"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٥‎٩‎٢] (١٧٨٢/١٧٤٧)

Her Britannic Majesty's Vice-Consulate at Musal, founded before
His Britan
nic Majesty's i . j ' '
Vice-Cons-al- the middle of the 19th century, continued in existence during- the
1876^1905.^' S reater part of the period now under review and remained under the
superintendence of the Political Resident at Baghdad as Cousul -General *
but its affairs came little under notice, owing to the non -existence of
British subjects or material interests at Musal. The erection of
Musal into a Wilayat in 1879 increased the importance of the Vice-
Consulate; but so late as 1886 the Vice -Consul himself was, as a
rule, the only British subject resident in the Musal Consular district
The British representative at Musal in 1878 was Mr. J. F. Russell
who had served under Sir Samuel Baker in equatorial Africa, and who
was a son of the distinguished journalist Dr. Howard Russell. He
was succeeded by Mr. W. S. Richards, who remained in occupation of
the post from November 1888 to December 1885 j and Mr. Richards
was followed by Mr. II. H. Lamb.
Proposed
British Con
sular Asrency
at Fan,
1894-1896.
The British
Indian Post
offices in
Turkish
'Iraq, 1876-
1905.
At the end of 1894, in view of the persistent harassment of British
Indian vessels on the lower Sl)att-el- J Aiab by the Turkish authorities,
already described, Colonel Mockler, Resident at Baghdad, suggested
that an ofhcer of the British Telegraph Station at Fao should be
appointed British Consular Agent there during the season of the
exportation of dates, viz., in the months of September, October and
November, in each year. The Government of India approved of the
suggestion, and Her Majesty's Government adopted it and allotted a
sum of £30 per annum for the remuneration of the post. In 1896
Colonel Mockler,'by a letter of authority, appointed Mr. Mungavin of
the Indo-European Telegraph Department to be British Consular
Agent at Fao; but the Porte refused to recognise the appointment.
On the 'Z'Znd September 1896 a note was addressed to the Turkish
Government informing them that unless the point were conceded, a
British war vessel would be sent to Fao for the protection of British
interests; and a month later H. M. S. Lapwing proceeded thither. At
length, in December 1896, satisfactory assurances having been received
from the Porte in regard to the future treatment of British Indian
vessels, as related elsewhere, the demand for a British Consular Agency
at Fao was withdrawn.
Hie affairs of the British Indian Post Offices in Turkish 'Iraq are
fully lelated in the special Appendix on Mail Communications. After
1SJ9 there ueie complaints of irregularity and unpunctuality in the
eaiiiage of the British mail by the Euphrates and Tigris Steam