'Sharjah Oil Concession and connected documents' [‎2r] (3/26)

TSA* 15/4132
12th February, 194^*
To H.Ei Sultan bin Sagr al Qassin,
Ruler of Sharjah,
Sharjah*
Your Excellency,
1* Y/e have the honour to refer to paragraph B of Schedule No*
1 to the Oil Concession concluded mth Your Excellency on the 17th
September 1 937#
2. Your Excellency vail understand that the date of commencement
of drilling is dependent upon the results of geological examination
of the territorj' concerned and this examination is an essential
prelude'to the drilling*
3# Your Excellency will note that in the above mentioned
paragraph B of Schedule No* 1 you agreed to a period of nine years
for geological exploration of which fo/o years only were available
before the war broke out in 1939 and the Company was forced by
conditions created by this war to discontinue geological work on
the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. * The six war years have been lost and the
Company ha v e not sufficient data on which to select a drilling
site*
4# As Your Excellency is aware the Cor.pany have taken the
fir s t opportunity of recommencing its geological v/ork in your
territory although equipment is very difficiYLt to obtain, and a
party is already functioning in the Jabal Faiyah area* Much
time, however, must elapse before a drilling point can be located
and the period of nine years originally agreed on expires in 1946*
5# In these circumstances we are sure Your Excellency will
agree that it is reasonable for the Company to request that
paragraph B of Schedule No* 1, fixing the period of nine years
within which drilling must begin but which did not foresee or take
into account the enforced interruption caused by the war, be changed
and the period be extended by six years to make fifteen years
ending in September 1952*
6. Mr. Lermitte will be visiting Yi*ur Excellency and will put
before you a form of agreement covering this change for Your
Excellency 1 s consideration.
7. H.B.M* s 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, has been informed and has
£ copy of the proposed form of agreement*
We have the honour to be
Your Excellency’s most obedient servants,
For and on behalf of PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT
( TRUCIAL COAST A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. ) LTD.
(Sgd*) E* V. Packer
Manager,