Skip to item: of 782
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

Coll 6/7(1) 'The Yemen: Relations between H.M.G. and the Imam.' [‎274r] (558/782)

This item is part of

The record is made up of 1 volume (387 folios). It was created in Jan 1906-16 Jun 1932. It was written in English 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

-2-
that we can afford to wait on events and leave the Imam
to malcB the next move.
This is in fact the policy which we have hitherto
pursued. It has been criticised in Parliament and
elsewhere, on the ground that, by our negative attitude, we
are missing a great opportunity of political and commercial
advantage. This criticism has been prompted in the main by
certain individuals (not officials) who are anxious to
obtain concessions in the Yemen, and who find their way
blocked by the Imam’s refusal to deal with British traders
until ho has concluded a political settlement with Great
Britain.
The outstanding difficulty in arriving at any agreement
is that the Imam claims the whole of the Aden Protectorate
as part of his ancestral domain, and refuses to negotiate
with us on any basis that does not recognise this claim.
He does not accept the boundaries of the Protectorate
as laid down between Great Britain and Turkey before the
War, and argues that he cannot be bound by a settlement
to which he was not a party. If this difficulty could be
overcome, an early settlement could probably be reached;
but acceptance of the Imam’s conditions would involve
abandonment of tribes whom we are under a treaty obliga
tion to protect - a proceeding which would not be consonant
with the honour of the British Government.
The gist of the Treaty obligations entered into
between His Majesty’s Government and the tribes of the
Aden Protectorate is, generally speaking, that the favour
and protection" of His Majesty's Government are extended to
the territory of the various rulers in return for an
undertaking by them to refrain from corresponding ox-
entering into Treaty relations with, or from ceding
• . Tt , r*pr*tain of the Treaties
territory to, a foreign Power*
1 a

About this item

Content

This volume concerns relations between the British Government and Imam Yehia bin Muhammad Hamid Uddin [Yaḥyá Muḥammad Ḥamīd al-Dīn, Imam of Yemen]. It largely consists of correspondence between the 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. at Aden (Sir George Stewart Symes, succeeded by Bernard Rawdon Reilly) and officials of 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 Colonial Office and the Foreign Office. Also included are copies of correspondence between the 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. and the Imam.

The correspondence includes the following subject matter:

  • The Imam's wish to conclude a treaty between Yemen and Britain, and British objections to some of the Imam's terms for a proposed treaty, such as the Imam's demand for the recognition of his sovereignty over the tribes of the Aden Protectorate.
  • The Imam's refusal to accept the boundaries of the Aden Protectorate, as laid down between Britain and the Ottoman Empire before the First World War.
  • The possibility of sending a British official representative to visit the Imam, with the objective of establishing a 'clearer understanding of each other's policy and aims'.
  • Discussion as to how the British should respond to reports that the Imam's troops have occupied Al 'Ain [Am ‘Ayn] (a group of villages in the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Beihan [Wādī Bayḩān] region, deemed by the British to be part of the Aden Protectorate), with a threat of aerial bombardment being among the considered options.
  • Discussion of matters that the British may wish to raise in treaty negotiations with the Imam, including the evacuation of the Imam's troops from the districts of Audhali and Sanah [Sanāh, near Qa‘ţabah], and the Sultan of Upper Yafa's claim to Rube'aten.

Also included in the volume are the following:

The French material in the volume consists of one letter. Most of the material in this volume covers the period 1931-1932; however, the volume also includes several maps dating from an earlier period, of which the earliest is dated 1906.

The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 volume (387 folios)
Arrangement

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

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this volume commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 383; 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. The front and back covers, along with the two leading and two ending flyleaves have not been foliated. A previous foliation sequence, which is present between ff 253-382 and is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English 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 6/7(1) 'The Yemen: Relations between H.M.G. and the Imam.' [‎274r] (558/782), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2068, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100044800845.0x00009f> [accessed 23 April 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_100044800845.0x00009f">Coll 6/7(1) 'The Yemen: Relations between H.M.G. and the Imam.' [&lrm;274r] (558/782)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100044800845.0x00009f">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000555.0x00025e/IOR_L_PS_12_2068_0558.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_100000000555.0x00025e/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image