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1. 'Collection of journals and reports received from Captain the Hon G C Napier, Bengal Staff Corps, on special duty in Persia, 1874. Includes revised index. London: HMSO, 1876'
- Description:
- Abstract: Reprint of Collection of journals and reports received from Captain the Hon. G C Napier, Bengal Staff Corps, on special duty in Persia. 1874,with a revised index at pp 348-355 (folios 181-185). A copy of the original index is present at folios 186-200.A letter from the Under Secretary of State for India to the Under Secretary of State for War has been pasted into the front of the volume (folios 2-3), noting that two copies of the revised version have been forwarded for the use of the Intelligence Department.The volume contains ten documents written by George Campbell Napier, and compiled by the Political and Secret Department of the India Office. The documents included are as follows:1. Report of the proceedings in regard to the Khaff [Khvāf] raid;2. Diary kept during tour in Khorassan [Razavi Khorasan];3. Observations on the topography of the Eastern Alburz tract, with notices on a few places of interest on the Persian Border;4. Memorandum on the condition and external relations of the Turkoman tribes of Merve [Mary];5. Reports on events in Herat and Turkistan. Diary for March 1875;6. Report on the present situation in Seistan [Sīstān] in relation to late arbitration;7. Report on the Perso-Afghan border;8. Notes on the political condition of the population of Eastern Khorassan;9. Notes on the condition of the districts, chiefships, and tribes of the north-eastern frontier of Persia;10. Memorandum on the relations of Russia and Persia with the Turkoman tribes of the Attrek Frontier.At the back of the volume (folio 201) is a fold-out map of the northern frontier of Khorassan, with parts of Irak [Iraq] and Mazandaran [Māzandarān].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 203; 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.
2. Persian Affairs
- Description:
- 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)
3. Enclosure 115 to letter of 5 Oct 1828
- Description:
- 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)
4. Letters between Harford Jones and William Campbell
- Description:
- 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)
5. Letter from John Malcolm to Harford Jones
- Description:
- 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)
6. Letters from John Malcolm to Harford Jones
- Description:
- 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)
7. Abstract of rukums from the Shah of Persia to the Prince of Shiraz
- Description:
- Abstract: An abstract of two rukums [raqms, chancery letters] from Futteh Aly Shah [Fatḥ-‘Alī Shāh Qājār, Shāh of Persia] to the Prince Regent of Shiraz [Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mīrzā Farmānfarmā, Prince-Governor of Fars], sent from Subzewar [Sabzevar] and dated 9 and 12 Moharram/1 and 4 June 1800.The abstract reports on the progress of the Shah’s campaign in Khorassan [Khorasan], including the submission to the Shah of all local rulers except the rulers of Meshed [Mashhad] and Chenneron [Chenaran], troop movements, and the expected arrival of Afghan envoys at the Shah’s camp.The abstract is signed Captain John Malcolm, Envoy of the Governor-General of Bengal to Persia [Iran], and dated Shiraz, 29 June 1800.Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
8. Copy of Dispatch No. 27 from HM Chargé d'Affaires to Persia, Henry Willock, to the Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William, Lord Amherst
- Description:
- Abstract: Copy of dispatch No. 27 from HM Chargé d’Affaires to Persia [Iran], Henry Willock, in Tehran, to the Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William, Lord Amherst, of 23 December 1824. In the letter Willock indicates that he believes that Russia seeks to expand its influence and relations with ‘independent States’ in the area east and southeast of the Caspian Sea, including Khorassan [Khorasan] and Afghanistan. Willock discusses the opportunities existing for Russian expansion and the threat that such expansion would pose to the British in India. Willock recommends that the British dispatch an agent to gather intelligence in the region to ascertain the extent of Russian influence, find out the attitudes of local rulers towards Russia, and gather information regarding the possibility of Russia marching an army through the region against India.This document was originally enclosed in Willock’s letter to the Secret Committee of the East India Company of 8 February 1825 (IOR/L/PS/9/70/5).Physical description: 1 item (14 folios)
9. Copy of Dispatch No. 4 from HM Chargé d'Affaires to Persia, Henry Willock, in Tehran, to HM Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, George Canning
- Description:
- Abstract: Copy of dispatch No. 4 from HM Chargé d’Affaires to Persia [Iran], Henry Willock, in Tehran, to HM Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, George Canning, of 5 February 1825. The letter concerns internal affairs in Persia, including disorder in Khorassan [Khorasan], and the flight of Meerza Sauleh [Mirza Saleh Shirazi] to Russian territory on account of his debts.This document was originally enclosed in Willock’s letter to the Secret Committee of the East India Company of 8 February 1825 (IOR/L/PS/9/70/5).Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
10. Copy of a Letter from Brigadier-General John Malcolm, Head of Mission to Persia, to the Secret Committee
- Description:
- Abstract: A copy of a letter from Captain John Malcolm, Envoy of the Supreme Government of India to Persia [Iran], to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, sent from Bushire [Būshehr] and dated 3 February 1800. The letter reports Malcolm’s arrival in Bushire and meeting with the Imaume [Imam] of Muscat [Sultān bin Ahmad Al Bū Sa’id], who was induced to sign an agreement with Malcolm and allow an East India Company representative to be installed in Muscat, and recommends strengthening ties with Muscat due to its maritime strength. It also reports Malcolm’s onward plans from Bushire and the Shaw [Shah] of Persia’s movements towards Khorassan [Khorāsān].Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)