras al-Khaymah]'s claim to Tanb island (folios 22, 209).

Notable documents within the file include: a precis of correspondence about occupation of the island of Sirri (folios 109-113); a report entitled Question of the status of the Island of Sirri (ff. 165-166); a report by 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. Agent at Lingah on the island of Sirri in Persian and English translation (ff. 200-202); correspondence with Sir Mortimer Durand regarding the island of Sirri (folios 211-215); and a statement by the Shaikh of Sharjah (f. 65).

Extent and format
1 volume (235 folios)
Arrangement

The file is arranged approximately in chronological order.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The foliation number is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. It begins on the third folio after the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 227. The file contains the following foliation amendments: folio 1 is followed by folios 1A and 1B; no folio 3; folio 92 is followed by folio 92A; folio 156 is followed by folio 156A; folio 171 is followed by folio 171A.

Written in
English, Arabic and Persian in Latin and Arabic script
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'Sirri Island Occupation by the Persian Govt. 1887-1902' [‎165v] (337/469), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/196, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023650855.0x00008a> [accessed 24 April 2024]

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