Author
numerous incumbents during the period covered by the file)
Publication Date
11 Jan 1907-12 Nov 1917 (CE, Gregorian)
Subject
1
Type
Document
Language
ara,eng
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Pages Count
120
Library
Qatar Digital Library
Library Asset ID
IOR/R/15/2/13
Record ID
vdc_100000000193.0x0002ec
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
11 Jan 1907-12 Nov 1917 (CE, Gregorian)
Notes
The letters, office notes and other items contained in the volume relate to the discovery and survey of bitumen (or asphalt) deposits in Bahrain, and subsequent discussions between British officials and the ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, on securing exclusive concessions to extract oil deposits in future. The principal 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.
at Bahrain (both posts being held by numerous incumbents during the period covered by the file), and Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain.
In January 1901, John Calcott Gaskin, then
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, wrote to 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.
Major Charles Kemball, reporting that asphalt deposits had been discovered at Jebbel Dukhan [Jabal ad Dukhkhān] in Bahrain, and were attracting the interest of the German company Wonckhaus & Co. (folios 1-2). In January 1902 Gaskin further reported to the Resident that Wonckhaus & Co. had approached Shaikh ‘Īsá with a view to securing exclusive rights to the extraction of the asphalt (folios 3-4). Between the years 1903 and 1909 British representatives carried out a number of geological surveys on the asphalt deposits, the first, in 1903, being carried out by Gaskin himself. The results of each of these surveys suggested that, though the deposits of asphalt were neither extensive nor commercially viable, they did provide evidence that more significant reserves of oil might be present (folios 17-24, 43-46, 79).
Correspondence in the second half of the file shifts to the question of the Shaikh of Bahrain’s ownership of the asphalt/oil deposits, and efforts by British officials to secure exclusive rights to the mineral resources. In early 1914 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.
, Major Arthur Trevor, exchanged a number of letters with Shaikh ‘Īsá, seeking assurances that British officials would be consulted prior to any attempts at extraction, and that the Shaikh would not consult anyone else over the extraction of his mineral resources (folios 83-100). Correspondence at the end of the volume indicates outside interest in Bahrain’s mineral resources. Enclosed with a letter addressed to 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.
dated 1 May 1914, the geologist and oil prospector Charteris A. Stewart enclosed a map showing the sites of oil seepages in the Gulf, including at Bahrain, and enquired after the governance of a number of islands in the Gulf (folios 106-07). In June 1914 the Bahrain
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.
and 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.
discussed interest in the Gulf’s oil deposits from Messrs S. Pearson & Son, whom Stewart was representing (folio 108).
Erişim Koşulları
Unrestricted
Düzenleme
The contents of the volume are arranged in approximate chronological order, starting with the earliest items at the front of the volume, and running to the latest items at the back.
Eski Harici Referans(lar)
Confidential Files: Commercial B/2
