‘Persian Gulf. Abolition of the Slave Trade in the Principal ports of-’

Content

The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence, minutes and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, letters from the Government of Bombay From c. 1668-1858, the East India Company’s administration in the city of Bombay [Mumbai] and western India. From 1858-1947, a subdivision of the British Raj. It was responsible for British relations with the Gulf and Red Sea regions. [Mumbai] to the East India Company Court of Directors The London-based directors of the East India Company who dealt with the daily conduct of the Company's affairs. . The item relates to attempts by the Government of Bombay From c. 1668-1858, the East India Company’s administration in the city of Bombay [Mumbai] and western India. From 1858-1947, a subdivision of the British Raj. It was responsible for British relations with the Gulf and Red Sea regions. to suppress the trade in enslaved people in the Gulf and on the coasts of Cutch, Kattywar and Karachi [Kachchh, Kāthiāwār and Karāchi]. In particular, the item relates to:

• A report in 1837 by Abdoola bin Awaz [Abdullah bin ‘Awaz] that 233 young women were abducted from the Burburra Coast [Berbera] by the crews of Joasmee [ al-Qawāsim One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. ] boats to be sold at the principal ports on the Arabian side of the Gulf
• Concerns expressed by Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , in 1837-38 regarding the difficulty in persuading the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat and the principal Arabian chiefs to prohibit their subjects from participating in the trade in enslaved people and his fear that reducing this trade conducted by these rulers would simply result in the trade being carried on by others from the Ottoman Porte [Ottoman Empire] and Persia [Iran]
• Hennell’s success in obtaining agreements in 1838-39 with several rulers on the Arabian peninsula, the contents of which: extend the boundary line beyond which it is prohibited to carry enslaved people from between Cape Delgado and Diu Head to between Cape Delgado and Pussein [Pasni]; authorise the British Government to search any vessels belonging to the rulers’ subjects found eastward of this boundary line which may be suspected of carrying enslaved people and to liberate the enslaved people on board; confirm that Soomalee [Somali] people are to be considered as ‘hoor’ [ḥurr] or ‘free’, therefore the selling of them as enslaved people is to be considered an act of ‘piracy’.
• The above agreements being signed by: Seed Said bin Sultan, the Imaum of Muscat [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd]; Shaik Sultan bin Suggur of Rasel Khymah [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. of Ra’s al-Khaymah and Sharjah]; Shaik Mukhtoom bin Butye of Debaye [Shaikh Maktūm I bin Buṭṭī Āl Bū Falāseh of Dubai]; Shaik Abdoollah bin Rashed of Amulgaveen [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Rāshid al-Mu’allā of Umm al-Qaywayn]; Shaik Rashid bin Humeed of Ejman [Shaikh Rāshid I bin Ḥumaid al-Nu‘aymī of ‘Ajmān]; and Shaik Khuleefa bin Shakboot of Aboothabee [Shaikh Khalifa bin Shakhbūṭ Āl Nahyān of Abu Dhabi]
• Discussions of how these agreements differ from previous treaties, including the 1820 General Maritime Treaty [ General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulf An agreement made in 1820 between Britain and ten tribal rulers of the eastern Arabian coast, often seen as marking the start of 150 years of British hegemony in the region. ] and the 1822 treaty signed between the Imaum and Captain Moresby of HMS ship Menai , and whether parts of the treaties are too ambiguous
• A complaint in 1840 by Captain A H Nott, Commanding the Company ship Tigris , that despite the new agreements he is unable to interfere with vessels found with enslaved people on board because he cannot prove that the people have been kidnapped directly by the crews of the vessels
• Minutes by the Board of the Government of Bombay From c. 1668-1858, the East India Company’s administration in the city of Bombay [Mumbai] and western India. From 1858-1947, a subdivision of the British Raj. It was responsible for British relations with the Gulf and Red Sea regions. lamenting the apparent ineffectiveness of the new agreements and suggesting further measures to be taken.

The item contains a copy of the Bombay Government Gazette (folios 1015-1022) from 21 May 1840, which, amongst other notifications, announces the new agreement with the Imaum of Muscat in English, Arabic, Persian, Gujarati and Marathi. In addition, Captain Nott’s reports (folios 1030-1031 and 1041-1044) provide details on the number of enslaved people being trafficked annually, how they come to be enslaved, and at which prices they are sold.

There are numerous copies of the 1838-39 agreements at: ff 935-936; 943; 945-946; 991; 994-995; 999-1000; 1008-1009; and 1050.

Principal correspondents include: Hennell; Nott; Thomas MacKenzie, Acting Assistant in charge of the [ Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ] 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. ; the governments of Bombay and India; and agents at Muscat and Shargah [Sharjah].

The title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Bombay Political Department’, ‘P.C. [Previous Communication] 3075, Draft 431, 1841’, ‘Collection No. 5’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’.

Extent and format

1 item (150 folios)

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the item. The item also contains a table of contents (ff 930-931), noting ‘Page’, ‘Date’, ‘From’, ‘To’ and ‘Date of Consultation’.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 929, and terminates at f 1078, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Pagination: the item also contains an original pagination sequence.

Written in

English, Arabic, Persian, Gujarati and Marathi in Latin, Arabic and Devanagari script

Type

Archival item

Access & Reference

Original held at

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.

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

IOR/F/4/1880/79880

History of this record

Date(s)

23 Sep 1837-28 Feb 1841 (CE, Gregorian)

Related material

Related primary sources

Bom Pol 16 Jun 1841, draft 431/1841, IOR/E/4/1068 pp 603-08. See also IOR/F/4/1797/73816.

Subjects

TreatiesSearch, right ofSlave tradeAbolition of slavery

Places

Persian GulfZanzibarArabian SeaBurburra

People & organisations

Government of BombayPolitical ResidentImam of OmanEmir of Umm al-QaywaynRuler of Ra's al-Khaymah and SharjahEmir of DubaiEmir of Abu Dhabi

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‘Persian Gulf. Abolition of the Slave Trade in the Principal ports of-’, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/F/4/1880/79880, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000000233.0x000151> [accessed 5 July 2024]

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