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File 14/1 'Piracies & Irregularities at Sea' [‎68v] (136/610)

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The record is made up of 1 file (301 folios). It was created in 21 May 1907-10 Jan 1914. 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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Enclosure No. 2.
Copy of a telegram No. 724, dated 14th July 1910, from Resident^ Bushire^ to
the Senior Naval Officer ) Jask.
It is reported from Bahrain that pirate Ahmad bin Salman has started out.
It may not be confirmed but in any case it would be a good thing if one of His
Majesty’s ships could put in an appearance for a day or two at Bahrain and on
pearl-banks. Can this be arranged ?
Enclosure No. 3.
Copy of a telegram from the Senior Naval Officer, H. M. S. “ Fox Jt , Maskat, to
Resident, Bushire, dated 15th July 1910.
Will send “Redbreast”. She will coal at Bushire in about a fortnight and
we can then decide future action.
Enclosure No. 4.
Copy of a telegram, dated 19th July 1910, from the Senior Naval Officer, H,
M. S. “ Fox ”, Jask, to Resident, Bushire.
“Redbreast” arrives at Bahrain to-morrow.
Enclosure No. 5.
Copy of a letter No. 409, dated 13th July 1910, 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. ,
Kuwait) to the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Bushire.
With reference to the entry in my diary for week ending 6th July reporting
the piracy committed on a Kuwait boom I attach as a Note to this letter the
further details gathered.
2. The piracy seems to have been well planned and carried out in a most
thorough and cold-blooded manner for even at this date (a fortnight after the
occurrence) no trace has been obtained either of the missing men or of the sus
pected helium.
3. The Shaikh is still making secret enquiries on the Shatt-al-Arab and
something may result therefrom in the future. In the meanwhile I would venture
to suggest that the presence of a British man-of-war (if one can be spared from
the Arms Traffic operations) in the river or a cruise from the pearl-banks to
Kuwait and the Shatt-al-Arab would do much to allay the apprehensions caused
by this incident and would probably deter other lawless spirits who, emboldened
by the present success, may contemplate similar excursions. It may be men
tioned in this connection that no man-of-war has visited Kuwait since the 7th
October 1909 and I believe the Flag has not been shown in the river since last
November.
Note on a piracy on a Kuwait boom in July 1910.
I asked Shaikh Mubarak about the piracy to-day and the following are the
facts . 1
Saleh al Hajri left Kuwait in the afternoon of Tuesday the 28th June to
join the pearling fleet. There were besides himself, one Baghdadi passenger
• Al Daura rear Maamra on Turkish side of taking tobacco for sale, and 6 sailors of
Shatt-al-Arab.
P. z. c.
whom one was a Doragh* man. Saleh
had on board some Rs. 5,000 in cash with
which to buy pearls, 32 half-bags of rice, some bags coffee and a lot of dates all
for sale among the pearling fleet. *

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Content

The file contains correspondence relating to the investigation and prosecution of nine cases of piracy 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. , Kuwait. These cases concern attacks by Arab, Persian and Somali pirates, mainly on Kuwaiti cargo and passenger boats, their passengers and crew, in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and off the coast of Somalia in East Africa, in breach of maritime regulations and peace treaties between Great Britain and her Protectorates which prohibited piracy. The main correspondents are all British officials: 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 Kuwait, the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. at Bushire and the British Vice-Consul at Lingah. The correspondence includes numerous witness statements made orally at the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Kuwait and written down in English. The majority of the witnesses are surviving crew members and the owners of the attacked boats, as well as merchants and passengers who lost goods and possessions in the raids at sea. There are several Arabic documents in the file: notes, lists of suspects and stolen goods, receipts and correspondence, including a few letters exchanged between 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 Kuwait and the Ruler of Kuwait.

Extent and format
1 file (301 folios)
Arrangement

At the front of the file is a table of contents entitled ‘Index’. It lists each case of piracy according to the nature of the offence and where it took place, together with the folio reference on which the case papers begin. The folio reference given in the table of contents belongs to a superseded foliation sequence, which is written in pencil, but not circled. Each set of case papers appear in the file in chronological order, based on the month and year in which the act of piracy took place and the investigation began. Within each individual case record, the claim papers are arranged in approximate chronological order.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 303; 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 2-300; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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File 14/1 'Piracies & Irregularities at Sea' [‎68v] (136/610), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/5/51, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100034951622.0x000089> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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