![‘Persian Gulf gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Précis of Katar [Qatar] affairs, 1873-1904.’ [‎34v] (68/92)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000884.0x0001c9/IOR_L_PS_20_C243_0069.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "‘Persian Gulf gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Précis of Katar [Qatar] affairs, 1873-1904.’ [‎34v] (68/92)")
‘Persian Gulf gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Précis of Katar [Qatar] affairs, 1873-1904.’ [34v] (68/92)
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.
although reluctantly, to annul the appointment, and Mr. Crow's despatch No. 25 oF the 16tli
ultimo shows that, although action has been delated, the Wali does not deny that he
has received instructions in the sense desired by His Majesty's Government, or that he will
attempt ultimately to evade their execution.
In my telegram No. 218 (Secret)* of the 14th November 1903, I carefully refrained
from expressing the opinion, as Your Lordship's
• Paragraph 220 ante. despatch under acknowledgment seems to infer,
that an arrangement, sufh as the Convention
with the Trucial Chiefs, did not involve any departure from the policy of maintaining the
political status quo in the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
, to which His Majesty's Government have declared
their adhesion. The question seemed to be one essentially requiring careful consideration,
setting its urgency and advantages against the ill-feeling which it will provoke in the minds
of the Ottoman Government, and seeing how far it could b.e justified as giving His Majesty's
Government the right to restrain foreign int erference in El Katr without attempting in any
other way to disturb, vis-a-vis to the Turkish Government, the status quo. This i* the one
argument that will be of much use in reconciling the Turkish Government to the Convention,
although I should also remind them that it was" only a continuance of the agreement made
in 1868 with Sheikh Muhammad-bin-Thani, referred" to in 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.
letter of the 2Uth
May.
In any case I would suggest, should His Majesty's Government decide in favour of
^concluding a Convention with Sheikh Ahmed on the lines of the Trucial Conventions, the
expediency of doing so in as quiet and secret a manner as p^sible, and basing their action
upon the necessity of acquiring power to suppress piracy, ancf to maintain intact the pearl-
fishing rights of the Arab tribes on the coast.
I do not consider that it is Your Lordship's desire that I should express mv opinion
on the merits and necessity of the policy that prompts the Government of India to advocate a
Convention with the Sheikh of Katr, Ahmed-bin-Thani, as there are others far more com-
potent to give a valuable opinion upon this subject. But I would venture to point out to
Your Lordship that at the present moment we are threatening Turkey with an armed ex-
pedition, to be manned by Bahreinese and supported by England, to avenge the murder of
Sheikh Selman, committed by the Almurrah tribe in revenge for the murder of some of their
people; that it has been decided to establish a British Post Office at Koweit and t) attach
a Resident to the Sheikh; and that we are at the same time insisting upon the removal of
the Turkish military post from Bubian Island, as also from Um Kasr, although not with quite
the same pressure. I pass without comment the observations I have made to the Sublime
Port# under Your Lordship's instructions in regard to the military operations in the Nejd.
229. The views of 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.
are expressed in the following Despatch
of the Secretary of State (No. ^l-Secret, dated 9th September 1904)
Your Excellency will observe that His Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople reo-rets
that a further question should be raised with the Turkish Government at the present moment
when there are already other matters of importance under discussion between the Porte and'
His Majesty s Government, and that he does not consider that the conclusion of the proposed
agreement with Sheikh Ahmed is warranted by the delay of the Turkish Government in
cancelling the Mudirate at Wakra. It appears, however, (from His Excellency's Despatch of
28th June 1904, that he considers that such an agreement might be justified to the Turkish
Government on the ground that its object is to give His Majesty 's Government the rio-ht to
restrain foreign interference in El Katr, without attempting in any other way to disturb the
status quo so far as the Turkish Government is concerned.
The decision, therefore, depends upon the question whether the objects to be attained br
the proposed agreement are of sufficient^ importance to counterbalance the suspicion and ill-
will which it would be calculated to arouse in the minds of the Turkish Government. The El
Katr coast at present constitutes a break in the continuity of our maritime influence "along the
shores of this part of the Gulf, lying as it does between the island of Bahrein and the Pirate
Coast. The absence o!; any agreement with the Sheikh may, prove, in certain contincrencies a
hindrance to the proper exercise by His Majesty's ships of their duties in the suppression of
piracy and the maintenance of the peace of the Gulf. It also presents a difficulty of considerable
importance from the point of view of the protection of the pearl fisheries from outside interfer-
rence, to which reference is made in your letter under reply.
The argument which Sir N. O'Conor bases on the multiplicity of points in the Persian
Gulf, regarding which he is simultaneously pressing the Ottoman Government, is of some
weight, and it seems doubtful whether the considerations referred to in the second part of the
preceding paragraph are of such immediate and urgent importance as to justify immediate
action in spite of his reluctance to add at present to his difficulties with the Turkish Govern
ment.
. I shall therefore await a further expression of your views by telegraph before authority
is given to you to conclude au agreement with Sheikh Ahmed, even with the precautions and
reservations suggested by Sir N. O'Conor.
Here the matter rests at present.
28th September 1904. ' J. A. SALDANA.
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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‘Persian Gulf gazetteer. Part 1. Historical and political materials. Précis of Katar [Qatar] affairs, 1873-1904.’ [34v] (68/92), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C243, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023526379.0x000046> [accessed 23 February 2025]
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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