IOR/R/15/1/211

The volume contains in excess of 120 manumission statements, taken down by the Residency Agent ('Abd al-Razzaq Razuqi) at Sharjah between July 1938 and June 1939. Correspondence accompanying the statements sent by al-Razzaq includes details of the appearance of slaves as an indication of possible mistreatment, and al-Razzaq's own opinion as to whether the slave's case merited manumission. The majority of the manumission cases are straightforward. Manumission statements were received by the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle) via the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman) with the recommendation from al-Razzaq that manumission statements be issued. In reply the Political Residency issued the certificates as requested.

Two exceptional cases are included in the file. The first (folios 206-221) involves the kidnapping and sale of two children in the Shaikh of Ajman's [Rashid bin Humaid] territory. Although not directly implicated in the transaction, Fowle censured the Shaikh on his lack of action in the matter. Fowle demanded that the guilty trader be expelled from Ajman, that a fine of 500 rupees be paid, and that vigorous efforts be made to find the enslaved children. Fowle and Weightman discussed harsher measures that could be taken against the Shaikh of Ajman should he refuse to cooperate. These included the withdrawal of the British Government's 'good offices' with the Shaikh (a measure that included imposing travel restrictions), and bombardment of his fort (folio 207). Fowle requested that the Senior Naval Officer in the Gulf assess the practicality of bombardment (folio 228). The second exceptional case involves the enslavement and sale of a young woman in Ra's al-Khaymah, and the inaction of the Shaikh of Ra's al-Khaymah [Sultan bin Saqr] until prompted by the Residency Agent at Sharjah. British officials discussed the measures of withdrawing good office and bombardment again. Fowle accepted that bombardment would not be a good idea given the imminent likelihood of war starting (this decision being taken in June 1939), which would necessitate the British Government being on good terms with the Gulf shaikhdoms, in order to preserve Britain's air route down the Arab Coast to India.