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'File 9/1 Institution of Reforms & Sunni opposition intrigues' [136r] (286/504)
The record is made up of 1 volume (241 folios). It was created in 10 Apr 1922-19 Oct 1930. It was written in English 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.
particulary lc««n on it «.» it will stop much, litigation & r®mov« nuany
of the causes of trouble "between young hot heads of his family & his
subjects# Since he started his court he ha® gone on the principle
that ten years occupation constitutes a right to property but that
in the event of less than ten years ,provided ±£ it be prdyed that
the property was wrongly come by,the dispute is adjusted in court.
A considerable number of such cases have been disposed of in the last
year .Possibly a few more will come to light when the 'record 1 takes
piace but not many are anticipated.Nobody is now afraid to claim his
rights & those who had claims have not been slow to avtil themselves
of the Court,
(4) The Levies are in being,
I know of no other 'reforms 1 that are contemplated. Ordinary improve
ments such as the water scheme improvement of roads t building a sea-
frontvetc etc are the normal developements of the state.They are
naturally given prominence because under Shaik Easa's rule nothing
was done at all,but they are not Reforms'initiated by us, they are
improvements effected by Hamad on which he is very keen.Surely it is
not our policy to stop him improving his state if he wishes to? He
is particularly anxious to make a 'show 1 to prove to the public that
his conduct of affairs is to their benifit.
So far from the Government of India being further 'committed
everything tends to lessen their commitments. Presumably they do not
regard the Shaiks request for assistance in finding a subAsst. Surgeo
as a commltnsut? If so it was only necessary to decline & he would
have made his own arrangements,but we thought a trained man selected
by the Mediacl authorities for the post would be more useful.
The other possibl® 'comitments' are the O.C.Levies & the
Levt equipment So the A.P.A. The first two are e ntirely paid for by
the Bahrain State.All that Grovernmmnt has done was to find the office
such assistance has already been afforded Muscat & is ,1 believe,
generally afforded by Governmnet to States under her protedtion or in
treaty relation with her.
The appointment of an A.P.A.is to fiome slight extent a
'commitment' but an unavoidable one. Even before the reforms case wor
had increased so much that Govermamt had recognised the necessity
for an Indian Assifefcaat.The post remained vacant during the thr®«
About this item
- Content
The first part of the volume (folios 2 to 146) covers the period 1922 to 1927, and concerns proposals for reforms in the Sheikhdom of Bahrain, and their subsequent implementation and impact on the kingdom. This part of the volume contains letters exchanged between 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. in Bahrain (Major Clive Daly until September 1926, thereafter Major Cyril Barrett) and 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. (Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Trevor or the Acting Resident Lieutenant-Colonel Stuart Knox until April 1924, thereafter Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Prideaux), and 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. and the Foreign Secretary of the Government of India. British officials discussed proposals for economic and political reforms in Bahrain, with particular attention paid to tax changes intended to redress the imbalance between what Bahrain's Sunnis and Shias were obliged to pay. Also discussed were the financial reorganisation of the customs house and regulation of the pearl diving industry, reform of the Bahrain judicial system, land registration and revenues, and the institution of a Levy Corps force. British officials also discussed the relationships between themselves and between members of the al Khalifa ruling family, in particular Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa and his son Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The abdication or removal of Isa, and the installation of Hamad, are discussed at length.
The last part of the volume (folio 147 onwards) spans the period 1929-1930, and is chiefly comprised of correspondence between the Bahrain Agent (Colonel Geoffrey Prior), 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. (Barrett to November 1929, thereafter Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Biscoe) and officials from the Government of India. This part of the volume concerns fears on the part of the Government of India that Britain is too heavily involved in Bahrain, and asks questions of whether the number of British officials in Bahrain can be reduced. Included are two lengthy reports by Prior and Barrett in June and August 1929 respectively (folios 147-162, 165-185) outlining Britain's historic intervention in Bahrain, and stressing the importance of its continued presence.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (241 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume's contents have been arranged in approximate chronological order, starting with the earliest items at the front and finishing with the latest items at the end.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The foliation sequence begins on the front cover and finishes on the back cover, using circled pencil numbers 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. A second foliation sequence is also present between ff 2-118; these numbers are written in blue crayon, circled and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and 1F; 137A and 137B.
The following folios are fold-outs: 17-18, 51-52, 64-65, 86, 106-107, 221 and 227.
The volume is tightly bound to the extent that the text on some items disappears into the gutter, making it difficult to read.
- Written in
- English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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'File 9/1 Institution of Reforms & Sunni opposition intrigues' [136r] (286/504), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/127, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023321443.0x000057> [accessed 2 March 2025]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/2/127
- Title
- 'File 9/1 Institution of Reforms & Sunni opposition intrigues'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 1br:1fv, 2r:85v, 86v:136v, 137ar:137bv, 138r:140v, 141v:226v, 228r:232v, 234r:243v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence