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'File 53/7 D (D 7) Koweit [Kuwait] Affairs, January 1905 - December 1905' [‎134r] (276/366)

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The record is made up of 1 file (181 folios). It was created in 9 Jan 1905-9 Dec 1905. 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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Beoem onm Ju*e m niitital Secretar
KOWEIT.
CUJSI Jb'iDENTlAL. [May 23.]
S ection 2.
No. 1.
Sir N. O' Conor to the Marquess
(No. 372. Confidential.)
C onstantinople ;
my lord, May 16 s 1904.
s07-5cr d, ° g ^ 477 - Secret E - 1M2 - Lordship in my Despatch No. 144* of the
of Turkish military posts at U m Kasr and Bubf/an Si establishmellt
had LuncUy reserTeHhTlhei^ 'ilhts to th , p, ' 0eeedi °^' ?
deprecated a disturbance of the statu, ltd and hai1
^e^d andTXch To^Lord^
^ f ™ See , P r pP net y 0 f causing these soldiers to be withdrawn,
and save me fiom the unpleasant duty of returning to the subject again in a
more unpleasant form, which I should be obliged to do unless tbe matter was
arranged withm a short time. e
. Tewfik Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. remarked, in reply, that though the Sheikh of Koweit en-
joyedasortof semi-mdependence, and had a special understanding with His
Majesty s government, the limits of his province were very vague, and it was
desirable that proofs should be produced showing that Bubiyan Island belonged
^ 1116 n \ ere Koweit fishermen repaired there annually was in
itself no proof of possession or ownership, and if an incident like this iustified a
claim to possession, there was no saying where his demands would end.
I said there was no danger of the Shiekh of Koweit preferring unreasonable
claims, and still less of their being supported by His Majesty's Government if
lie attempted to do so, but I considered his claim to Bubiyan was fully justified,
and it seemed an undoubted fact that his supremacy and authority in Bubiyan,*
which was annually occupied by one of the Koweit tribes, had not been ques
tioned till the Ottoman Government had sent a military detachment there in
1902. The island was probably of little or no importance pecuniarily, but a
denial of His Highness authority and rights would be a serious blow to his
prestige and influence in Koweit itself, and His Majesty's Government, who
had done so much to prevent his interference in the internecine troubles of
those parts, were bound to see that he did not suffer in consequence of their
advice and protection.
The Minister did not pursue the conversation, and it ended by his saying
that he would submit the question in the proper quarter.
In replying to the Minister, I evaded as far as possible entering into a
discussion as to the Sheikh of Koweit's rights to Bubiyan Island, for reasons
which I venture to think will be obvious to Your Lordship on referring to para-
t Proceeding No. 200, Secret e ., March 1904, graph 5 of the Government of India's
Nos.2 00.201. Secret Despatch No. 25,f of the 4th Feb
ruary last, of which a copy was inclosed in Your Lordship's Despatch No. 107
of the 22nd March,

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Content

This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding political developments in Kuwait and its vicinity.

The correspondence discusses the ongoing conflict between Abdul Aziz ibn Abdulrahman ibn Faisal Al Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Saud)] and the ruler of the Emirate of Jabal Shammar and head of the Rashidi tribal dynasty, Abdul Aziz Ibn Mitab [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin Mit‘ab] as well as Ottoman attempts to intervene militarily in support of the Rashidis and re-assert their authority in the region.

A limited number of letters contained in the file are direct correspondence between Shaikh Mubārak Āl Ṣabāḥ, the Ruler of Kuwait and various British officials. This correspondence discusses Kuwait's relations with both the Ottomans and the British.

The British authorities' desire for Bubayan island to be considered a part of Shaikh Mubārak's domains (at the expense of the Ottomans) is discussed at length in the file.

Extent and format
1 file (181 folios)
Arrangement

File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.

An index of topics discussed in the file is included on ff. 2-3. This index uses numbers related to the foliation system printed (using a mechanical stamp) 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.

Physical characteristics

Condition: A bound file.

Foliation: The volume has been foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. page. There is an earlier, possibly original, foliation sequence that runs through the volume, which uses a mechanical stamp.

The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 102a.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 53/7 D (D 7) Koweit [Kuwait] Affairs, January 1905 - December 1905' [‎134r] (276/366), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/477, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100025813717.0x00004d> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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