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37. ‘A collection of treaties, engagements and sanads relating to India and neighbouring countries’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume is the fifth edition of volume 13 of a collection of historic treaties, engagements and sanads (charters) relating to India and its neighbouring countries, namely Persia and Afghanistan. This volume, originally compiled by Charles Umpherston Aitchison, Under Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department, was revised in 1930 and published in 1933 by the Manager of Publications in Delhi, under the authority of the Government of India.Part 1 of the volume contains treaties and engagements relating to Persia and dating from between 12 April 1763 and 10 May 1929. The treaties refer to: trade agreements; foreign relations; prohibition and suppression of the slave trade; sovereignty and status of Persian regions; frontier negotiations; foreign concessions; telegraph lines. Part 2 of the volume contains treaties and engagements relating to Afghanistan and dating from between 17 June 1809 and 6 May 1930. The treaties relate to: foreign relations; the establishment of boundaries and frontier negotiations; peace treaties; commercial relations; import of arms. A number of appendices follow part 2, which contain the text of treaties relating to both Persia and Afghanistan.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover, and terminates at the inside 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 (except for the front cover where the folio number is on the verso).Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
38. 'Enclosures to Secret Letters from India', Vol 65
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains manuscript copies of secret letters, despatches, memoranda, translations of letters, intelligence reports, financial statements, and other papers relating to diplomatic, military, and logistical aspects of the British-led invasion of Afghanistan in 1839 by the so-called Army of the Indus.The principal correspondents include: Lord George Eden, Earl of Auckland, Governor-General of India; William Hay Macnaghten, Envoy and Minister to Shah Shooja ool Moolk [Shujā’ al-Mulk Durrāni]; Thomas Herbert Maddock, Secretary to the Governor-General of India; Sir John Keane, Commander-in-Chief of the Army of India; Lieutenant Colonel Sir Alexander Burnes, Envoy to Kelat; Andrew Ross Bell, Political Agent, Upper Sind [Sindh] (also spelled Scinde or Sinde); Henry Whitelock Torrens, Secretary to the Government of India; Henry Pottinger, Resident in Sind; and George R Clerk, Officiating Political Agent, Loodhiana [Ludhiana].Other correspondents include several more British military and political officers, as well as regional rulers, such as: Captain T J Nuthall, Deputy Assistant Commissary General; Lieutenant-Colonel R Macdonald, Military Secretary to the Commander-in-Chief; A C Gordon, Assistant Political Agent, Dera Ismael Khan [Dera Ismail Khan]; William Beveridge Thomson, Deputy Assistant Commissary General, Bhawulpore [Bahawalpur]; Muzhur Ullee, News Writer at Belaspore [Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh]; Lieutenant-Colonel James Stuart, Secretary to the Government of India, Military Department; Sir Henry Fane, Commander-in-Chief, East Indies; the Military Board; L R Reed, Acting Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay [Mumbai]; Lieutenant Colonel W Spiller, Commanding the Sinde Reserve, at Karachee [Karachi]; Raja [Maharaja] Ratan Singh of Bukaneer [Bikaner]; Shah Shooja ool Moolk; Henry Montgomery Lawrence, Assistant Political Agent, Loodhiana; Captain J D Bean, Political Agent, Quetta; Captain William Joseph Eastwick, Political Agent, Shikarpore [Shikarpur]; Captain H Johnson, Paymaster, Candahar [Kandahar]; William Griffith, Assistant Surgeon, Madras Establishment; and George H MacGregor, Political Assistant and Officiating Military Secretary to the British Envoy and Minister, Cabool [Kabul].Matters covered by the papers are many and wide-ranging, but include: British authority and administration in the Upper Provinces and along the Northwestern Frontier; honours given by the Shah to British Officers; military logistics and planning; security along the Bolan Pass; the fall of Ghuznee [Ghazni] (folios 16-23 for a detailed account); financial matters – accounts, expenses; proceedings of cases of theft, murder, and embezzlement; the progress of the army from Ghuznee to Cabool and the flight of Dost Mahomed Khan [Dōst Moḥammad Khān Bārakzay, Amir of Afghanistan]; the establishment of postal routes and services; matters of carriage and supply; intelligence reports, including translated copies of the 'Punjab Ukhbars' (sometimes written Akhbar), a newsletter regarding court life in the Panjab; personnel matters such as pay, promotion, transferral, and dismissal; the destruction of tombs at Sukhur [Sukkur]; relations with the rulers of Upper Sind and the Panjab; and the capture of the fort at Ally Musjid [Ali Musjid].Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 986; 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.The file contains one foliation anomaly, f 1a.
39. 'ENCLOSURES TO SECRET LETTERS FROM INDIA' Vol 67
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains copies of enclosures to despatches from the Government of India Secret Department to the East India Company Secret Committee relating to political and military affairs principally in Durrani [Durrānī] and Barakzai [Bārakzāy] Afghanistan, as well as the Punjab under Sikh rule, and British-administered Sinde [Sindh] and Baluchistan [Balochistan]. The volume contains material relating to preparations for the First Anglo-Afghan War (July 1839-October 1842). The volume comprises two items:Funds for the British mission to Afghanistan (IOR/L/PS/5/148, ff 3-12)Affairs in Afghanistan and the Punjab (IOR/L/PS/5/148, ff 13-443).Physical description: The foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 445; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The volume also contains earlier foliation sequences that have been crossed out.
40. 'The Middle Eastern question or some political problems of Indian defence'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume, written by Valentine Chirol and printed in London by John Murray in 1903, is based on a series of letters written by Chirol during a journey through Persia and the Persian Guf, that appeared in The Timesin 1902 and 1903.The main topics are: the concept of 'Middle East'; the Baghdad Railway; the British role in the Persian Gulf; the Russian influence over Persia; the border of Afghanistan; the North-East Frontier of India, and Tibet. An appendix at the back of the volume contains copies of international treaties, and documents in French on the Baghdad Railway.The volume contains numerous illustrations and three maps:'Sketch Map of the Borderlands of India';'Sketch Map of Asia showing railway expansion';'Sketch map of Persia and adjoining countries'.Physical description: The foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover, and terminates at the inside 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. The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
41. ‘ABSTRACT OF LETTERS FROM INDIA 1862.’
- Description:
- Abstract: Confidential printed abstracts of letters received by the India Office from the Government of India, and from senior officials in certain areas outside India, during the year 1862. The letters are dated 3 January 1862-31 December 1862. The abstracts are numbered 1-140 and each have one of the following titles:Abstract of Letters Received from IndiaAbstract of Secret Letters Received from IndiaAbstract of Military Letters Received from IndiaAbstract of Letters Received from the Resident at AdenAbstract of Secret Letters Received from the Resident at Aden.Each abstract contains summaries of one or more letters from the specified source, each with a title giving the subject of the letter. Letters from India are divided within each abstract by the branch or department of the Government of India they originated from. The correspondence included in the volume concerns events in British India, the Persian Gulf, and Aden and the coast of East Africa, including:Revenue and expenditureCommunications, such as postal services and telegraph linesPublic works, including railways and roads, canals and river navigation, ports, irrigation, and forestryLand issues, including taxation, surveys, the use and sale of land, and disputes over the payment of rentsThe affairs of the Princely States, including internal administration and succession, and other dynastic affairs of local rulersInternal affairs, including the reorganisation of police forces and the establishment of High CourtsMilitary affairs, including the recruitment and disbandment of military units, organisation and supply, the reduction of military expenditure, military reform, and the command of military units, and also the fortifications and harbour defences at Bombay [Mumbai]The production of crops, such as indigo, cotton and opiumThe pay and pensions of civil and military personnel in IndiaEmigration from India to British and French coloniesThe 'suppression' of suttee [sati] in IndiaThe construction of a telegraph line in the Persian Gulf as part of a line between England and India, particularly along the Mekran [Makran] Coast in Persia [Iran]French activity in the Indian Ocean, including at Aden, the Red Sea, and MadagascarAffairs in Aden, including a dispute concerning a debt owed to the Foudtheli [Faḍlī] ruler, Sultan Ahmed [Aḥmad bin ‘Abdullāh al-Faḍlī], and proposals for the improvement of defences at AdenAffairs in Afghanistan, including the operations of the Ameer of Cabul [Kabul], Dost Mahomed [Dūst Muḥammad Khān Bārakzāy, Amīr of Afghanistan] against HeratAffairs in Burmah [Burma or Myanmar], including proposals for the establishment of a British Chief CommissionershipAffairs in East Africa, including the trade in enslaved people at Zanzibar, and the 'massacre' of European sailors by Somalies [Somalis]Affairs in the Gulf, including: the intention of the Ruler of Bahrein, Sheikh Mahomed Bin Khaleefa [Hakim of Bahrain, Shaikh Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah] to declare war against the Wahabees [Wahhābīs] due to a dispute with the ruler of Demaun [Damman], Mahomed Bin Abdoollah [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh]; and a revolt of the Beni Sâd [Āl Sa‘d] against the Sultan of Muscat, Seyed Thoweynee [Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd]Affairs on the Northeast Frontier of India, including the military campaign against a ‘disturbance’ in the Cossyah [Khasi] and Jynteah [Jaintia] Hills, and the threat of an attack upon Darjeeling by Bhotan [Bhutan].The primary correspondents are:The Government of India (Education, Electric, Financial, Foreign, General, Home, Judicial, Legislative, Marine, Political, Public Works, Railway, Revenue and Telegraph departments)The Governor-General of IndiaThe Political Resident, AdenThe Political Agent, Zanzibar.The abstracts were printed and bound in London, and each one includes the following colophon: ‘LONDON: Printed by GEORGE E. EYRE and WILLIAM SPOTTISWOODE, Printers to the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty. For Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.’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 374; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the item also contains three original pagination sequences between ff 4-6, ff 10-358, and ff 359-371.
42. 'ABSTRACT OF LETTERS FROM INDIA 1866'
- Description:
- Abstract: Confidential printed abstracts of letters received by the India Office from the Government of India, and from senior officials in certain areas outside India, during the years 1865-66. The letters are dated 8 November 1865-28 November 1866. The abstracts are numbered 1-111 and each have one of the following titles:Abstracts of Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Military Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Secret Letters received from the (Political) Resident at AdenAbstracts of Secret Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Letters received from the Assistant Resident at Aden.Each abstract contains summaries of one or more letters from the specified source, each with a title giving the subject of the letter. Letters from India are divided within each abstract by the branch or department of the Government of India they originated from. The correspondence included in the volume concerns events in British India, Oman, Aden, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and the coast of East Africa, and covers the following subjects:Revenue and expenditurePublic works and transportation, including railways, roads, schools, canals, museums, ports, and jailsPay, pensions, and other personnel issues in the Indian Civil and Military establishmentsCommunications, including postal services and telegraph networksCultivation of cottonReform of the administration of Kattywar [Kathiawar]Proposed reduction of the European army in British IndiaLanguage qualification requirements for officers in the Indian ArmyPoor morale in the British Indian Army following the Indian RevoltFamine in Bengal and Madras, and Government efforts to improve conditionsDisposal and re-use of captured and damaged weaponsPurchase of ships for Government of India useImportation of horses from England to improve Indian Army’s breeding stockVaccination programmes in Bombay and MadrasProceedings of Indian courts, including judgements issued by High CourtsAlleged mismanagement at the Bank of Bombay, and debate regarding Government oversight of the Bank’s activitiesThe foreign relations of the Government of India, including with Bootan [Bhutan], Persia [Iran], Khotan [Hotan], Affghanistan [Afghanistan], Abyssinia [Ethiopia], Zanzibar, Muscat, Turkey [Ottoman Empire], and Acheen [Aceh, Indonesia]Events in the Princely States, including successions, adoptions, the establishment of regencies, and warnings to rulers regarding mismanagementBorder disturbances on the North-West Frontier, and British military expeditions in responseCivil war in AffghanistanA diplomatic mission to the Emperor of Abyssinia and negotiations for the release of European prisonersVisit of the Sultan of Zanzibar to BombayRebellion against the King of Burma [also known today as Myanmar] led by his sons at MandalayReported ‘cruelties’ carried out by Turkish Government authorities against Indian pilgrims in MeccaDutch activity in Assahan [Asahan], Siam [Thailand], and Acheen [Aceh]Russian activity in Bokhara [Emirate of Bukhara], including the capture of Samarcund [Samarkand]British financial and military support for the Sultan of Muscat against Wahabee [Wahhābī] neighboursEvents in Muscat and Oman, including: the death of the Sultan of Muscat Syud Thoweynee [Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd] and allegations that this death occurred on the orders of his son, Syud Salim [Sayyid Sālim bin Thuwaynī Āl Bū Sa‘īd]; refusal by the British to recognize Syud Salim as Sultan; and the seizure of Muscat’s ‘principal fort’ by Syud Salim’s uncle, Syud Torkee [Sayyid Turkī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd]Raiding by and military expeditions against the Foodlee [Faḍlī] tribe, including the British destruction of the village of Shugra [Shukrah]Proposed recruitment of an Arab cavalry force at AdenConstruction of defensive structures at AdenBritish naval bombardment of Wahabee coastal fortsBritish attacks on Soor [Sur], Katiff [Al Qatif] and Fort Damaum [Dammam]Appointment of additional assistants to the Persian Gulf Political StaffAnti-slavery actions by British vessels near ZanzibarUse of slave labour by British firms in ZanzibarRumours of survivors from the shipwrecked vessel St Abbs, and efforts by the Political Agent at Zanzibar to locate them in Somalia.A detailed index of subjects, places and people mentioned in the correspondence is included on folios 340-351.The abstracts were printed and bound in London, and each one includes the following colophon: ‘LONDON: Printed by GEORGE E. EYRE and WILLIAM SPOTTISWOODE, Printers to the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty. For Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.’The primary correspondents are:The Government of IndiaThe Governor-General of IndiaThe Government of BombayThe Resident at AdenThe Political Agent at Zanzibar.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 354; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the item also contains two original pagination sequences between ff 4-339, and ff 340-351.
43. 'ABSTRACT OF LETTERS FROM INDIA 1869'
- Description:
- Abstract: Confidential printed abstracts of letters received by the India Office from the Government of India, and from senior officials in certain areas outside India, during the year 1869. The letters are dated December 1868-December 1869. The abstracts each have one of the following titles:Abstracts of Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Letters received from AdenAbstracts of Military Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Letters received from Zanzibar and AdenAbstracts of Secret Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Letters received from ZanzibarAbstracts of Letters received from Bushire [Bushehr]Abstracts of Letters received from Muscat and AdenAbstracts of Letters received from MuscatAbstracts of Letters received from Bushire and AdenAbstracts of Letters received from Zanzibar and MuscatAbstracts of Letters received from Bushire, Muscat and AdenAbstracts of Letters received from Zanzibar and Bushire.Each abstract contains summaries of one or more letters from the specified source, each with a title giving the subject of the letter. Letters from India are divided within each abstract by the branch or department of the Government of India they originated from. The correspondence covers issues including:Pay, pensions, recruitment, and other personnel issues in the Indian Civil and Military establishmentsRevenue, expenditure, and taxationFood shortagesPublic works, including railways, roads, irrigation, and harboursBanking and financeTelegraphyCholera outbreaksIssues concerning Princely States, including: allowances; debt; succession; internal administration; and the slave trade in KutchLegal issues, including the question of British jurisdiction in occupied Bassadore [Basa’idu] arising from the case of a murder committed by a British subjectLand issues, including the cultivation of cash crops such as cinchona, indigo, and tea, and the sale of ‘waste lands’Issues around emigration from India to British and French coloniesMilitary affairs, including the reorganisation, accommodation, and supply of military unitsFrontier policy and relations with tribes on the Northwest and Northeast Frontiers; in particular frontier raids and retaliatory expeditions, including the destruction and pillage by British forces of Shahtoot [Shahtut] village on the Northwest FrontierThe Russian advance in Central Asia; related discussions around British policy in the Northwest Frontier, Cabul [Kabul], and Persia [Iran]; and restrictions on trade from India to Central AsiaCommunications and trade with Ladakh and Cashmere [Kashmir] and on to Central AsiaAffairs in Affghanistan [Afghanistan], including challenges to the rule of the Ameer Shere Ali [Amīr