'A Précis of the Relations of the British Government with the Tribes and Shaikhs of 'Arabistan By Lieutenant A T Wilson, Acting Consul for Arabistan' [33v] (71/143)
The record is made up of 1 volume (68 folios). It was created in 1912. It was written in English and Farsi. 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.
52
Affaires Etrangeres a 1 honneur de 1 informer sur une communication de
son Altesse le Grand Vazir que les Autorit&j Imperiales du Vilayet de
Basrah out regu I’orde d’effectuer desormais a Basrah meme les perquisitions
qu’elles se trouvent dans le cas de faire a bord des navires anglais naviguant
sur le Shatt-al-’Arab.
Note Verbale, No. 148, dated 2nd December 1896 (thus in original).
“ His Majesty’s Embassy have the honour to acknowledge receipt of the
Sublime Porte’s Note Verbale No. 104 of December 20th (sic) stating that
(vide supra) ****** His Majesty’s Embassy take note of
this communication, but it is well understood that British ships enjoy perfect
liberty to proceed direct to Mohammerah or any other portion of Persian
territory and cannot be compelled under any pretext to stop at Fao on their
way thither or to Basrah unless they themselves desire it.”
No reply was received to the latter Note, and it may therefore be inferred
that the claim made therein was admitted.
In April 1899, the Basrah authorities were making an embankment
on the Diaji border which were extended across the frontier- On a
personal protest by the Shaikh of Mohammerah’s deputy they withdrew and
since then there have been no disputes as to the border. The islands of
Aqawat and Barin were formerly said to be under dispute but are now
recognised by the Shaikh as Turkish territory.
In the autumn of 1907, there seemed some possibility of Turkish aggres
sion in the neighbourhood of Mohammerah, and Sir N. O’Conor, then His
Majesty’s Ambassador at Constantinople, was informed on 25th February
1908, that “ as regards the district in the neighbourhood of Mohammerah,
His Majesty’s Government were not prepared to recognise any other frontier
than that laid down by the mediating Commissioners in 1850. Any disturb
ance of the status quo at Mohammerah would affect British interests, and
might not improbably lead to the active intervention of His Majesty’s Gov
ernment who have given the Shaikh certain assurances in regard to his terri
tory.” This pronouncement was not, however, communicated to the Turkish
Government, nor to the Shaikh, the latter being simply informed that we
were fully alive to the situation, and did not anticipate Turkish aggression
in the neighbourhocd of Mohammerah. The Shaikh’s fears, however, were
net realised, but the inaction of the Persian Government, who left the Shaikh
entirely in the dark in regard to what was passing, gave him no instructions
as to what course he should pursue in the event of hostilities breaking out,
and failed to provide him with guns or munitions of war, was considered by
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.
to provide us with a useful argu
ment in future in support of the preservation of his semi-independent and
tribal position
In the following year the Resident took advantage of the presence o-f an
officer with two surveyors to cause the Shatt-al-’Arab and Bahmanshir
rivers to be surveyed on the scale lm= 1". In the course of this survey the
actual position of the locally recognised frontier beyond Failiyeh was as
certained and accurately delimited. It was then seen that it differed widely
from that laid down by the mediating Commissioners in 1850 and that, were
the Turks to insist on being put in possession of the territory allocated to
them by the mediating Commissioners in 1850, Persia would lose a strip
of land over 6 miles broad, from Diaji to Failiyeh, and the Shaikh would
find not only his palace, (which had been completed in 1907) but also his
other residence and offices and prison at Failiyeh and between Diaji and
Khaiyin, in Turkish territory. Such an alteration in the status quo existing,
as far as evidence is available, since 1843, could scarcely fail to be very pre
judicial to British interests, and failure to support the Shaikh »in opposition
to it would be misunderstood by him. Moreover, whereas the centre of the
practice for many years past, the Commissioners’ line gives the Porte the
whole channel, including the islands of Muhalleh and the Dawasir.
About this item
- Content
This volume consists of a précis issued by the Government of India which provides comprehensive details regarding the history of relations between the British Government and the tribes and rulers of 'Arabistan. The volume is divided into eleven sections as follows:
- I. British Interests in 'Arabistan;
- II. 'Arabistan: Internal Politics up to the death of Haji Jabir and genealogical table of Shaikhs of Mohammerah, 1527-1881;
- III. Shaikh Miz'als's rule, 1882-1897;
- IV. Shaikh Khaz'al's rule, 1897-1910;
- V. Shaikh Khaz'al and the Persian Customs;
- VI. Shaikh Khaz'al: Political Relations with British Government;
- VII. Piracies;
- VIII. Turko-Persian Frontier Question;
- IX. Shaikh of Mohammerah and Turks;
- X. Irrigation in 'Arabistan;
- XI. Acquisition and Tenure of Land in 'Arabistan with Annexes.
Between folios 51-70, the volume contains a number of appendices including copies of various relevant agreements. On folios 69-70, the volume contains the Persian text of a concession granted to the Nasiri Company for running ships from Ahwaz to Shushtar.
The volume was compiled by Lieutenant Arnold Talbot Wilson, Acting Consul for 'Arabistan. The printing statement reads, 'Calcutta: Superintendent Government Printing, 1912'
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (68 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume opens with a contents page (folio 4) followed by a prefatory note (folio 5), a list of relevant officials (folio 6), a schedule of appendices (folio 7), eleven chapters of text (folios 8-50) and ends with sixteen appendices (folios 51-70).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 70; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An original printed pagination sequence is present in parallel between ff 8-65.
- Written in
- English and Farsi in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
'A Précis of the Relations of the British Government with the Tribes and Shaikhs of 'Arabistan By Lieutenant A T Wilson, Acting Consul for Arabistan' [33v] (71/143), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/70, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100034861789.0x000048> [accessed 6 January 2025]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100034861789.0x000048
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_100034861789.0x000048">'A Précis of the Relations of the British Government with the Tribes and Shaikhs of 'Arabistan By Lieutenant A T Wilson, Acting Consul for Arabistan' [‎33v] (71/143)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100034861789.0x000048"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000912.0x00000b/IOR_L_PS_20_70_0071.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_100000000912.0x00000b/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/20/70
- Title
- 'A Précis of the Relations of the British Government with the Tribes and Shaikhs of 'Arabistan By Lieutenant A T Wilson, Acting Consul for Arabistan'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:22v, 24r:46v, 49r:52v, 57v, 65r:66r, 67r:68v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence