Abstract: This file contains inward letters from the Government of Bombay plus enclosures from the Government of India to Captain David Wilson, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. Subjects include Britain’s relations with Persia and the Imam of Muscat, as well as issues concerning the Russo-Persian War and the new Persian currency.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the cover and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An original pagination sequence in ink also runs throughout the volume.
Abstract: This file consists of a memorandum written by Edwin Samuel Montagu, the Secretary of State for India, describing the situation of Assyrian and Armenian refugees in Mesopotamia.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 117, and terminates at f 117, 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The volume chiefly comprises copies of letters sent to the Residency (with some addressed to the Resident, Captain Samuel Hennell) by the various government agents, including: Moollah Hussain, the agent at Sharjah; Khojah Reuben, the agent at Muscat; the Government agent at Bahrain [referred to as Bahrein throughout]; and reporters and news writers at Shiraz. All of these letters are English translations; the originals (presumably in Arabic and Persian) not being included in the volume. A small number of copies and drafts of outward letters, written by Hennell, are also included in the volume (folios 102-03, 110).Many of the letters contain translations, or translated extracts, of letters from various rulers around the Gulf, including: the Imam of Muscat; Maktoom [Shaikh Maktum bin Butti], chief of Debay [Dubai]; Khalifa bin Shakboot [Khalīfah bin Shakbut], chief of Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi], Sultan ben Suggur [Sultan bin Saqr], chief of Ras ul Khymah [Ra's al Khaymah]; Salman bin Nasser, chief of Al Bidda (also spelt Biddah); Mahomed bin Abdullah, chief of Bremi [Al Buraymī].Letters from the Sharjah Agent and rulers on the Arab Coast chiefly concern relations between the various tribes and towns, including disputes between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and include account of hostilities on land and sea, feuds, and negotiations for peace. Letters from the Shiraz reporters and news writers concern: diplomatic relations at Shiraz, including relations between Persia and the European imperial powers (Britain, France, Russia, Austria) and ambassadorial visits from European representatives; the death of the Governor of Fars and the appointment of a successor; proceedings and movement of king and court, government and Persian troops.Other subjects include: relations between Muscat and Egypt; Egyptian advances in Arabia; acts of piracy committed at Al Bidda on the Guttur [Qatar] coast, the activities of Rugragee [Jassim bin Jaber Raqraqi]; movement of trading vessels; instances of cholera and plague; activity on the pearling banks; incidents of slavery, and the import of slaves from Africa.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence begins on the title page and ends on the last page of text, and uses pencil numbers written in the top-right corner of each recto. Two front and two rear flyleaves are unfoliated. The following foliation anomaly occurs: f 28, 28A.Pagination: An incomplete original pagination sequence in ink is present between ff 5-127; these numbers are located in the top outermost corners of each page.
Abstract: The volume contains copies of incoming and outgoing correspondence for the Persian Gulf Residency. At the start of 1852 Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell is Resident, before being superseded by Captain Arnold Kemball. Correspondence in the volume falls under the following headings:Persia, Basra and Baghdad (folios 2-4);The Persian Gulf slave trade (folios 6-8);Correspondence with the Muscat Political Agent (folios 10-23);Commerce (folios 25-39);Miscellaneous items (folios 40-51).Physical description: Foliation: There is an original pagination sequence, which is written in ink, in the top right of each recto and the top left of each verso. There is one foliation sequence, which is written in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. The sequence begins on the title page, on number 1, and runs through to 52, ending on the inside of the back cover of the volume. The following details should be noted: f 7 is followed by f 7A; f 8 is followed by f 8A; f 23 is followed by f 23A; f 39 is followed by f 39A.On some pages the lines of handwritten have been truncated where the pages have been later cropped, making the legibility of words at the edges of pages difficult to read. One item in the volume (f 32) is written is in cypher.
Abstract: This file contains copies of official correspondence divided up into three sections as follows:1) 1855/56 Residency, Persian Gulf, Persia (folios 1b-50):This section contains copies of correspondence regarding affairs in Persia between Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (and occasionally James Felix Jones, as officiating Resident in the Persian Gulf) and the following correspondents:Meerza Hussain Alee Khan, the Governor of Bushire (this correspondence is translated from Farsi);George Robinson, Commander of the Persian Gulf Naval Squadron;Charles Augustus Murray, British Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia;William Taylor Thompson, British Chargé d'Affaires at the Court of Persia;Peter Stephen, British Agent at Ispahan [Isfahan], Persia.2) 1855/56 Residency in the Persian Gulf, Squadron (folios 51-80):This section contains copies of letters between Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and a number of ship captains in the region including Alexander Foulerton, Commanding Officer of the Sloop
Cliveand Richard Ethersey, Commanding Officer of the Persian Gulf Naval Squadron.3) 1855/56 Residency in the Persian Gulf, English Records, General (folios 77-80):This section contains two letters, one from Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to the Senior Magistrate of Police in Bombay and the other to Kemball from Felix Jones, Officiating Political Agent in Turkish Arabia.Physical description: Condition: Loose folios in a file. The folios show evidence of having previously been bound.Foliation: the file's foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1A, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 80.
Abstract: This file contains letters sent to the Residency in Bushire (spelt Abusheer in earlier correspondence in the file) from officials at Bombay Castle, primarily from the Political Department. The correspondence discusses the costs and location of the Residency, an attack on the town of Bushire in 1828, the internal political situation in Persia and British relations with the Imam of Muscat related to his desire to interfere in the affairs of Persia and Bushire.The file also contains letters in Farsi sent from Bombay to the Hoosain Ulli Meerza [Husain Ali Mirza], Prince of Sheeraz [Shiraz] in 1829 (ff. 29-30) and a translation of a firman issued in 1838 by Mohammad Shah Qajar, the ruler of Persia, relating to British trading rights in Persia (folio 80).Physical description: The folios of the file are now loose in a folder but there is evidence of previous binding.Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers positioned in the top-right corner of each recto. The files contains the following foliation errors: 43a. This is the sequence which has been used by this catalogue to reference items within the volume.Pagination: An original pagination system runs throughout most of the volume, written in ink in the top-left corner of verso pages, and the top-right corner of recto pages.
Abstract: The volume consists of chronological entries containing transcripts of correspondence sent and received, and notes on the arrival and departure of vessels at Bushire. The Resident during the period covered was William Bruce (acting).The correspondence sent is entered under the date the letter was written; that received is entered under the date of receipt at Bushire. The correspondence is mostly between the Resident and other East India Company officials, particularly the Government of Bombay; the Government of Bengal, Fort William, Calcutta; the Resident at Bussora [Basra] (Samuel Manesty, and deputising for him Lieutenant Edward Hutchins Bellasis and John Law); the Resident at Bagdad [Baghdad] (Harford Jones); the Resident at Muscat (David Seton); and commanders of ships of the Bombay Marine (the East India Company navy) .The records of shipping consist of a note of the day of arrival and departure of ships of the Bombay Marine and country ships (privately-owned merchant ships, which operated under licence from the East India Company), and information on their port of origin and destination. The term 'imported' is used to indicate the arrival of a vessel.General topics covered in the volume include:appointments;piracy;movements of ships;financial and accounting matters;sales of merchandise;relations with Persia;political developments in the region;administrative matters;the transmission of packets of correspondence;the activities of French privateers in the Gulf.Specific topics (dated by date of diary entry) covered in the volume include:the capture of the
Creoleand the fate of the body of the late Resident at Bushire, Mirza Mehedy Alli Khawn [Mīrzā Mahdī ‘Alī Khān], 31 October 1805 (ff. 2v-3r);correspondence between the Government of Bombay and Bruce concerning discrepancies in the audit of the Bushire Residency accounts for the period 1801/02, 13 November 1804 (ff. 3r-4r);the capture by Joasem [Qāsimī] pirates of the British brigs
Shannon and Trimmer(e.g. entries for 6 December 1804 - 12 January 1805, ff. 26r-32v).The volume contains transcribed correspondence from dates earlier than the first diary entry. The earliest such letter is dated 30 November 1803.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the first folio after the front cover and terminates at 90 on the last folio before the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomaly: ff. 1, 1A.Pagination: a pagination sequence numbered 1-176 runs between ff. 2-89. These numbers are written in ink and appear in the top right (recto) or top left (verso) corner of each page. Damage to the edges of the pages has resulted in the loss of some of these numbers. In consequence, the pagination sequence has been duplicated in pencil on each page; these numbers appear in the top centre of each page and are not circled.Condition: the volume has suffered damage to the edges of many of the folios. This has resulted in the loss of some of the pagination numbers (as above) and (particularly between ff. 2-22) the ends of some lines of text; however, the missing text can generally be reconstructed. There are also two holes in the top centre and top right of folios 1-11. These have also occasioned some loss of text, but the sense of the original is generally unaffected.
