Author
the
Agency
An office of the East India Company and
Publication Date
27 Apr 1907-8 Oct 1918 (CE, Gregorian)
Type
Document
Language
ara,eng
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Pages Count
22
Library
Qatar Digital Library
Library Asset ID
IOR/R/15/2/17
Record ID
vdc_100000000193.0x0002f0
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
27 Apr 1907-8 Oct 1918 (CE, Gregorian)
Notes
The letters and office notes in the file relate to the oyster shell export market in Bahrain. The principal correspondents in the file are the British Vice-Consul at Bushire, Herbert Chick, 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, Captain Francis Beville Prideaux.
In a letter dated 27 April 1907, Chick wrote to Prideaux, informing him that he had received news from Lynch Brothers of Basra, that the German firm Wonckhaus & Company had monopolised the oyster shell export market at Bahrain, diverting the European market for the product (from which mother of pearl was derived) from London to Hamburg. Chick requested Prideaux to furnish him with a report on the industry, and the prospects for British commercial involvement at Bahrain. Prideaux’s reply to Chick, a typewritten report dated 3 June 1907 (folios 6-8, with preparatory notes on folios 3-5) describes the market at Bahrain, including volumes exported, the split between British, German and native traders, the prospects for future demand, and the reasons for German advantage in the market, including increased domestic demand and higher offer prices. Further correspondence between the two men in 1908 discusses the possibility of a duty payable to pearling ships for each bag of shells received, as a measure to thwart German dominance (folios 11-12, 13-14).
The final item of correspondence in the file (folios 18-19) is a request from a T. Southwell of the Government of India in Calcutta, dated 8 October 1918, for a large amount of shells currently being held by the
Agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
in Bahrain, formerly owned by Wonckhaus and seized by the British after the start of the War. The shells are urgently required to cover an acute shortage in India, where they are used to make Bengal buttons for the Munitions Board.
Erişim Koşulları
Unrestricted
Düzenleme
The contents of the file have been arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the rear.
Eski Harici Referans(lar)
Confidential Files: Commercial B/6
