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'File 38/1 Vol I, P. C. L. Exploration' [‎198r] (397/468)

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The record is made up of 1 file (231 folios). It was created in 3 Nov 1945-10 Dec 1947. 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.
C!OMFIDEt.TlAL .
D0/i.b^pL/37a
Duo^ti,
12 tJi November 47
Dear kr. Lemiitte,
I have to infonri you that on my return
irom Buraimi on hovember 47 i received a letter from
Shaikh Shakhbut aaking me to come and see him aa soon as
possible# 1 was unable to go to him until tcoay. Among
thie many points discussed the following ire the most
important.
(a) ho has been informed that our company in Qatar are
planning to buila a terminal at katalid, which he claims
bo be in his territory. He asked me to confirm or deny ti-at
this is so. I replied truthfully that I have no information
on this subject nor indeed on any of the activities of
Petroleum Development (Qatar;. I pointed out haw ever that
the question of frontiers is no concern of an oil company.
With Lhis he ©greed but asked me to refer the matter to you.
1 should in any case be glad to know as soon as possible
what reply to make in the almost certain event of his
raising the subject ©gain.
(b) He once again raised the i^vit&ble subject of the speed
of our operations. I replied that I had nothing further
to say on this subject other than what I had already told
him on so many previous occasions, he then went on to say
that he definitely v k as not satisfied that we were going
ahead as fast ©s we might, that ’our few months survey work
each year' was not in the spirit of the concession,and that
he wanted a definite statement as to when we woulo begin
drilling operations. In replfcr I told him that 1 had no
authority nor inaeed one requisite knowledge to speak on
this subject and once again i tried to convince him of the
hecessity of our making a careful and detailed survey of
his area ana how such a careful survey was to his ultimate
advantage. He asked me to make his views known to the
company ana request them to reply. I informed him that I
would pass on what he liad told me to you. 1 must sta^e
that on this question Shakhbut seems to be forced into
speaking thus by his brothers I-iza’ and Khalid,neither of
whom can think rationally on any subject.I should hov/ever
be glad to hear your views.
(cj The third question is one raised on several occasions
previously, the question of the pay of bAin guards. 1
have always replied that the Pvs.2 per day in the field is
a stanoard rate fixed by the company ana approved of by
the local Political Office. You may recall that we had
trouble last season on the same question and that in all
cases it was satisfactorily seitled with the help of 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. I have no doubt that if it becomes
necessary we could ask for the latter* s essistsaice again.
Shakhbut however as you know is no fool anu argues that
wages all over the world have gone up as a result of the
rise in the cost of living and that therefore logically
his guaro^ wages should go up. This question too he has
now asked me to put to the company, since I have tola him
that the matter is entirely outside my authority. Perhaps
you might let me Lave something final on this question as
well.
In conclusion I would like to say tliat
knowing shakhbut ana his brothers Hiza* ana KLalia as I go
• i- make a pointer going as little as possible to Atu Dhabi
unless I have some definite business. As a result however
of our present work it has been Impossible for me to avoid
paying rather rusrejfrequent visits. Further in defence ol
Shakhbut*s present ettituae I should like to say that the
situation as a result of th£ closing of the pearl trade
and the cutting off by the politicel Authorities of Temv''

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Content

The file contains correspondence relating to survey expeditions carried out in the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. (today's United Arab Emirates) region by Petroleum Development ( Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. ) Limited, a subsidiary of Petroleum Concessions Limited. The correspondence is principally between 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 Sharjah, the Political Officer of the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. , also at Sharjah, the 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 Bahrain, representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited and Petroleum Development ( Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. ) Limited, 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. , the rulers of Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al-Khaymah], and Abu Dhabi, as well as the leaders of a number of more minor tribes.

The correspondence covers the arrangements for, and the progress of, survey work carried out by the company during the winters of 1945/46, 1946/47, and 1947/48, in the vicinities of Jabal Faiyah and Buraimi [Al-Buraymī], including a reconnaissance trip through Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. al Gor. Contained in the file are regular updates on the progress of the surveys sent by company representatives to either 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 or the Political Officer at Sharjah.

Matters of a political nature were referred by the company to 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 or the Political Officer, and the following issues are covered within the file:

  • numerous incidents of resistance from local Bedouin inhabitants, usually triggered by transgression of tribal boundaries;
  • pay arrangements for guards and labourers, including a strike by workers in October 1946;
  • the employment of non-British subjects (namely Americans);
  • tribal and territorial allegiances that impacted on the work of the surveyors.

Folio 102 is a sketch map of the area explored around Ajman [‘Ajmān] and Umm al Qaiwain [Umm al Qaywayn].

Folios 211-232 are internal office notes, including extracts from the oil concession agreement with Shaikh Sultan II bin Saqr of Sharjah [Sulṭān II bin Saqr 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. ].

Extent and format
1 file (231 folios)
Arrangement

The file is arranged chronologically.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio, and terminates at the inside back cover; 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; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 38/1 Vol I, P. C. L. Exploration' [‎198r] (397/468), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/861, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100025664443.0x0000c6> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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