Abstract: This file is a memorandum written by Adolphus Warburton Moore, Political and Secret Department, of historical events and correspondence relating to the occupation of Merv by Russia, and to Russian activity in Khorassan, on the Persian boundary.The memorandum reproduces a despatch to the Russian Ambassador to London, in which Lord Granville, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, expresses the British Government's displeasure at hearing of the Russian annexation of Merv, against assurances previously given by the Government of the Russian Empire. The memorandum gives the Russian response, describing the annexation as merely an act of local administration without political pre-meditation on the part of Russia, who continue to seek co-operation and friendly relations with the British Government.The memorandum goes on to describe British concerns and Russian denials that they next intended to annexe Sarakhs on the Persian border, and, upon the arrival of Russian troops at Sarakhs and in other parts of Khorassan, Persian protests to the Russian Government.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 110 and terminates at the last folio with 122, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 110-122; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of a copy of an enclosure to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 103 of 1847, dated 27 December 1847. The enclosure is numbered 3 and is dated 14 October 1847.The enclosure consists of a copy of a letter from HM Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia [Iran], Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil, to the Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Arthur Malet, enclosing under flying seals copies of despatches addressed to HM Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Viscount Palmerston, dated 23 to 30 September 1847.The enclosures relate to matters including:Sheil reporting that the Persian Prime Minister Hajee Meerza Aghassee [Ḥājī Mīrzā (ʿAbbās Īravānī) Āqāsī] had several times publicly accused the British Government of having given aid in money to the Salar [Muḥammad-Ḥasan Khān Sālār] and Jaffer Koolee Khan [Jaʿfar Qulī Khān], and that the Shah had said to a member of the British mission that the British Government were behind the ‘disturbances’ in Khorassan [Khorasan]; Sheil writing to Aghassee to demand that the accusation be withdrawn, and that an apology be made by the Persian Government; and the denial of the Shah and Aghassee that they had made the accusation that a ‘Hindoo’ [Hindu] British subject resident in Meshed [Mashhad] had, on account of the British Government given money to the Salar and Jaffer Koolee KhanPersian involvement in Afghanistan, including Sheil addressing a note to Hajee Meerza Aghassee regarding Herat, and stating that Aghassee’s reply repeats indirectly the absence of any intention on the part of the Persian Government to ‘interfere’ with HeratSheil stating that it appears the insurrection in Khorassan will be speedily terminated, and that this has likely prevented ‘complications of a more serious character’, as Sheil has received intelligence that the Russian Minister had told Aghassee that in case of a reverse Russian troops would be ready to assist the Shah in Khorassan, and Aghassee had proclaimed in public more than once that he would make use of that option should the occasion ariseSheil learning that the Russian Minister [Prince Dimitri Ivanovich Dolgorukov, referred to as Dolgorouki in this item] had made an application to the Persian Government for permission to build a hospital on land near Asterabad [Gorgan] opposite the Island of Ashoor Ada [Ashuradeh] for the use of seamen and mariners of Russian ships of war on that coast, and to surround this building as well as the Russian store houses in the same vicinity with a wall; and Sheil reporting that he had represented to the Shah that if he gave his consent to such a proposition it would be equivalent to giving his consent and confirmation to the Russian occupation of Ashoor AdaThe conduct of Mirza Mahomed Ali Khan [Mīrzā Muḥammad ‘Ali Khān], in leaving Constantinople [Istanbul] for France before the ratification of the Treaty of Erzeroom [Erzurum], having been nominated by the Persian Government to exchange the ratifications; Sheil and the Russian Minister, Dolgorouki, anticipating that this would delay the exchange of ratifications; and the Persian Government rejecting the advice of Sheil and Dolgorouki that great delay would be avoided if the Persian Government would provide them with letters directing Mirza Mahomed Ali Khan to hasten his return to ConstantinopleBritish attempts to abolish the transport of African ‘slaves’ [enslaved persons] through the ports of the Persian Gulf, including Sheil addressing a letter to Aghassee intimating that British war ships would examine any Persian vessels in the Persian Gulf suspected of 'slave trading' and liberate any enslaved persons found on board; Sheil’s view that whilst this announcement ‘has ostensibly been distasteful’ to the Persian Government, which declares that such an act would be a breach of treaty, he is nevertheless of the opinion that any obstruction this trade may encounter from British ships of war ‘will in reality be viewed by the Persian Government with considerable apathy’, and that the detention of one Persian vessel and the liberation of any enslaved persons who may be found on board will probably be sufficient to deter other Persian vessels from continuing to engage in the 'slave trade'.The despatches from Sheil to Palmerston include enclosed copies of despatches in French from the Russian foreign minister Count Nesselrode [Karl Robert Vasilyevich] to Prince Dolgorouki, and from the Russian Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom, Baron Brunow [Filipp Ivanovich Brunnov] to the Russian Chancellor, relating to Afghanistan. The despatches also include: correspondence between Sheil and Hajee Meerza Aghassee; letters (in French) jointly signed by Sheil and Dolgorouki addressed to Aghassee, and replies from Aghassee; and a letter from Sheil to the Political Resident at Baghdad, Major Henry Creswicke Rawlinson.Enclosure No. 3 also includes:A letter from Sheil to HM Minister Plenipotentiary to the Ottoman Empire, Lord Cowley, dated 5 October 1847, stating that it is the intention of the Persian Government to despatch the ratification of the treaty concluded at Ezeroom by special messenger in seven days to the care of the Persian Consul at ConstantinopleA letter from Sheil to the Secretary to the Government of India, dated 10 October 1847, enclosing an extract from the
Delhi Gazettecontaining news ‘from a letter from Tehran’, which Sheil states bears remarkable similarity to his correspondence with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, copies of which are forwarded to the Governor-General for information. Sheil suggests that as no one in his own office has any correspondence with the northern part of India, this information has been provided by the Native Writers in the office of the Secretary to the Government of India.Physical description: 1 item (46 folios)
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of a copy of an enclosure to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 96 of 1847, dated 13 November 1847. The enclosure is numbered 3 and is dated 14 September 1847. The enclosure consists of a letter from HM Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia [Iran], Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil, to the Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay, forwarding under flying seals copies of despatches addressed by him to HM Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Viscount Palmerston, and letters to HM Minister Plenipotentiary to the Ottoman Empire, Lord Cowley, dated 12 August to 4 September 1847.These despatches and letters concern matters including:The Treaty of Erzeroom [Erzurum] between Persia and the Ottoman Empire, including: Sheil’s attempts to persuade the Persian Prime Minister Hajee Meerza Aghassee [Ḥājī Mīrzā (ʿAbbās Īravānī) Āqāsī] of the expediency of Persia establishing a tariff with Turkey; Sheil's efforts to persuade the Persian ministers to accompany the ratification of the treaty with a confirmation of the explanations of certain points given by the representatives of the mediating powers, including the explanation relating to the construction of fortifications on the opposite banks of the Shatt-Ool-Arab [Shatt al Arab]; and ‘the breach of promise contemplated’ by Nejeeb Pasha [Gürcü Mehmet Necip Pasha, or Muḥammad Najīb Pāshā, Wali or Governor of Baghdad] in relation to the removal of war ships from the vicinity of Mohemmera [Khorramshahr]The ‘spirit of insubordination’ amongst the Persian troops, and the revolt in Khorassan [Khorasan], including: an incident in which a ‘considerable body of troops’ had forced their way into Hajee Meerza Aghassee’s house and demanded their pay, and another incident in which a body of troops had surrounded his house and not allowed him to leave; the troops refusing to march without payment of their arrears, and the ‘great disorganisation’ in their ranks; Hajee Meerza Aghassee extracting 70,000 tomans left in the treasury by the late Shah to pay the soldiers; 4,000 Persian infantry and six guns marching towards Khorassan, with about 1,500 being expected to be despatched in the next few days, to join the previous detachment at Bestam [Bastam]; news that the 2,000 troops sent in advance to Bestam had made a forward movement to Kalpoosh [Kalpush], where ‘an action’ had taken place, resulting in the troops of Jaffer Koolee Khan [Jaʿfar Qulī Khān] retreating, and the opposing troops taking possession of his position; Hajee Meerza Aghassee and the Shah’s rejections of Sheil’s proposal to intervene between the Government and the Salar [Moḥammad-Ḥasan Khān Sālār] and Jaffer Koolee Khan, in an attempt to settle the revoltSheil’s success in settling with the Persian ministers the claim of Hajee Nooroodeen [Ḥājī Nūr al-Dīn], a British subject, against the Persian Government, with the Governor of Fars agreeing to pay Hajee Nooroodeen 8,000 tomans in instalmentsThe Resident in the Persian Gulf, Major Samuel Hennell, informing Sheil that he had learnt that it was the intention of the Governor of Bender Abbas [Bandar ‘Abbas], Shaikh Syd [Shaikh Saʿīd] (an official of the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat, with the latter renting the port and the adjoining district from Persia), to blockade the Persian ports of the Persian Gulf, ‘under the pretext of retaliating injuries suffered by him from the Governor of Fars, but in reality for various frivolous [and] insufficient reasons’ Sheil asserts, and Sheil’s recommendation to Hennell that he should use every legitimate means in his power to prevent this from happeningSheil’s report that further to his despatch No. 67 of 29 June regarding the ‘misconduct’ of the Governor of Asterabad [Gorgan], Suleiman Khan [Sulaymān Khān], the latter had been brought to Tehran and apologised to Sheil for his treatment of the Khan of Khiva’s servant and admitted stealing his property; that Hennell had received 350 tomans from the Persian Government on this account which he had paid to the servant; and that despite his very negative opinion of Suleiman Khan, Hennell had yielded to the appeals of the Persian Government and signified to the latter that he would not oppose the resumption of Suleiman Khan’s GovernmentSheil’s lack of success in his attempts to persuade the Shah to abolish the ‘traffic’ in enslaved African people by sea through the Persian ports of the Persian Gulf.Enclosure No. 3 includes enclosed correspondence between Sheil and Hajee Meerza Aghassee.The enclosure also includes a letter from Sheil to the Secretary to the Government of India with the Governor-General (dated 14 September 1847), requesting to be informed as to what privileges or protection the Governor-General considers a Persian, or other foreign vessel, carrying English colours [a British flag] should be entitled to claim.Physical description: 1 item (39 folios)
Abstract: Dispatch No. 115 from the East India Company Envoy to Persia [Iran], Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonald Kinneir, to Andrew Stirling, Acting Secretary to the Government of Bengal, dated 25 August 1828.Macdonald Kinneir reports that the Persian Government has agreed to the ratification of the abrogation of the third and fourth articles of the Definitive Treaty, which concern British subsidies and military aid to Persia, in exchange for a contribution of 200,000 tomans from Macdonald Kinneir towards a payment to secure the withdrawal of Russian troops from Khoee [Khoy] in accordance with the Treaty of Toorkmanchaee [Turkemchay], and forwards related correspondence (IOR/L/PS/9/71/290-294). Macdonald Kinneir states that he will not forward the ratification to the Government of Bengal until he has heard back about the proposed modification of the Definitive Treaty, and also voices suspicions that the Russian forces hope to occupy Khoee indefinitely.The letter also reports on civil conflict in Khorassan [Khorasan], including the capture of Meshed [Mashhad] by Reza Khouli Khan Zaferanloo [Rezā Qulī Khān Za’farānlū], and developments in the war between Turkey [Ottoman Empire] and Russia [Russo-Turkish War, 1828-29].This document was originally enclosed in Macdonald Kinneir’s dispatch No. 36 to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company of 5 October 1828 (IOR/L/PS/9/71/262).Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
Abstract: A report from Herat by an anonymous French author in the service of Shah Zeman [Zamān Shāh Durrānī, Ruler of Afghanistan], dated 3 September 1799.The report describes the campaign of Baba Khan [Fatḥ-‘Alī Shāh Qājār, Shāh of Persia] in eastern Persia [Iran], including the capture of Nichabour [Nishabur] and the siege of Mashate [Mashhad], and Baba Khan’s retreat when faced with large forces led by Shah Zeman and Shah Mourad [Shāhmurād, Amīr of Bukhara]. The report states that many Persian troops were captured by tribes to be sold into slavery in Boukara [Bukhara] and that Shah Zeman is now planning an expedition to Lahor [Lahore].Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
Abstract: This item contains copies of four letters:1. A translation of an anonymous letter sent to Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], from Isfahun [Esfahan], dated 9 Zelhejeh [Dhū al-Ḥijjah]/23 April 1801. The letter reports news from Afghanistan, where Zeman Shaw [Zamān Shāh Durrānī] controls Caboul [Kabul] and is said to be planning an expedition against Shah Zadé Mahmood [Mahmūd Durrānī] who controls Candahar [Kandahar]. The letter also reports developments in the campaign of Baba Khan [Fatḥ-‘Alī Shāh Qājār, Shāh of Persia] in Khorassan [Khorasan].2. A letter from Captain William Campbell, Head Assistant to the Mission of Captain John Malcolm to Persia [Iran], to Harford Jones, sent from Bagdad and dated 11 May 1801. The letter transmits lists (not enclosed) of gold, silver, and other articles acquired by the Mission to Persia which Campbell has handed over to Jones, and their approximate value.3. A letter from Captain William Campbell to Harford Jones, sent from Bagdad and dated 12 May 1801. The letter reports Campbell’s departure for Bussora [Basra] and the transfer of his remaining duties to Lieutenant Charles Pasley, Second Assistant to the Mission, who will remain in Bagdad with the Mission’s troops and horses, and asks Jones to assist Pasley.4. A letter from Harford Jones to Captain William Campbell, sent from Bagdad and dated 13 May 1801. Jones acknowledges the receipt of the above letters and pledges to assist Lieutenant Pasley.Physical description: 1 item (6 folios)
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Captain John Malcolm, Envoy of the Governor-General of Bengal to Persia [Iran], to Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], sent from a camp five miles from Aboosheher [Bushehr] and dated 18 April 1800.The letter forwards three extracts of the latest intelligence Malcolm has received from the interior of Persia:1. An extract of a letter from a merchant in Herat dated 1 Shawal [Shawwal] 1214/24 February 1800. The letter reports that Rahmat Ullah Khan [Raḥmatallah Khān Sādūzāī], the leading Minister at the Court of Zemaun Shah [Zamān Shāh Durrānī, Ruler of Afghanistan], has ordered the execution of a number of Affghaun [Afghan] notables after the discovery of a conspiracy to bring the exiled brothers of Zemaun Shah to power.2. An anonymous letter from Yezd [Yazd] dated 1 Zekad [Dhū al-Qa’dah] 1214/22 March 1800. The letter reports that the King [Shāh] of Persia [Fatḥ-‘Alī Shāh Qājār] is planning to march towards Khorassan [Khorasan] in co-ordination with Prince Mahmood [Mahmūd Durrānī], the exiled brother of Zemaun Shah. It also reports that a number of Affghan [Afghan] notables made contact with Mahmood’s forces and were subsequently exposed and executed by Zemaun Shah.3. An extract of a letter from Moulla Askar, Moonshee [Mullah ‘Askar, Munshi or Secretary] to Shaikh Nasser of Aboosheher [Naṣr Khān Āl Madhkūr, Shaikh of Bushehr] dated 12 Zekad [Dhū al-Qa’dah] 1214/April 1800. The letter describes the King’s imminent march towards Khorassan.Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
Abstract: Copies of two letters from Captain John Malcolm, Envoy of the Governor-General of Bengal to Persia [Iran], to Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], sent from Shirauz [Shiraz] and dated 15 and 10 August 1800.The letters thank Jones for sending news from Egypt and forward information concerning the King’s [Fatḥ-‘Alī Shāh Qājār, Shāh of Persia] campaign in Khorassan [Khorasan].Attached are:An abstract of a letter from an informant to Malcolm concerning the King’s campaign in Khorassan, partially in cypherA letter in cypher.Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
Abstract: Confidential political diaries submitted on a fortnightly basis throughout 1931, on a monthly basis from May 1932, returning to a fortnightly basis in September 1939, by the British Consul General at Khorassan [Khorāsān] (Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Charles Johnson Barrett; Major Clive Kirkpatrick Daly; Lieutenant-Colonel Everard Huddleston Gastrell; Giles Frederick Squire). The diaries describe affairs in the Khorassan region, and are arranged under a series of headings that expand and evolve over time:Activities of the Persian [Iranian] Government and Persian authorities, including the programme of modernisation carried out at the orders of the Shah during the 1930s, activities of the Persian military and police.Events at Sistan, Kain [Ka’īn], and Birjand, and in the district of Sarhad.Activities of the municipal government in Khorassan, including public works and urban development programmes.Foreign interests and affairs in the region, including British, Russian, Afghan and Turkish affairs, and the movements of foreign visitors.Soviet propaganda, and British and Persian counter-propaganda measures.Agricultural production, food supplies and food shortages.Trade, commerce and smuggling.Security, including reports of robberies, and raids on transport routes.Weather reports.Diseases and epidemics.Reports of locust observations and movements.The diaries include some reports reflecting topical events: military activity on the Persia-Turkmenistan border, and reports of Russian refugees crossing into Persia from Turkmenistan; the start of the Second World War, with a focus on the activities of German subjects in Khorassan, speculation over Russian involvement in the War, and the impact upon public opinion in Iran of German radio propaganda, describing Germany’s military successes in Europe throughout 1940.Minute papers are enclosed with reports dated up till late 1935, which frequently contain handwritten or typed notes made by India Office staff, commenting on the contents of the report.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 650; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file is a direct chronological continuation of Coll 28/10 ‘Persia. Diaries; Meshed Consular Jany 1931 – May 1940. Khorassan Political 1934 – May 1940. Khorassan Fortnightly Reports’ (IOR/L/PS/12/3406), and contains political diary reports, submitted fortnightly (and then monthly from late 1945) by the British Consul-General for Khorassan [Khorāsān] in Meshed [Mashhad] (Giles Frederick Squire; Lieutenant-Colonel Ralph Ponsonby Watts; Reginald Michael Hadow; Clarmont Percival Skrine). The subject matter covered by the diaries changes during the course of the Second World War and immediate post-war period. Between June 1940 and August 1941, the diaries focus on the War, and cover:public opinion in Meshed on developments in EuropeBritish and German radio broadcasts in PersianGerman and British cinema programmes in MeshedGerman interests in Khorassan, including the activities of German individuals, and German commercial interests, including the ordering of raw materials, such as wool and skins, bound for Germanythe Russian invasion of Khorassan and occupation of Meshed in August 1941the abdication of Reza Shah PahlaviFrom late 1941 onwards:the security situation in Khorassanrailway construction and communicationsfood supplies and shortages, with particular emphasis on wheat suppliestransport of supplies, including the activities of the East Persian Auxiliary Transport Service (EPATS) and the United Kingdom Commercial Corporation (UKCC)Russian government and military activitiesGerman and Russian propagandalocal affairs, including Persian (Iranian) government affairs at Khorassan, Birjand, Zabul, Zahedanthe movements in Khorassan of Polish child refugeesThe file also includes four six-monthly reports on the political situation in Khorasan, produced by the Consul-General at Khorasan, spanning the years 1945 and 1946. Minute papers are enclosed in front of most reports, with typewritten notes made by India Office staff commenting on the contents of the report.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 648; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: Printed and typewritten fortnightly intelligence reports, submitted by staff at the British Consulate at Meshed [Mashhad]. Reports dated up to June 1931 were submitted by the British Military Attaché at Meshed (Major Leo Steveni). Reports after June 1931 were submitted by the Secretary to the British Consul at Meshed (Major Lancelot George Werge Hamber; Major Richard Henry Stevens).The reports are organised into three geographic regions: 1) Khorasan province in Persia [Iran] (including Meshed); 2) Herat province in Afghanistan; and 3) the ‘Central Asian Republics’ (corresponding to present-day Turkmenistan, as well as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan). Each report is further arranged under miscellaneous subject headings that include:military affairs, including conscriptionadministrative and civil affairseconomic affairstrade and customsroads and communicationsspecific to Khorasan: Persian officials, refugees from Russia, and Soviet activities in Persiaspecific to the Central Asian Republics, the activities of the Basmachi movementMinute papers are enclosed in front of many reports, containing notes made by India Office staff commenting on items of note in the report.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 149; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-148; these numbers are also written in pencil and circled, but are crossed through.
Abstract: Annual commercial reports for the provinces of Sistan and Kain [Ka’īn] (from 1936, referred to as the provinces of Khorāsān and Mekran [Makran]), submitted by the British Consul for Sistan and Kain (from 1936, the British Consul-General for Khorāsān, Meshed [Mashhad]) (Clarmont Percival Skrine; Major Clive Kirkpatrick Daly; Major Everard Huddleston Gastrell; Captain Giles Frederick Squire). The reports include sections on:trade (including imports, exports, foreign goods, openings for British goods)finance (including banking activity, bankruptcies).taxationPersian military (including the commandeering of transport, effects of conscription)agriculture (including irrigation, opium production)industry (including new industries, electricity generation, demand for foreign machinery)communications and transport (roads, railways)social conditions (standard of living, unemployment, public health and hygiene)appendices with statistical tables on imports and exports on the Nushki to Duzdap [Zahedan] railway, imports and exports via Zahedan, freight rates, and rates for animal transportPreceding each report is an India Office minute paper, containing handwritten notes commenting on the contents of the report. The file also includes a small amount of official correspondence relating to the contents of the reports, and a number of other reports prepared by the British-Consul General, relating to the commercial situation in eastern Iran, and Iranian trade with Russia.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 157; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.An additonal foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-156; these numbers are also written in pencil and circled, but are crossed through.