![‘Persian Gulf gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Précis of Katar [Qatar] affairs, 1873-1904.’ [‎33v] (66/92)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000884.0x0001c9/IOR_L_PS_20_C243_0067.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "‘Persian Gulf gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Précis of Katar [Qatar] affairs, 1873-1904.’ [‎33v] (66/92)")
‘Persian Gulf gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Précis of Katar [Qatar] affairs, 1873-1904.’ [33v] (66/92)
The record is made up of 1 volume (46 folios). It was created in 1904. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
66
Government could mt properly or consistently enter I'nto any agreement with Sheikh having
nature o^ protectorate which would constitute departure from ttatu* quo on their part
In these circumstances communications t ) Sheikh should be limited to assurances of continued
friendship so long.as he abstains from entering into engag-ements with other Powers. O'Conor
who has been consulted, does not fear any further attempt at Turkish aggression."
220. When the correspondence on the subject between the India and For
eign Offices and Sir N. O'Conor was received from London, it was found that Sir
N. O'Conor had expressed the following opinion in his telegram dated 14)th
November 1903:—
" I am more concerned lest other Powers should profit by the increasing weakness of the
No. 290 of Secret E., May 1904, No?. 234-393. em P ire extract concessions inimical to our sup-
. i m i • i . * ernao y and interests in those regions, than of
any further attempt at Turkish aggressr n."
It would be contrary to the spirit of our late representations as to the maintenance of the
status quo to make a formal declaration of protection; but whether We are thereby debarred
from making an agreement with the Sheikh of Katar in maintenance of the status quo and
directed solely to the exclusion of foreign influence, is mutter for consideration."
221. As regards the Mudirate of Wakra, it appeared that no definite
orders had been issued cancelling the appointment of Abdul Hahman.
His Excellency the Viceroy, therefore, telegraphed to the Secretary of
No. 284 of ditto. State on 20th January 1904, expressing
. a ^ 0 P e that His Majesty's Government
would press for the actual cancellation of the letter of appointment, which had
been issued to Abdul Eahman by the Mutasserif, of which Katar should receive
formal intimation.
222. With reference to Mr. Gaskin's opinion* about the wanino- influence of
the Thani family in Katar expressed in his letter of 20th September 1903, Colonel
Kemball, who was asked to report on the matter, stated in his letter No 33
dated i2th February 1904, as follows :— * *
" I am inclined to doubt if it is the case that the inOnence of the Thani family in Katar
is rapidly waning It may however, be less than it was for the reasons exp'ained by the
Assistant
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.
. What these people fear is the extension of Turkish rule over
Katar, as they know that they could not resist the Turks for long ; and it is for this reason
that the arrangement with His Majesty's Government is desired. If they were assured of
the support of the British Government against Turkish encroachments, it is probable that the
pos't.on of the family with regard to the tribes in Katar would be strengthened and
Sheikh Ahmed wou d have no necessity to appeal for support in asserting his authority over
ms own tribesmen J
223. As regards the proposed Protectorate treaty with Sheikh Ahmed-bin-
No. 292 of ditto. lhani of Katar, the following despatch
. ,, ^ _ (No. 77, dated 31st March 1904) was
addressed by the Gorernment of India to the Secretary
The decision ujHis Majesty's Government that no agreement should at present be
concluded with the Ch.et, appears to have been based on two main considerations, first that
such a Convention would constitute a disturbance of the sfatvs quo which, in view of the
promise of the Turks to cancel the appointmentsofMudirs in Katar which they had made in
violation of the understanding to respect the ?«, was held to be unjustifiable and
•econdly, that the influence of S ic.kh Ahmed was on the wane, and that an arrangement with
MumS 0Ve ' n UBeCl by the Chief t0 retl,ieve his diminishing
With reference to the former objection, we observe thatt His Britannic Mniestv's AmW
sador at Constantinople is of opinion that, though the formal declaration of the pro(eor„ra.t„
tnisht be considered contrary to the spirit of our recent representations to the Porte we
be justified in making an agreement with the Sheikh, with the object of securing the mainte
nance of the position which the remonstrances of His Majesty's Gtovornment have s"o far partiallv
preserved, and of excluding the possibility of foreign interference in the future. We concur in
Sir Nicolas O Conor s view Wc submit that the action of the Turkish Government and of
their local officials has not been such as to require anv excess of forbearance on oor mrt tW
more so in that, so far as we are aware, they have tailed to carry oat the undertaking U," b *
the Grand Vizier morethan six months ago that their recent nominee for the Mudirate at
" akr \ sh 7' d Q fo ™ 3 "y be dc P rlve , d of tit's- While we obsorrc that so recently as the 28th
December 19^8 Mr Crow reported to Sir Nicolas O'Conor the arrival at Basrah of a battalion
intended for the Katar Peninsula At any rate the Turkish Government could hardly ob .t
to onr entering into friendly relations w.th the successor of Sheikh Muhammad Jn-S.
with whom Colonel Pelly concluded a treaty on 12th September 1869. '
* FiVe paragraph 217 aw^e. ~
t Vide paragraph 220 ante.
About this item
- Content
The volume, stamped ‘Confidential’ on the front cover, is part 1 (historical and political materials) of a précis of Qatar (spelt Katar throughout) affairs for the years 1873 to 1904. It was prepared by Judge Jerome Antony Saldanha of the Bombay Provincial Civil Service, and published in 1904 by the Government of India Foreign Department, Simla, India.
