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'File 4/1 General Information regarding Kuwait and Hinterland' [‎178r] (355/474)

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The record is made up of 1 file (235 folios). It was created in 1933-1948. 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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WHAT
r^OES OH:
3one Odd ITotes
KITWaiT, ki6/9
(
Here are a few jottings of things I have learned,
just put down as I think of them.
There is no proper measurement of shi^s at Kuweit;
no prorer means of identification. They aught to be made
carve numbers - pronerly allocated official numbers -
into the planking on both quarters, carrying in the
same place details of their nett and gross tonnage. The
number and tonnage ought also to be carved along the
inside of the coaming of the main-hatch. The present
lack of means of identification is used by the Arabs a
good deal, in the furtherance of dishonest - or at any
rate completely illegal - activities. In time of war we
ought to be able to identify them. They are aL 1 given
proper measurement, and measurement certificates, if wver
they visit Karachi or Bombayr but there is a trade in
these certificates v/hich is winked at here, and causes
a good deal of hoodwinking in the ports of Iraq. Entering
at Kao, when going into the 3hatt-el-Arab to load dates,
hardly any Kuweit dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. can be trusted to give honest
particulars of herself, the object in this oeing to hide
her real capacity (since they all load at anchorage in
the river, from plantations, and there is no check on
the actual number of parcels taken on board) and so
avoid the payment of as much excise as possible, -he same
kind of thing goes on in the Rufiji River, and anywhere else
where it may be of profit. Eurther to disguise the ships,
their real nakhodas very seldom take them into the river:
the nakhodas join later, on the eve of sailing, vdien tne
vessel has been cleared and all payments made. By that time
- j am speaking now of Kao ~ tnere are usually ^-ore than
a hundred other vessels awaiting attention, and the port

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Content

This file contains a number of reports concerning different aspects of life in Kuwait, including its geography, history, flora and fauna, weather, political administration and leading personalities. Unless otherwise stated, the reports' author is Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson (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).

The reports appear as follows:

  • Note on Kuwait in 1933 incorporating Geography, Administration, History and Trade (folios 2-62)
  • Note on Villages of Kuwait State (folios 63-76)
  • Note on the Various Districts in Kuwait, Kuwait Neutral Zone, Summan Area , Hussaim and Suda (folios 77-104)
  • Notes on the "Batin" Valley, and "Dibdibba" Country (folios 105-120)
  • Note on the "Shaqq" Depression (folios 121-123)
  • Note on "Failakah" Island (folios 124-130)
  • Note on Native Craft of Kuwait (folios 131-135)
  • Note on the Prevailing Winds of Kuwait (folios 136-138)
  • Note on the Different Kinds of Fish found at Kuwait (folios 139-144)
  • Notes on the Drinking Water (Wells, etc) available in Kuwait Town, in Case of Military or Naval Operations (folios 145-147)
  • Notes on Personalities in Kuwait (folios 148-154)
  • Notes on Kuwait (folios 155-159)
  • A report on Kuwait Dhows (with odd notes attached at rear) written by Alan Villiers in 1939 (folios 160-183)
  • Leading Personalities of Kuwait written by Major Tom Hickinbotham in 1942 (folios 187-198)
  • Who's Who in Muscat written by John Baron Howes in 1942 (folios 199-209)
  • Conditions in Kuwait written by Major Maurice Patrick O'Connor Tandy in 1947 (folios 226-228)

Some of the reports contain handwritten notes in Arabic, notably when giving place names and geographical information.

Extent and format
1 file (235 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 237; these numbers are written in pencil 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.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 4/1 General Information regarding Kuwait and Hinterland' [‎178r] (355/474), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/5/179, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100040050674.0x00009c> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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