Shīr ‘Alī Khān], internal reforms, a meeting between the Ameer Shere Ali and the Viceroy of India in Umballa [Ambala], and the presence of rival Sirdars [Sardārs, noblemen] in IndiaAffairs in and around Aden Settlement, including: relations with neighbouring polities, including Lahej [Laḥij Sultanate], Fodthlee [Faḍlī Sultanate], Houshebi [Ḥawshabī Sultanate], and Maculla [Mukalla]; water supply to Aden; the purchase of Little Aden; and attempted French inroads in the areaCivil conflict in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, in particular the capture of Muscat by Azan-bin-Ghes Azzān bin Qays Āl Bū Sa‘īd], the consolidation of and challenges to the rule of Azan-bin-Ghes; the effect of the change in regime on the lease of Bunder Abbas [Bandar-e ‘Abbas]; a conflict between Muscat and the Wahabees [Waḥabī movement] at Bereymee [Al Buraymi]; and debates around British policy in the countryAffairs in the Persian Gulf, including an attack by Shargah [Sharjah] on Rasul-Khyma [Ra’s al-Khaymah] and civil conflict in Bahrein [Bahrain]Relations with Persia, including: Persian objections to British actions in Bahrein; trade restrictions in the Gulf ports; frontier disputes around Khelat [Kalat], Seistan [Sistan], and Mekran [Makran] and the need to determine the eastern border of Persia; and the opium trade between Persia and ChinaAffairs in Zanzibar, including: the slave trade; the issue of subsidy payments to Muscat; and the Sultan of Zanzibar’s reaction to events in MuscatAffairs in East Africa, including the proposed occupation of Asab [Assab] Bay, French activity on Mohilla [Mohéli], affairs in Abbysinia [Ethiopia], and relations with Somali tribesAffairs in Burmah [Burma/Myanmar], Siam [Thailand], Nipal [Nepal], and Bhootan [Bhutan]The annexation of the Nicobar Islands.The primary correspondents are:The Government of IndiaThe Viceroy and Governor-General of IndiaThe Resident at AdenThe Political Resident in the Persian GulfThe Political Agent in MuscatThe Political Agent in Zanzibar.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 388; 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.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
44. 'ABSTRACT OF LETTERS FROM INDIA 1870'
- Description:
- Abstract: Confidential printed abstracts of letters received by the India Office from the Government of India, and from senior officials in certain areas outside India, during the year 1870. The letters are dated December 1869-December 1870. The abstracts each have one of the following titles:Abstracts of Secret Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Military Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Letters received from Zanzibar and MuscatAbstracts of Letters received from AdenAbstracts of Letters received from MuscatAbstracts of Letters received from Bushire [Bushehr]Abstracts of Letters received from Aden and ZanzibarAbstracts of Letters received from Bushire and AdenAbstracts of Letters received from Zanzibar and Aden.Each abstract contains summaries of one or more letters from the specified source, each with a title giving the subject of the letter. Letters from India are divided within each abstract by the branch or department of the Government of India they originated from. The correspondence covers issues including:Pay, pensions, recruitment, and other personnel issues in the Indian Civil and Military establishmentsPublic works, including: railways, including a proposed railway from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf; roads; canals; irrigation; docks; and river embankmentsRevenue, expenditure, and taxationLand issues, including: the cultivation of cotton, cinchona, and silk; forestry; and coal miningEducationBankingTelegraphy, including international telegraphic links to IndiaAffairs concerning Princely States, including internal administration, debts, allowances, issues of succession, investment in railways, and territorial claimsIssues around emigration from India to British and French coloniesLegislative and judicial affairs, including the question of jurisdiction over British subjects in the Persian GulfMilitary affairs, including the organisation and supply of military units and a proposed naval force for the Indian seas and the Persian GulfFrontier affairs: relations with tribes on the Northwest and Northeast Frontiers and frontier raidsAffairs in Persia [Iran], including: Persian claims to sovereignty over Bahrein [Bahrain] and objection to British actions in Bahrein; frontier disputes around Khelat [Kalat], Mekran [Makran], and Seistan [Sistan] and proposed arbitration of the Persian-Afghan border; anticipated food shortages and subsequent disturbances involving British subjects exporting grain from BushireAffairs in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, including: the consolidation of and challenges to the rule of Syud Azan [Azzān bin Qays Āl Bū Sa‘īd]; debates around British policy towards Syud Azan; confrontation between Muscat and the Wahabees [Waḥabī movement]; the issue of the Zanzibar subsidy; and Syud Azan’s claims to Bunder Abbas [Bandar-e ‘Abbas], Gwadur [Gwadar], Charbar [Chabahar] and other territories on the Mekran CoastAffairs in the Persian Gulf, including: the campaign of Colonel Lewis Pelly in Bahrein and the installation of Esau bin Ali [‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah] as Ruler; trade and shipping in the Gulf; the desire of the Shah of Persia for a naval presence in the Gulf; Dutch and Turkish [Ottoman] activity in the region; and tensions between Bahrein and the Wahabees, including Wahabee inroads in the Guttur peninsula [Qatar]Affairs in Affghanistan [Afghanistan], including relations with Bokhara [Emirate of Bukhara] and RussiaCentral Asian affairs, including the Russian advance in the region, trade and communication from India to Central Asia via Cashmere [Kashmir] and Ladak [Ladakh], and affairs in Eastern Turkestan [Xinjiang]Affairs in Zanzibar, including the slave trade, relations with Muscat, the death of Syud Majid [Mājid bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd], and the accession to the throne of Syud Burgash [Barghash bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd]Affairs in and around Aden Settlement, including: relations with neighbouring polities, including Lahej [Laḥij Sultanate], Houshebi [Ḥawshabī Sultanate], Fodtheli [Faḍlī Sultanate], and Kathiree [Kathīrī Sultanate]; the purchase of Little Aden; the defences of Aden; an attack on Hodeida [Al Hudaydah] from Aseer [‘Asir] and the threat to Lahej from the Zaidees [Zaidīs]Affairs in the Red Sea, including attempted French, Austrian, Turkish, and Egyptian inroads in the regionAffairs in Burmah [Burma/Myanmar], Bhootan [Bhutan], and Nipal [Nepal].The primary correspondents are:The Government of IndiaThe Viceroy and Governor-General of IndiaThe Resident at AdenThe Political Resident in the Persian GulfThe Political Agent in MuscatThe Political Agent in Zanzibar.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 395; 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.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
45. 'ABSTRACT OF LETTERS FROM INDIA. 1864.'
- Description:
- Abstract: Confidential printed abstracts of letters received by the India Office from the Government of India, and from senior officials in certain areas outside India, during the year 1864. The letters are dated 9 January 1864-31 December 1864. The abstracts are numbered 1-136 and each have one of the following titles:Abstract of Letters Received from IndiaAbstract of Military Letters Received from IndiaAbstract of Secret Letters Received from IndiaAbstract of Secret Letters Received from the Resident at AdenAbstract of Secret Letters Received from the Political Resident at AdenAbstract of Secret Letters Received from the Governor of the Straits SettlementsAbstract of Secret Letters Received from the Political Agent at Zanzibar.Each abstract contains summaries of one or more letters from the specified source, each with a title giving the subject of the letter. Letters from India are divided within each abstract by the branch or department of the Government of India they originated from. The correspondence included in the volume concerns events in British India, Affghanistan [Afghanistan], Bootan [Bhutan], Burmah [Burma or Myanmar], the Straits Settlements, Aden, Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the coast of East Africa, including:Revenue and expenditureFinances, including taxation, the issue of bullion and currency, and the Bank of BengalCommunications, including postal services and telegraph linesPublic works and transportation, including railways and trams, irrigation, river navigation, roads and viaducts, canals, forestry, steam shipping, lighthouses, land reclamation, harbour improvementsLegal affairs, including the establishment of courts, judicial appointments, legal reform and the salaries of High Court judgesThe retirements, dismissals and appointments of military and civil personnelThe pay and pensions of military and civil personnelMilitary affairs, including the recruitment and disbandment of military units, organisation and supply, military reform, the distribution of prize money, the reduction of the army, the sanitary commission for the reduction of disease in the army, and the issuing of Enfield rifles to ‘Native Troops’Internal affairs, including police forces, missionaries, and medical services and hospitalsEducation in India, including the funding for educational institutions and provisions for the education of ‘native females’The production of crops, particularly cotton and teaNaval affairs, including the reduction of the navy, the jurisdiction of the Royal Navy and the purchase of ships from the Anglo-Chinese SquadronThe military expedition against the ‘Sittana fanatics’ on the Punjaub [Punjab] frontierThe death of the incumbent Governor-General of India, Lord Elgin, and his replacement by Sir John LawrenceThe ongoing construction of the telegraph line between Britain and India, including through Mesopotamia and Persia [Iran]Affairs in the Gulf, including claims by the Persian Government over Charbar [Chahabar] and Guadur [Gwadar]The affairs of the Princely States, including finances, succession and issues of jurisdictionAffairs in Affghanistan, including the accession of the Ameer of Cabul [Amīr of Kabul], Shere Ali Khan [Shīr ‘Alī Khān], the dispatch of an envoy to Peshawur [Peshawar] requesting a treaty of alliance between Affghanistan and Britain, and the imprisonment of Sirdar Mahomed Afzul Khan [Sirdār Muḥammad Afḍal Khān] by the Ameer of CabulAffairs in the Straits Settlements, including shipments of arms from Singapore to China, ‘disturbances’ on the Malaya peninsula, and the affairs of the ‘Native States’ of the east coast of Sumatra, where Dutch influence is spreading‘Revolution’ in Abyssinia and the detention of the British Consul, Captain Charles Duncan CameronAffairs at Aden, including the dispute between the Sultan of Lahej, Fodhil [Faḍl IV bin Muḥsin al-‘Abdalī], and ‘the old Foodlee Chief’, Ahmed Bin Abdullah [Aḥmad bin ‘Abdullāh al-Faḍlī, Sultan of Fadhli]; an attack on Hodeida [Al Hudaydah] by Aseerees [ʿAsīris]; and the sale of Little Aden to the BritishThe trade in enslaved people on the coast of East Africa, including efforts to deter the trade at Zanzibar, and the use of the French flag by tradersBritish relations with Bootan, including the military expedition against Bootan in retaliation for the treatment of the British mission to Bootan led by Ashley Eden [Duar War, 1864-1865].The primary correspondents are:The Government of India (Ecclesiastical, Educational, Financial, Foreign, General, Home, Indo-European Telegraph, Judicial, Legislative, Marine, Mekran Telegraph, Political, Public, Public Works, Railway, Revenue Departments)The Governor-General of IndiaThe Governor of the Straits SettlementsThe Political Resident, AdenThe Political Agent, Zanzibar.The abstracts were printed and bound in London, and each one includes the following colophon: ‘LONDON: Printed by GEORGE E. EYRE and WILLIAM SPOTTISWOODE, Printers to the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty. For Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.’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 447; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the item also contains two original pagination sequences between ff 4-14 and ff 15-444.
46. 'ABSTRACTS OF LETTERS FROM INDIA 1874.'
- Description:
- Abstract: Confidential printed abstracts of letters received by the India Office from the Government of India, and from senior officials in certain areas outside India, during the year 1874. The letters are dated November 1873-December 1874. The abstracts each have one of the following titles:Abstract of Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Letters received from BushireAbstracts of Secret Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Letters received from AdenAbstracts of Military Letters received from IndiaAbstracts of Letters received from Bushire and AdenAbstracts of Secret Letters received from Aden.Each abstract contains summaries of one or more letters from the specified source, each with a title giving the subject of the letter. Letters from India are divided within each abstract by the branch or department of the Government of India they originated from. The correspondence covers issues including:Revenue and expenditureAdministrative reports from individual provinces and territorial unitsPublic works, including railways, canals, and portsLand issues, including taxation, surveys, and plantationsFamine in BengalInternal affairs, including communal violence in Bombay [Mumbai]Affairs concerning Princely States, including internal administration and succession of local rulersTelegraphic communication, including a proposed telegraphic link with the Andaman Islands and issues affecting telegraph lines in Persia [Iran]Emigration from India to South Africa, British Guiana [Guyana], Mauritius and Réunion, the Straits Settlements, and the CaribbeanMilitary affairs, including frontier outposts, the supply and organisation of military units, and outbreaks of disease among troopsFrontier affairs, including a proposed campaign against the Duffla [Nyishi] tribes on the Northeast Frontier and negotiations with the Mahsud Wazir [Maḥsūd] tribe on the Northwest FrontierForeign relations of the Government of India, including: relations with Burmah [Burma/Myanmar], Siam [Thailand], Afghanistan, and Thibet [Tibet]; the missions of Thomas Forsyth and Robert Shaw to Yarkund [Yarkant]; and a proposed mission to Yunan [Yunnan Province]The activities of rival colonial powers, including French activity in Burmah and the Russian advance into Central AsiaAffairs in Afghanistan, in particular the rebellion of Yakoob Khan [Muḥammad Ya’qūb Khān, Governor of Herat] against his father Sher Ali [Shīr-’Alī Khān, Amīr of Afghanistan]Affairs in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, including: the Zanzibar Subsidy paid by the Government of India to the Sultan Syud Toorkee [Turkī bin Sa’īd Āl Bū Sa’īd]; challenges to the rule of the Sultan from Syud Salem [Sālim bin Thuwainī Āl Bū Saʿīd] in Gwadur [Gwadar], Saleh bin Ali [Ṣāliḥ bin ‘Alī al-Ḥārithī] in Muttra [Matrah], and Ibrahim bin Ghes [Ibrāhīm bin Qays Āl Bū Sa’īd]; and an expedition by the Sultan against the Ghaffrees [al-Ghāfirī tribal confederation] in Nezwa [Nizwa] and Ziki [Izki]Turkish [Ottoman] activity in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Peninsula, in particular suspected Turkish designs on the Trucial Coast and interference in the Aden Protectorate from Turkish authorities in YemenAffairs in the Aden Protectorate, including: the trade in enslaved people in Hodeida [Al Hudaydah]; the aftermath of a rebellion in the Lahej Sultanate; the defences of Aden; and conflict between the Kayatee [al-Qu‘ayṭī] and Katheree [al-Kathīrī] states involving Arab soldiers from HyderabadAffairs in Persia, including the resignation and reinstatement of the Grand Vizier [Mīrzā Ḥusayn Khān Mushīr al-Dawlah], the cancellation of the Reuter Concession, the proposed Slave Trade Convention, and the issue of the Seistan [Sistan] borderAffairs in Bahrein [Bahrain], including: a petition from a group of exiles led by Nasir bin Mobarik [Nāṣir bin Mubārak Āl Khalīfa] claiming Turkish protection, requesting permission to return to Bahrein, and demanding the release of prisoners held in India following the 1869 conflict in Bahrein; and a threatened attack on Bahrein by the Beni Hajir [Banū Hājir] tribe from Nejd [Najd]Affairs in East Africa, including: slavery in Zanzibar and Mombassa [Mombasa]; suspected Egyptian and Turkish designs on Berbera; the traffic of arms to Abyssinia [Ethiopia]; the death of the missionary Dr David Livingstone; and the proposed construction of lighthouses in the Red SeaAffairs in Baghdad, including: disputes with Redif Pasha [Radīf Pāshā, Governor of Baghdad] concerning salutes and navigation rights of British ships on the Euphrates; and attempted Turkish conscription of Bahreinees [Baharna people] and Cashmeerees [Kashmiris] in Baghdad Vilayet.The primary correspondents are:The Government of India (Home, Foreign, Financial, Revenue, Public Works, Legislative, Judicial, Railway, Marine, and Education departments)The Governor-General of IndiaThe Resident in BushireThe Resident in AdenThe Political Agent in Zanzibar.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 272; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
47. 'ABSTRACT of DESPATCHES and MEMORANDA on Asiatic Politics and European Diplomacy in the countries between India and Russia, and especially in Afghanistan; and as to the establishment of a British Agent at Herat, to watch the progress of events on the Perso-Afghan frontier and in other parts of Central Asia; and further as to the continuance of the subsidy to Dost Muhammad.'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file contains a memorandum which provides summaries of three despatches sent from Lord Stanley, Secretary of State for the Colonies, to the Governor-General of Khorassan, conveying the British Government's proposals both to send a mission to Herat in order to prevent its annexation by Persia, and to continue the subsidy to Dost Muhammad [Dōst Moḥammad Khān Bārakzay], Amir of Afghanistan, with a view to maintaining British influence in Afghanistan.The memorandum also summarises a report by Major Peter Stark Lumsden and notes written by political advisers, in which the authors state their opinions and make proposals regarding the state of politics and diplomacy in the countries lying between India and Russia, and with a focus on Afghanistan.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 28 and terminates at the last folio with 33; 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 exists in parallel throughout; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
48. 'News-Letters, 1839'
- Description:
- 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.