Abstract: This file consists of a report which is dated 20 June 1916 and is attributed to Richard Alexander Steel, Military Attaché of the Indian Army. The report concerns British interests in Persia and the recent formation of the South Persia Military Police (abbreviated to SPMP in this file and later known as the South Persia Rifles).The report begins with a brief summary of the events leading up to the present situation, before summarising both the Russian and the British position in Persia. The report describes the circumstances in which the SPMP was formed, and then goes on to provide suggestions for how the force should be organised and distributed. Steel advises that the force embrace the whole of the so-called neutral sphere, and also suggests that it would be 'sheer folly to economize in the number of British officers employed.'The report is followed by two appendices. The first appendix, dated 19 June 1916 and also written by Steel, provides available information regarding the SPMP, including its objectives, details of its personnel, and its financial details (Steel anticipates that half of its expenses will be borne by the Government of India and the other half by the Imperial Government).The second appendix, dated 12 April 1914 and also attributed to Steel, is an abstract of the budget of the Government Gendarmerie, Persia, for 1914-1915. This appendix has two appendices of its own: the first is a summary of Gendarmerie forces as proposed in the preceding budget; the second appendix provides details of the pay of Persian ranks and of the initial cost and upkeep of horses, uniform, equipment and saddlery.A third appendix to the initial report is listed in the contents; however, this appendix has been transferred to another file.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 79, and terminates at f 107, 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: Enclosure nos. 2-102 to a despatch from the Secret Department, Government of India, dated 13 August 1838. The enclosures are dated 16 May-11 August 1838.The enclosures consist of copies of correspondence relating to a plan to overthrow Dost Mahomed Khan [Dūst Muḥammad Khān Bārakzāy] as Emir of Afghanistan and return former Emir Shah Shuja ool Moolk [Shujā‘ al-Mulk Durrānī, also written as Shah Shooja in the item] to the throne. Topics covered include:Negotiations between Shah Shuja, the Government of India, and Maharajah Runjeet Singh [Ranjit Singh, Maharaja of the Sikh Empire], and proposed amendments to a treaty already negotiated between Shah Shuja and Runjeet Singh to include the co-operation of the Government of India. Draft copies of the amended treaty are included on folios 501-505 and 518-523Runjeet Singh’s refusal to give up Peshawer [Peshawar] or Shikarpoor [Shikarpur], his rejection of any British interference in ‘his affairs across the Indus’, and a proposed annual tribute to be paid to him by Shah Shuja in exchange for abandoning his claim to Julalabad [Jalalabad]Reports of the state of Dost Mahomed’s relationships with Russia and Persia [Iran]Failed negotiations to end the Persian siege of Herat, including an offer made to Yar Mahomed Khan [Yār Muḥammad Khān ‘Alī Kūzāy, Vizier of Herat] by the Shah of Persia for territory in Persia if he will give up the cityA British mission led by William Hay Macnaghten to Runjeet Singh’s summer capital at Adina Nagur [Dinanagar, also written as Adeenanuggur in the item], including accounts of meetings with Runjeet Singh and biographies of members of his courtThe continuance of Macnaghten’s mission to Loodiana [Ludhiana] to present Shah Shuja with the proposed amendments negotiated with Runjeet Singh, and his approval of themThe recovery from Toorkestan [Afghan Turkestan] of the books and papers (listed on ff 449-450) of explorer William Moorcroft, who died there of a fever in 1825, and their proposed donation to the Asiatic Society of BengalA report on the affairs of Candahar [Kandahar], including its history, biographies of prominent figures, and its relations with other states, particularly in relation to the Persian siege of HeratPlans for the logistics of restoring Shah Shuja to the throne of Afghanistan, including potential routes for him to enter the country, consideration of the possible actions of Dost Mahomed and how to counter them, his perceived level of support in the country, and specific British battalions and officers to be appointedA British mission led by Lieutenant Frederick Mackeson to recruit the Nuwab of Buhawulpore [Nawwāb of Bahawalpur] as an ally, and to gain permission to move troops through his territory. A draft treaty with the Nuwub is included on folios 648-649Consideration of the security of India if large numbers of troops are sent to Afghanistan, particularly relating to potential hostilities with Ava [Burma or Myanmar], including the possible transfer of troops from Ceylon [Sri Lanka].The primary correspondents are: Shah Shuja; Runjeet Singh; Macnaghten; Mackeson; Captain Alexander Burnes, on a mission to Cabool [Kabul]; the Commander-in-Chief, India; the Governor of Ceylon; the Government of India; and various Indian Army officers.Physical description: 1 item (396 folios)
Abstract: The file contains correspondence in 1928 and 1930 from the Political Agent, Bahrain and Charles Dalrymple Belgrave (Financial Adviser to the Government of Bahrain) regarding the Bahrain Government’s attitude to Persian subjects resident in Bahrain who, either travel to India on Persian passports only, or wish to apply for naturalisation as Bahraini subjects.The file also contains the following circulars and translations relating to Persian nationality law:Notification dated 1934 from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, about the procedure to be followed by British residents in Persia, to relinquish their Persian nationality, if they were born in Persia to parents who were either British subjects or British Protected Persons;English translations of the Persian Naturalisation and Nationality Acts, 1894, 1929, 1930;English translation of a circular memorandum dated 1929 from the Persian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the British Legation, Tehran providing a period of grace in which British subjects would be allowed to divest themselves of illegal ownership of Persian land and other property without penalty;French translation of the Persian Agricultural Law 1931, forbidding foreigners to own agricultural land in Persia.Physical description: Foliation: numbered 1-53. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right corner of the folio and encircled. The numbering starts at the front of the file, on the file cover (f 1) and ends on the inside cover at the back of the file (f 53). In the more complete of two earlier and secondary foliation sequences, folios 3 to 43 are also numbered 1 to 41 in pencil in the top right corner of the folio.
