Abstract: Enclosures in Letter No. 8 from Sir Harford Jones, British Envoy Extraordinary to Persia [Iran], to Sir Robert Dundas, President of the Board of Control, dated 1809, consisting of:A copy of a letter from Brigadier-General John Malcolm to Sir Harford Jones, sent from Bombay [Mumbai] and dated 14 February 1809. The letter concerns Malcolm’s decision to delay his expedition to the Persian Gulf until further instructions are received from the Governor-General of Bengal.A copy of a letter from Lord Minto, Governor-General of Bengal, to Malcolm, sent from Fort William [Kolkata] and dated 17 January 1809, enclosed in the above letter. Minto reports French setbacks in the Napoleonic Wars in Europe and the effect of this on British strategic interest in Persia, orders the suspension of Malcolm’s planned expedition to the Gulf and occupation of the island of Karrack [Khārg], and repeats that Jones should withdraw from Persia.Physical description: 1 item (6 folios)
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence relating to affairs in Persia [Iran] and the Persian Gulph [Persian Gulf]. The principal correspondents are: Sir Harford Jones [later Jones-Brydges], Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of Persia; Lord Minto [Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto], Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William; Neil Benjamin Edmonstone, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bengal; Brigadier-General Sir John Malcolm, Commander of the Expedition to the Persian Gulph; Captain Charles Pasley, Acting for Malcolm as Envoy to the Court of Persia; Jonathan Duncan, Governor in Council at Bombay; Francis Warden, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay; and Andrew Jukes, Surgeon and Acting Resident at Bushire [Bushehr, also spelled Bushere in this volume]. Further correspondence, included as enclosures, comes from: Jafer Ali Khan [Ja‘far ‘Alī Khān, various spellings in this volume], Native Agent at Schyras [Shiraz, various spellings in this volume]; Mahomed Nebee Khan [Muḥammad Nabī Khān Shirāzī, various spellings in this volume], Vizier of Schyras; Prince Hooseen Alee Meerza [Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mirzā Farmānfarmā, various spellings in this volume], Prince-Governor of Fars; the King of Persia [Fatḥ ʻAlī Shāh Qājār]; Nasr Oolah Khan [Naṣr-Allāh Khān Qaragūzlū, various spellings in this volume], Vizier to the Prince-Governor of Fars; Mohumed Hussein Khan Karagoozloo [Muḥammad Ḥusayn Khān Qaragūzlū, various spellings in this volume], a Persian official; Meerza Sheffee [Mirzā Shafi’ Māzandarāni], Grand Vizier (First Minister) to the King of Persia; and Claudius James Rich, Resident at Bagdad [Baghdad].The volume covers the following matters:The diplomatic mission of Harford Jones: his arrival and reception at Bushire; his journey to Schyras and onwards to Tehran; correspondence with Persian officials and royalty; discussion of possible treaty articles, particularly in connection to promises made by Malcolm and Pasley during their earlier diplomatic mission; discussion of the appropriate degree of ostentation the mission should adopt; and discussion of the appropriate style and form of communication to be used between Jones and Persian officialsThe progress and movements of the French Embassy in Persia, under General Gardanne [Claude-Matthieu, Comte de Gardane]European politics in connection with the Napoleonic Wars and specifically concerning relations between Britain, France, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire, including reports of the signing of the Treaty of Dardanelles, 5 January 1809, which brought an end to the Anglo-Ottoman War of 1807-09The Government of Bushire, including the removal of Shaik Abdoul Ressoul [Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān Āl Madhkūr] as Governor because of his treatment of MalcolmPolitical affairs in Persia, often reported by Jafer Ali Khan and his informantsMalcolm’s Expedition to the Gulph to establish a British naval and commercial settlement on the island of Karrack [Kharg, various spellings in this volume], including: the political reasons behind the expedition; the abandonment of the expedition and the disbanding of the expedition force at Bombay; how (erroneous) reports of Malcolm’s imminent arrival in the Gulph were (or might be) received in Persia and Bagdad, and the impact this might have on Jones’s missionEvents along Persia’s northern frontier, as part of the Russo-Persian War of 1804-13, particularly those at Erivan [Yerevan]Charges made by Lord Minto against the conduct of Jones and the latter's response to these charges.The letters found on folios 132-180 are duplicates of those found on folios 47-85.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 303; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading flyleaf.
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Sir Robert Dundas, President of the Board of Control of the East India Company, to the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, dated 30 June 1807. The letter advises suspending the departure of Sir Harford Jones’s diplomatic mission to Persia [Iran] due to developments in Russia and Turkey [Ottoman Empire].Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Sir Harford Jones, British Envoy Extraordinary to Persia [Iran], to Sir Robert Dundas, President of the Board of Control, sent from near Tauris [Tabrīz] and dated 19 July 1809. The letter forwards a copy of a communication from Meerza Sheffea [Mīrzā Muḥammad Shafī' Māzandarānī], Prime Minister of Persia, to the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire [Kör Yusuf Ziyaüddin Pasha], and reports the arrival at the Persian Court of an embassy from Scind [Sindh].Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
Abstract: A letter from Sir Harford Jones, British Envoy Extraordinary to Persia [Iran], to David Morier, British diplomat in Constantinople [Istanbul], sent from Tehran and dated 14 April 1809. The letter instructs Morier to inform Sir Robert Adair, Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, of the decline in French influence in Tehran, reports the dispatch to Britain of a Preliminary Treaty signed by Jones and Persian ministers, and asks Adair to assist the Persian Envoy in Constantinople and to inform Jones of the diplomatic situation relative to Turkey [Ottoman Empire], Russia, and Persia.Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Brigadier-General John Malcolm, newly appointed Envoy of the Supreme Government of India to Persia [Iran], to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, sent from Bombay [Mumbai] and dated 24 December 1809. The letter concerns relations with Persia, covering: the activities of Sir Harford Jones, British Envoy Extraordinary, in particular his disbursement of money to Persian officials; Malcolm's distrust in the Persian Court in light of the remaining French presence in the country; and the question of supporting the formation of a regular Persian army and providing British military support to Persia, with criticism of Jones's proposals.Physical description: 1 item (14 folios)
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Brigadier-General John Malcolm to Lord Minto, Governor-General of Bengal, sent from Bombay [Mumbai] and dated 8 January 1809, concerning policy towards Persia [Iran] in the context of French setbacks during the Napoleonic Wars in Europe and continued Russian attacks on Persia. The letter concerns the mission of Sir Harford Jones, British Envoy Extraordinary to Persia, and Malcolm's decision to delay his planned occupation of Kharrack [Khārg] island until the progress of Jones's mission is known.Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Brigadier-General John Malcolm, Envoy of the Supreme Government of India to Persia [Iran], sent from a camp near Shirauz [Shirāz] and dated 10 May 1810. The letter forwards communications with Persian officials, and also covers: Malcolm's distrust in the Persian Court; the mission of Sir Harford Jones, British Envoy Extraordinary, also present in Persia; the diplomatic situation affecting Persia in the context of the Napoleonic Wars; the possibility of a peace between Russia and Persia; and the effect of this on Anglo-Persian relations, in particular the question of continuing a subsidy to Persia.Part of the letter is written in code.Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Admiral John Blankett to Lord Duncan, Governor of Bombay [Mumbai], sent from HMS
Leopardat Jedda [Jeddah] and dated 30 June 1800. The letter reports: Blankett's meeting with the Sheriffe [Sharif] of Mecca and his attempts to secure the Sheriffe's co-operation against France; the arrival of two dhows with news from French-held Egypt; the death of Isouf Bashaw [Yūsuf Pasha], the Ottoman governor of Medina; the Sheriffe's expulsion of Ottoman representatives in Jedda; and the Sheriffe's attitude towards the French campaign in Egypt. It also reports Blankett's onward plans from Jedda and requests a replacement ship.Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Lord Minto, Governor-General of Bengal, to Sir Harford Jones, British Envoy Extraordinary to Persia [Iran], sent from Fort William and dated 31 October 1808. The letter: reprimands Jones for leaving for Persia without communicating with Minto; outlines the political situation in Persia, in particular the ascendant French influence in the country and prospects for Anglo-Persian relations; describes a new defence strategy against France in the region, including the establishment of a presence on Kharrack [Khārg], support of independence for Baghdad in the event of the Ottoman Empire falling into the French orbit, and planned overtures to the Wahabees [Wahhabis]; and exhorts Jones to return from Persia.Physical description: 1 item (12 folios)
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Sir Robert Adair, British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, to Earl Bathurst, President of the Board of Trade, sent from Pera [Beyoğlu] and dated 10 January 1810. The letter commends Sir Harford Jones, British Envoy Extraordinary to Persia [Iran], for his efforts in preventing the formation of a Franco-Persian alliance, and describes the effects of this on Britain’s relations with Turkey [Ottoman Empire] and position in the region in relation to France.Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)