'File 5/1 I Mineral and oil deposits in Kuwait territory: surveys' [‎46r] (91/216)

? No. Cf.-187 (Confidential), dated Bushire, the 30th August 1914.
From— Major S. G. Knox, C.I.E., Offg. 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. ,
To—The Hon’ble Lieutenant-Colonel Sir P. Z. Cox, K.C.I.E., C.S.I., Foreign Secre
tary to the Government of India in the Foreign and Political Department,
Simla.
I have the honour to forward, for the information of the Government of India,
a copy of a despatch No. 29 of the 31st August which I have addressed to His
Maiestv’s Secretary of State, on the question of supplying information regarding
oil seepages in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , to a certain Mr. P. Stewart said to be m the employ
of “ Pearsons/’
Enclosure of (1).
Sir,
His Britannic Majesty’s Consulate-General,
Bushire,
31st August 1914:.
I have the honour to forward for such instructions as you may see fit to favour
me with in regard to the reply to be sent to
•Dated 30th July 1914. sender—the copy of a letter* received
from Mr. P. Charteris A. Stewart enquiring for information re certain oil
seepages mentioned in “ Engler’s Petroleum ” as existing in the neighbourhood of
Bernaid-el-Or (near Kuwait) and the Islands of Garu, Tarsi and Halul. Mr. Stewart
is believed to be in the employ of Lord Cowdray and presumably connected with
44 Pearsons.” He has already applied in similar letters to the one now under refer
ence to 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. , Bahrain, and to His Britannic Majesty’s Consul at
Basrah, who have in each case referred him to me.
Your letter, Sir, No. 299, dated 7th July 1914, to His Excellency Sir Louis
Mallet has reached me in blue print and would seem to imply that His Majesty’s
Government are not averse to introducing the Turkish Petroleum Company into
Nejd and Basrah.
As regards the actual places in respect of which Mr. Stewart desires informa
tion Bernaid-el-Or should read Banaid-ul-Qar which, with Qaru, is included in the
territory of the Shaikh of Kuwait. “ Tarsi ” should probably read “ Farsi ” and is
probably an appanage of El Aksa, in which case negotiations should be undertaken
with Bin Saud, recently appointed as Turkish Mali of Nejd. Halul is indeterminate,
but the island itself is well known and a beacon has lately been erected tkeie by
His Maiesty’s Government in connection with the Lighting and Buoying Scheme
in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . It probably belongs to the Shaikh of Abu Dthabi.
As regards indications of oil, the names Banaid-ul-Qar and Qaru certainly
suggest pitch or bitumen and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Gazetteer at page 617, Volume II,
speaks of an intermittent spring of bitumen existing under the sea m the neighbour
hood of Halul. I have no special information in regard to Farsi and have not been
able to find anything in my records. Such informations as we have m this office
of these indications is very meagre and generally confined to fisherman’s talk of
pitch floating in the open sea. I fear therefore that it would be of httle use to Mr.
Stewart.