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'SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS AND MEASURES OF THE VICEROYALTY OF HIS EXCELLENCY LORD CURZON OF KEDLESTON, VICEROY AND GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA IN THE FOREIGN DEPARTMENT. I. JANUARY 1899-APRIL 1904. II. DECEMBER 1904-NOVEMBER 1905. VOLUME IV. PERSIA AND THE PERSIAN GULF.' [‎42r] (88/386)

The record is made up of 1 volume (189 folios). It was created in 1907. It was written in English. 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. .

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70
The only delicate question remninirig unsettled at. the end of 1903 vras that
of Khor Abdullah. At the beginning of February 1902, when it became known
that Sat wan and Um Kasr had been occupied by the Turks, Lord Curzon sug
gested that the Porte should be pressed to withdraw their posts from the border
of Koweit and His Majesty’s Government in reply sanctioned the despatch of a
gunboat to Khor Abdullah to ascertain the facts; the voyage of II.M S. “ Sphinx/’
which was immediately sent, resulted in confirmation of the news about Safwan
and Um Kasr and in the discovery of a new Turkish post on the island of Bubi-
yan. His Majesty’s Government considered that, on the it formation available
as to the previous ownership of these places, they would not be safe in contend
ing that the Turkish occupation was a breach of the status quo or justified in
demanding its cessation, but the Porte was informed that the establishment by
them of garrisons at Um Kasr and on Bubiyan could not he regarded as pre
judicing the rights of the Sheikh of Koweit at either place. In March 1902, when
Hejejo appeared to be threatened with a Turkish occupation, Lord Curzon urged
that the Turks and the Sheikh of Koweit should both be informed that the west
ern shores of Khor Subbiyeh were regarded as being within the limits of Koweit
and that encroachment upon them by tlie Turks would not be tolerated ; but His
Majesty’s Government, while prepared in fact to resbt a Turkish advance along
Khor Subbiyeh, considered it advisable that discussions on the subject should
be avoided. At the end of November 1903 Lord Curzon, as we have seen, paid
a visit to Khor Abdullah, and on his return to India lie hastened to impress
on His Majesty’s Government the results of his personal observations. In his
opinion it was now impossible to press for a Turkish withdrawal from Um Kasr,
hut the case of Bubiyan island was altogether different. In the case of Bubiyan
the claims of the Sheikh of Koweit appeared to be sustainable; moreover, if the
island were to pass into the possession of the power that held Um Kasr, the
upper part of Khor Abdullah, the most suitable terminus for the Baghdad Rail
way, would become an impregnable harbour; whereas if Bubiyan were recog
nised as a part of Koweit the British Government would have at their disposal •
a position, dominating the Khor, which would go far to render innocuous the
proceedings there of any foreign Power. Lord Curzon accordingly advis
ed that the Turks should be required to evacuate Bubiyan and that, on
their doing so, a post should be established at the north end of the island by
the British Government on behalf of the Sheikh of Koweit; or, if a less pro
nounced course of action were preferred, a threat of assisting the Sheikh to
establish a post at the north end of the island might be employed with a view,
to bringing about the withdrawal of the Turks, after which further measures
of precaution could be taken as required. In May 1901 the removal of the
Bubiyan post was pressed upon the Porte, but it was not obtained, and in March
1905 Lord Curzon again returned to the subject which he regarded as of the
utmost importance. His Majesty’s Government, however, after some months
of discussion, intimated that they were not prepared to take immediate action
and that the question would be referred to the Committee of Imperial Defence.
The necessity that there should be a British official to watch Koweit
affairs was recognised by Lord Curzon in June 1903 when he recommended
that, if an Indian officer were appointed to Mohammerab, Koweit should he
included in his charge and a gunboat provided which would enable him to visit
the place from time to time. In July 1903 Sir N. O’Conor, the British Am
bassador at Constantinople, suggested that a political officer should be posted
exclusively to Koweit for the purpose of controlling the actions of the Sheikh.
As an alternative to the Mohammerah scheme, which he still preferred, Lord
Curzon supported the proposal of Sir N. O’Conor ; he thought that it would
afford substantial evidence of the intention of Britain to preserve and utilise
the privileges which she already enjoyed at Koweit, that it would make it
possible to obtain more reliable information of events in Central Arabia, that
it would bring Turkish proceedings on the Koweit border under closer observa
tion, and that it would strengthen the right of Britain to a controlling voice in,
the ultimate destination of the Baghdad Railway. His Majesty’s Government
however were not at this time disposed to acquiesce either in Lord Curzon’s
proposals or in those of Sir N. O’Conor ;they considered that the appointment

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Content

Printed at the GC [Government Central] Press, Simla.

The volume is divided into three parts: Part I (folios 5-47) containing an introduction; Part II (folios 48-125) containing a detailed account; and Part III (folios 126-188) containing despatches and correspondence connected with Part I Chapter IV ('The Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ', folios 28-47).

Part I gives an overview of policy and events in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. region during Curzon's period as Viceroy [1899-1905], with sections on British policy in Persia; the maintenance and extension of British interests; Seistan [Sīstān]; and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . Part II contains more detailed accounts of selected topics, including sections on British policy in Persia, customs and finance, quarantine, administration, communications, and British and Russian activity in Seistan. The despatches and correspondence in Part III include correspondence from the Government of India in the Foreign Department, the Secretary of State for India, and the Viceroy; addresses and speeches by Curzon; and notes of interviews between Curzon and local rulers.

Mss Eur F111/531-534 consist of four identical printed and bound volumes. However, the four volumes each show a small number of different manuscript annotations and corrections.

This volume contains manuscript additions on folios 8, 11-12, 14, 42 (a sixteen word note concerning the use by the Shaikh of Koweit [Kuwait] of a distinctive colour [flag] for Kuwait shipping), and 62-66.

Extent and format
1 volume (189 folios)
Arrangement

The volume contains a list of Parts I-III on folio 4; a table of contents of Part I on folio 6; a table of contents of Part II on folio 49; and a table of contents of Part III on folios 127-129, which gives a reference to the paragraph of Part I Chapter IV that the despatch or correspondence is intended to illustrate.

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 191; 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: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.

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'SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS AND MEASURES OF THE VICEROYALTY OF HIS EXCELLENCY LORD CURZON OF KEDLESTON, VICEROY AND GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA IN THE FOREIGN DEPARTMENT. I. JANUARY 1899-APRIL 1904. II. DECEMBER 1904-NOVEMBER 1905. VOLUME IV. PERSIA AND THE PERSIAN GULF.' [‎42r] (88/386), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/534, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100070118029.0x000059> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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