IOR/R/15/2/58

This file contains weekly news reports, weekly or fortnightly quarantine reports and occasional secret commercial intelligence reports for the period covering the week ending 11 January 1913 to the week ending 27 December 1913. The news reports and secret commercial intelligence reports were written by Major Arthur Prescott Trevor, Political Agent at Bahrain, or the Head Clerk on his behalf, while the quarantine reports were based on information furnished by Dr F K Boomla, Quarantine Medical Officer, Bahrain. In addition, the file also contains a letter (f. 61) from the Political Agent to the Clerk-in-Charge, Telegraph Station, Henjam [Hangām], dated 9 May 1913, regarding the news report of ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd's [Ibn Sa‘ūd] conquest and occupation of al-Hasa.

The weekly news reports typically include information under headings: Local Officials, Arrivals and Departures of Steamers; Movements of HM's Representatives; Miscellaneous; Customs; Condition of Country; Local Government; Foreign Interests; British Interests; and Condition of Roads, Post & Telegraphs. Under these headings appear occasional sub-headings indicating location or topic, for example: Hasa, Katr [Qatar], Katif [al-Qaṭīf], Hasa-Ojair Route and Pearling.

The quarantine reports are a summary of inspections carried out by the Quarantine Medical Officer and record the name of the steamer, date and time of arrival, from where it has arrived, number of passengers landed at Bahrain, details of the quarantine inspection and whether a Free Pratique was granted. The quarantine report for the week ending 27 December 1913 appears on folio 6 of 'File No. 4/1 Diary File 1914' [IOR/R/15/2/56]. The secret commercial intelligence reports focus on ships of the Hamburg-Amerika Linie landing and offloading cargo at Bahrain and give details of the nature and amount of the cargo and from where it has come.

Details contained within this file include: Qatar and Bahrain affairs; British relations with the Āl Khalīfah family; Turkish activities in Eastern Arabia and Qatar; the Muslim Literary Club (Nādī al-Adabī al-Islāmī) at Manama (f. 24); action against prostitutes and pimps in Manama (ff. 35 and 43); Ibn Sa‘ūd's opinion on the pearling industry (ff. 99-100); visit to Bahrain by Seyyid Hibetuddin Sharistani [Sayyid Hibat al-Dīn al-Shahrastānī] (ff. 1G-2); Shaikh Muḥammad bin ‘Īsá's pilgrimage to Mecca (f. 4); illness and death of Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thāni and the succession of his son, Shaikh ‘Abdullāh (ff. 103 and 107); confering awards to Haji Abbas and Assistant Surgeon G K Monani (f. 27); the pearling season; Ibn Sa‘ūd's conquest and occupation of al-Hasa (f. 57 onwards); celebrating the birthday of King George V (ff. 76-77); visit to Bahrain by Tawfīq Djana editor of Al Houmara journal of Beirut (ff. 135-136); the Qāḍī of Bahrain, Shaikh Jāsim bin Mahzā’; Bahrain merchants, including Yūsuf Kanoo, Yūsuf Fakhrū and Shaikh Muqbil; foreign merchants, including Messrs. Robert Wonckhaus & Co.; Mr L Reinhorn, Mr Habib, Mr Rosenthal, Mr Karl Dermer and Mr Peck.