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'File XXIX/2 Slavery in Kuwait' [‎51r] (101/296)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (148 folios). It was created in 2 Nov 1907-27 Sep 1929. 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. .

Transcription

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MANUMISSION OF SLAVES.
Part I.
Notes for guidance on Persian shore of Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
Authority.
The authorities for the manumission of slaves on which we work on the
Persian Coast are ;—
(i) The Slave Agreement with Persia of 1882 (Aitchison, volume XII,
page 97 ).
(ii) The Brussels Act, 1890 (Hertslet, volume XIX, page 278 ).
In regard to the former, it has been held that the engagements of the Persian
Government are not limited to the case of negroes, but also cover the case of
enslaved Mekranis or other indigenous persons.
Grounds for Manumission.
(i) Enslavement after March 1882 , the date of execution of Slave Trade
Agreement with Persia.
(ii) Gross ill-treatment by master, in case of individual enslaved before
'Treaty.
Procedure.
Slave cases fall under four categories :—
(i) Slaves of Persian masters domiciled in Persia.
These should be referred officially to the Local Government or Karguzar
with a Consulate representative, if necessary, and a statement of the case and a
manumission certificate obtained from the Local Government, or the Karguzar,
on the strength of which a British manumission certificate is issued and the
Persian one filed.
We cannot ordinarily manumit without the consent of the Persian author
ities, but if the slave is not entitled to his freedom or if his title to be manu
mitted is doubtful, His Majesty’s Consular Officer should move the Local
Government, or the Karguzar to obtain, or himself obtain, a guarantee for
good treatment from the slave’s master and induce the slave to return to his
owner on the strength of it.
In instances of doubt or if the Local Government or the Karguzar make
unnecessary difficulty, the case should be referred to the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. .
(ii) Slaves from Maskat, Bahrain, Kuwait or Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. .
Political Officer should refer to Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. , giving the fullest possible
details and permitting the slave to remain in the Consulate meanwhile.
(iii) Slaves of masters who are domiciled in Persian territory, hut who
are under British protection.
Case should be enquired into and dealt with on its merits {but without the
intervention of the Persian authorities).
(iv) Slaves of masters who are domiciled in Persian territory, but who
are not under British protection.
Case should in tire first instance be dealt with in communication with the
Consul of the owner of the slave if one is present, otherwise the local
authorities should be called upon to act as in the case of slaves of Persian
masters; vide (i), supra.
(v) Slaves taking refuge in British territories at Basidu, or at Jask,
Kan jam, SfC.
There being no responsible political officer present this practice should not
be encouraged, but when slaves have so taken refuge, a manumission certificate

About this item

Content

The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, printed reports, memoranda, and notes, relating to the manumission procedure in Kuwait. Correspondence also discusses the procedure to follow if Kuwait slaves take refuge at other British agencies in the Gulf. Further discussion surrounds the issue of consistency of practice and whether guidelines should be issued by the Government of India.

Included in the volume is a copy (ff 34-44) of typed notes 'Part 1:Notes for Guidance on Persian shore of Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; Part 2: Notes for guidance on Arabian shore of Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ' with sections on Kuwait, Bahrain, Maskat and Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. .

Also included (folio 79) is a copy of the proclamation issued by the Government of India in 1873 'notifiying the penalites which British subjects will incur by illegally possessing and in any way trafficking in slaves, or aiding others in such traffic.'

The principal correspondents in the volume include 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 (Stuart George Knox; James Carmichael More); 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 (Francis Beville Prideaux); the Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department (Sir Louis William Dane); the Assistant Resident, Bushire (Richard Lockington Birdwood); the Ruler of Kuwait (Shaikh Mubarak bin Sabah al-Sabah; Shaikh Salim al-Mubarak al-Sabah).

Extent and format
1 volume (148 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in rough chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 148; 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. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 2-147, and ff 3-133; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File XXIX/2 Slavery in Kuwait' [‎51r] (101/296), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/5/85, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100042384522.0x000066> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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