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'Persian Gulf - Turkish jurisdiction along the Arabian coast (Part III)' [‎7v] (8/30)

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The record is made up of 1 file (15 folios). It was created in 2 Dec 1881. 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. .

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" Anotlier string to the Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. 's bow is theJiope
that the Sheikh and people of Bahrein, finding the
British Resident no longer able to protect their
ships at sea as heretofore, and unable to ensure
them redress and reparation for losses at the hands
of Turkish pirates, will turn at last to him and
accept the soyereignty of the Sultan as the price of
future peace and security,
" Under this light the otherwise incomprehen
sible behaviour of the Wali Abdullah Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. becomes
immediately significant, and the impenetrable
armour of passive resistance to remonstance put
on by His Excellency no longer difficult to account
f01 " We then understand why it is that he pro
crastinates to gain time under the pretext of
making inquiry, and why it is that these promised
inquiries have no results, and his orders fail to draw
any action or response from his subordinates.
" If these surmises as to the causes of Turkish
inactivity in repressing maritime disorders in the
Gulf be correct, it is obviously of no use continuing
to appeal to the Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. for redress."
Colonel Miles concluded:—
"We stand in a false position, and I trust re
spectfully Your Excellency will be able to support
my opinion that the remedy in such a state of
affairs can only lie at head-quarters at Constan
tinople.
" There can be no question that the present posi
tion of affairs is highly detrimental to British
interests and prestige in the Gulf.
" When the Arabs on the formerly so-called
pirate coast, whom we have transformed for the
past half century into peaceful traders and fishers,
see what their brethren in Turkish territory are
allowed to do with impunity, and that, the protests
and remonstrances of the Resident, the only human
authority they acknowledge, are disregarded and
set at nought by the Turks, it is impossible but
that it may go far to unsettle their minds and
seduce them to forsake the cause of order. The
effect on the inhabitants of the Persian coast is
equally pernicious.
" Every action, every step we take in those parts
is closely scrutinized by those around us, and is of
significance to them. I would humbly and re
spectfully express the opinion that the time has
come when it is no longer advisable for our
supremacy, in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. to remain in
question."
Upon receipt of Colonel Miles' Despatch, whose
views were concurred in by the Government of
India,* Sir H. Layard (September 1879), of his own
motion, called the attention of the Turkish Govern
ment to the matter.f
The Porte, he wrote, was no doubt aware that
the British Government, at a great sacrifice of life
and treasure, succeeded, after many years, in put
ting an end to piracy in the waters of the Persian
* India, Political,
October 1879.
No. 122, dated 23rd
f From Foreign Office,
1879, No. 717.
22ud September

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Content

A printed memorandum written and compiled by Adolphus Warburton Moore for 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. , and dated 2 December 1881.

The document is a continuation of ' Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. - Turkish jurisdiction along the Arabian coast (Part II)' (IOR/L/PS/18/B19/2) and broadly addresses the same issues, namely, how to respond toTurkish claims to sovereignty along the southern coast of the Gulf that could potentially impinge on Britain's commitments with local rulers (in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. ) and their security responsibilities at sea (the suppression of piracy).

The document summarises correspondence from the previous two years (1879-1881) that had dealt with the matter, beginning with an outline of the opinions of officials from the main departments and institutions involved: the Foreign Office, the Government of India, and 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. (whose opinion Warburton represents). Other correspondents include officials from the Residencies and Agencies in both the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Turkish Arabia A term used by the British officials to describe the territory roughly corresponding to, but not coextensive with, modern-day Iraq under the control of the Ottoman Empire. , as well as the Ambassador at Constantinople.

The documents cover several topics, including:

  • The threat to Bahrain from the Beni Hajir tribe and Ottoman ambitions to extend their sovereignty to the island, including the Turkish plan to build a coal depot on the island as a pretext to further political involvement;
  • Questions of how to police the waters under Turkish authority;
  • How Britain should deal with Shaikh Jasim [Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thāni] of El Bidaa [Doha];
  • Turkish claims to parts of the coast of Guttur [Qatar].

The document concludes with the perceived outcomes of the discussions, including closer ties with the ruler of Bahrain, who, in December 1880, agreed not to open relations with any foreign power other than Britain.

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 (15 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation for this description commences at folio 4 and terminates at folio 18, 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between folios 4-197; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the bottom right corner of each folio.

Pagination: the document also has an original printed pagination sequence.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'Persian Gulf - Turkish jurisdiction along the Arabian coast (Part III)' [‎7v] (8/30), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B19/3, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023807397.0x000009> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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