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'File 53/6 (D 2) Koweit [Kuwait] Affairs, 1898-1899' [84r] (167/554)
The record is made up of 1 volume (280 folios). It was created in 27 Dec 1898-2 Aug 1899. 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.
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0007
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No. 5.
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Sir N. 0'Conor to the Marquess of Salisbury.—{Received November 14.)
Mzz^ cX
(No. 585.)
My Loi d, ^ Constantinople, November 8, 1898.
MR. AUGUSTUS MEYERS, bringing- a letter of introduction from your Lordship,
called upon me on the 6th instant.
He informed me that his visit was in connection with Count Kapnist's Concession to
construct a railway from Tripoli to Bagdad; that Count Kapnist was a mere figure
head; that the capital would be provided by English capitalists; and that Count
Kapnist had undertaken to make over his Concession, when obtained, to an Ottoman
Limited Liability Company, whose shares would be held in London.
At the same time-Mr. Meyers said that Russian capitalists would continue to be
interested in the enterprise, and that it would have the support of the Russian Minister
of Finance, M. Witte.
His story was incoherent, and I could not make out that any security really existed
against Count Kapnist refusing to allow himself to be set aside after the issue of the
Sultan's Irade, which it was Mr. Meyers' object to obtain. I did not think there was
any reason for giving him support in the matter—rather, indeed, the contrary; but I
asked him to explain, if he could, the question more fully to Mr. Weakley, Commercial
Attache to Her Majesty ? s Embassy. I believe he did so, but I have not yet heari from
Mr. Weakley.
Mr. Meyers talked of taking his Concession, once the Irade to prospect and
study the project was issued, to Messrs. Rothchild, Messrs. Carrell, and other leading
financiers, from whom he was pretty sure of support; but I confess I did. not like
the whole affair, and that it seemed to me to bear out very much what I ventured
to say to your Lordship in ray despath No. 525 of the 6th October, namely
that it was apparently a project to engage British capital in an enterpri&"e of very
questionable financial profit while leaving to the Russians the possible political advantages
to be derived from it.
I have, &c.
(Signed) N. R. O'CONOR.
A \
life
About this item
- Content
This file contains correspondence between various British officials (and correspondence directly between British officials and members of the Al Sabah ruling family of Kuwait including Shaikh Mubārak Āl Ṣabāḥ) concerning the nature of the relationship between the British Government and Kuwait.
This correspondence discusses whether or not Kuwait should be made a British protectorate and Kuwait's relationship with the Ottoman state and other foreign powers. A copy and translation (into English) of a secret agreement made between Shaikh Mubārak and the British government is contained on folios 42-43.
The recognition of Shaikh Mubārak as ruler of Kuwait (Mubārak murdered the previous ruler, his brother Mohammed, in 1896) is also discussed.
The file also contains detailed correspondence regarding a scheme, proposed by a Russian named Count Kapnist, to construct a railway line between Tripoli and Kuwait.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (280 folios)
- Arrangement
File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end. An index of topics discussed in the file is contained on ff 1a-2. The page numbers used in this index relate to the foliation sequence in the file that is printed with a mechanical stamp.
- Physical characteristics
Condition: Formerly a bound volume, the file's sheets have been unbound and are now loose.
Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. . There is an earlier, possibly original, foliation sequence that runs through the volume, using a mechanical stamp.
The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 163a, 163b. Folios 258 and 259 are in reverse arrangement.
- Written in
- English, French and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/1/472
- Title
- 'File 53/6 (D 2) Koweit [Kuwait] Affairs, 1898-1899'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 3r:3v, 1ar:1av, 2r:2v, 4r:23r, 24v:41v, 43r:66r, 66r, 67r:76v, 78r:79v, 82r:115v, 117r:117v, 119r:119v, 121r:123v, 125r:126r, 127r, 128r, 130r:132v, 134r:137v, 139r:144v, 145v:162v, 163ar:163bv, 164r:175v, 177r:177v, 179r:182v, 184r:214v, 217r:233r, 234r:235v, 237r:238v, 240r:241v, 245r:249r, 250r, 251r:277v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence