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‘File 12/7 II Arrival of country craft from India’ [‎106r] (211/1000)

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The record is made up of 1 file (498 folios). It was created in 23 Feb 1924-4 Nov 1944. 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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Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. ,
Bahrain, the 3rd January 1939
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,
Sharjah.
Memorandum .
A point has been raised by the Collector of Customs,
Bombay, with regard to the certificates of landing of cargo
shipped from Bombay to Gulf ports. The object of these
certificates, as you realise, is to prevent the smuggling back
into India of cargoes manifested out to Gulf ports, on which a
draw-back of customs duty has been obtained at Bombay. The
essence of the point raised by the Collector of Customs is to
what extent the countersignature of Political Officers on these
certificates represents direct knowledge of the landing of the
cargo, or whether it is based on the signature of the local
customs authorities and is little more than an attestation of
r
the genuineness of that sign^ure.
2. Vhich is the position in the case of the landing
certificates which you countersign? If the latter, to what
extent can the system be regarded as adequate to secure the
object for which it was designed, viz. the prevention of
smuggling into India? In other words, what is the value of /£t
signature of the local customs authorities?
3
I presume Dubai is the port on the '^Vucial Coast
mostly concerned?
4* If you consider the present system inadequate, have
you any suggestions to offer for its improvement?
for 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. , Bahrain.

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Content

The file comprises correspondence relating to the shipment and transhipment of cargo (chiefly rice, sugar, spices, piece goods) from India (Karachi) to the ports of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , chiefly Dubai, Katar [Qatar, also spelt Gutter, Quatter in the file] and Bahrain. The file is a direct chronological continuation of ‘File 12/7 I Shipping. Arrival of Sailing Crafts at Qatar and other places with Cargo.’ (IOR/R/15/2/1375). The file’s principal correspondents are: the Collector (and Assistant Collector) of Customs at Karachi; staff at the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Bahrain; the Director of Customs at Bahrain (Claud Cranbrook Lewis DeGrenier; George William Reginald Smith); the Ruler of Qatar (Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī); the Ruler of Dubai (Shaikh Sa‘id bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm).

The correspondence chiefly concerns routine enquires made about specific vessels travelling from India to the ports of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and involves the delivery and return of export manifests. The enquiries begin with letters from the Collector (or Assistant Collector) of Customs, or other administrators, at Indian ports (Karachi, Bombay, Veraval) informing 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 of named vessels travelling to ports in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , with details of their cargo and cargo markings, and requesting confirmation of their arrival and the landing of their cargo. These letters are followed by enquiries made by 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. to the Director of Customs at Bahrain (for vessels travelling to Bahrain), 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 (for vessels travelling to the ports of the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. ), and the Ruler of Qatar (for vessels travelling to Qatar), with further correspondence, including replies from 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 (in English and Arabic) and letters from the Rulers of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Ajman, and replies from the Ruler of Qatar. Correspondence is concluded with a letter from 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, back to the Collector of Customs at Karachi, confirming the arrival (and sometimes non-arrival) of named vessels.

Other papers in the file include:

Extent and format
1 file (498 folios)
Arrangement

The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The file notes at the end of the file (ff 463-499) mirror the chronological arrangement.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 500; 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 present in parallel between ff 3-331 and between ff 427-462; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. An additional mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 463-492; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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‘File 12/7 II Arrival of country craft from India’ [‎106r] (211/1000), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/1376, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100026191953.0x00000c> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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