Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of Political Consultations and Political Letters sent to and from the Government of Bombay.The item relates to attacks on merchant ships by the Joasamee [Āl Qāsimī] and the numerous counterefforts made by the East India Company and others over several years to curb the power of the Joasamee 'pirates'. In particular the item is concerned with:Accounts of the attack on the Company ships
Macaulayand
DuncanThe armament and dispatch of three Company cruizers to the Gulph [Gulf] of Persia for the purpose of protecting trade in the region against the Joasamee piratesThe order to inform the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat and the English Broker at Muscat of the above expedition so that they might offer aid and assistance to the commanding officersThe prohibition of the sale of timber, teakwood and planks at British ports to Arabs as it has been discovered that some of these items are then sent to the Coast of Malabar where the Joasamee are able to source the material to repair their shipsThe successful attack on Rasul Khyma [Ra's al-Khaymah], the principal port of the Joasamee, by Captain Wainwright of His Majesty's ship
La Chiffonneand Lieutenant-Colonel Smith of His Majesty's 65th RegimentIntelligence that a fleet of 18 'piratical' vessels based at Rasul Khyma are preparing to intercept merchant ships on their journey from Bussora [Basra] to IndiaInstructions to commanding officers including orders in the event of conciliatory proposals on the part of the Joasamee and orders to avoid 'all undue constraint or detriment towards the interior commerce of the Gulph'Reports of a battle between the fleet of Rehma bin Janber [Rahmah bin Jābir al-Jalhami] and the Uttobies [ʿUtūb] of Bahrein [Bahrain] in which three of Rehma's ships have been blown up and Rehma has reportedly been killed.The item also includes a note on the number of ships destroyed and men killed or wounded in the attack on Rasul Khyma (f 59 verso).Correspondents: Government of Bombay; East India Company Court of Directors; J Babington, Deputy Secretary to Government of Bombay; W J Hamilton, Secretary in the Government of Bombay Marine Department; Francis Warden, Chief Secretary to Government of Bombay; Alexander Bell, Conservator of the Forests in Malabar [Kochi]; Captain Charles Sealy, Commander of the Company's cruizer
Benares; Chief Secretary to the Supreme Government; Captain Prior of His Majesty's ship
Hesper; William Bruce, Acting Resident at Bushire.The title page of the item contains the following references: 'Political No. 9, Season 1814/15, Draft 20' and 'Examiner's Office November 1812-November 1813'.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 52, and terminates at f 80, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio. Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: This item consists mostly of copies of correspondence, minutes and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, letters to and from the Government of Bombay. It is the first in a series of 8 items on the subject of the alleged piracy of the Joasmee [Qawasim] (the others are: IOR/F/4/649/17851 and 17852, IOR/F/4/650/17853 and 17854, IOR/F/4/651/17855, and IOR/F/4/652/17856 and 17857). The main subjects are:Reports of piratical activity by the Joasmee along the coast between Bombay and the Persian Gulf between 1815 and 1818, and the measures taken to protect vessels sailing under British colours. The reports include:Details of a consultation between William Bruce, the Resident at Bushire and Hussan bin Rahmah [Ḥasan bin Raḥmah al-Qāsimī], the ruler of Rasul Khyma [Ra's al-Khaymah, also referred to as Ras-ul-Khima and Ras-ool Khyma], and Bruce’s demand for recompense for the alleged Joasmee capture and plunder of three ships belonging to merchants from SuratOffers of assistance to Britain against the Joasmee from the Imam of Muscat and Shaikh Rahmah bin Jauber [Shaikh Raḥmah bin Jābir Āl Jalāhimah], the chief of the Āl Jalāhimah clan, along with an account of the history of this clan and the other clans of the Uttoobee [Banī ʿUtbah] tribe.The expedition against Rasul Khyma carried out in December 1819 under the command of Major General Sir William Grant Keir, including:The instructions issued and preparations made for the expeditionAccounts of the attacks on the port of Rasul Khyma and the fort of Zyah [Dhayah]The articles of a General Treaty intended to bring about the cessation of piracy in the Gulf; and the articles of preliminary treaties with individual tribal rulersPlans for a new station in the Gulf, to be located in Kishm [Qeshm], to ensure that the new treaties are observedThe reaction of Persia [Iran] to the expeditionAn account of the journey of Captain George Forster Sadlier across the Arabian Peninsula on a mission to Ibrahim, son of Muhammad Ali Pasha, Viceroy of Egypt.The expeditions carried out against the Beni-boo Ali [Banī Bū ‘Alī] tribe in 1820 and 1821.The title page (f 114) of the item contains the following references: 'Bombay Political No. 12', 'PC [Previous Communication] 16, Draft 383', and 'Examiner's Office'.