![File 2830/1914 Pt 2 'Persian Gulf: Pearl Fisheries. Investigation into Alleged Depletion of Pearl Banks. Germans and the Industry. Concessions, etc.' [‎167v] (343/578)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x000160/IOR_L_PS_10_457_0343.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "File 2830/1914 Pt 2 'Persian Gulf: Pearl Fisheries. Investigation into Alleged Depletion of Pearl Banks. Germans and the Industry. Concessions, etc.' [‎167v] (343/578)")
File 2830/1914 Pt 2 'Persian Gulf: Pearl Fisheries. Investigation into Alleged Depletion of Pearl Banks. Germans and the Industry. Concessions, etc.' [167v] (343/578)
The record is made up of 1 volume (283 folios). It was created in 1902-28 July 1914. 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.
Annex.
Foreign Office to tlie Law Officers of the Crown.
Foreign Office,
Gentlemen, 19th October 1904.
I have the honour to transmit to yon herewith, by direction of
the Marquess of Lansdowne, the papers noted in the accompanying list,
relative to the question of the steps to be taken to prevent foreign
interference with the rights enjoyed by the tribes on the Arabian coast
of the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
in the pearl fisheries.
It will be observed, from 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.
letter of the 30th June
(Annex A\ that the Government of India have called the attention of
Ilis Majesty’s Government to the fact that, by the steps they have con
sistently taken for mo» c than a century t > maintain the maritime peace
of the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
, they have deprived the Arab Chiefs on the coast of
the means of: forcibly protecting their interests in the pearl fisheries,
and that they therefore feel themselves to be under an obligation to
deftmd those rights in so far as they can reasonably be substantiated.
They cite instances in the past in which they have successfully
intervened to prevent the intrusion both of foreigners, by diplomatic
means, and of British subjects.
They recognise, however, that the position is difficult, both in regard
to British subjects and from the point of view of international law.
They, therefore, desire to ascertain the extent to which they may be
authorised to intervene, should the necessity arise.
The material facts may be stated as follows :—
1 . The pearl fishery banks lie off the Arabian Coast of the Persian
Gulf, and off the coast of Bahrein. They extend, as shown on the
charts (Annex B), inclosed with the Government of India’s letter, from
Um-ul-Kawain to near the head of the Gulf. His Majesty’s Govern
ment have identical agreements (Annex C) with the Arab Chiefs of
Bas-ul-Khaimah, Um-ul-Kawain, Ajman, Shargah, Debai, Abu Dthabi,
and Bahrein, by which the Chiefs have practically surrendered their
foreign relations into the hands of the British Government. The terri
tory of these Chiefs comprises the Arabian coast of the Gulf off which
the pearl banks lie up to the island of Bahrein, with the exception of
the promontory of El Katr, with whose Chief the question of making a
similar agreement is now under the consideration of His Majesty’s
Government. North of Bahrein, the sovereignty over the Arabian
shore of the Gulf belongs to the Sultan of Turkey, with the exception
of the territory of the Sheikh of Koweit, wdio has special relations with
His Majesty’s Government.
2 . Apparently all the tribes fish for pearls wherever they are to be
found, and no tribe has exercised a right excluding the other tribes from
any part of the fishery.
3. Only members of the tribes have hitherto fished for pearls in these
waters.
i. (a) Portions of some of the pearl banks lie within the three-mile
territorial limit.
(b'j Some of the banks extend from within the three-mile limit
outwards for several miles.
(c) Some of the banks are entirely outside the three-mile limit.
In all these cases the tribes have exercised an exclusive and
concurrent right of fishing for pearls.
5. The tribes have not fished for pearls in the deep waters off the
banks, having no appliances for deep water fishing. It is apprehended
that diedging for pearls in such deep waters would materially injure
the pearl fishery on the banks ; and it is desired, if possible, to prevent
dredging in such deep waters. 1
6 . The action to he taken for the protection of the pearl fishery would
appear to depend on ( 1 ) the legal right of the tribes to a monopoly;
About this item
- Content
The volume concerns pearl fishing in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; in particular attempted incursions into the trade by the French, Germans, and others; the political and economic interests of the British in pearl fishing; investigations into reports of the depletion of the pearl fishing banks in the Gulf; and proposals to use modern diving apparatus.
