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File 4640/1928 Pt 2 ‘Muscat Situation at Sur.’ [‎361r] (732/800)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (396 folios). It was created in 29 Apr 1926-19 Nov 1931. 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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r
15
••
* Tel. from Pol.
Ree. to G. of I.,
Jan. 3 1913, P. 700.
t Tel. from Viceroy
to S. of S. for L,
Mar. 12 1913, P. 951.
X Tel. from Viceroy
to S. of S. for I.,
April 26 1913,
P. 1663.
§ Admiralty to
F.O.. May 1 1913,
P. 1733/28.
required ” (i.e. at the mouth of the Gulf) “ should not be either at Bunder
Abbas or on the adjacent islands, but on the Has Musandim promontory or
the Arabian shore. There would otherwise be risk of our being driven by
military force from our necessary naval base. Moreover, the only anchorages
which can be trusted are on the Arabian shore.”
67. Almost simultaneously 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. had suggested that
it might be desirable to choose Has Musandim as a site for a lighthouse in
preference to Little Quoin,and the Government of India, in the light of the
expression of the views of the Admiralty quoted above, were prepared to
agree to the substitution “ apart from the considerations arising from the
Anglo-French Declaration of 1862.”t
68. In April 1913 the Government of India reported that the Director,
Royal Indian Marine, saw technical objections to the selection of Musandim
as the site for a lighthouse on the grounds that “ thick weather over
Musandim is the rule rather than the exception . . . further . . . worst
tides experienced anywhere in the Gulf and its approaches are found round
Musandim Island.
69. In May the Admiralty expressed the view that “ while a naval base
on the Musandim Peninsula would theoretically be in a somewhat better
strategical position for the control of a railway passing along the northern
shore of the entrance to the Gulf, if threatened by a hostile advance from
the north-west, practical considerations point rather for the present to the use of
Henjam . . . with Basidu as a subsidiary base. It does not appear necessary
to contemplate the actual fortification of a naval base in this region so long
as we retain the command of the sea in Eastern waters.Ӥ This disposed
of the question of a station on Musandim; and it was agreed that the
lighthouse in contemplation should be erected on Little Quoin as being
preferable from the strictly navigational standpoint.
70. There appear to have been no developments until in February 1927
the Political Residentj] indicated that Khassab was of value, not merely in || Desp. i from
connection with the air route, on which it would constitute a jumping off ?eb 19 ^
ground for Gwadur on the Makran coast, but for strategical reasons, since P. 1575 .
“ the country possessing it can practically command egress from and ingress
to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .” Sir L. Haworth therefore favoured the purchase of
Khassab from Muscat, possibly for about £12,000, and the establishment
of “a Gibraltar at the head of the Gulf.” He regarded this as practicable
vis-d-vis France, in view of the right of pre-emption enjoyed by His
Majesty’s Government under the Exclusive Agreement of 1891.
71. No views have been expressed on the subject by the Government of
India. With the Persian challenge to the position of His Majesty’s Govern
ment in Basidu and Henjam the possibility of establishing, if not a fortified
base, at any rate a station, in the Musandim Peninsula or on one of the
adjoining islands, on two of which (Telegraph Island and Sheep Island) the
British Hag has for a short period been hoisted in the past, becomes of more
immediate importance. But, financial and strategical considerations apart,
the extent to which His Majesty’s Government are free agents vis-d-vis
France, who, though aware of, is not a party to, and has never formally
recognised, the Exclusive Agreement of 1891, will call for careful examina
tion before a decision can be taken.
(c) The Cession of Gwadur.
72. It was decided in 1863 after exhaustive examination that no attention
need or could be paid to the claims to Gwadur, a dependency of Muscat in
Makran, on the Persian littoral of the Gulf, of the Khan of Kalat or of % Letter from o.
the Gitchkis. This decision was reaffirmed by the Government of India [• to A.o.G
, rr Baluchistan, July 18
1111928.^ 1928, P. 4140/28.
Pol.
73. The question of its retransfer to Kalat at a price was raised by 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. , Muscat, in 1921, when the financial situation of Muscat was
critical, but the Government of India were instructed** that no overtures
should be made to the Sultan of Muscat without prior reference to His
Majesty’s Government, and the matter dropped.
** Tel. 1176 from
S. of S. for I. to
Viceroy, Sept. 1
1920 ; Viceroy to S.
of S. for I., 1182 S.,
Oct. 9 1920,
P. 6271, 7513.

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Content

This volume contains papers concerning the situation at Sur in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. The papers mainly relate to ‘difficulties’ which had arisen between the tribes of Sur and the Government of Muscat, inter-tribal and inter-factional rivalries, the question of what action the British Government should take to support the authority of the Muscat Government at Sur, and the general question of future British policy in Muscat.

It includes papers relating to the following:

  • The claim to independence of Ali bin Abdullah, Shaikh of the Bani Bu Ali (also spelled Beni Bu Ali) tribe and Amir of Jaalan [Emir of Ja‘alān, also spelled Jalan and Jallan]
  • The bombardment of the fort of Said bin Abdullah (also spelled Saeed bin Abdullah) by the Muscat gunboat, and the shelling and destruction of the fort by HMS Cyclamen
  • An incident in which a Hinawi caravan was stopped at Sur by the Amirs of Jaalan, who hoisted a flag in their fort at Aiqa (also spelled Aigah in the volume) which was reportedly the flag of King Ibn Saud, but which the Amirs of Jaalan subsequently stated was their own flag
  • The Government of India’s recommendation that a regiment be sent to hold Sur
  • Tribal conflict and rivalries, including the feud between the two main sections of the Jenebeh [al-Janabah] tribe, the Makhanah and the Aramah, which the British Government viewed as being encouraged by Ali bin Abdullah, and the feud between the Beni Bu Ali and the Beni Bu Hassan tribes
  • Proposed air operations by aircraft supported by HM Ships against the Bani Bu Ali at Sur.

The papers mainly consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, and 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. Political Department minute papers.

The main correspondents are as follows: 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 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. and HBM Consul, Muscat; Mahomed bin Nasir Ali Hamud, Amir of Jalan; 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 Government of India Foreign and Political Department; the Admiralty; the Foreign Office; the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies; and the Air Ministry.

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 (396 folios)
Arrangement

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

The subject 4640 (Muscat) consists of two volumes and one file, IOR/L/PS/10/1275-1277. The volumes and file are divided into two parts, with part 2 comprising one volume, and part 4 comprising the second volume and the file. There is no part 1 or part 3.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 392; 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.

Written in
English in Latin script
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File 4640/1928 Pt 2 ‘Muscat Situation at Sur.’ [‎361r] (732/800), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1275, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100080848159.0x000085> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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