Author
an agent.
at Bahrain after specific vessels
Publication Date
13 Jan 1932-1 Jun 1937 (CE, Gregorian)
Publication Place
The high rates of customs duty in India meant that many goods were exported out of Indian ports, only to be smuggled back into the country. A system of landing certificates was used to ensure that goods exported from Indian ports, including Karachi, to th -
Type
Document
Language
English
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Pages Count
296
Library
Qatar Digital Library
Library Asset ID
IOR/R/15/2/1375
Record ID
vdc_100000000282.0x00006e
Library Location
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.
Date
13 Jan 1932-1 Jun 1937 (CE, Gregorian)
Notes
The file comprises correspondence relating to the shipment and transhipment of cargo on local vessels (frequently referred to as country craft) from Karachi to Qatar (spelt in various ways, including Kattar, Gutter, Quatar) and, to a lesser extent, other ports on the Arab coast of the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
, including Bahrain, Jubail [Al Jubayl], Katiff [Al Qaṭīf], Ra’s al-Khaymah, and Dubai. The file’s principal correspondents are: the Collector (and Assistant Collector) of Customs at Karachi; 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.
at Bahrain (Captain Charles Geoffrey Prior, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, and staff from the Agency’s Vernacular Office); the Director of Customs at Bahrain (Claud Cranbrook Lewis DeGrenier); the Ruler of Qatar (Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī).
Much of the correspondence is routine, and follows an established pattern: 1) enquiries from the Assistant Collector of Customs to the Political
Agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
at Bahrain after specific vessels, listing the contents of their cargo and requesting confirmation of their arrival at port and the landing of their cargo; 2) letters from Political
Agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
staff, in English and in Arabic, forwarding enquiries about inbound vessels to the Director of Customs at Bahrain (for vessels headed to Bahrain), the Ruler of Qatar (for vessels headed to Qatar) or the
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.
Agent at Sharjah (for vessels headed to the ports of the
Trucial Coast
A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates.
); 3) replies from the Director of Customs at Bahrain, the Ruler of Qatar, and the
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.
Agent at Sharjah, either confirming the arrival of vessels and the landing of their cargo, or writing that the vessel has not yet arrived in port; and 4) letters from the Political
Agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
back to the Collector of Customs at Karachi, replying to the original enquiry, occasionally making reference to enclosing landing certificates, which are accepted as proof of the landing of the cargo. Some letters from the Assistant Collector of Customs at Karachi to 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.
at Bahrain, dated 1936 and later, make reference to enclosed export manifests, and enquiries about the authenticity of their endorsements.
In addition to the routine correspondence, the file also includes:
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.
at Bahrain and the Director of Customs at Bahrain, concerning the shipment of goods to Bahrain via Qatar as transhipment cargo (ff 12-15);
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.
at Bahrain and the Secretary of the Calcutta Marine Insurance Association, relating to loss of vessels at
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
ports, and regulations at Dubai for registration of vessels (f 28, ff 30-31, ff 46-50).
