Skip to item: of 686
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

File 815/1917 Pt 13 'Persian Gulf: lighting and buoying service; Shatt al-Arab Conservancy Board' [‎333r] (672/686)

The record is made up of 1 volume (338 folios). It was created in 15 Jun 1928-9 Dec 1931. 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

CONFIDENTIAL.
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.
B. 401.
T. 4600/^8.
Lighting and Buoying of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , 1908-1928.
I.—First Reconstruction : 1909-14.
1. For many years before 1909 the lighting and buoying of the Persian
Gulf had been left almost entirely to private enterprise. The British India
Steam Navigation Company were principally concerned with such
arrangements as existed, and in 1909 were maintaining 15 buoys and one
beacon (at Bahrein) in the Gulf. The Government of India had erected one
beacon at Ras al Araz, Koweit, and the Belgian Customs Administration
one at Ras al Marg, Bushire ; some sporadic buoying had also been carried
out. Turkish lights and buoys were maintained at the head of the Gulf.
The question of regulating the service was, however, brought into prominence p. 2680/07.
by the increase of German and Turkish activities in the Gulf early in the
century. In 1907, for instance, the Hamburg-Amerika Company proposed
to contribute to the upkeep of the British India Steam Navigation Company’s
buoys, and as this seemed to be the beginning of a political move it was
suggested that the British Government should take over the whole service.
2. The Sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence in their
Report of the 26th January 1909, having learned from evidence given that
the lighting. &c.. in the Gull was unsatisfactory, supported a recommendation
already made by the Government of India that a Commission should be sent
to the Gulf to collect information with a view to improving conditions at
small cost. A Committee of Enquiry was appointed and reported on the
29th April 1909 ; they recommended a large reorganisation, detailed m a
supplementary report.
3 Tq was decided that Government should undertake responsibility for
the service, and long correspondence ensued between the Home Departments
concerned and with the Government of India. By 1912 the following
programme of reconstruction had been worked out and sanctioned ^
3 lighthouses at Musandim (Little Quoin), Tamb, and Sheikh Shuaib.
1 lightvessel outside the Shatt-el-Arab. ^ a qi ++ 1 AvoTP
6 lighted buoys (Bushire 2, Bahrein 2, Banaer Abbas and Shatt-el-Aiab)
3 unlit buoys (together with certain buoys taken over from the British
India Steam Navigation Company).
1 lighthouse tender.
1 lighthouse depot.
Shatt-el-Arab. ^ was
detail, smce by the g\ 1 ^ of the Ottoman Government
aW T took while eserving Turkish territorial rights, not to oppose measures
rhich H^ fejestyl Government might carry out m respect of surveys,
lighting, buoying or pilotage. .
• p a. ^.p illo TArnoTR 1111116 of reconstruction weie Ccimecl
5 - Ughted buoys VBushire, Bahrein and Bander Abbas
Letter from Trinity
House to I.O.,
June 1 1909,
P. 3503/09,3620/09
Memo. B. 168,
169 from I.O.
Letter from I.O. to
Trinity House,
Mar. 2 1912,
P. 642/12 ; Memo.
B. 187 from t O.,
P. 4898/11; Memo.
B. 187a from I.O.,
P. 4378/12.
F. 2252/12, 2908/1
out m
were
'this country in June and September 1912.
A lighted
were sent out from tms p ar 0 [ the Shatt. Unlit
buoy had already m Jemi P c c r p am b light was exhibited in
buoys were manu actured f ^ ia j 1“ ^ 4 . T f le Shatt-el-Arab light-
Jnly 1913, the G 1 . ® e d "tCih^Gnlf and established in April 1914 ; a protest
vessel was despatc . r rnment ao ainst its establishment, but it was
was made by the TyCtwaslSes outside the bar, and not in Turk,sh
pointed out that the s V g tenc , el% name d Nearchus, was bmlt and
Cm to IndiaT Decembh 1914. (The despatch vessel K.U1.S. Laurence
3074 75 10.28
P. 3456/13.
Tel. from Viceroy
April 14 1914,
P. 1472/14.
Desp. from
Constantinople,
Sept. 5 1914,
P. 4248/14.

About this item

Content

This volume is composed of interdepartmental correspondence relating to the future administration of the lighting and buoying service in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .

The correspondence discusses the possibility of control of buoying and lighting in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. being transferred to the Government of Persia. At this time the service was being maintained by the Royal Indian Marine, with its financing being shared between the British Imperial Government (specifically the Foreign Office) and the Government of India. The correspondence includes the point of view of the Government of India on the suggestion that the Shatt-Al-Arab Conservancy board should also be responsible for lighting and buoying along the Gulf coast. Furthermore, it discusses the major point to be settled in the present negotiations with Persia during 1928-30, which is the international boundary in the Shatt-el-Arab, as defined in the Treaty of Erzurum of 1847, and the Persia-Turkish Frontier Delimitation Agreement of 1913. The correspondence then moves on to cover the organisation and discussion of the tripartite conference taking place in Iraq regarding the future administration of the lighting and buoying service on the coast of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , with the participating countries being Iraq, Persia and Great Britain (with India).

Notable correspondents include the following: the Viceroy of India; the Political 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; the High Commissioner Iraq; the Director of the Royal Indian Marine; 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 Foreign Office, the Admiralty, the Treasury, and the Government of India's Marine Department; the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Navy, East India Section; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iraq; the Government of Iraq; the Council of Ministers, Iraq; the Port Directorate in Basra.

In addition to correspondence, the volume contains the following: minutes of an interdepartmental conference held at 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. in 1931 (ff 26-28), copies of an 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. memorandum entitled 'Memorandum on the Lighting and Buoyage of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ', dated 1931 (ff 62-64).

The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 volume (338 folios)
Arrangement

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

The subject 815 ( Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ) consists of 6 volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/659-664. The volumes are divided into 13 parts, with part 1 (A-G) comprising one volume, part 2 comprising the second volume, parts 3-9 comprising the third volume, part 10 comprising the fourth volume, parts 11-12 comprising the fifth volume, and part 13 comprising the sixth volume.

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 340; 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 volume has one foliation anomaly, f 89a.

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

File 815/1917 Pt 13 'Persian Gulf: lighting and buoying service; Shatt al-Arab Conservancy Board' [‎333r] (672/686), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/664, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100075761899.0x000049> [accessed 28 March 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_100075761899.0x000049">File 815/1917 Pt 13 'Persian Gulf: lighting and buoying service; Shatt al-Arab Conservancy Board' [&lrm;333r] (672/686)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100075761899.0x000049">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x00022f/IOR_L_PS_10_664_0672.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_100000000419.0x00022f/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image