Author
foreign and British commercial concerns to obtain concessions in the Gulf for sponge fishing and the fishing and export of pearls. The principle correspondents in the file are the
Political Resident
A senior ranking political representative
Publication Date
26 Nov 1905-9 Jan 1918 (CE, Gregorian)
Subject
1
Type
Document
Language
ara,eng
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Pages Count
29
Library
Qatar Digital Library
Library Asset ID
IOR/R/15/2/14
Record ID
vdc_100000000193.0x0002ed
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
26 Nov 1905-9 Jan 1918 (CE, Gregorian)
Notes
The file’s letters, memoranda and other papers relate to attempts by foreign and British commercial concerns to obtain concessions in the Gulf for sponge fishing and the fishing and export of pearls. The principle correspondents in the file are 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.
and 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.
in Bahrain, both posts being held by a number of incumbents throughout the period covered by the file.
The file covers three periods:
1. Correspondence from November to December 1905, relating to reports that a Levantine Greek named Michel Hatinglou is in the Gulf, seeking to arrange concessions with the region’s rulers for sponge fishing. A memorandum, undated and unsigned, reports that M. Hatinglou has signed a concession with the Persian Government to fish for sponges along the Persian coast between Fao [Al-Fāw] and Gwādar, and is seeking a similar concession in Muscat (folios 3-4). The correspondence also makes reference to the presence of a Russian consular agent in the Gulf (folio 5).
2. Correspondence from May to August 1911 relating first to Gray Paul & Company’s arrangement with Ullmann & Co. of Hatton Garden to enter the pearl buying business in Bahrain, and to news that representatives of the French company Rosenthal & Company, have been making enquiries into seeking concessions for pearl fishing in the Gulf. In a letter to the ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, 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.
(Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Zachariah Cox) warned that it would be disadvantageous to the Shaikh’s interests to grant any concessions to foreigners, and that 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.
should be consulted in all such matters (folios 10-11). In his reply to Cox’s letter, Shaikh ‘Īsá acceded to the request, while suggesting implicitly that neither would he consider concessions to British companies (Arabic on folio 15, printed English on folio 21).
3. Correspondence from May to August 1917, relating first to reports that a Russian is on his way to Bahrain to purchase pearls on behalf of Moussaieff Brothers in Paris (folio 23), and second to reports that a company from the United States is seeking to take over the entire pearl buying business in the Gulf by offering prices of five to ten per cent above its competitors. In a letter dated 17 August 1917, 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.
in Bahrain reported to the Deputy
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.
that the American company’s plan was to ship the finest pearls to the States, medium quality pearls to Europe, and the lowest quality pearls to India and the East (folio 24).
Erişim Koşulları
Unrestricted
Düzenleme
The contents of the file are arranged in approximate chronological order, starting from the earliest items at the front of the file, to the latest at the rear.
Eski Harici Referans(lar)
Confidential Files: Commercial B/3
