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24- Ibid., PZ6085/32, Appendix no. 1 to Senior Naval Officer, Communica­
tion no. 126/587, 10 June 1932.
25. Ibid.
26. Ibid.
27. Ibid., PZ3859/32, Political Resident to Government of India, 21 June
1932.
28. Ibid.
29. Dickson belonged to a British family that for two generations before
him had had tics in the Near East. His grandfather had been a
physician at the British Embassy in Constantinople, and his father
was British Consul-General in Damascus when his son Harold was
born in Beirut in 1881. After an education at Oxford, H. R. P.
Dickson joined the Indian Army and during World War I served
in Mesopotamia, at which time he was transferred to the Political
Department. After service as Political Agent in Bahrain and Secretary
to the Political Resident at Bushirc, he became Political Agent in
Kuwait from 1929 to 1936. He spent the remainder of his life, until
1959, *n Kuwait, as chief local representative of the Kuwait Oil Com­
pany. Dickson published two books that arc invaluable to any study
of Arabia: Kuwait and her Neighbours (London, 1968), and The Arabs
of the Desert (London, 1967). His wife and daughter also recorded
their reminiscences of life in Kuwait: Violet Dickson, Forty Tears in
Kuwait (London, 1970); and Zahra Freeth, Kuwait was my Home (London,
1956).
30. For an account of Biscoc’s death and funeral, see Dickson, Kuwait
and her Neighbours, pp. 346-7.
31. Enclosed in L/P&S/12/1966, PZ4664/32, Political Resident to Govern­
ment of India, 26 July 1932.
32. Ibid., PZ5015/32, Political Agent Kuwait to Government of India,
4 Aug 1932.
33. Ibid.
34. L/P&S/12/1963, Political Resident to Sa‘id bin Hamad, 5 Mar 1933.
Enclosed in PZ2239/33, Political Resident to India Office, 24 Mar
*933-
35. Ibid., PZ1815/33, extract from report of proceedings of the Commandcr-
in-Chief East Indies, n.d.
36. Ibid., Officiating Political Agent Bahrain to Political Resident, 23 May
1936 (extract). Enclosed in PZ3881/36, Political Resident to India
Office, 29 May 1936.
37. Ibid., PZ3902/36, Political Resident to India Office, 6 June 1936 (tcle-
gram).
38. L/P&S/12/1966, Political Agent Kuwait to Sultan bin Saqr, 22 July
Enclosed in PZ4664/32, Political Resident to Government of
I932-
India, 26 July 1932.
3Q. The question then was whether Kalba belonged to Sharjah or to
.
Muscat; the Government of India decided in favour of Sharjah (Lonrncr,
.n t /P&S/i2/1963, minute by S. Hood (India Office) at PZ3902/36, 9
4 June 1936. The Shaykh of Sharjah, however, had been present at
the 1903 durbar.