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'File 35/134 IV (A 56) Sur. Ja'alan - Amirs of.' [‎213r] (459/536)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (253 folios). It was created in 22 Dec 1931-18 Mar 1932. 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. .

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by the tribe aad gyeorantoea that there ould be no
interference with the direct control it proposed to
exercise alone' coast* In other words the Beni bu
All were being required to reco^nl:je now, onceand for
till, ttie ri, ht of the State to establish customs posts,
collect customs dues, and to insist on the re^i tration
of all dhows,
29# In opening his ca e Sheilch Khemls agreed that
everyone had rights - God had rights, the British had
ritjhts, the Muscat Steite had rights and al^o the Beaii
bu ill! haa ri. hts. But he went on to state that the
Ikiascat Government had no ri hts over the coast occupied
by the Banl bu All tribe, nor had they any rijihte over
the tribe itself. The Banl bu Ali were subjects of the
British Government who alone had any authority over
them, ®hey wore not, never had been, and never would be
subjects of the Ma scat State, His Highness had no
authority over them whatsoever,
j
30, It was pointed out to him that the Banl bu Ali
were not British subjects and that he could not prove
his statement to this effect. On the contr ry they were,
and always had been, subjects at Ma scat as eviaence by
their payment of customs in the past, bv the number of
occasions on ^hich uhey had fought in the ranlts of the
uliian, by uhe oanuul sub idy which w^ s paid to tiieir
oheiich in recognition of past services, and by the
privileges as to the import of goods, free of duty,
whichare accorded to the Ghei&h in his capacity as
regional ruler on behalf of the Government,
31, ohejUths IChamis, Mohamed and 11 insisted on
their status as British subjects. If asked by the
British Goverment to establish customs posts for the
collection of revenue for that Government they would
willingly agree, They would do anything for the British,
fhey maintained that they had never reco&nised the over-
lordship of Itfascat - they were always indepenaent of
that State - they had sometimes been compellea to pay
taxes and customs under duress, in fact .hqr would not
admit that such dues T /ere ever paid by cheir tribe at
Aiqa, or anywhere else, in such a way as to admit the
Itfei ;oat claim to collect the money as of ri^ht. If
Maacat lilced to pay oheikh ^.11 an annual sub.iidy that
was the Stated affair; it was not evidence a^ain t the
Ban! bu All; it merely showed that ii,H, Govern.xeiit had
some interest in doing ao, or alternatively that it owed
the money. As for the money itself the .jheiiih did not
want it, a small sub ;idy here anu there dia not interest
him in the least. He had plenty of money ana could well
do without the subnidy if the fact of its payment
encouraged the >tate to maice extravagant claims to
Jurisdiction over the -Ban! bu Ali and their own seaport
Aiqa, The events of the past had cheated no precident
so far as they were concerned.

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Content

Correspondence relating to actions against the Bani Bu Ali [Banī Bū ‘Alī] in Sur in 1932 who were claiming independence from the Muscat State. Correspondence discusses how the Bani Bu Ali led by Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah al-Hammuda [Muḥammed bin Nāṣir al-Ḥamūdah] were rebelling against the Sultan of Muscat's authority and in particular the creation of a customs post in Aiqa. Shaikh Ali had deployed armed forces to Aiqa fort and prevented the establishment of the customs post. The timing for deployment of aircraft from Iraq including Wapitis and flying boats is discussed and in particular the implications of reconnaissance flights during Ramadan. One Wapiti crashed 40 miles south of Muscat but the occupants were unhurt and safely rescued. Saiyid Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr] visited Sur in a sloop along with HMS Emerald . Correspondence details the agreement of the Foreign Office, Air Ministry and 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. in London to the use of aircraft. A letter from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty concurs in the action whilst expressing concern over the use of aircraft and the repercussions this could have on relations with Arab rulers, and suggests only use of naval bombardment. The Air Ministry responded noting 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. 's view that 'action by warship alone would be entirely ineffective; past history has shewn this.' 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. notes that the action proposed by the Government of India were based on discussions with the Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Air Officer Commanding, Iraq; furthermore, 'aerial demonstration will precede punitive air action.'

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. , Muscat discusses the relations between the Bani Bu Ali ,[Banī Bū ‘Alī] Bani Bu Hassan [Bani Bū ‘Hasan] and Bani Amer; also the likely response of the Bani Bu Ali to any British attack and the need to take precautions to avoid the experience of a British Indian force in 1821. In 1821 a force was dispatched to avenge the defeat there of a different expedition the previous year but three hundred of the Bani Bu Ali attacked at night resulting 16 killed. Correspondence discusses the negotiations with Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah bin Abdullah bin Hammuda

Correspondence between the Air Officer Commanding, Edgar Rainey Ludlow-Hewitt and Colonel Hugh Vincent Biscoe, 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. , Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. discusses the reconnaissance photos and the bombing of the Jaalan [Ja’alān] fort following the dropping from aircraft of warning messages. There are also extracts from a report by Group Captain W L Welsh on reconnaisance by two Rangoons and three Wapitis of the Sur area with arrangements for the deployment of flying boats to conduct bombing missions and their protection by the Muscat Infantry.

Correspondence includes letters betweeen Saiyid Said bin Taimur, Sultan of Muscat and Oman, to Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah and Hugh Vincent Biscoe, 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. Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . Following aerial demonstrations by Rangoon flying boats Shaikh Ali accepted the customs post and agreed to meet the Sultan on board the Sultan's vessel. The Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. wrote to Shaikh Ali informing him that as he had accepted the customs post the bombardment would not take place.

Includes aerial photos (ff 128D-128P) of Jaalan and Khor Janaba which were made in preparation for a possible punitive bombing raid. Also includes a sketch map of Khor Janaba and an enclosure with a 'Sheikhly family of Bani Bu Ali.

Correspondents include H.V. Biscoe, 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. Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; Trenchard Craven Fowle, 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. Muscat; Edgar Rainey Ludlow-Hewitt, Air Headquarters, Iraq Command, Hinaidi; Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; Eion Pelly Donaldson, 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. , London; Christopher Llewellyn Bulloch, Air Ministry, London; No. 203 (Flying Boat) Squadron; Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty; Saiyid Said bin Taimur, Sultan of Muscat and Oman; Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah bin Hammudah; Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, Simla.

Extent and format
1 volume (253 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation system in use is the sequence of numbers in the top right hand corner of each folio including the covers.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'File 35/134 IV (A 56) Sur. Ja'alan - Amirs of.' [‎213r] (459/536), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/444, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023998668.0x00003d> [accessed 8 June 2026]

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