IOR/L/PS/10/135

The file contains correspondence, notes and press cuttings relating to the movements of the explorer and naturalist, George Wyman Bury. The majority of the correspondence is between Bury himself, the India Office, the Government of India, the Government of Bombay, and the Political Residency at Aden. There are also letters from the Royal Geographical Society, Foreign Office, British Embassy at Constantinople, British Consulate at Jeddah, British Museum (Natural History), British Commissioner in Somaliland, and the British trading company, Antony Gibbs & Sons.

The papers cover various matters, including:

• Bury's employment as Assistant Resident at Aden in 1903;
• his dismissal in 1904 on the grounds of corruption;
• his successful attempts to clear his name;
• his repeated attempts between 1908 and 1912 to journey into the interior of South Arabia with the support of either the Royal Geographical Society or the British Museum but against the wishes of the British and Indian Governments;
• his numerous requests for references from officers of the British Government.

Included in the file are several extracts and cuttings from newspapers and magazines covering Bury's plans for exploration.

Folio 79 is a sketch map of South Arabia highlighting the areas under Turkish and British control.

The volume includes a divider which gives the year that the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in it arranged by year. This divider is placed at the front of the volume.