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Coll 6/53 'Red Sea: The Hanish Islands.' [202r] (403/419)
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.
£900
Convention in to the question of Mocha, since they recognise
that, Mocha being in fact under the rule of the Imam of the Yemen,
with whom Italy is in treaty relations, there is some force in the
Italian contention that it would be difficult for Italy to become a
party to a Convention which specifically refers to the status of
Mocha as being still indeterminate* As you will see from the board
of Trade letter enclosed herein, there are objections to the complete
omission of any reference to Mocha in the Preamble of the Convention
but there seems no reason why the Italian Governments objections
should not be overcome by the introduction of suitable modifications
in the relevant portions of the text.
6 . I accordingly enclose herein the text of three draft modifica
tions, the introduction of which into the Convention His Majesty's
Government would be prepared to propose to the other Powers concerned,
if the Italian Government so desire. These draft modifications
should, in my opinion, completely meet the points raised by Signor
Guariglia in regard to the question of the sovereignty of the islands,
the status of Mocha and the position of the Imam, and I shall be glad
if you will endeavour to obtain the agreement of the Italian
Government to them as soon as possible.
7. As regards the remaining two points raised by Signor Guariglia
regarding the provisions of the Convention, His Majesty's
Government regret that they cannot see their way to meeting the
Italian point of view. In regard to the first of these points,
i.e. the yearly amount to be paid to the French Company during the
provisional regime, Your Excellency should explain that this figure,
which has always been regarded as reasonable, was fixed on the basis
of the average annual expenditure actually incurred by His Majesty's
Treasury on the maintenance of the three island lighthouses during
the five years immediately preceding 1927, plus an allowance of
twelve and a half per cent for profit, and a sum of nine hundred
pounds a year representing a fair share of the expenditure incurred
by the French Company in respect of their head office expenses in
Paris and Constantinople. The Italian Government give no indication
of the date on which their experts base their figure of six
thousand six hundred pounds a year, but it is possible that they
may
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
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Coll 6/53 'Red Sea: The Hanish Islands.' [202r] (403/419), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2120, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100040077758.0x000006> [accessed 24 April 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2120
- Title
- Coll 6/53 'Red Sea: The Hanish Islands.'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:2v, 5r:32v, 35r:51v, 53r:54v, 56r:118v, 120r:135v, 138r:143v, 145r:161v, 163r:172v, 174r:177v, 182r:209v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence