File 4011/1923 Pt 1 'PERSIAN GULF NEGOTIATIONS 1928-33. BASIDU.' [261r] (526/1306)
The record is made up of 1 volume (649 folios). It was created in 22 Oct 1923-29 Nov 1933. It was written in English, French and Arabic. 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.
2. That when in 1855 the Shah granted a lease of Kish*
to the Sultan, Kishm included Basidu, hut included it subject
to the servitude of British occupation.
I cannot form any opinion as to whether theory 1
could really be maintained as a legal argument, but theory 3
is compatible with Persian ownership and Muscat sub-ownership
in 1854 and is more or less in consonance with the legal
view taken in your letter.
The next question is therefore whether Article 6
haa any binding effect on the Persian Government who were
not a party to the Agreement: that is whether it deprived
them of any right they may hitherto have possessed Of ending
at their pleasure the British occupation, in which they
had hitherto acquired.
It presumably had no direct effect and could not he
held up against any agreement, or even against any unilateral
declaration by the Persian Government affirming the revocable
nature of our position at Basidu. But there was no such
agreement or unilateral declaration. On the contrary, the
Agreement of 1864 was made public and the Persian Government
made no comment or protest either at the time or subsequently.
Could it not be argued that in these circumstances
the Persian Government had accepted, tacitly or by default,
the position to be inferred from the wording of Article 6,
i.e., that whether or not Basidu was included in the lease
of Kishm in 1855, the station was both then and afterwards
in the position of having been "freely granted" by the Bultans
of Muscat to the British Government and that if the Persian
Government acquired any rights at all to Basidu in 1855,
they acquired them subject to this free - and irrevocable
grant.
About this item
- Content
This volume relates to the British occupation of Basidu, situated on Kishm [Qeshm] Island in the Gulf, close to the south coast of Persia [Iran], and occupied by the British since the early 1820s. It is stated in the correspondence that the site had been used mainly as a coal depot for British naval vessels until 1913, and that since then it has been retained on 'political grounds', as a potential bargaining asset in negotiations with Persia.
The correspondence primarily concerns the British claim (or lack thereof) to Basidu, in the event of the Persian Government questioning Britain's ongoing occupation. It covers the history of Basidu's status and the various existing agreements that relate to it, as part of an attempt by the British to gather documentary evidence to support their claim. Also discussed are a number of reported incidents at Basidu, involving British representatives and the local Persian authorities, mainly regarding customs, taxes, and the presence of the British naval guard. In addition, the correspondence touches on Anglo-Persian relations in general, with occasional references being made to ongoing treaty negotiations between the two countries.
The volume's principal correspondents are as follows: 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. ; the British Minister in Tehran; the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; 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, and the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department. Other notable but less frequent correspondents include the following: the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India; the Viceroy of India; the Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station; the Law Officers of the Crown.
Included with the correspondence are several related documents, including the following: two sketch maps (f 622); copies (in English and Arabic) of a treaty dated 1856 between Muscat and Persia, in which the Imam of Muscat acknowledges Kishm Island as being part of the Persian Empire (f 179 and ff 221-223); draft and final 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 dated 18 October 1933, outlining Britain's understanding of the history of the status of Basidu from 1720 to 1928, including extracts from nineteenth century reports and related correspondence (ff 46-54 and ff 123-159); a submission of reference, prepared by 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. and the Foreign Office, for the Law Officers of the Crown, requesting the latter's legal opinion on the strength of the British claim to Basidu (ff 43-45 and ff 67-83); a copy of a secret report on Basidu, prepared by the Commander-in-Chief at the East Indies Station, containing extracts from the East Indies Station's records and notes from the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (ff 16-38).
The Arabic language material consists of the aforementioned treaty text. The material written in French consists of small extracts from correspondence and treaty articles. It should be noted that there is no material covering the years 1924 and 1925.
The volume includes two dividers, which give a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence (ff 4-5).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (649 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
The subject 4011 ( Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Negotiations) consists of two volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/1094-1095. 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 inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 651; 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.
- Written in
- English, French and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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File 4011/1923 Pt 1 'PERSIAN GULF NEGOTIATIONS 1928-33. BASIDU.' [261r] (526/1306), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1094, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100077104053.0x00007f> [accessed 9 August 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/1094
- Title
- File 4011/1923 Pt 1 'PERSIAN GULF NEGOTIATIONS 1928-33. BASIDU.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:43r, 45r:52r, 53v, 55r:56r, 58r:71v, 73r:73v, 75r:75v, 78r:102v, 104r:104v, 107v:151v, 155r:162v, 168r:178v, 180r:198v, 200r:206v, 208r:220v, 224r:240v, 245r:251v, 256r:258v, 260r:302v, 306r:329v, 333r:344v, 346r:596v, 598r:621v, 623r:650v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence
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