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‘Masqat Arms Traffic. 1908–1909.’ [25v] (55/128)
The record is made up of 1 volume (60 folios). It was created in 1909. 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.
14
Our men 1 'eard of a certain number of
rifles being sold to Persians from these
Arab ports r.nd taken across tbe Gulf to Pa
risian, etc., and some of the Afghans said
that if the British stopped them from
going to Masqat they would go to D bai
or Kuwait for their rifles. However,
Persians and Afghans prefer to purchase
direct at Masqat, as this saves an extra
middleman s profits and the purchase of
rifles in the Upper Arabian ports for taking
across the Gulf is exceptional.
It appears that practically all the
rifles bought by Arabs stay in Arabia
and arc sold in the ‘ hinterland.’
Malcolm and Baijeot said that the
Arab trade averaged about 100,000 rifles
annually, but, as they made this remark
when our men suggested a reduction of
prices on account of the slackness of sales,
it cannot be taken too literally. At the same
time there is certainly a large trade with
the Arabs, and the merchants said that only
last year the Afghan trade equalled the
Arab trade. The Arabs can sometimes
ship their rifles to Dibai and Kuwait
by the British India boats.
The Inspector of Customs at Masqat
said that if the Arab merchants made it
worth his while he could bribe the
Captain, Chief officer, booking clerk, etc.j
of the steamers and get rifles and am
munition shipped at Masqat for Dibai
and Kuwait, as Masqat ‘ Halwa ’ (sweets).
This was done in the S.S. Dwarka, Dumra,
and Kola. But, as a general rule, the
smaller men all take their arms up the
Arab coast in dhows.
While our men were in Masqat they
saw a good number of Arabs buying arms.
People who assist the gun-runners-
About this item
- Content
Bound volume containing two secret reports, both authored by Colonel Wilfrid Malleson (referred to as Division of the Chief of the Staff in the first report, and Assistant Quarter Master General for Intelligence in the second), and both issued by the Division of the Chief of the Staff in 1909.
The first report is entitled Statistics regarding the Masqat [Muscat] Arms Traffic (Revised.) (ff 4-16), and contains several appendices and fold-out tables giving details of: caravan routes along which arms trafficking is carried out on the Makran coast; total values of arms and ammunition imported into Muscat and other Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ports; importers and (European) exports of arms.
The second report is entitled Special Reports on the Masqat Arms Traffic, Season 1908-09 (ff 17-60), and comprises a number of reports on the arms trade through Muscat, submitted by ‘secret agents’, and a map illustrating the arms traffic from Muscat to Persia, Baluchistan and Afghanistan (f 59). The report also includes two appendices, lettered G and H. Appendix G is a letter (in French) dated 28 October 1907, from M Pick to Messieurs Malcom and Company of Muscate [Muscat]. Appendix H comprises lists (in French) of arms for sale, with prices given in French francs.
The voluime includes a map illustrating the Muscat arms traffic, dated 1909, indicating routes taken by the Muscat arms trade from the Persian (Makran) coast and inland, into Persia, Baluchistan and Afghanistan (f 59).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (60 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 62; 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.
Pagination: this part also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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‘Masqat Arms Traffic. 1908–1909.’ [25v] (55/128), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/289/A, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100049315702.0x000038> [accessed 24 April 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/20/289/A
- Title
- ‘Masqat Arms Traffic. 1908–1909.’
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:35v, 38v:61v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence