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13. 'Book 133' Secret letters inward
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains an exchange of letters between British Government officials in India and London, copied to Lieutenant H D Robertson (Officiating British Resident in the Persian Gulf) for his information and guidance. The letters often refer to the regular reports submitted by the British Resident in the Persian Gulf to the Bombay Government and occasionally contain specific instructions or decisions for the Resident to follow.The main correspondents are: J P Willoughby and L R Reid (Secretaries to the Government of Bombay, on behalf of the Governor in Council of Bombay) and J H Maddock (Secretary to the Government of India, on behalf of the Governor General of India in Council). Other correspondents include: the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, mainly communicating the wishes of Lord Aberdeen (British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs) about the British evacuation of Karrack and Captain Atkins Hamerton (British Agent at Muscat) reporting from Zanzibar about slave trafficking in the East African ports belonging to the Imam of Muscat.The letters discuss events in the Persian Gulf in 1842, relations between the rival Arab Maritime Chiefs particularly over slave trafficking, relations between Britain and Persia particularly over the possession of the Island of Karrack [Kharg], the state of the Maritime Peace and several other topics.British evacuation of the Island of Karrack and its restoration to the Persian Government by treaty, including: removal of the British Residency from Karrack back to Bushire, British attitude to the eventual replacement of British pilotage charges on Karrack with a Persian system of pilotage dues, retention of a British coal depot on Karrack for the use of East India Company steamers, proposal for the re-occupation of Bassadore [Bāsa‘īdū] as a British naval depot in the Persian Gulf for the East India Company’s squadron of war ships, proposal to convert the British station on Karrack to an invalid station for Europeans in India (folios 9, 20, 24, 27-29, 31-36).British suppression of the maritime slave traffic in the Persian Gulf, including: trading in slaves between the ports of the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea by members of the Joasmee [Qasimi] Tribe under the authority of the Arab Maritime Chiefs and the inability of the Imam of Muscat to prevent them from visiting the ports of his East African territories, the importation of Soomalee [Somali] slaves into Shargah [Sharjah], the importation of African slaves from Muscat into the territory of the Ameers [Amirs] of Scinde in Pakistan, new stringent measures proposed by the British Resident with regard to financial penalties, seizures and confiscations of all native boats involved in slave trafficking between the East Coast of Africa and the various ports in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, the British Government’s long term policy towards the eradication of all trade in slaves between Africa, India and the East African and Arabian countries bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea (folios 3, 10-13, 15-19).The renewal of the annual Maritime Truce between Great Britain and the Chiefs of the Arab Ports in the Persian Gulf and the reasons for and against extending the duration of its term (folios 6, 14); British reaction to an alleged planned invasion of Bahrein [Bahrain] and Koweit [Kuwait] by Persia (folios 29-31) and British relations with Ameer Khaled and his supposed intention to invade Oman (folios 3-7).The file title ‘Book 131 1832’ is written in blue ink on the file cover, with the year '1832' crossed out in pencil (folio 1). The file contains letters written in 1842 not 1832, and one letter written in 1841 (folios 2-3).Physical description: Foliation: numbered 1 to 37, beginning on the front of the file cover and ending on the inside of the back cover. The numbering is written in pencil and encircled, on the recto of each folio, in the top right corner.The 27 letters in the file were originally numbered in ink, on the recto of every folio, in the topr right corner, as follows: 8-10, 15-18, 36, 47-50, 85, 113-117, 143, 149-151, 155, 158-159, 162, 164, 185-188, 210, 230-232.
14. 'Book 140 1843' letters inward
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains letters received by Lieutenant Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Assistant British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, who was in charge of the Persian Gulf Residency at Bushire, from August to October 1843. Later letters were received by Captain Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, following his return to the Persian Gulf Residency in November 1843.Most of the letters are from British naval officers in the Persian Gulf Squadron, reporting on maritime affairs along the Trucial Coast. Their letters contain naval patrol reports, local intelligence communicated by the British Government Native Agents Hadjee Jassim and Moolah Hussein, stationed at Bahrein [Bahrain] and Sharga [Sharjah] respectively, also witness statements arising from investigations into two particular incidents, as follows:Several naval patrol reports dated August, September, October and November 1843, from Lieutenant A Macdonald, commanding the East India Company schooner Mahi, from Lieutenant J S Draper, commanding the East India Company sloop of war Cooteand from Commander J P Porter (Senior Indian Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf), commanding the East India Company brig of war Euphrates, mentioning outbreaks of tribal conflict and the state of relations between the sheikhs of Abothubee [Abu Dhabi], Amulgavine [Umm-ul-Kawain], Aymaum [Ajman], Bahrein [Bahrain], Brymee, Debai [Dubai], Sharga [Sharjah] and Ras–al Keyma [Ras Al Khaimah] (folios 2-3, 22-25, 27-28, 31);Other naval reports dated September and October 1843, from Lieutenant J S Draper, mentioning chiefly the Pearl Bank fishery season; particularly the presence of a large fleet of pearl fishing boats from the island of Kenn [Kīsh] (folios 16-17, 21);Special naval reports dated July and September 1843, from Commander J P Porter and Lieutenant A Macdonald, give a detailed account of their investigations into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the wrecked British merchant ship Mary Mallaby, which had sailed from Port Louis, Mauritius in May 1843 and run aground at the port of Bunder Abbass [Bandar Abbas] on the Persian coast of the Gulf, in July 1843, together with extracts from entries in the ship’s log book, transcripts of the oral testimony given by the ship’s crew and master, Captain C Fisher, and an English translation of the oral testimony given by the vizier of the Sheik of Bunder Abbass (folios 4-12, 18-20);Special naval report dated December 1843, from Lieutenant J S Draper, giving a detailed account of the unusual circumstances surrounding the recent discovery of an abducted Indian slave girl living in Bahrain, together with an English translation of Lieutenant Draper’s letter dated November 1843 to the Sheikh of Bahrein, stating that the slave girl was currently under the protection of the British Native Agent, also English translations of the oral testimony given by the slave girl, her alleged brother, the widow of her Arab slave owner and the local Arab inhabitant who encountered the alleged brother on his arrival from Bombay in search of his sister (folios 29, 32-33).There are also three letters dated August and October 1843, from: William H Litchfield, master of the East India Company schooner Emilyabout the sinking of the vessel to eradicate vermin (folio 15); Mr W J A Malcolm, a merchant in Bushire about his knowledge of the history of the struggle between Persian and Turkish authorities to control the frontier port of Mohamrah [Khorramshahr] (folios 13-14); Colonel Justin Sheil, the British Minister at Tehran, reporting his conversation with Hajee Meerza Aghassee [Haji Mirza Aghasi], the Persian Prime Minister about Persia’s intention to intervene militarily in the internal power struggle in Bahrain (folio 26).Physical description: Foliation: numbered 2-10, 11, 11A, 12-33, from the front to the back of the file. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled. The front of the file cover is numbered 1 and the back of the file cover is unnumbered. Folios 10 and 11 are blank. The writing on folio 11A is on the verso, not the recto.As a result of a scondary and earlier foliation sequence, most folios are also numbered in ink as follows: 151, 156, 158, 160, 161, 163, 165, 167-169, 171, 185, 202, 204, 215, 217, 219, 221, 223, 225, 227, 232, 243, 244, 260, 261, 276-280.
15. 'Book 141 1844-1849' secret letters inward
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains letters received by Captain Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, from the Government of Bombay, between 1843 and 1848. Some correspondents address him as Major Hennell rather than Captain Hennell. A few of the letters received in 1843 are addressed instead to Lieutenant Arnold Burrowes Kemball, the Assistant British Political Resident in charge of the Persian Gulf Residency, during the absence of Captain Hennell.Most letters received between 1846 and 1848 are from Arthur Malet, Secretary to the Government of Bombay. Letters received between 1843 and 1846 are from J P Willoughby and other secretaries to the Government of Bombay.The letters contain information, guidance and instructions from the Governor in Council of Bombay. The letters often contain or enclose separately, copies of pertinent correspondence between other British officials, including: the Governor General of India in Council, Calcutta; Captain Atkins Hamerton, British Political Agent for the dominions of the Imam of Muscat, based in Zanzibar; the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, London; Lord Aberdeen and his successor Lord Palmerston, as British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London.All file correspondence is in English, except for one letter from the Imam of Muscat to the Governor General of India, dated January 1846, for which there is an Arabic copy as well as an English translation (folios 32-34).The letters and their enclosures discuss events in East Africa and the Persian Gulf between 1843 and 1848 and the implications for British foreign policy, relations and interests in the region. The main topics discussed are the suppression of the maritime slave trade, the actions of the Imam of Muscat and the Chief of Bahrain and the territorial ambitions of Turkey and Persia, as follows:Legal opinion about the liability of British subjects to incur penalties for entering into slave transactions in Muscat, under the anti-slavery provisions in the treaties of 1822 and 1839 between Great Britain and the Imam of Muscat, 1843 (folios 2-7);Measures by the Imam of Muscat to prohibit the African slave trade between his East African ports and his ports in the Persian Gulf, 1846-1847 (folios 35-37);British response to the plans of the Imam of Muscat to invade Bahrain, 1845 (folios 19-21), blockade the Persian port of Bushire, 1846-1847 (folios 31-34, 38-39, 51-53) and take retaliatory measures against Persian ports and vessels, following Persian oppressions against his Governor of Bunder Abbas and other of his dependencies in Persia, 1848 (88-92, 95-99, 110);British cooperation with Turkey and Persia for the suppression of the maritime slave trade, following the prohibition by their rulers, on the importation of African slaves into the Persian Gulf ports under Turkish and Persian control respectively, 1847-1848 (folios 49-50; 74-78; 82, 101-105);Legal opinions and naval instructions 1847-1848, about the powers of British naval ships and courts in India to seize, condemn and confiscate African slave ships intercepted in the ports and seas of East Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf, under the terms of the treaties concluded by the British Government with the Imam of Muscat in 1845 and the Arab Chiefs of the Trucial Coast in 1847 (folios 54-57, 63-65, 69-73, 84-87, 106-109);British intentions to negotiate new trade and anti-slavery treaties, 1847-1848, with the Arab Chiefs of Bahrain (folios 76, 82, 93-94) and Sohar (folio 100) in the Persian Gulf;British suspicions about Turkish ambitions to supremacy over Bahrain and other Arab sheikdoms on the Trucial Coast, 1847 (folios 62, 74-78), British resistance to Persian involvement in the disputes between the rival Arab chiefs claiming sovereignty of Bahrain, 1844 (folios 11-18), an English translation of the claim advanced by the Persian Government to the sovereignty of Bahrain and an assessment of its legal validity by the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company in London, 1845 (folios 22-30);Opinion of Lord Palmerston, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London that British naval ships operating in the Persian Gulf do not have the right to pursue and seize pirates beyond the Restrictive Line, into the Euphrates and other rivers in Turkey, or to detain them in the open sea for offences committed within Turkish limits, 1847-1848 (folios 45-48; 58-62; 74-78);Approval by Lord Palmerston, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London given for the use of British naval ships to defend Bahrain, at the request of its chief, Sheik Mahomed bin Khuleefa, in the event of an attack by disaffected members of the Uttobee tribe, who had left Bahrain and sought refuge on the island of Kenn, near the Persian coast, 1847-1848 (folios 66-68, 79-81, 83).Physical description: Foliation: numbered 2 to 112, from the front to back of the file. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled. The front of the file cover is numbered 1. The back of the file cover is unnumbered.Present in the file are remnants of earlier foliation and pagination sequences, written in ink. Most folios have been numbered twice, usually on both the recto and verso, in the top right or left hand corner respectively. The main numbering system runs from 15 to 356, with gaps, from the front to the back of the file. The other main numbering system is made up of multiple sequences between 100 and 500, in no particular order. The blank verso of any folio is usually unnumbered.
16. ‘Book 153 1847’ Vol 153 Letters inward
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains letters received by Major Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire between January and November 1847, mainly from the following British officials: Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil, British Envoy at the Court of the Shah of Persia, Tehran; Henry Wellesley (Lord Cowley), British Minister Plenipotentiary to the Ottoman Porte at Constantinople [Istanbul]; Major Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, British Political Agent for Turkish Arabia and British Consul at Baghdad; Lieutenant Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Acting British Political Agent for Turkish Arabia at the British Residency, Baghdad.The majority of letters to the Resident discuss British negotiations with the Ottoman Porte (Turkish Empire) for the suppression of the African maritime slave trade in the Persian Gulf. These letters are preceded or followed by numerous enclosures, which include related correspondence between Henry Wellesley (Lord Cowley) at Constantinople and Lord Palmerston, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at London, as well as the following Ottoman documents, prohibiting the future importation by sea of African slaves into the Turkish ports of the Persian Gulf:Ottoman Turkish transcripts and English translations of an imperial firman (royal decree) issued in January 1847 at Constantinople by the Sultan of Turkey (the Ottoman Porte), to the Governor of Baghdad, and an accompanying vizirial letter of instruction (folios 13-14, 16-17);English translation of a letter of instruction dated 22 February 1847, from the Governor of Baghdad to the Governor of Bussorah [Basra] (folios 21-22);Ottoman Turkish transcripts and English translations of two letters of instruction, one from the Ottoman Porte to the Governor of Baghdad and the other from the Governor of Baghdad to the Governor of Bussorah [Basra], requiring them to cooperate with British cruizers, over the disposal of slaves landed from seized Turkish vessels (folio 52-54, 61-64).A small number of letters and their enclosures to the Resident discuss British suspicions about Turkish ambitions towards Bahrain. Included is a French transcript of a letter extract, allegedly sent at the instigation of the Sultan’s Chamberlain to the Arab Chief of Bahrain, inviting the latter to place himself under the protection of the Ottoman Porte (folio 43).There are also several naval patrol reports addressed mainly to the Resident, from Commodore John Croft Hawkins, commanding the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf and also from Captain William Lowe. The latter reports the seizure of slave ships and includes a list of vessels belonging to subjects of the Imam of Muscat, detained for having slaves on board (folio 83).Physical description: Foliation: the contents are numbered 2-96, from the front to the back of the file. The front of the file cover is numbered 1. The back of the file cover is unnumbered. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled.Pagination: the contents were originally numbered in ink as follows: 3, 34-58, 73-81, 85-96, 105-118, 181-195, 204-207, 229-238, 256-271, 282-288, 312-328, 338-343, 350-353, 356-360, 363-366, 384-395. There are many gaps in the number sequence. The numbering is written in the top right or left corner of the page on the recto and verso respectively. Blank pages and pages containing only brief details, such as name and address of sender, are usually unnumbered.Fold-out folios: a three-page letter is partially folded over, along the right hand edge (folios 62-64).Condition: many folios are torn, stained or holey, as a result of which a negligible amount of text is obscured or lost.
17. ‘Book 158 1847-8’ Vol 158 Letters inward
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains letters received by Major Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire.The majority of letters are naval patrol reports submitted to the Resident by the following British officers in the Persian Gulf Squadron of the Indian Navy: Captain William Lowe, Commodore Thomas Grere Carless and Lieutenant Alan Hyde Gardner, all reporting from the Honourable Company (HC) sloop of war Elphinstoneand Commodore John Croft Hawkins, reporting from the HC sloop of war Clive. There is also a naval patrol report made by Lieutenant James Rennie, commanding the HC schooner Constance, to Commodore Thomas Grere Carless, commanding the Persian Gulf Squadron.The naval patrol reports describe the state of relations between the Arab Chiefs of the Trucial Coast Sheikhdoms and any violations of the Maritime Truce, based on observation, enquiry, meetings and other communications while on patrol along the Arabian and Persian coasts of the Persian Gulf.The file also contains letters received from Lieutenant Colonel Francis Farrant, British Chargé d’Affaires at the Court of the Shah of Persia, Tehran regarding Persian affairs. This correspondence includes Persian transcripts of two firmans (royal decrees) issued by the Shah of Persia to the Governors of Fars and Persian Arabia respectively, prohibiting any future importation by sea of African slaves into Persia.Physical description: Foliation: the contents are numbered 2 to 51, from the front to the back of the file. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled. The front cover of the file is numbered 1. The inside of the back cover is numbered 52. This is the main numbering system and should be used for referencing this file.As a result of earlier, mainly foliation sequences, the contents are also numbered in the range 2 to 346, with many gaps, from the front to the back of the file. The numbering is written in ink, usually on the recto only, in the top right corner.Condition: imperfections in the margins and along the outer edges of many folios have caused a slight loss of the text of some documents.
18. ‘Book 161 1847’ Vol 161 Letters inward
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains letters received by Major Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire, from Arthur Malet, Secretary (later Chief Secretary) to the Government of Bombay in the Political Department, Bombay Castle and written between January and December 1847.Arthur Malet’s letters contain information, guidance and instructions from the Governor in Council of Bombay to the Resident. Several of his letters are followed by enclosures, some of which are dated 1845 and 1846.The majority of the correspondence relates to the suppression of the maritime slave trade between the East Coast of Africa and the Persian Gulf and includes:English version of the Treaty between Great Britain and the Imam of Muscat, dated 2 October 1845 and signed at Zanzibar by Saeed Saeed bin Sultan [Sa`id bin Sultan Al Sa‘id], Sultan of Muscat (the Imam of Muscat) and Captain Atkins Hamerton (British Consul and East India Company Agent in the dominions of the Imam of Muscat);Letter dated 1846 from Lord Palmerston, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London to Henry Wellesley (1st Earl Cowley) and Colonel Justin Sheil, both British representatives at Tehran and Constantinople respectively, asking them to persuade the courts of Persia and Turkey to issue firmans (royal decrees) prohibiting the slave trade in Persian and Turkish ports of the Persian Gulf;Instructions (an undated copy) from the Lords of the Admiralty to the Commanders of Her Majesty’s ships about the seizure of slave vessels under the terms of the new treaty with the Imam of Muscat, also letters of instruction dated 1847, from the Bombay Government to the Superintendent of the Indian Navy and the British Political Agent, Aden about issuing similar instructions for their own warships, also the procedure to be followed with regard to seized vessels and slaves sent to Aden;English translation of an Arabic letter of congratulations dated 22 November 1847, from George Russell Clerk, Governor of Bombay to the Imam of Muscat, about the seizure of eleven Muscat slave ships at sea, made by Captain Lowe, Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf, under the terms of the Treaty between Great Britain and the Imam of Muscat dated 2 October 1845.Physical description: Foliation: the contents are numbered 1B, 2-40, from the front to the back of the file. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled. The front cover of the file is numbered 1A. The inside of the back cover is numbered 41. There is an unnumbered folio between folios 13 and 14.Pagination: the contents are also irregularly numbered 31-33, 59, 74-106, 111, 217-224, 234, 295-297, 310, 365-368, 391-395, 411, 426-427, 433-434. The numbering is written in ink, usually on both the recto and verso; in the top right and left corner respectively. All blank pages and the majority of pages containing brief details such as the name of the sender or the date the letter was sent, are unnumbered.Condition: holes and tears in the margins and along the outer edges of many folios have caused a slight loss of the text of documents.
19. ‘Vol: V. Persian Gulph [Gulf]’
- Description:
- Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence, minutes, resolutions and memorandums cited in, or enclosed with, extracts of the Government of Bombay Political Consultations. The item is concerned with multiple issues pertaining to the political situation in the Persian Gulf, in particular:The Imaum [Imam] of Muscat’s failed expedition to Bahrein [Bahrain], the Chief of Bahrein’s intention to attack Muscat in retaliation and his request to Major David Wilson, Resident at Bushire [Būshehr], for assistanceWilson’s instructions for Captain Thomas Elivon of the East India Company’s sloop Amherstand Commodore Philip Maughan, Commanding Squadron in the Persian Gulf, regarding marine signals, the Imaum’s expedition against Bahrein and the delivery of letters to numerous places in the GulfThe capture of a man suspected to be Obed or Abdoolla ben Muhunnuh [Ubayd bin Muhanna, also rendered as Abd Allah bin Muhanna], an alleged pirate leader and the subsequent investigation in Bahrein to confirm his identityAn attack on Bushire by Prince Timor Meerza [Timūr Mīrzā Qājār], son of Hoossain Ali Meerza [Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mīrzā Farmānfarmā] the Prince of Sheeraz [Shiraz], and the ensuing communications between Wilson and the Prince of Sheeraz regarding punishment of Prince Timor and appropriate restitution for the damage caused by the attackWilson’s thoughts on the political powers of the provinces in Persia and the importance of maintaining a friendly relationship with Hoossain Ali Meerza in the event of him succeeding his father as the Shah of PersiaThe purchases of arms from the Company by Hoossain Ali Meerza and Abbas Meerza [‘Abbās Mīrzā Nāyib al-Salṭana Qājār] and the Government of Bombay’s different attitudes to the Princes based on their statusPort duties charged to the Imaum of Muscat at the port of Bombay and the suggestion by Wilson to supply water free of charge as a favour to the Imaum.The correspondence mainly consists of letters between Wilson and the Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay. Other correspondents include: numerous officers in the Company’s Marine; Secretaries to the Bengal and Madras Governments and the Acting Persian Secretary; Native Agents at Mocha and Bahrein; the Envoy at the Court of Persia; the Rulers of Muscat, Bushire, Bahrein, Sheeraz, and the Chief of the Buniboo Alli [Banī Bū ‘Alī] tribe.The title page of the item contains the following references: 'P.C. [Previous Communication] 783, Draft 477, 1829/30' and 'Examiner's Office 1830'.Physical description: The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the item. The item also features a Contents page (f 156) noting ‘Page’, ‘Date’, ‘From’, ‘To’ and ‘Date of Consultation’.
20. ‘Vol: VI. Persian Gulph [Gulf]’
- Description:
- Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence, minutes and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, extracts of the Government of Bombay Political Consultations. The item is concerned with multiple issues pertaining to the political situation in the Persian Gulf, in particular:Reports and discussions of the hostilities between the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat and the Chief of Bahrein [Bahrain] in one conflict and between Sultan bin Suggar [Shaikh Sulṭān bin Ṣaqr Āl Qāsimī, Ruler of Ra's al-Khaymah] and Shaikh Tanoon [Shaikh Ṭaḥnūn bin Shakhbūṭ Āl Nahyān, Ruler of Abu Dhabi] in anotherAttempts by Major David Wilson, Resident in the Persian Gulf, to de-escalate the above conflicts; his instructions for several East India Company ships to gather information whilst delivering packets along the Arabian side of the Gulf and their subsequent reportsDubious activities of the Greek vessel Hellasat Mocha; the detaining of the Company's ship Trois Freresby the Dowlah [Dola, Governor] of Mocha due to his suspicion of its involvement with the Hellas; the intervention of the Native Agent at Mocha and Captain Robert Moresby, Captain of the Company ship Thetis, to secure the release of the Trois Freres; the subsequent establishment of a Committee to investigate the character of Nicolo Chiefala, Captain of the HellasReports of piracy on the merchant vessel Carnaticby subjects under the control of the Imaum of MuscatSultan bin Suggar's killing of the 'pirate' Mooslim bin Rashid [Muslim bin Rashīd al-Qāsimī], the capture of his crew, and the debate between the Imaum of Muscat and the Government of Bombay as to whether certain members of the crew should be released.The item also touches on other matters including: the charging of pilotage at Bushire; the financial drain of hosting an Envoy from the Pacha of Bagdad [Baghdad] at Bussorah [Basra]; the introduction of two men to Wilson by the Prince of Sheraz [Shiraz] and his request that Wilson provides them with every assistance; the granting of aid to an esteemed Jewish merchant who wishes to remove his property from Bagdad and settle in Bombay.A section (ff 129 verso - 131 verso) of the item, which pertains to the forced collection of money from the people of Burburra [Berbera] by Captain Frederick W Greer, of the Company ship Elphinstone, has been crossed out with pencil.The item consists mainly of correspondence between Wilson and William Newnham, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay. Other correspondents include: W Clerk, Acting Persian Secretary; Major Robert Taylor, Political Agent at Bussorah; Shaik Syeb Ibraheemjee [Shaikh Sahib Ibrahimji], Native Agent at Mocha; numerous officials of the Marine for the Government of Bombay; Secretaries to the Supreme Government, the Government of Mauritius and the Government at Fort St George; the Imaum of Muscat, the Prince of Shiraz, Sultan bin Suggar, the Dowlah of Mocha and several of their agents.The title page of the item contains the following references: ‘P.C. 783, Draft 477, Season 1829/30’ and 'Examiner's Office 1830’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 4, and terminates at f 140, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the volume also contains an original pagination sequence.
21. 'Vol: 1. Affairs of the Persian Gulf'
- Description:
- Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence, minutes and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the East India Company Court of Directors and the governments of Bombay [Mumbai] and India. It is the first in a series of two items on general affairs in the Persian Gulf (the other is IOR/F/4/1596/64626), with some of the enclosures to the political letters contained in the second item.As well as the above, principal correspondents include: Samuel Hennell, Assistant Resident (also called the Acting Resident) in the Persian Gulf; Thomas Elivon, Commodore in the Persian Gulf; Captain John Pepper, Commander of the Amherst; and the Native Agents at Shargah [Sharjah], Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh], Bahrein [Bahrain], and Muscat.The item covers several subjects. The majority of the item relates to acts of 'piracy' committed by inhabitants of Debaye [Dubai] and Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi], including details of:The measures taken by Hennell to force the Chiefs of Debaye, Obed bin Saeed ['Ubayd bin Sa'īd Āl Bū Falāsah] and Mukhtoom bin Bustey [Maktūm I bin Buṭṭī Āl Bū Falāsah] to give up the offenders and pay compensationThe 'piracy' committed by a fleet from Aboothabee on a number of different vessels including the Duriah Dowlut[Daryā Dawlat], a ship from Bombay flying under English coloursThe engagements undertaken by Company ships, notably the Amherstand the Elphinstone, to suppress the 'pirates' and exact compensation from Shaik Khuleefa bin Shackboot, Chief of Aboothabee and the Benyas [Shaikh Khalīfah bin Shakhbūṭ Āl Nahyān, Ruler of Abu Dhabi and of the Beni Yas]The compensation agreed on by Shaik Khuleefa after being threatened with the destruction of the Benyas' forts, boats and the blockade of their ports; details of which can be found at ff 266-267The subsequent trials of the 'pirate chiefs' Mohummud bin Suggur bin Zeb [Muḥammad bin Ṣaqr bin Dhīb] and Mohumed bin Mirhud [Muḥammad bin Rāshid ?] at Bombay, including a detailed report by the Advocate General on the latter's trial which can be found at ff 345-354.To a lesser extent, the item also contains information on:An attack on a boat belonging to Kasaab [Khaṣab] by people from Juzeerat ool Humra [Al Jazīrah al Ḩamrā’] and a request by the Shaik of Kishm [Qeshm] for the British to interveneAn attack on Soweek [As Suwayq] by Shaik Humood bin Azan [Shaikh Ḥamūd bin Azan Āl Bū Sa‘īd] during the Imam of Muscat's absence, including Hennell's concerns about the retaliations ordered by the Imam's son and nephew who have been left in charge as governors of MuscatA six-month truce arranged by Hennell between: Obed bin Saeed; Shaik Shakboot (the father of Shaik Khuleefa); Sultan bin Suggur [Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī, Ruler of Ra's al Khaymah and Sharjah] and Rashid bin Humeed [Rāshid I bin Ḥumayd al-Na'īmī], Shaikh of Ojman [Ajman], the terms of which can be found at ff 263-264Events at Bushire relating to claims on the governorship by Shaikh Nasir [Shaikh Nāṣir II Āl Mazkūr], who is supported by the chiefs of Brazgoon [Borāzjān], Shubunkrah [Shabānkāreh] and Rohilla [Rūd Ḥillah]A request from the Prince-Governor of Shiraz for the British to help capture the fugitive sons of the late Prince of Shiraz.Other matters briefly referred to include:Claims for salvage of the Duriah Dowlutby the crew of the AmherstThe communication chain between the Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Government of BombayMinor updates on events at Bahrein regarding control over Katif [Al-Qatif].The political letters sent between the Government of Bombay and the Court of Directors also briefly touch on a number of other minor topics, mostly relating to expenses, 'piracy', and the Company policy of non-interference in the Gulf.There are multiple variant spellings of multiple people and place names. In particular, the 'pirate' Mohumed bin Mirhud's name is also written as: bin Murghad; Mujhud; Meeshad; Meerjud; Misheed; Meshud; Mishud; Mujhid; Mijhid; Mujhed; Muhad; Mulah; Mujheed; and Meshid. A later correction in pencil reveals that this name should in fact be 'Rashid'.The title page of the item contains the following references: 'Bombay Political Department', 'P.C. [Previous Communication] 1944, Draft 432, 1837' and 'Examiner's Office'.Physical description: The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the item. The item also contains a table of contents (ff 5-9), noting ‘Page’, ‘Date’, ‘From’, ‘To’ and ‘Date of Consultation’.
22. ‘Secret Letters received, by way of Marseilles, March 19.1856’
- Description:
- Abstract: This bundle consists of summaries, and partial transcripts, of secret letters received from both the Governor General of India (8 February 1856, Numbers 5-7) and the Government of Bombay (16 February 1856, Numbers 14-17). The amount of detail for each entry therefore varies.The despatches from the Governor General (folios 73-80) are concerned with the Government of India's policy over the treatment of Sheea [Shia] in India, the Government of India's refusal to officially congratulate Mahamed Yoosoof [Mohammad Yusuf Khan] over his ascendency at Herat – as suggested by Charles Augustus Murray, HM Minister to Persia – pending instructions from Britain, and a progress report on the Nepalese-Tibetan War (1855-1856).The section from Bombay (folios 81-84) discusses the despatch of ships, but not troops, to the Persian Gulf, and includes a report on the North-West Frontier of Sind. It also includes brief updates regarding Bunder-Abbass [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] and Aden.Physical description: 1 item (12 folios)
23. ‘Secret Letters received from India, by way of Marseilles, Oct.4.1856’
- Description:
- Abstract: This bundle consists of summaries, and partial transcripts, of secret letters received from both the Governor General of India (21-22 August 1856, Numbers 32-34) and the Government of Bombay (28-29 August 1856, Numbers 61-65). The amount of detail for each entry therefore varies.The despatches from the Governor General (folios 3-26r) include the following: a report on an expedition to the Upper Meerauzie and preparations for a second; reports of developments at Candahar [Kandahar] and Herat; a debate over whether – as a result of Persian encroachment on Herat – the Government of India should provide, or guarantee under certain conditions, assistance to Dost Mahomed Khan [Dost Mohammad Khan, Amir of Afghanistan]; details of arms, ammunition, and finance to be supplied to Dost Mahomed following authorisation by the Secret Committee; details of the peace treaty signed between Nepal and Thibet [Tibet]; and news of the resignation of Jung Bahadoor [Jang Bahadur Kunwar Rana] as both Prime Minister of Nepal and Commander in Chief, and designation of his successor Bum Bahadoor [Bam Bahadur Kunwar Rana]. The despatches include a translation of a letter from Dost Mahomed to the Governor General (folio 8v-9), and a translation of a letter from Eesa Khan [Isa Khan Bardorani, Minister Regent of Herat] to Dost Mahomed (folio 9).The section from Bombay (folios 26v-35) considers the question of providing aid to the Khan of Kelat [Kalat] against Persia, arrangements for the suppression of slavery in the Persian Gulf; measures for enforcing Britain's treaties with the maritime chiefs of the Arabian Coast; and dissatisfaction in Arabia, Persia, and the Persian Gulf over British intervention in the slave trade.Physical description: 1 item (34 folios)
24. ‘Affairs of the Persian Gulf. Vol:I’
- Description:
- Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence, minutes and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, letters from the Government of Bombay and the East India Company Court of Directors. It is the first in a series of three items on general affairs in the Persian Gulf (the others are: IOR/F/4/1435/56727 and IOR/F/4/1436/56728).The item is chiefly concerned with general updates of events in the Gulf over the period 1831-1833. In particular, the item relates to:The conflict between Hussein Ali Mirza [Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mirzā Farmānfarmā], Prince of Shiraz (also referred to as the Prince of Fars), and Abbas Mirza [‘Abbās Mīrzā Qājār], Crown Prince of PersiaUpheaval at Bushire [Būshehr] following the death of the governor, Shaik Abdool Russool [‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān Āl Mazkūr]The struggle for power at Bushire between: Shaik Nasser [Nāṣir II Āl Mazkūr], son of Abdool Russool; and Reza Kooli Mirza [Reza Qulī Mīrzā Farmānfarmā], son of Hussein Ali MirzaThe rebellion against the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat by his relatives: Hamed bin Azan of Sohar [Ḥamūd bin Azan Āl Bū Sa‘īd, Shaikh of Ṣuḥār]; and Sued Hillal of Sowack [Sayyid Hilāl bin Muḥammad Āl Bū Sa‘īd, Shaikh of As Suwayq]The unsettled nature of affairs in Oman due to: the above-mentioned rebellion; the Imaum’s frequent absences; and the rise of the Wahabees [Wahabi, tribe]Designs on the Imaum’s territories of Debba [Dibba] and Khor Fikan [Khawr Fakkān] by Sooltan bin Suggur [Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī, Ruler of Ra’s al Khaymah and Sharjah]The Government of Bombay’s concerns about the weakened position of the Imaum and its intervention in Muscat during his expedition to Zanzibar in 1832Acts of ‘piracy’ and disruption to the trade at Muscat and Sohar caused by Rashid bin Humeed [Rashid I bin Ḥumaid al-Nu‘aymī, Shaikh of Ajman]Arrangements made by the Superintendent of the Indian Navy to ensure that there is a sufficient number of vessels in the Gulf.The item also includes minor and general discussions of issues in the Gulf, such as: reported acts of ‘piracy’; relations between the different chieftains; activities of the Wahabees; and the claim for payment by the Shaik of Kishm [Qeshm] for helping the merchant vessel Prinsep.The principal correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; David Anderson Blane, Resident in the Persian Gulf; and Lieutenant Samuel Hennell, Assistant to the Resident in the Persian Gulf. Other correspondents include: the Court of Directors; the Government of Bengal; the Superintendent of the Indian Navy; Native Agents at Shiraz, Muscat, Sharga [Sharjah], and Bahrein [Bahrain]; and the Persian Secretary to the Government of Bombay.The title page of the item contains the following references: 'Bombay Political Department’, ‘P.C. [Previous Communication] 1339, Draft 435, 1834' and 'Examiner's Office'.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 96, and terminates at f 370, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the item also contains an original pagination sequence.