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at 114, and terminates at 323, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the volume also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: This item consists of copies of correspondence, minutes, and consultations cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. These political letters appear in IOR/F/4/2302/118727. The correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; Major Samuel Hennell, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; and Sheik Sultan ben Suggur of Rasul Khyma [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī of Ra’s al-Khaymah]. It is the twenty-fourth in a series of fifty-one items on the Persian Gulf.This item concerns:Sheik Sultan ben Suggur’s complaints of the incursions of Sheik Saeed bin Tahnoon [Shaikh Sa‘īd bin Ṭaḥnūn Āl Nahyān of Abu Dhabi] onto his territory and the opening of hostilities between the twoHennell’s warnings to ben Suggur that he should not transport troops from the Nedgd [Najd] in his vessels.The item contains a contents page and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Collection No 3 of No 169’, ‘Coll[ection]: 17’ and ‘Draft no 465 of 49’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 526, and terminates at f 532, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: This item contains graphic descriptions of slavery.This item consists of copies of correspondence, minutes, and consultations, cited in, or enclosed with, political and secret letters from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai]. The main correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; Captain Stafford Bettesworth Haines, British Political Agent at Aden; Khojah Reuben, Native Agent at Muscat; the Government of India; Captain Atkins Hamerton, British Agent at Muscat on a mission to Zanzibar; Captain Samuel Hennell, British Resident in the Persian Gulf. It is the third in a series of three items concerning the trade in enslaved people (the others are IOR/F/4/1958/85478 and IOR/F/4/1959/85479).The item concerns:British proposals of methods to end the trade in enslaved people and potential political and practical consequences of these methodsThe extent of slavery and the trade in enslaved people at Zanzibar and India, and the involvement of the Imam of Muscat [Sayyid Sa‘id bin Sulṭan Al Bu Sa‘id] and his shipsThe kidnap and sale of women from IndiaThe involvement of individuals in the Persian Gulf in the trade in enslaved peopleThe difficulties of determining the nationality of crews and ships for the purpose of applying pre-existing treaties which limit the trade in enslaved peopleThe case of the
Kallah Kassaim[
Qal'ah Qasim], which transported enslaved people while flying British colours and subsequently changed to flying the Imam of Muscat’s flag, including copies of her licence and passThe importation of enslaved people into Shargah [Sharjah] and the non-cooperation of Sultan bin Suggur [Shaikh Sultan I bin Saqr al-Qasimi, Shaikh of Ra’s al-Khaymah] in resolving this matter; the eventual release of four Soomalee [Somali] women, the circumstances of their enslavement, and their return to BerberaA dispute between Sultan bin Suggur and Khalifa bin Shaikboot [Shaikh Khalifah bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan, Shaikh of Abu Dhabi] involving each of them plundering the other's territoryRelations between British and American citizens at Zanzibar and the influence of their respective officials over the Imam of MuscatThe arrival of Her Majesty’s sloop of war
Lilyat Zanzibar, and her seizure of the
Joshua Carrollon suspicion of her being equipped to carry enslaved peopleThe trade in enslaved people at Berbera and the possibility of its suppression.The item includes letters sent by the Imam of Muscat to Queen Victoria, Lord Aberdeen [George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen], and Lord Palmerston [John Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston] requesting that they modify their plans for the suppression of the trade in enslaved people (ff 210-219).The item includes a contents page and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Draft 596, P.C. [Previous Communication] 3593, [Season] 1842’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 4 and terminates at f 220, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: The volume comprises copies and extracts of correspondence, with enclosures, relating to the Persian Gulph [Persian Gulf] Expedition of 1819 against the Joasmees [al-Qāsimī] at Rasul Khyma [Ra's al-Khaymah, various spellings in this volume] who the British deemed guilty of acts of ‘piracy’ in the region. The correspondence is between the Government of Bombay [Mumbai], at Bombay Castle, and the Court of Directors in London.The volume broadly covers three subjects, as follows:1. The period April 1814 to November 1819, leading up to the expedition and during which acts of ‘piracy’ were being committed in the Persian Gulph and along the coasts of Scind [Sindh] and Cutch [Kutch]. Matters covered include:Reports of captured trade vessels, mostly from IndiaDeployment of British naval patrols and stations to protect trade between India and the GulphA visit by the Resident at Bushire [Būshehr], William Bruce, to Rasul Khyma, to remonstrate with the JoasmeesA visit by Captain Lock, Commander of the
Eden, to Bahrein [Bahrain] to investigate reports of the sale of Indian and European women prisoners at the island, and a subsequent prisoner exchange.2. The 1819 expedition. Matters covered include:The background to the decision to send the expeditionPreparations for and objectives of the expeditionThe progress and eventual success of the expeditionThe signing of the 1820 General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian GulfDiscussion of what to do with the former possessions of the JoasmeesThe establishment of a political agency and naval station on the Island of Kishma [Qeshm].3. Two expeditions, in 1820 and 1821, against the Beni Boo Ali [Banī Bū ‘Alī, various spellings in this volume], inhabitants of Jalan province and nominally under the authority of the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd], for alleged acts of ‘piracy’ and for the murder of a member of the Imaum’s government. Matters covered include:The visit of Captain W S Collinson, Commander of the cruiser
Mercury, to Alashkarah [al-Ashkarah, various spellings in this volume] to remonstrate with the Beni Boo Ali in September 1820, and during which the murder of the Imaum’s government official took placeThe preparations for, progress of, and eventual failure of the first expedition in late 1820The preparations for, progress of, and eventual success of the second expedition in early 1821.Other matters covered by the volume include:Affairs of Central Arabia, in particular those concerning the Wahabees [Wahabi] and the campaign of Ibrahim Pasha against themBritish efforts to enlist Ibrahim Pasha's cooperation with the campaign against Rasul Khyma, including Captain George Sadlier’s [Sadleir] journey across Arabia in order to deliver a letter and a gift to the PashaA visit by Captain E Pratt, Commander of the
Fly, to the Curia Muria [Kuria Muria] Islands in January 1821 in search of shipwrecked 'Lascars' [non-European sailors, usually from the Indian subcontinent, in the employ of the British]Relations between Britain and Persia [Iran], specifically relating to Britain’s presence on the Island of Kishma.The second part of the volume comprises the enclosures referred to in the letters of the first part. These enclosures consist of letters, reports, and extracts of Proceedings of the Government of Bombay. Correspondents include: Major-General Lionel Smith, Commander of the Second Expedition against the Beni Boo Ali; Lieutenant J M Guy, Commander of East India Company Cruizer
Psyche; Captain A Hardy, Commander of East India Company Cruizer
Teignmouth; Lieutenant-General Charles Colville, Commander-in-Chief, Bombay Army; Shaik Sultan Ben Suggar [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī, various spellings in this volume]; Shaik Zeid Ben Seif [Shaikh Zayed bin Sayf bin Mohammed al-Falahi], Acting Ruler of Debay [Dubai]; George Swinton, Acting Secretary to the Governor-General of the Presidency of Bengal, Fort William; Captain Thomas Perronet Thompson (and his successors (acting), Captain Charles James Maillard and Captain H R Deschamps), Political Agent, Kishma; Captain Price Blackwood, Commander of HM Sloop
Curlew.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 293; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The sequence contains one anomaly, f 177a.The volume includes multiple original pagination sequences.
Abstract: The volume contains letters sent to the British Resident at Bushire. The subject matter of the correspondence centres around the administration of the Bushire Residency, and company operations in the area. It therefore covers the wider commercial and political interests of the East India Company in the Persian Gulf, alongside those of the British Government during this period. This includes international relations between the British and the principal powers of the region; e.g. Persia, the Ottoman Empire, Muscat and Oman. It also concerns itself with piracy (as defined by British authorities) in the Persian Gulf; details of a British expedition which attacked Ra's al-Khaymah in 1819, and aimed to suppress 'piratical acts' in the region, can be found within.The volume does not cover the full time span indicated by the date range with the majority of the correspondence being from the period between 20 November 1816 to 29 December 1819. There are also a few letters inserted into the back of the volume of a much later date — January and February 1874 — sent to the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf via the office of the Assistant Resident. This correspondence concerns the financial affairs of the bin Rejubs [Bin Rajab] in Bahrain. The period from 1820 and 1873 is therefore not represented in this volume.The majority of the correspondence is in English with only a few items in Arabic towards the end of the volume.Physical description: Foliation: The file has been foliated in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio with a pencil number. The foliation begins on the first folio of writing and ends on the last folio of writing.Pagination: The volume also has an original incomplete pagination sequence which consists of numbers in the top outermost corner of each page. The sequence which uses both ink and pencil numbers starts on the first folio of writing, with the number 1, and runs through to 151 (folio 76). The sequence continues on the verso of folio 77, with page number 152 and continues to folio 146 with number 283, however the numbering omits folios 80v-81v, 96v-97 and 130v-131.Condition: The file has suffered some pest damage, the individual folios which have been affected are recorded in the item level descriptions.
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Francis Warden, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay [Mumbai], to Major-General William Grant Keir, Commander of the 1819 expedition to the Persian Gulf, sent from Bombay and dated 27 October 1819.The letter contains instructions for Keir’s expedition to the Persian Gulf to combat ‘piracy’. It also discusses the regional political situation surrounding the expedition, including relations with: Ibrahim Pacha [Pasha], Commander of the Turkish [Ottoman] forces in Arabia; the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat; and Persia [Iran].The letter was enclosed in the letter of Henry Willock, HM Chargé d'Affaires in Persia, to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company dated 6 July 1820 (IOR/L/PS/9/69/26 and 29).Physical description: 1 item (11 folios)