Coll 34/7 'Slavery: Slave Traffic and Gun-running: Right of search by H. M. ships in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf' [93r] (185/576)
The record is made up of 1 file (286 folios). It was created in 11 Dec 1929-3 Feb 1948. 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.
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
* the whole question had been raised 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 considering their revision, it had
been found necessary to review the legal basis of the
present practice under which His Majesty^ Ships search
native vessels under five hundred tons in the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
or Red Sea for slaves or arms. It had been found that, as
regards Nejdi vessels in the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
, it was doubtful
whether any satisfactory legal basis for the present
practice existed, and the Foreign Office Office had ashed
that, with a view to avoiding the risk of an incident with
Ibn Saud, no further searches of such Nejdi vessels should
be carried out until the position should have been
satisfactorily cleared up. If this policy were followed in
respect of Nejdi vessels in the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
, however, it
would presumably have to be followed equally in respect of
Hejazi vessels in the Red Sea, since the Hejaz and Nejd were
now under the same ruler. The Senior Naval Officer in the
Red Sea had reported that a discontinuance of the present
practice in regard to Hejazi vessels in the Red Sea would
involve the risk of a serious recrudescence of the slave
trade and possibly of the arms traffic, since the change of
policy would rapidly become known and slave and arms traders
would secure immunity from search by flying the Hejazi flag,
while the adoption of an attitude of inactivity on the part
of His Majesty^ Ships in this matter would in any case
seriously damage British prestige. Moreover, it was
impossible to consider the discontinuance of the practice in
respect of the dhows of one Arab nationality without
reviewing the practice in respect of other nationalities
as well. The question of altering the present practice
therefore needed examination from both the political and
legal points of view.
It
About this item
- Content
Correspondence, memoranda, minutes, and notes relating to arms and slave traffic in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . Principal correspondents include officials at 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. , Foreign Office, Colonial Office, and Admiralty. Further correspondence, included as enclosures, comes from: the High Commissioner (later, Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. ), Baghdad; the Political Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Bushire; the Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Division; the British Legation, Tehran; Government of India, Foreign and Political Department; Commander-in-Chief of HM Naval Forces, Mediterranean Station; British Legation, Jeddah, and the Board of Trade.
The majority of the file concerns the discussion of arms smuggling in the region, with a particular focus on the right of HM ships to search vessels for arms and slaves. Matters that are discussed include the following:
- Arms traffic across the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. into southern Persia, thought to be supplying the Qashqai rebellion taking place there
- Persian complaints about British sympathy for the Qashqai rebellion
- Revision of naval instructions concerning powers to search and detain vessels in the region
- Arms traffic into Palestine via Akaba [al-Aqaba].
Papers of note included in the file include the following:
- Convention for the Control of the Trade in Arms and Ammunition, and Protocol, signed September 10, 1919 (folios 270-287)
- Record of an interdepartmental meeting held at the Foreign Office on the 24 April to consider the instructions to be issued to the Senior Naval Officers in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , regarding the search by HM ships of Arabian, Persian, and Iraqi vessels for slaves and arms (folios 92-103).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (286 folios)
- Arrangement
The file is arranged in chronological order from the back to the front.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 287; 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.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 34/7 'Slavery: Slave Traffic and Gun-running: Right of search by H. M. ships in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf' [93r] (185/576), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/4094, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100066488400.0x0000bc> [accessed 9 June 2026]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/4094
- Title
- Coll 34/7 'Slavery: Slave Traffic and Gun-running: Right of search by H. M. ships in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:246r, 247v:256v, 259r:259v, 266r:269v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence
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