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49. '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.
50. Persian Affairs
- Description:
- Abstract: This item comprises a copy of an enclosure to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 24 of 1847, dated 12 March 1847. The enclosure is dated 14 January 1847.The item comprises copies of despatches forwarded, for the information of the Governor-General of India, by Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil, HM Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia [Iran], to Viscount Palmerston, HM Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, with relevant enclosures.The papers cover a number of matters, notably including:1) Sheil’s advice to Major Samuel Hennell, Political Resident in Bushire [Bushehr], not to admit the claim of an Indian-Persian merchant to be considered a British subject, since his motive is likely to be the evasion of legal customs duties and because acquiescence would cause conflict with the Persian [Iranian] authorities.2) An arrangement concluded by Hennell with the Governor of Fars for the employment of British ships of war for the redress of grievances committed against British subjects in the Persian ports of the Persian Gulf, and the extension of similar protection to Persian subjects.3) Following instructions from Palmerston, Sheil’s attempt to offer the Ameer of Bokhara [Amir of Bukhara] a ransom of 15,000 tomans for the surrender of Colonel Stoddart, Captain Connolly and Lieutenant W H Wyburd [William Henry Wybard] at either Meshed [Mashhad] or Merve [Merv], including a copy of Sheil’s letter to the Ameer (ff 488-489) to be delivered via the ‘Khaleefa or Chief Priest’ at Merve and which is written to appear derived from the friends of the three men, not on behalf of the British Government4) An attempt made by Prince Dolgorukie [Prince Dimitri Ivanovich Dolgorukov], Russian Minister in Tehran, to induce the Persian Government to issue a firman admitting Russian men of war vessels to the ‘back water of Enzellee [Bandar-e Anzali]’ (on the Caspian Sea), including copies of a letter from Dolgoroukie and the reply of Hajee Meerza Aghassee [Ḥājī Mīrzā Āqāsī, Prime Minister to the Shāh of Persia] which Sheil obtained from a ‘private source’ (ff 490-491).5) Sheil’s report of three incidents involving the use of torture – which had officially been abolished by a firman – and the protests made by both Sheil and Dolgoroukie and the actions taken in each case. The incidents relate to: a ‘barbarous act’ committed by Thamasp Meerza [Ṭahmāsp/Ṭahmāsb Mīrzā], a son of the late Shah and governor of a small district near Tabreez [Tabriz] named Binab, leading to his recall to Tehran; the apparent torture to death of a ‘Mahomedan’ [Muslim] servant of ‘a French adventurer named M. Ferrier’ suspected of robbing the latter’s house; and Sheil’s pecuniary punishment of two Mission staff for the methods they used to elicit confessions from persons suspected of robbing their houses.6) Intelligence from Meshed that Mahomed Akber Khan [Muḥammad Akbar Khān], son of Dost Mahomed Khan [Dūst Muḥammad Khān Bārakzāy, Amīr of Afghanistan], has laid siege to Candahar [Kandahar] and applied for aid from Yar Mahomed Khan [Yār Muḥammad Khān, ruler of Herat] (apparently because of the refusal of Kohendil Khan [Kuhandil Khān Muḥammadzā’ī, of Candahar] to join him in an attack on the English garrison at Shikarpore [Shikarpur]), and that their agents have arrived in Tehran apparently to seek Persian support against a supposed British invasion of Afghanistan.7) Following instructions from Palmerston, Sheil’s approach to the Government of Herat to ascertain its views on a closer relationship with England, including: a copy of a non-committal letter from Yar Mahomed Khan to Sheil (ff 500-501); a copy of Sheil’s letter to Yar Mahomed offering to send a member of the British Mission to Herat (ff 501-502); and Sheil’s report that the agent of Yar Mahomed claims the latter would not be averse to having an Englishman there, but that the anti-English feeling in Afghanistan currently makes this impossible.8) Sheil’s correspondence with Hajee Meerza Aghassee (ff 494-498) relating to his unsuccessful attempts to persuade the Persian ministers to agree to the suppression of the trade in enslaved persons in the Persian ports of the Persian Gulf, including the Shah’s refusal to commit to ‘a breach of the precepts of the Koran’ (f 494), and Aghassee’s claim that he himself supports abolition.9) Reports that five battalions (3000 men) have arrived in Tehran to form part of the force for the intended expedition to Khorassan [Khorasan], including: the planned objectives of the expedition in Asterabad [Gorgan], Boojnoord [Bojnord] and Kelat [Kalat]; and uncertainty regarding its command and the attendance of the Shah.10) A letter to Sheil from Meerza Kazim [Mīrzā Kāẓim], Agent of Hajee Meerza Aghassee at Meshed, regarding his investigations in Khorassan, Orgenjee [Urgench?], Bokhara, Herat, and Candahar, into the fate of the Englishman Mr Wyburd, ‘who gave himself the appellation and was known under the name of Hajee Ahmed’. Meerza Kazim encloses a letter from a merchant friend of his in Bokhara relating that ‘Hajee Ahmed’ arrived in Bokhara posing as an ‘Ottoman Turk’, stayed at the Court of the Ameer of Bokhara until the latter gave him to Naib Abdoos Semed Khan [Nā’ib ‘Abd al-Ṣamad Khān], and that at that man’s house he later hanged himself.Physical description: 1 item (23 folios)
51. Vol 99: Secret Letters Outward
- Description:
- Abstract: The file consists of letters sent outwards from the British Residency in the Persian Gulf; the position of Resident in the Persian Gulf is held by Samuel Hennell during this period, with the exception of a brief period at the start of the file when the position is held James Morrison. This correspondence is predominantly addressed to the following recipients: John Pollard Willoughby, Secretary to the Secret and Political Departments of the Government of Bombay; and the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors, London. The remainder consists of correspondence sent to various officers/officials of the British Government, and the East India Company, with a tiny minority being addressed to the officials/rulers of other powers. The subject matter relates to affairs affecting the position of the British in the Persian Gulf.Material concerning British relations and trade with Persia is heavily featured in the file; it covers events leading up to, and shortly subsequent to the withdrawal of the British Residency from Bushire in March 1839. Therefore, it also concerns itself with the British occupation of the island of Karrack [Khārk, Jazīreh-ye], which was undertaken without the permission of the Persian Government, and the reaction of the authorities of Bushire in response; the British view this response as hostile to their interests, and it is used to justify their withdrawal. The Persian siege of Herat (1837-1838) is also briefly discussed due to the impact it has on diplomatic relations between Britain and Persia; much of the material in the file therefore relates to the possibility of a diplomatic rupture between the two states.The expansion of the influence of Muhammad Ali Pasha [Muḥammad ‘Alī Pāshā] of Egypt into Central Arabia as a result of the conquest of Nedgd [Najd] by Khurshid Pasha [Khūrshid Pāshā] — Commander-in-Chief of Egyptian forces in Najd — is another prominent topic in the file; Khurshid Pasha successfully defeating and imprisoning Ameer Fysul [Amīr Fayṣul], the Wahabi Chief. Much of the material therefore concerns the attempts of the Resident to thwart the expansion of this influence to Bahrain, and the Maritime Arabs of the Arabian Coast (Trucial Oman), which he fears would undermine British influence in the Gulf.Other subjects covered more briefly include:The return of property belonging to Prince Ruza Kooly Mirza, which was left on deposit in the Residency Treasury at Bushire.British fears that the Russians are using Armenian priests as spies against British India.The arrival of Nawab Hajeah, widow to the late Prince at Shiraz with some of her descendants, and their wives, and children, followed by their detention by the Governor of Bushire, and their subsequent flight — with the assistance of the Resident — to Bussorah [Basra].The position of Shaikh Nasir [Shaykh Nāṣir], former Governor of Bushire, at Karrack; the Shaikh fled Bushire following a rupture with the Government of Fars, which he feared would seek to imprison him.The Resident's efforts to affect a settlement between Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah, Chief of Bahrain, and his 'revolted dependant' Esa ben Tareef [‘Isá bin Ṭarīf].The file contains an original index, which can be found at the front of the volume.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The file contains the following foliation errors: 34, and 34A; 79, and 79A; 98, and 98A.Pagination: An original pagination sequence is also present in the volume between ff 3-126; these numbers are written in ink, and are located in the top outermost corner of each page.
52. 'Persia, Herat, and Seistan'
- Description:
- Abstract: The memorandum concerns the state of diplomatic relations between Britain and Persia; it is the view of a number of British officials that the time is ripe to secure a privileged position for Britain at the expense of Russia. To this end it therefore discusses the pros and cons of ceding Herat, Seistan [Sīstān], or other Afghan territory to Persia.A narrative (from 14 January 1879 to 1 January 1880) of these diplomatic exchanges is outlined through extracts from correspondence (largely telegrams), and through recollections of conversations, between British and Persian officials. This then develops into more detailed proposals on the terms by which the British might be willing to cede, and the Persians willing to accept, Herat. Parts of the narrative are in French; presumably the original conversation/correspondence was in this language.The memorandum is signed by Owen Tudor Burne of the India Office.This narrative is continued in IOR/L/PS/18/C29/2.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 79, and terminates at f 92, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file also contains an original pagination sequence.
53. Letter between two Persian Merchants
- Description:
- Abstract: A translated extract of a letter from a Persian [Iranian] merchant in Yezd [Yazd] to Aga Baba [Ḥajī Muḥammad ‘Alī Iṣfahānī], a Persian merchant in Bagdad [Baghdad], dated c 10 March 1799.The letter states that, after gathering a large force in Persia, Shah Zadeh Mahmood [Mahmūd Durrānī] attempted to capture Herat but was betrayed and routed and is now missing. It also states that Shah Zadeh Mahmood’s brother and son have withdrawn to Persia.Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
54. ‘Letter from Persia, received at the India Board from the Foreign Office, 23.August 1856’
- Description:
- Abstract: This bundle consists of summaries of two despatches sent by HM Consul at Tehran, Richard W Stevens (10 July 1856, Numbers 42 and 43), addressed to George William Frederick Villiers, 4 Earl of Clarendon and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The despatches are concerned with news of the position of Essa Khan [Isa Khan Bardorani, Minister Regent of Herat] at Herat, and the deputation of Ferouk Khan as Persian Ambassador to France – details of the gifts to be presented to the Emperor and Empress of France have been included.Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
55. Letter from Harford Jones to Henry Dundas
- Description:
- Abstract: A copy of a letter Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], to Henry Dundas, Secretary of State for War, sent from Bagdad and dated 26 April 1799.Jones reports that he has sent a messenger to Syria to obtain information on the French campaign led by General Napoleon Bonaparte. The letter also mentions a siege of Herat by Shah Zadeh Mahmood [Mahmūd Durrānī], the departure of the Hadge [Haj] caravan from Damascus, and the capture of Heifa [Haifa] by French forces. Jones also expresses a lack of faith in the Government of Bagdad after its reaction to the French invasion of Palestine.Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
56. Enclosure in Letter from Harford Jones to Henry Dundas of 31 Oct 1798
- Description:
- Abstract: A copy of a report in French from Caboul [Kabul] received by Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], from merchants of Constantinople [Istanbul] in Bagdad trading with Caboul and Candahar [Kandahar] on 20 October 1798.The report states that Zeman Shah [Zamān Shāh Durrānī, Ruler of Afghanistan] has driven his brothers from Herat into Persia [Iran], while a son of Zeman Shah has taken over the government of Herat. It also states that Zeman Shah is believed to be preparing a campaign in India, possibly with the support of Indian states.The report was enclosed in the Jones's letter to Henry Dundas, Secretary of State for War, dated 31 October 1798 (IOR/L/PS/9/76/43 and 44).Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)