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'TURKISH JURISDICTION IN THE ISLANDS AND WATERS OF THE PERSIAN GULF, AND ON THE ARAB LITTORAL' [109r] (3/28)
The record is made up of 1 file (14 folios). It was created in 7 Apr 1879. It was written in English. 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. .
Transcription
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m.
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( 3 )
Political A., March 1872, No. 57*.
No. 247-52, dated 11th March 1871.
No. 26 of Slit July 1871.
Abuthabi, and that the Cliief’s town
ship was seriously injured in its trade,
and in other respects by the new settle
ment. Turther, that persistence in the
maintenance of the settlement would
sooner or later lead to collision by sea.
Colonel Pelly having warned the
Abuthabi Chief to abstain from action
by sea, proceeded to institute farther
inquiries on his own account.
The information he collected showed
that Odeid belonged to Abuthabi,
and that the El-Katr Chief, whose
territories were on one side contermin
ous with the district of Odeid, ignored
all connection with it.
Under these circumstances, he wrote
to the settlers at Odeid, cautioning
them to conform to the rule of the
Chief of Abuthabi within whose terri
tories they had taken up their abode.
On the 31st July Colonel Pelly wrote
again, enclosing a report received from
Major Smith on his return from Odeid.
Since the date of his previous letter
Colonel Pelly had taken every oppor
tunity to advise a peaceful adjustment
between the Chief of Abuthabi and
the colonists at Odeid. Hitherto, his
efforts had been successful. But the
case now appeared liable to complica
tion from the presence of a Turkish
force on the coast. The position taken
up by the Chief, which Colonel Pelly
held to be reasonable and in accord
with the facts, was briefly this :—That
Odeid belonged to him ; that it had now
been colonised by certain Arabs, who
owed him allegiance; that in conformity
with the terms of the maritime truce
he had referred the case to the British
Besident; and that having thus ful
filled his trucial obligations, he claimed
the right to move along his coast line
and coerce the colonists unless they
submitted to his rule.
The Odeid colonists, however, con
tended that Odeid did not belong
to Abuthabi; they were desirous of
living as an independent society under
the trucial flag ; and they had been
offered, but had as yet declined, the
protection of the Turkish flag. The
supposition was, that if Abuthabi now
attempted coercion they would accept
the Turkish flag, and so further com
plicate matters, not only at Odeid, hut
at other points on the Arab littoral.
Bor instance, while on the one side a
About this item
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Memorandum written by Trevor John Chicheley Plowden, Under Secretary to the Foreign Department, Government of India, 21 Mar 1879, and published 25 March 1879 in Lahore by the Punjab Government.
The memorandum addresses the question of Turkish jurisdiction in the islands and waters of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and on the Arab littoral, looking at the entire southern coast from Koweit [Kuwait] to Ras-el-Had [Ra’s al-Hadd], but focusing primarily on the Arab coast and islands from Ras Tanorah [Ra's Tannūrah] to Ras Mussendom [Ra’s Musandam], including El-Bidaa [al-Bida], Bahrein [Bahrain], Zobara [Zubārah], El-Katr [Qatar] and the territories of the Arab Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. chiefs.
The memorandum commences with a brief history of events at Odeid [Al ‘Udayd] in the 1800s, and the uncertainty in the 1870s over whether or not it was part of the territory of the Chief of Abuthabi [Abu Dhabi] or was an independent territory, and also discusses attempts by the Chief of El-Katr to persuade the Chief at Odeid, Shaikh Buttye to hoist a Turkish flag, which he refused.
The memorandum, which cites correspondence from 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. (Colonel Lewis Pelly, Colonel Edward Charles Ross), goes on to consider the Turkish authorities in Nejd [Najd] and their interests in Abuthabi and Debaye [Dubai]; further claims of Turkish interest in Odeid, including in 1877 claims that the inhabitants of Odeid were paying a tribute to the Turks through the Chief of El-Bidaa; and correspondence with the Turkish Government regarding an increase in piracy along the El-Katr coast.
The memorandum focuses particularly on events in Odeid from 1877 onwards, including attempts to mediate a settlement between Abuthabi and Odeid; British intentions to support Abuthabi should a settlement not be mediated; vessels belonging to the Chief of Odeid having attacked vessels from Wukra [al Wakrah], breaching the maritime peace. The memorandum then reverts to the original questions relating to Turkish jurisdiction and concludes that Odeid is not a part of El-Katr territory, and is part of Abuthabi territory and is therefore answerable to the Chief of Abuthabi.
The memorandum then reverts to the larger question of Turkish jurisdiction and considers the area from Ojair [al-‘Uqayr] to El-Bidaa and noting that they were not considered to be responsible for that area, but could have reasonable claim to do so should they wish; it also discusses the possibility of negotiating a line of demarcation to show where Turkish jurisdiction ends and British jurisdiction commences and the need for the British Government to reserve the right to suppress maritime irregularities at sea. The memorandum concludes by considering whether the question of a line of demarcation should be put to the Secretary of State for India; how to ensure that Bahrein [Bahrain] is recognised as independent of all Governments except Great Britain; and what impact such an agreement might have on Persia.
Accompanying the memorandum is a note written by Sir Alfred Comyn Lyall, Secretary to the Foreign Department, Government of India, 7 April 1879 which supports the proposals outlined within it.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (14 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 108 and terminates at folio 121, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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 in the top-right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio; these numbers are also written in pencil but are not circled.
Pagination: This section of the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
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'TURKISH JURISDICTION IN THE ISLANDS AND WATERS OF THE PERSIAN GULF, AND ON THE ARAB LITTORAL' [109r] (3/28), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B126, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036122271.0x000004> [accessed 30 July 2026]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/18/B126
- Title
- 'TURKISH JURISDICTION IN THE ISLANDS AND WATERS OF THE PERSIAN GULF, AND ON THE ARAB LITTORAL'
- Pages
- 108r:121v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence