IOR/L/PS/20/MM15

This volume consists of memoranda produced by the Government of India Foreign Department, dated January 1908 to December 1909. These were originally enclosed in letters to the Secretary of State for India, which are not included in this volume. The memoranda are divided into four groups:

• Monthly memoranda of information received ‘regarding affairs in Arabia’ (January-December 1908)
• Monthly memoranda of information received ‘regarding the North-East Frontier, Burma [Burma/Myanmar], Siam [Thailand] and China’ (January-May 1908)
• Monthly memoranda of information received ‘regarding the North-East Frontier and Burma’ (June-December 1908)
• Monthly memoranda of information received ‘regarding affairs in Arabia, the North-East Frontier and Burma’ (January-December 1909).

The information within the memoranda is organised into sections according to different countries and geographical areas, including the following:

• Aden (also covering East Africa)
• Arabian Shore of the Persian Gulf (including Nejd [Najd])
• Turkish Arabia (covering Ottoman Iraq, Ottoman Yemen, and Ottoman Arabia)
• Maskat [Muscat]
• Assam
• Burma
• Siam
• Nepal
• Tibet
• Bhutan
• China.

Some of the ‘Arabia’ memoranda also include a section headed ‘Miscellaneous’, which covers some ports in southern Persia [Iran] and issues including shipping, quarantine, telegraphs, and the pearl industry.

Key subjects covered in the ‘Arabia’ memoranda include:

• Relations with local rulers in the Gulf and the Aden Protectorate
• Local conflicts and disturbances, including ‘piracy’
• Land sales
• The activity of Turkish [Ottoman] authorities and their relations with local rulers
• Railway construction, river navigation, and other commercial projects in Turkish territories
• Arms traffic in the Gulf and Red Sea
• Prospecting and mining, in particular red oxide on islands in the Gulf
• The activity of foreign powers in the region, e.g. concessions, prospecting, the movements of Consuls, and the use of foreign flags by local dhows.

Key subjects covered in the ‘North-East Frontier’ memoranda include:

• Frontier affairs, including raids and military operations
• Trade relations
• Railway construction in Burma
• Chinese relations with other states in the region
• The British telegraph station at Gyantse [Gyangze]
• The movements of the Dalai Lama
• The proposed reconstruction of the Phari Jong fortress in Tibet
• Chinese and Russian activity in Tibet.

There are tables of contents for each memorandum.