The main subjects of the précis, which is comprised chiefly of extracts from Government correspondence, run as follows:
- Turkish movements in Qatar, 1873; Chief of Bahrain (spelt Bahrein throughout) advised to keep aloof from complications in Qatar, 1873;
- British intervention refused to Chief of Debai [Dubai] in case robberies committed against vessels of his subjects on Qatar coast, 1873;
- Threatened attack on Bahrain and Qatar (Zobarah [Zubara]) by the Bedouin tribes of Beni Hajir, 1874;
- Complaints of Turkey about Chief of Bahrain’s encroachments in Qatar, 1874;
- The Beni Hajir attack Zubara and commit piracies, 1875;
- Aggressive policy of the Turks and establishment of a new Turkish province on the Arabian littoral of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ;
- Plunder of a Bahrain boat by the Beni Hajir and an excessive contribution levied by the Chief of Bidaa [Al-Bidda] on British Indian traders residing there;
- Claims preferred by the Government of Basrah [Basra] on behalf of the inhabitants of Qatar against certain residents of Bahrain, 1876;
- Alleged ill-treatment of British Indian subjects, 1879;
- Piracies at Zubara – destruction of Zubara by Shaikh Jasim [Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī], 1878;
- Ill-treatment of Indian traders, 1879;
- Question of suppression of piracies on the Arab coast. Claims of the Turks to Odeid [’Odaid] (1871-81); previous history of ’Odaid, 1837-76;
- History of ’Odaid continued, question of Turkish jurisdiction on the Qatar coast, and suppression of piracies, 1878-81;
- Removal of section of the Al-bu-Kowareh tribe from Al-Bidda to Foweyrat [Fujairat], 1879;
- Threatened attack on Bahrain by Nasir-bin-Mobarik [Nasir bin Mubarak] and Shaikh Jāsim of Al-Bidda, 1881;
- Shaikh Jāsim’s desire to occupy ’Odaid, 1881;
- Policy as to the relations to be maintained with Shaikh Jāsim and the Turkish Government in Qatar, 1881;
- Ill-treatment of British subjects by Shaikh Jāsim and exaction of a fine from him, 1880-82;
- Protest of the Porte against British proceedings at Al-Bidda. British disclaimer of Turkish jurisdiction in Qatar, 1883;
- Shaikh Jāsim’s projected expedition against a branch of the Beji Hajirs in 1884;
- Fight between the Ejman [Ajman] and allied tribes on one side and Morah and Monasir tribes on the other, 1884;
- Disputes between Shaikh Jāsim and the Chief of Abuthabi [Abu Dhabi], Jāsim’s intentions to occupy ’Odaid and the ill-treatment of Bedouins at Al-Bidda, 1885-86;
- Outrages against Indian subjects under Jāsim’s instigation, and Shaikh Jāsim made to pay a fine, 1887;
- Protests of the Porte against British Government proceedings, 1888;
- Question of withdrawal of the Turkish garrison from Al-Bidda;
- Turkish expansion along the Arab coast and the policy of the British Government, 1888;
- Hostilities between Shaikh Jāsim and Shaikh Zaid [Zayed bin Khalifa] of Abu Dhabi, reported movements of the Chief of Jabal Shamer Ibn Rashid towards Oman in order to aid Shaikh Jāsim, 1888-89;
- Jāsim carrying munitions of war by sea, 1889;
- Turkish project of rebuilding Zubara, 1888;
- Turkish measures for establishing their jurisdiction on a firmer basis on the Arab coast. Increase of Turkish forces in Qatar, 1888;
- Intrigues of Jāsim against Abu Dhabi, 1889-90;
- Turkish projects for rebuilding Zubara and ’Odaid, 1890-91;
- Hostilities between Shaikh Jāsim and the Turks, 1891-93;
- British policy towards Jāsim during the hostilities. Chief of Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, 1893;
- Question of Turkish jurisdiction in Qatar, 1893;
- Removal by Turkish authorities of the British flag from a boat at Al-Bidda, 1897;
- Occupation of Zubara by the Al-bin-Ali tribe with the support of the Turks and Shaikh Jāsim. Threatened attack of Bahrain, and the energetic measures taken to expel the settlement, 1895;
- Arab rising against the Turks in Qatar;
- Disturbances off the Qatar coast between the Amamera and Al-bin-Ali tribes, 1900;
- Piracies committed by the Beni Hajir off the Qatar coast, 1900;
- Reconsideration of our general policy on the Arab side of the Gulf;
- (1) Proposed British protectorate over the Chief of Qatar; (2) Aggressive action of the Porte in attempted to establish mudirates at ’Odaid, Wakra and Zubara, 1902-04.
The appendices are as follows:
- A. Memorandum on the causes of the hostility between Shaikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi and Shaikh Jāsim;
- B. Extract from Captain Daly’s draft letter to the address of 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. , submitted for approval on 14 January 1901, relating to Qatar;
- C. Memorandum by Mr EC Block, dated 11 March 1903, about the Turkish claim over Qatar.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (46 folios)
- Arrangement
The contents of the précis are arranged in rough chronological order, and organised under a number of subheadings, with each paragraph numbered from 1 to 229. Three appendicies follow the main précis. There is a contents page at the front of the volume (f 5) which lists the subheadings with their corresponding paragraph numbers. The appendices are referenced using the volume’s pagination system.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the inside back cover; 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.
Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence, with page numbers located top and centre of each page.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/20/C243
- Title
- ‘Persian Gulf gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Précis of Katar [Qatar] affairs, 1873-1904.’
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:17r, 18r:45v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence