'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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
\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. ,
About this item
- 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:
- Complete copies of the first and second proposed draft agreements, in English and Arabic with comments by British officials (folios 111-131 and folios 205-223). A further copy of the second draft, in English only and with annotations, is also included in the file (folios 6-24);
- Correspondence 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. ; 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 Colonial Office focusing on the importance of Kuwait's strategic position in the Gulf and the likelihood of a British Military and Naval base being required again in the country once Iraq becomes independent in 1932;
- Interest in re-acquiring leases for the areas of Shuwaikh, Ras-al-Ardh, al-Dasmah and al-Nigara in Kuwait for use by the Royal Navy and Air Force;
- Correspondence regarding drilling for water and the establishment of wells which Major Holmes has undertaken for the Shaikh of Kuwait and British suspicions that the well sites are being used for speculative oil drilling;
- Correspondence between the British Government and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (A.P.O.C) regarding their possible interest in the oil concession in Kuwait.
- 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 View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
'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]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023609846.0x0000a7
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023609846.0x0000a7">'File 86/1 I (D 73) Eastern and General Syndicate - Proposed Oil Concession in Kuwait' [‎176r] (366/487)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023609846.0x0000a7"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x000264/IOR_R_15_1_638_0366.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x000264/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/1/638
- Title
- 'File 86/1 I (D 73) Eastern and General Syndicate - Proposed Oil Concession in Kuwait'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 1r:1v, 1ar:1cv, 2r:2v, 3v:5v, 24v:25v, 26v:29v, 30v:34v, 36v:37v, 38v:41v, 42v:43v, 44v:58v, 59ar:59av, 79v:97v, 98v:103v, 105r:110v, 131v:134v, 134ar:134av, 135r:135v, 136v:139v, 139ar, 139v:160v, 161v, 163v:164v, 164ar, 165r:193v, 195r:196v, 197v:202v, 203v:204v, 205v:223v, 223ar:223bv, 224r:235v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence