Abstract: Newsletters sent out by the Officiating Secretary to the Government of India containing compiled summaries of reports from British officials and military officers in various parts of South Asia and the Middle East.Each newsletter is divided into headings, most of which refer to the place a report was sent from. Headings which appear in a majority of the newsletters are: Army of the Indus; Cabool [Kabul]; Joudhpore [Jodhpur]; Lahore; Nipal [Nepal]; Peshawur [Peshawar]; Upper Scinde [Sindh] and/or Lower Scinde; and Items of General Intelligence. Other headings include: Aden; Ava [Inwa]; Bithoor; Bokhara [Bukhara]; Burmah [Myanmar]; Bushire [Būshehr]; Candahar [Kandahar]; Dera Ismael Khan [Dera Ismail Khan]; Egypt and Syria; Finance or Financial; Gwalior; Herat; Hyderabad; Kelat [Kalat]; Kurnool; Mooltan [Multan]; Muscat; Persia [Iran]; Persian Gulf; Sattarah [Satara]; and Turkish Arabia.Several of the reports are concerned with the opening months of the First Anglo-Afghan War, the East India Company’s invasion of Afghanistan in order to depose Dost Mahomed [Dost Mohammad Khan] as Emir and replace him with former Emir Shah Shooja [Shah Shujah Durrani]. These reports cover:Movements of troops and artilleryLogistics of feeding the troops, particularly the acquisition of grainNavigation of mountain passes leading into Afghanistan, including the Boolan [Bolan] Pass and the Khyber PassThe reorganisation in preparation for the invasion of the so-called ‘Army of the Indus’ by Sir John KeaneThe raising of troops in support of the British by the Maharajah of the Sikh Empire [Ranjit Singh], in accordance with the terms of the Tripartite Treaty of 1838A treaty with the Khan of Kelat [Mir Mehrab Khan Baloch II]The invasion of Kundooz [Kunduz, also spelt Koondooz in the file] by the son of Dost MahomedRaids on British camps and convoys by so called ‘plunderers’, particularly in Balochistan and around the Khyber PassAttempts by Dost Mahomed to incite a holy war against the BritishAn uprising against Dost Mahomed in CaboolThe activities of Russian and Persian armies in western AfghanistanThe British capture of Ghuzni [Ghazni] on 23 July and of Ali Musjid [Ali Masjid] on 27 JulyThe death from sickness of Mahomed Akbar Khan, son of Dost Mahomed, while retreating from CaboolThe pursuit and attempted capture of Dost Mahomed after the capture of Ghuzni and his escape to Khoolum [Kholm]The creation by Shah Shooja of the Order of the Dooranee [Durrani] Empire to honour British officers involved in the warA treaty with Shah Kamran of HeratAttempts to force Dost Mahomed out of hiding in KoondoozSickness among British and Sikh troops at Ali Musjid, including from water naturally tainted with antimony.Other topics covered in the reports include:The health of the Maharajah, his death on 27 June, the accession and coronation of his son Kurruck Sing [Kharak Singh] and the late Maharajah’s funeral and tombThe subjugation of Nejd [Najd] by Ottoman forces, and perceived threats against Bahrein [Bahrain] and Kowheit [Kuwait]The renunciation of hostilities with his neighbours by Sooltan Bin Suggar [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī], ruler of Sharga [Sharjah]The capture of Bushire by Bahir Khan [Baqir Khan Tangistani], Chief of Tengistan [Tangestan]An appeal to the British Government against the Government of India by the Raja of Sattarah [Pratap Singh] and the Company’s deposition of the RajaAnti-British sentiment and activities in NipalAnti-British sentiment and activities in Burmah and the stationing of Royal Navy ships in Rangoon [Yangon] harbourAn uprising by Moobaruz ud Dowlah [Mubarez-ud-Daulah] against his brother the Nizam of Hyderabad [Sikandar Jah]Disturbances near British borders with Colapore [Kolhapur] and GoaRiver transport between Kurachee [Karachi] and Tatta [Thatta]The appointment of a Political Officer to handle 'anarchy and disorder' in Shikarpore [Shikarpur]Relations with the Guicowar [Sayaji Rao II Gaekwad, Maharaja of Baroda]The capture of Kot [Kota] on behalf of JoudhporeAn intercepted Arabic letter from Khan-i-Alum Khan, a cousin of the Nawab of the Carnatic, asking the intended recipient (believed to be Ibrahim Pasha, commander of the Egyptian army) to invade India and drive out the BritishDuties on goods exported from Lahore to Bombay [Mumbai], and a reduction of duties for boats on the IndusThe imprisonment of Colonel Charles Stoddart by the Emir of Bokhara [Nasrullah Khan]The withdrawal of the British Embassy from TehranThe reinforcement of Aden, and a census taken thereThe death of the heir to the throne of JoudhporeThe British occupation of Kharrack [Kharg] Island, to counter the Persian siege of HeratAn uprising in Suddya [Sadiya]The journey of the Euphrates Expedition up the Tigris to near Masoul [Mosul]A civil war in Bhootan [Bhutan]Negotiations over the position of the British in BushireA physical altercation between the Nawab of Bhopaul [Jahangir Muhammad Khan] and his wife Secunder Begum [Sikandar Begum]The arrest of forty-six Wahabee [Wahhabi] for sedition in HyderabadChinese measures against the opium trade in Canton [Guangzhou] and a proposal to send ships to protect British merchants and blockade portsA conspiracy against Maharajah Kurruck Sing and his son Now Nehal Sing [Nau Nihal Singh, also spelt Nao Nehal Sing in the file], and an enforced oath of allegiance to the MaharajahPerceived military intentions of the King of Ava [Tharrawaddy Min, King of Burma] against Britain and Siam [Thailand], and British responsesAn Egyptian victory over the Ottomans [Battle of Nezib]The reported raising of troops in Persia, possibly to target Herat, Bushire or Bagdad [Baghdad]An experiment in sending mail to Damascus via Bussora [Basra] instead of BagdadArrangements for steam navigation on the IndusA reported increase in Russian hostilities in the War in Circassia [Russo-Circassian War]The withdrawal of the British Resident from Amreepoora [Amarapura]Reported Russian preparations to invade Stambol [Istanbul]The temporary seizure by the Sheik of Muhumarah [Khorramshahr, also spelt Mohamrah in the file] of a shipment of Company coalThe British occupation of Joudhpore to put down a rebellion against the Maharajah Mann Sing [Man Singh]A request from Nipal for passage through Sikkim in order to invade BhootanThe reported insanity of the Nawab of Kurnool [Ghulam Rasul Khan], and the British examination of troops and the arsenal thereThe outlawing of Suttee [sati] by the new Raja of Sattara [Shahaji]A genealogical account of the descent of Shah Newaz Khan [Shah Nawaz Khan] to support his claim to the Khanate of KelatA demand from the Shah of Persia for reparations to Persian merchants who lost property during the Ottoman capture of MohamrahA demand from Mehemet Ali [Muhammad Ali, Pasha of Egypt] for the removal of Khosrow Mahomed Pasha [Mehmed Emin Rauf Pasha] as Ottoman Grand VizierTroops sent by the Emir of Bokhara to put down a rebellion against Moorad Beg, Chief of Koondooz [Mohammad Murad Beg, Khan of Kunduz]Unrest and riots in Persian cities, including against the Armenian population in Tabreez [Tabriz] and against the Prince [Fereydoun Mirza] in ShirazThe removal of Mirza Mahomed Hossein as Governor of BushireA rumoured Russian invasion of Toorkistan [Turkestan]A survey of the road between Kurachee and SehwanThe reported intention of the Imam of Muscat [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd, Sultan of Muscat and Oman] to establish a commercial relationship with the United States of America.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 575, and terminates at f 950, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of Enclosures to a General Letter from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 27 of 1841, dated 31 March 1841. The enclosures are dated 29 December 1840 to 31 March 1841. They largely relate to the situation in Sinde [Sindh], and Afghanistan.The enclosures consist of copies of letters sent and letters received by the Government of Bombay, and copies of other documents including minutes by the Governor of Bombay, the Commander in Chief, and others.The main correspondents and recipients are as follows: the Secretary to the Government of India; the Political Agent in Lower Sinde; the Political Agent in Upper Sinde; the Adjutant General of the Army; the Quarter Master General of the Army; the Military Board; and the Envoy and Minister at Cabool [Kabul].The enclosures relate to matters including: the complaints of Major General G B Brooks about the ‘capricious’ conduct of Captain Wardell and Lieutenant Mylne, two officers attached to the Sinde Field Force; the transport to Kurratchee [Karachi] of the heavy ordnance and military stores required at Cabool; the appointment of Major General Brooks to Command the troops above and below the Beloochistan [Balochistan] Passes; the ‘gallant’ conduct of Captain Brown and the detachment under his command in the defence of Kahun; the question of the future strength and distribution of the Sinde Field Force to be stationed in Upper Sinde; the unsuccessful attack on the Fort of Kujjuck by the Field detachment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel P P Wilson; British political relations with the Heraut [Herat] Government being broken off, and the withdrawal of the British Mission from Heraut; and the potential march of troops to Herat.The enclosures also include:Copies of extracts from the
Gwalior Akbar, containing a précis of the latest news from Gwalior (No. 38, ff 130-131)Précis of intelligence forwarded by the Political Agent in Upper Sinde (Nos. 42-45, ff 143-166)Copies of News Letters from the Secretary to the Government of India consisting of précis of intelligence received from areas in India and elsewhere including: the North West Frontier, Peshawur [Peshawar], Afghanistan, Upper Sinde, Persia [Iran], Gwalior, Nipaul [Nepal], Khyva [Khiva], Egypt and Kohistan (Nos. 71-73, ff 266-286).Physical description: There is an abstract of contents of the despatch, numbered 1-93, on folios 1-17. These numbers are repeated for reference on the last verso of each enclosure. Enclosure numbers 91-93, listed in the abstract of contents, are not included in this part of the volume.
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 15 of 1841, dated 28 February 1841. The enclosures are dated 14 November 1840 to 28 February 1841, and mostly consist of copies of correspondence sent and received by the Government of Bombay.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Secretary to the Government of Bombay (John Pollard Willoughby); the Secretary to the Government of India (Thomas Herbert Maddock); the Political Agent in Lower Sinde; the Quarter Master General of the Bombay Army; and the Bombay Military Board.Many of the enclosures concern military affairs in Sinde [Sindh, also spelled Scinde in the item], including the purchase of camels for the use of the troops in Upper Scinde, and the distribution of the Sinde Field Force under the command of Major-General G B Brooks.The enclosures also discuss matters including:Custom duties at the Port of Soomeeanee [Sonmiani, also spelled Sonmeeanee in this part]The arrival of a Bombay merchant at Hyderabad bearing letters to Meer Nusseer Khan, Ameer of Sinde [Amir of Sindh], labelled as being from Syud Mahomed Bakur Rushte Isfahnee, head Moollah [Mullah] of the Persian [Iranian] CourtThe establishment of depots at Poona [Pune] and Ahmedabad for the accommodation of the families of Native troops employed in service beyond the British FrontierThe despatch of a gun and ammunition as a present to the Dewan of Pahlunpoor [Palanpur, also spelled Pahlunpore in this item]The inconvenience experienced by boats entering the Harbour of Kurrachee [Karachi] being compelled to report their arrival to the officer commanding the vessel stationed off that Port, and the view of the Political Agent in Lower Sinde that such a measure was unnecessary for the prevention of the importation of slaves, as only boats which had come from the Coast of Arabia were ever likely to contain any slaves, and those boats were liable to be stopped on the high seasThe request of Meer Nusseer Khan, Amir of Sindh, for a passage in the first steam ship to Suez for a confidential attendant of his late brother Meer Noor Mahomed Khan, to perform the Hadj [Hajj] to Mecca on his behalfRecent events in Herat.This part also includes newsletters from the Government of India, reporting intelligence received from various places including: the North West Frontier, Gwalior, Mysore, and other areas of India, and Afghanistan, China, and Nipal (Nepal).Physical description: There is an abstract of contents of the despatch, numbered 1-63, on folios 175-185. These numbers are repeated for reference on the last verso of each enclosure. Enclosures 61-63 are not included in the volume.
