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'File 8/3 Pearling industry' [‎46r] (114/182)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (89 folios). It was created in 18 Jun 1912-18 Sep 1931. 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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'a®. C/;? of 2nd .one, 1929.
Tii® Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , Bahrein.
From
Captain C.G.Prior
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. , Bahrein.
To
The Secretary t® 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. , Bushire.
if
Sir,
I have received a letter from the Adviser to the Bah
rein Government in which he tells me that he has information
leading him to suppose that Abdul Rahman C^usaiM will attempt
to start the cultivation of cultured pearl® in Bahrein. He
suggests that whether the information he ture or not, legisla
tion might he considered with a view to prevent this.
There is no need for me to point out the harm that would
result to the Pearling indmstry of Bahrein if it were to be sus
pected by the big buyers that cultured pearls were being made
on the banks her®. Bahrein pearls are celebrated for their
colour, quality and lustr^ and any suggstion that they were
being tampered with would have a most serious effect on all cona
nected with the industry.
While it will not be difficult for the Bahrein Government
to prevent their own subjects manufacturing such pearls, yet it
c, . . , ■, v : . v'. ■ ', :
will be impossible for them to exercise any control over foreign
ers doing so on the Banks, for as the then 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. men
tioned in para 4 of his letter No.247 dated I/I2/29 the Banks 1
are free to all, and should for example a Persian desire to com
mence such an industry it would be hard to prevent. The only way
that this could be done would be to extent the Bahrein Order in
Council to the Banks or to secure an agreement between all Gov
ments who send divers there. This would presumably include t

About this item

Content

The contents of the volume relate to Bahrain's pearl diving economy, and fall under two major concerns:

1) The industry's declining profitability, and the impact this has had upon pearl divers. A large portion of the file is occupied by handwritten balance sheets (all undated) of saibs (pullers) and ghais (divers) showing the payments, loans and debts for individuals (ff 5-36). Also included is a report, written in 1930 by Britain's Advisor to the Government, Charles Belgrave, entitled 'Slavery and the Bahrain Pearl Industry' (ff 49-52);

2) The threat posed by modern innovations to the traditional nature of the pearling industry in Bahrain and the wider Gulf coast. Of chief concern are the modern diving technologies that commercial enterprises wish to use, and the introduction to the Gulf of cultured pearls. Included in the file is a translation of a proclamation from 1930, which bans the import of cultured or tinted pearls, the sale of unbleached, drilled pearls, and the import or use of diving apparatus (f 62). A letter from a Glasgow-based company to 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. in London, dated 15 May 1931, seeks advice on obtaining a license to use its modern diving apparatus to dive for pearls in the Gulf (f 65). A return letter dated 21 August 1931 rejects the possibility of obtaining a permit to dive in the Gulf (f 74).

Extent and format
1 volume (89 folios)
Arrangement

The correspondence in the volume is arranged in chronological order, from the earliest item at the front of the volume, to the most recent at the end.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The foliation starts with 1a on first page with writing (3rd page on volume), and runs to 74 on the last page of text. The front cover and two blank sheets at the the front of the volume are unfoliated, as are the five blank pages and the inside back cover at the end of the volume. With the exception of a few pages where foliation anomalies were corrected in pencil, the foliation is the original, in blue crayon in top-right corner of recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. pages. The following foliation anomalies occur: ff 1A-1D; ff 5-5A; ff 23-23A; ff 43-43A.

Condition: Many of the pearl divers' balance sheets included in the file are fold-outs, and are in fragile condition.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 8/3 Pearling industry' [‎46r] (114/182), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/122, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023799069.0x000073> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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