Skip to item: of 419
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

Coll 6/53 'Red Sea: The Hanish Islands.' [‎123r] (245/419)

This item is part of

The record is made up of 1 file (208 folios). It was created in 2 Oct 1928-12 Dec 1935. It was written in English, Italian and French. 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

This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.

Apply page layout

Colquhoun at Cairo it was stated that the placaS ^
question were belieTed to be all within the limit
the j^ashaliJc of Kgypt rt but in order to guard against
'any objection being raised by the iorte. Her
"Majesty's mbassador at Constantinople has been
"directed to obtain the formal sanction of the Saltan
"to the construction of lighthouses in these places."
4. Subsequent to 1880, however, the territorial
position and Jurisdiction along the Egyptian coast of
the ied Sea became modified, as a result of Italian
action long that orti n of the coast which now con
stitutes the Italian colony of Lritrea, including the
portion off which the Mohabbakah Islands are situated*
5* By notets exchanged between the Italian
ambassador in London and Lord Salisbury, dated li&y
24/11, 1887, it was agreed that the Italian authorities
should eyercise surveillance over the African coast of
the Ked Sea from Massowah as far north as Has Xasar*
6 . This agreement was ^ade in consequence of the
Confidential Derations which Italy was prooosing to tafce against
5 5 h 7 . N O • 6 7 •
abyssiniu, and it appears to have been intended at the
time that the arrangement was to have a temporary and
not a territorial character. i.s a natter of f ct, how
ever, the Italian right of surreillance drifted into
what was tantamount to territorial rights along the
littoral. Lord Cromer (then sir Baring) pointed
Confidential out in 1890: • ♦ • "I a/n not re ared to deny that we
5952. ho.136
"have, as a matter of fact, both tacitly and by im
plication, allow d the Italians to acquire what is
"almost tantamount to territorial rights along the
"lied Sea Littoral, and t! at it is now too late to

About this item

Content

This file primarily concerns the sovereignty status of the Hanish Islands, as well as that of other islands in the Lower Red Sea. It documents concerns held by the British Government that the Italian Government is in the process of attempting to establish some kind of informal control over certain islands.

Matters discussed in the correspondence include:

  • The content and wording of a proposed Red Sea Lights Convention, the result of negotiations between the British and French governments, which ostensibly relates to the construction and maintenance of lighthouses – both on islands in the Lower Red Sea and in the territory of Mocha – but also concerns questions of sovereignty.
  • Whether the Italian Government's plan to construct a lighthouse on South-West Haycock Island constitutes a claim of sovereignty over the island.
  • The establishment of Italian military posts on the Hanish and Jebel Zukur [Jazīrat Jabal Zuqar] islands.
  • Concerns expressed by the Admiralty and Foreign Office that by establishing these posts the Italian Government could be attempting to enforce rights of sovereignty over the islands.
  • The extent to which either the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) or the Rome Conversations of 1927 (between Britain and Italy) provide any basis to contesting an Italian claim to sovereignty over the islands.
  • Reports of attempts by the Italian military posts to restrict fishing and pearling in neighbouring waters to dhows possessing a permit from Assab.

The file features the following principal correspondents: His Majesty's Ambassador in Rome (Sir Ronald Graham, succeeded by James Eric Drummond); the Command-in-Chief, Mediterranean; the Senior Officer of the Red Sea Sloops; the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; officials of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the 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. , the Admiralty, the Air Council, and the Board of Trade's Mercantile Marine Department.

As well as correspondence the file includes the following: extracts from reports of the proceedings of HMS Dahlia (1929 and 1931), HMS Penzance (1933), and HMS Calcutta (1934); copies of the minutes of an interdepartmental conference, held at the Foreign Office on 6 July 1931 to consider questions relating to the Red Sea islands; draft English and French texts of modifications to the aforementioned Red Sea Lights Convention, prepared by Sir Cecil Hurst, legal adviser to the Foreign Office; two sketch maps depicting the Lower Red Sea islands and surrounding area.

In addition to the aforementioned French text, the file contains some material in Italian, namely a copy of a fishing permit issued at Assab (an English translation is included).

The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 2).

Extent and format
1 file (208 folios)
Arrangement

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

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 209; 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.

Written in
English, Italian and French in Latin script
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

Coll 6/53 'Red Sea: The Hanish Islands.' [‎123r] (245/419), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2120, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100040077757.0x000030> [accessed 28 March 2024]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100040077757.0x000030">Coll 6/53 'Red Sea: The Hanish Islands.' [&lrm;123r] (245/419)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100040077757.0x000030">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000555.0x000292/IOR_L_PS_12_2120_0248.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000555.0x000292/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image