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 93 of 1840, dated 31 October 1840. The enclosures are numbered 3-244 and are dated 13 January to 31 October 1840. Enclosure numbers 20-31, 121-26, 234-37, and 241-43, listed in the abstract of contents, are not included in this item, as noted on folio 261. The enclosures mostly consist of correspondence, and relate to the Euphrates Expedition, and affairs in various places, including Sinde [Sindh, also spelled Scinde in this item], Cutch [Kutch or Kachchh], Pahlunpore [Palanpur], Kishm [Qeshm], Egypt, Afghanistan, Muscat and Nepal.The enclosures concern matters including:The request of the Superintendent of the Indian Navy for permission to engage an Acting Master and an Acting Second Master for each of the steam vessels employed on the River Euphrates, in addition to the Lieutenant in Command, Henry Blosse Lynch, due to a lack of commissioned officersThe objections of the Bombay Military Board to twelve bills in Commander Lynch’s expenses, due to the nature of the charges not being in accordance with the rules of the Indian NavyThe scale of pay and allowances for Lieutenant Lynch, the commissioned and warrant officers, and engineers of the Euphrates Expedition under his commandThe position in which the Superintendent of the Indian Navy should consider Commander Lynch, while he is commanding the Euphrates ExpeditionA private letter from Lieutenant Campbell, in charge of the Euphrates steam flotilla, to the Political Agent in Turkish Arabia [Ottoman Iraq], Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Taylor, regarding the strength of the crews of the vessels on the rivers of the Mesopotamia, and suggesting that the Superintendent of the Indian Navy be instructed to supply the needs of the Euphrates flotilla as far as lies in his powerThe survey of the western side of the Indus by Captain Le Messurier, and his request to be provided with surveying instrumentsThe Political Agent in Lower Sinde [Sindh, also spelled Scinde in this item], Captain James Outram, forwarding specimens of the depreciated currency introduced at Hyderabad, and the Assay Master’s report on the specimensThe proceedings of the Political Agent in Cutch regarding a representation made by the Rana of Parkhur [Nagarparkar] to the Ameers [Amīrs] of SindeThe request of the Rao of Cutch that the position of Civil Surgeon at Bhooj [Bhuj] is not abolishedThe allowance to be assigned to the state prisoner Ghoolam Hyder Khan [Ghulām Ḥaydar Khān]The question of whether the value of the boat and cargo belonging to the Sheik of Kishm [Shaikh of Qeshm], which have been seized under the embargo ordered against his vessels, is sufficient to cover the demand of Government against himThe Political Agent in Turkish Arabia forwarding intelligence received from Syria to the Government of IndiaThe opinion of the Resident in the Persian Gulf on the measures which it would be advisable to adopt for establishing an overland communication via Bagdad [Baghdad] and Constantinople [Istanbul], in the event of a rupture of relations with the Pasha of EgyptThe Accountant General, Bombay forwarding certain statements required by the Government of India of the expenses incurred on account of the force from the Bombay Presidency employed in Afghanistan and SindeThe Commissary General, Bombay, forwarding two documents containing information on the resources of Kurrachee [Karachi] and Sukkur and their dependencies to the Government of BombayAdditional military aid placed at the disposal of the Government of Bombay by the Government of MadrasThe sending of reinforcements of troops for service in SindeMeasures adopted for obtaining camp followers for the use of the force moving to Sinde, and the purchase of camels for service in Upper Sinde.The primary correspondent is the Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Lestock Robert Reid. The various other correspondents, mostly military and political officials, include: the Superintendent of the Indian Navy, Captain Robert Oliver; the Political Agent in Cutch, Peter Melvill Melvill; the Political Agent in Lower Sinde, Major James Outram; the Secretary to the Government of India; the Bombay Military Board; the Quarter-Master General of the Bombay Army, Lieutenant-Colonel Neil Campbell; the Political Commissioner and Resident for Guzerat [Gujarat], W S Boyd; and the Political Superintendent, Pahlunpore [Palanpur], C B Prescott.Physical description: 1 item (623 folios)
Abstract: The file is concerned with alleged violations of Nepalese territory by foreign aircraft. The reports are supplied to the Government of India by HM Minister to Nepal (Frederick Marshman Bailey and later Geoffrey Betham). The papers within the file can be largely grouped under two categories:correspondence related to a reported violation by a single aircraft on 29 December 1938 piloted by W M Fairweather: see folios 11-21correspondence regarding reports of violations between 23 April and 15 May 1942 by American and British aircraft: see folios 2-10The file also contains a Foreign Office circular regarding subsidies for Royal Air Force pilots touring aboard (folio 29), and a Government of India Notice to Airmen, No 9 of 1938 (folios 22-25).No papers have been filed for the years between 1940-41.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 30; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: Correspondence regarding requests for arms, ammunition and related materials and machinery from the Government of Nepal. The following topics are discussed:the Government of Nepal's wish to construct a cartridge (ammunition) factory, and related requests for technical advice from the Woolwich Arsenal;the capacity of the Government of India ammunition factory at Kirkee [Khadki] to supply Nepalese requests for ammunition;the relationship between the Government of India and the Government of Nepal, and concerns over the ability of Nepal to covertly manufacture arms and ammunition;requests for arms and ammunition from a number of British and European companies, including Keymer, Son & Company, Vickers-Armstrongs Limited, the Soley Armament Company, Tavaro, and W J Jeffrey & Company;the grant of export licences, and arrangements for shipping, for materials ordered for Nepal;British concerns over the Government of Nepal's dealings with an agent based in Ireland, named Rameshwarlal Bazaj;the establishment of cartridge and explosives factories in Nepal;Nepalese military assistance to the Allies during the Second World War (1939-1945).The principal correspondents are: the India Office Political and Military Departments; the War Office; the Government of India Foreign and Political Department; HM Minister to Nepal (Clendon Turberville Daukes, later Frederick Marshman Bailey); and the Government of Nepal. The file also contains correspondence from Keymer, Son & Co, who acted as agents in London for the Government of Nepal, and a small amount of correspondence with Vickers-Armstrongs Limited, regarding orders for modified Vickers-Berthier machine guns. A small number of export licence applications and certificates are found throughout the file, accompanied by materials manifests.The file includes dividers which give lists of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are found at the end of the correspondence (folios 2-3).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 231; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The file contains papers related to opportunities for supplying British aircraft to Nepal. Most of these papers relate to an enquiry in 1945, instigated by the Nepalese Minister in London, over the possibility of purchasing de Havilland Dominie and Percival Proctor aircraft.The main correspondents are HM Minister at Nepal (Geoffrey Lawrence Betham and George Arthur Falconer) and representatives of the Government of India.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 37; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence regarding the movements and activities of the Central Powers in Persia [Iran], India and Afghanistan between April 1915 and January 1918. The correspondence is particularly concerned with information gained from German papers left behind in Kerman, Persia, and with German propaganda sent to the Amir of Afghanistan, the Maharaja of Nepal and various Indian rulers.The primary correspondents are: Government of the German Empire; War Office; British Consul General, Ispahan; British Resident, Nepal; Government of India.The volume contains several items in German (ff 48-49 and 178-98), copies of some of the documents captured in Kerman. The full list of documents captured is at ff 167-75.The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 246; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.