The principal correspondents are 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Zachariah Cox); 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; and senior officials of the Government of India, 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 Foreign Office, and the Board of Trade.
The papers cover: Report on the Ceylon Pearl Fisheries , published 1902 (including extracts of documents from the 1850s onwards), which includes references to the presence of Arab divers at the Ceylon fisheries (folios 247-281); the presence of two French businessmen in Bahrein [Bahrain], and the question of whether European enterprise could be excluded from the pearl fishing industry on the Arabian coast of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , March 1904 (folios 212-246); the opinion of the Law Officers' Department that the tribes of the Arabian coast had a right to the exclusive use of the pearl fisheries within a three-mile limit, and any other waters that might justly be considered territorial, February 1905 (folios 203-211); German attempts to gain control over the pearl industry in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , including the importance attached by 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Cox) to the operations of Gray, Paul & Company, March 1905 - January 1908 (folios 177-202); the Government of India in favour of direct intervention to secure a British monopoly, June-August 1908 (folios 170-176); enquiries into the pearl fishing industry by Dr Gustav Josef Eduard Levien of Hamburg, April-May 1910 (folios 150-169); papers concerning the alleged depletion of the pearl banks, December 1910 - May 1911 (folios 106-149); further French interest in the pearl fisheries, February-May 1911 (folios 82-105, 66-69); official encouragement for British firms to enter the pearl trade, March-May 1911 (folios 69-81); a proposed investigation into depletion of the pearl banks by James Hornell of the Madras Fisheries Department, June-September 1911 (folios 56-65), and the investigation postponed, February 1912 (folios 42-53); assurances by the rulers of the Arab littoral states that they would not grant concessions to countries other than Britain, November 1911 (folios 54-55), and the texts of the rulers' replies, July-August 1911 (folios 32-41); papers concerning an application to use modern, 'scientific' diving apparatus in the Gulf by Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab Mishari, a director of the Arab Steamship Company in Bombay, and a rumour (denied) of similar interest from the Sultan of Oman, April-November 1912 (folios 11-31); copies of official correspondence from 1857 showing that British officials thought that British subjects did not have any right to fish for pearls on the fishing grounds of the maritime tribes in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , March 1913 (folios 5-6); and American (United States) interest in scientific aspects of the pearl industry in Bahrain, June 1914 (folios 2-4).
The volume includes two Admiralty charts illustrating the pearl fisheries of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , on folio 238 (= IOR/W/L/PS/10/457 (i) and IOR/L/PS/10/457 (ii)), and a map accompanying the report on the Ceylon Pearl Fisheries (folio 278).
The French language content of the file is confined to a single letter (folio 91).
The date range gives the covering dates of the main run of papers (which include extracts of documents from the 1850s onwards), and any other additions to the volume; the Secret Department minute papers enclosing groups of papers are dated 1904-1914.
Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, year the subject file was opened, subject heading, and list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 1).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (283 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
The subject 2830 ( Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. : Sponge and Pearl Fisheries) consists of two volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/456-457. The volumes are divided into two parts with each part comprising one volume.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 281; 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 foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
A previous foliation sequence, which 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
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File 2830/1914 Pt 2 'Persian Gulf: Pearl Fisheries. Investigation into Alleged Depletion of Pearl Banks. Germans and the Industry. Concessions, etc.' [167v] (343/578), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/457, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100044914344.0x000090> [accessed 25 April 2024]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/457
- Title
- File 2830/1914 Pt 2 'Persian Gulf: Pearl Fisheries. Investigation into Alleged Depletion of Pearl Banks. Germans and the Industry. Concessions, etc.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1r:2v, 4r:15v, 18r:90v, 91v:99v, 102r:152v, 155r:242v, 243v:277v, 279r:281v, ii-r:ii-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence