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'File 86/1 I (D 73) Eastern and General Syndicate - Proposed Oil Concession in Kuwait' [‎176r] (366/487)

The record is made up of 1 volume (244 folios). It was created in 28 Aug 1925-1 Jun 1931. 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. .

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\1^
the " Bahra" , two obviously fair!7 recen'.l r excavated
holes in the ground out of which crude oil was slowly
oozing and trying to mix with the salty puddles that lay
about after the recent rains. It was quite obvious what
the stuff was from its strong smell.
My bedouin escort told me that in Hamiltons time a Euro
pean had paid the place a visit from Basra, but to his
disappointment had almost immediately been recalled. They
said Holmes did not see the place, butI happen to know
that in Holmes' absence in England his mining Engineer
Armstrong did do so on the quiet.
My informant also tells me that he reported very favourably
on what he found to London,
It is significant that the so called ''water bore" which
Armstrong put down near the Sheiks Palace, and which went
down 700 feet and more, lay exactly on the straight line
drawn between the oil spring mentioned in (6) above and
the "Burgan" hill to the south; Also samples of some kind
of black deposit of the consistency of putty, and strongly
impregnated with crude oil were brought up to the surface,
I got this from a person who saw it, and I know the sample
Y\ T as never shown to the Sheikh,
According to Armstrong who openly told me this in private
conversation, there are traces of oil also in the form of
surface ooze 5 miles east of Jahara on the sea shore(south
side of Bay) • These I have not yet visited,
Armstrong also gave a friend of mine to understand that
he thought the oil bearing Zone moved in a S.Westerly
direction from A.P.O.C's main fields at Maidan Naphtun,
and that the most likely place to find it in Kuwait territory
was towards the South West,
All the above facts I give for what they are worth, as you
may think it worth while passing my letter on to the A.P.C.G
or to H,M ,Gr.
It is quite p»tent to me that there are strong "surface"
oil indications in Kuwait, but whether the "strata" lies
the right way is another matter: Holmes ^uite obviously
thinks it does, or he would not be so anxious to get his
agreement through.
Yours sincerely, I. ,

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Content

The volume covers the proposal by the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited for oil concessions in Kuwait (also spelled Koweit) which were to be negotiated on the Syndicate's behalf by Major Frank Holmes.

Included within the volume are copies of the draft agreements and correspondence between the Syndicate, the Colonial Office, The Government of India, 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. , 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 Kuwait and the Sheikh of Kuwait with regards to the various clauses proposed in the agreements. The correspondence focuses primarily on clauses in the draft agreement which would permit the Syndicate to pass any concessions granted on to their American owners, and the concerns of both the Sheikh of Kuwait (Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) and the British Government over British companies operating in Kuwait.

Further correspondence and documents of interest in the file include:

Extent and format
1 volume (244 folios)
Arrangement

The papers in this file are arranged chronologically.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The volume has been foliated in the top right corner of each folio with a pencil number. The foliation sequence runs from the first to last folios, the only exception being folio 194 which is located on the verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. of folio 193.

Foliation anomalies: 1A, 1B, 1C, 59A, 134A, 139A, 164A, 223A, 223B

Condition: The volume no longer has a back cover or spine, and only part of the labelling for the spine remains.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 86/1 I (D 73) Eastern and General Syndicate - Proposed Oil Concession in Kuwait' [‎176r] (366/487), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/638, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023609846.0x0000a7> [accessed 5 April 2025]

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