Abstract: A copy of a letter from Major-General William Grant Keir, Commander of the 1819 expedition to the Persian Gulf, to Francis Warden, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay [Mumbai], sent from HMS
Liverpooloff the island of Kenn [Kīsh] and dated 21 February 1820. The letter contains a report on the islands of Kishmee [Qeshm] and Kenn which evaluates the islands as potential British commercial and military bases in the Persian Gulf, discussing the navigability, availability of supplies, and population of the islands. Keir advises against establishing a base on Kishmee, instead recommending Kenn, and proposes that the island should be acquired from the Sheikh [Shaikh] of Charak [Bandar-e Chārak].The letter was enclosed in the letter of Henry Willock, HM Chargé d’Affaires in Persia [Iran], to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, dated 29 March 1820 [IOR/L/PS/9/69/1].Physical description: Condition: the letter was perforated in an attempt to stop the spread of disease.
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Major-General William Grant Keir, Commander of the 1819 expedition to the Persian Gulf, to Henry Willock, HM Chargé d’Affaires in Persia [Iran], sent from Bushire [Būshehr] and dated 7 March 1820. The letter forwards dispatches to the Governor of Bombay [Mumbai] and enclosures [IOR/L/PS/9/69/2-8]. Keir states his preference for the island of Kenn [Kīsh] as a British base in the Gulf and his plans to return to Bombay via Rasal Khyma [Ra’s al-Khaymah].The letter was enclosed in the letter of Henry Willock, HM Chargé d’Affaires in Persia, to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, dated 29 March 1820 [IOR/L/PS/9/69/1].Physical description: Condition: the letter was perforated in an attempt to stop the spread of disease.
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Mountstuart Elphinstone, Governor of Bombay [Mumbai], to Henry Willock, HM Chargé d’Affaires in Persia [Iran], sent from Baroda [Vadodara] and dated 1 April 1820. The letter instructs Willock to solicit the Persian Government for the concession of Kenn [Kīsh] as a military and naval base against ‘piracy’ in the Gulf.The letter was enclosed in the letter of Henry Willock, HM Chargé d'Affaires in Persia, to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company dated 6 July 1820 (IOR/L/PS/9/69/26 and 29).A duplicate of the letter can be found in IOR/L/PS/9/69/27.Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Mountstuart Elphinstone, Governor of Bombay [Mumbai], to Henry Willock, HM Chargé d’Affaires in Persia [Iran], sent from Baroda [Vadodara] and dated 1 April 1820.The letter instructs Willock to solicit the Persian Government for the concession of Kenn [Kīsh] as a military and naval base against ‘piracy’ in the Gulf.The letter was enclosed in Willock’s letter to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company dated 6 July 1820 (IOR/L/PS/9/69/27).Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
Abstract: Extracts of a letter from Henry Willock, HM Chargé d'Affaires in Persia [Iran], to the Chief Secretary of the Supreme Government of India, sent from Tabriz and dated 25 July 1820.The letter concerns Anglo-Persian relations in the Gulf following the 1819 British expedition against ‘piracy’. Subjects covered include: a request from the Prince Royal ['Abbās Mīrzā, Crown Prince of Persia] for British support in conquering Bahrein [Bahrain]; Willock’s offer to negotiate a tributary relationship between Bahrein and Persia; the desired cession of an island for a British base in the Gulf, refused by the Persian Government; and the planned occupation of Kishma [Qeshm] by British troops.The extracts were enclosed in Willock’s letter to Joseph Dart, Secretary to the Court of Directors of the East India Company, dated 6 August 1820 (IOR/L/PS/9/69/42).Physical description: 1 item (6 folios)