Abstract: The file contains Government of India circular letters, memoranda and notices issued mainly by the Foreign and Political Department. These were sent to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire who forwarded them to the Political Agent, Bahrain and others. The circulars contain instructions, information and guidance on a wide range of topics. Most circulars are about the staffing and financing of departments and offices of the Government of India. Topics addressed include the following:The grant of an exemption to British consular and political officers stationed in the Persian Gulf, from payment of rent for their accommodation, 1929;Revised regulations regarding the wearing of foreign orders, decorations and medals by both Government of India officers and British subjects, 1930;An instruction to review local expenditure and actively reduce costs as part of a drive for retrenchment of expenditure by all departments and offices of the Government of India, 1930;Notice of a new declaration to be made to Persian Customs by foreign travellers and pilgrims entering Persia, about the amount of foreign money in their possession, under a new Persian Foreign Exchange Law, 1931.There are also several circulars in the file that communicate official British foreign policy in other parts of the world during periods of disturbance, so that British officials elsewhere would be able to counteract any inaccurate reports in circulation. Included are circulars about British occupied Palestine in 1928-1929, as follows:Printed circular memoranda from the Colonial Office, London, 1928, entitled ‘The Western or Wailing Wall in Jerusalem’, ‘Disturbances in Palestine’ and ‘Arming of Jews’;Circular telegram from the British High Commissioner, Jerusalem, 1929, about the reaction of the Arab population in Jerusalem to his instructions temporarily regulating religious observance at the wailing or western wall , pending a British Government enquiry into the existing rights of Muslims and Jews.Physical description: Foliation is written in pencil in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the second folio, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 189. Some of the parts of the file have been paginated, which means that there are a number of folio numbers missing from the sequence. Foliation omissions: f 7, f 11, f 13, f 15, ff 76-77, ff 166-169. Foliation errors: f 3 is followed by f 3A, f 123 is followed by ff 123A-C. Folio 94 is folded.
Abstract: The file concerns Persian claims to Bahrain (also spelled Bahrein).The correspondence is mainly between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent, Bahrain. Other correspondents include the British Consular Agent, Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh], and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave). Enclosures to correspondence from the Political Resident include copies of correspondence from senior officials in the Foreign Office, the Government of India, the Colonial Office and the India Office, and other British officials in the region, including HBM's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia, Tehran (Sir Percy Lyham Loraine), the High Commissioner, Baghdad (Major-General Sir Percy Zachariah Cox), and the Consul at Shiraz (Herbert George Chick).The main topics covered in the papers are:reports by the Political Agent and Political Resident;discussion of the issue by the British Government and Government of India;the nature of the claims made by the Persian Government and the question of the British response to those claims;the issuing by the Persian authorities of passports and passes (
Ilm-o-Khabar) for Bahrain as though it were an inland port of Persia;use of British certificates of identity;anti-British agitation in Bahrain and support for a return to Persian rule;the need for the British Passport Office to make it clear to persons wishing to travel to Bahrain that they did not need a visa from the Persian Legation, London (folios 24-26);support for the Persian claim to Bahrain in the Persian press;proposal to give Bahrain the right to return a member to the Persian Madjliss [majlis] (folio 52);the question of British jurisdiction in Bahrain over foreigners;the history of Persian claims to sovereignty over Bahrain, including analysis of records held by the Government of India;attitude of the Bahrain ruling family;the treatment of Bahraini subjects in Persia, and the question of the protection of their interests by the British.The Arabic and Persian language content of the file consists of approximately ten letters, newspaper cuttings and associated items.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 100-111; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. A third foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 7-116; these numbers are written in blue crayon, are circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.