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25. Letter from Harford Jones to Lord Wellesley
- Description:
- Abstract: A copy of a secret dispatch from Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], to Marquess Wellesley, Governor-General of Bengal, sent from Bagdad and dated 21 June 1802.Jones forwards correspondence (attached) concerning the Persian [Iranian] reaction to the sack of Meshed Hossein [Shrine of Imām Huṣayn bin ‘Alī, Karbala] and asks Marquess Wellesley not to pass the information on to any Persians resident in Calcutta [Kolkata] in order to protect his informant.Attached are:A translation of a letter from Mohammed Reza Khan [Muḥammad Rezā Khān], Persian representative in Kerbela [Karbala], to Harford Jone, reporting the reaction of the Shah to the sack of Meshed Hossein by the Wa-ha-bys [Wahhābī movement], a proposed expedition against the Wa-ha-bys, and protests from the Shah to Soliman Pasha [Büyük Sulaymān Pāshā, Governor of Baghdad].A translation of a firman [edict] from the Shah to the chief Imaums [Imāms] of Meshed Ally [Sanctuary of Imām ‘Alī, Najaf] and Kerbela. The firman concerns the sack of Meshed Hossein by the Wa-ha-bys and a proposed retaliatory expeditionA translation of a paper from an informant of Harford Jones describing recent events in Merve [Mary/Merv] and reports of a Persian expedition against the Ouzbegs [Uzbeks] in the region.A translation of a firman from the Shah to Soliman Pashaw of Bagdad. The Shah reproaches Soliman Pasha for failing to protect Meshed Hossein, demands that Soliman Pasha either immediately launch an expedition against the Wa-ha-by or provide supplies for Persian troops to do so, and demands that Soliman Pasha appoint a person to organise repairs and fortifications in KerbelaA translation of an arzadasht [‘arẓehdāsht, petition] from Mohammed Reza Khan to the Shah. Mohammed Reza Khan states that he has returned to Bagdad, describes the disturbed state of affairs caused by the ill health of Soliman Pasha, and asks permission to Persia.A translated extract of a letter from Meerza Bozurg [Mīrzā ‘Īsá Khān Farāhānī, Vizier to the Crown Prince of Persia] to Harford Jones, dated 6 Suffer [Safar]/6 June 1802. Meerza Bozurg thanks Jones for providing information from Kerbela, reports that the Shah has set off on a campaign to capture Herat and Candahar [Kandahar], and states that the Shah is planning a retaliatory expedition against the Wa-ha-by and has sent word of this to the Ottoman Emperor [Sulṭān].A copy of a letter from Harford Jones to Lord Elgin, HM Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, sent from Bagdad and dated 23 June 1802. The letter forwards the above dispatch and enclosures. Jones asks Elgin not to disclose any names mentioned in the correspondence to Ottoman authorities and to try to find out the proposed actions of the Porte [Government of the Ottoman Empire] regarding the affair of Meshed Hossein and communicate them to Jones.Duplicates of this correspondence are catalogued as IOR/L/PS/9/76/246.Physical description: 1 item (7 folios)
26. Letter from Harford Jones to Marquess Wellesley
- Description:
- Abstract: A copy of a secret dispatch from Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], to Marquess Wellesley, Governor-General of Bengal, sent from Bagdad and dated 21 June 1802.Jones forwards correspondence (attached) concerning the Persian [Iranian] reaction to the sack of Meshed Hossein [Shrine of Imām Huṣayn bin ‘Alī, Karbala] and asks Marquess Wellesley not to pass the information on to any Persians resident in Calcutta [Kolkata] in order to protect his informant.Attached are:A translation of a letter from Mohammed Reza Khan [Muḥammad Rezā Khān], Persian representative in Kerbela [Karbala], to Harford Jone, reporting the reaction of the Shah to the sack of Meshed Hossein by the Wa-ha-bys [Wahhābī movement], a proposed expedition against the Wa-ha-bys, and protests from the Shah to Soliman Pasha [Büyük Sulaymān Pāshā, Governor of Baghdad].A translation of a firman [edict] from the Shah to the chief Imaums [Imāms] of Meshed Ally [Sanctuary of Imām ‘Alī, Najaf] and Kerbela. The firman concerns the sack of Meshed Hossein by the Wa-ha-bys and a proposed retaliatory expeditionA translation of a paper from an informant of Harford Jones describing recent events in Merve [Mary/Merv] and reports of a Persian expedition against the Ouzbegs [Uzbeks] in the region.A translation of a firman from the Shah to Soliman Pashaw of Bagdad. The Shah reproaches Soliman Pasha for failing to protect Meshed Hossein, demands that Soliman Pasha either immediately launch an expedition against the Wa-ha-by or provide supplies for Persian troops to do so, and demands that Soliman Pasha appoint a person to organise repairs and fortifications in KerbelaA translation of an arzadasht [‘arẓehdāsht, petition] from Mohammed Reza Khan to the Shah. Mohammed Reza Khan states that he has returned to Bagdad, describes the disturbed state of affairs caused by the ill health of Soliman Pasha, and asks permission to Persia.A translated extract of a letter from Meerza Bozurg [Mīrzā ‘Īsá Khān Farāhānī, Vizier to the Crown Prince of Persia] to Harford Jones, dated 6 Suffer [Safar]/6 June 1802. Meerza Bozurg thanks Jones for providing information from Kerbela, reports that the Shah has set off on a campaign to capture Herat and Candahar [Kandahar], and states that the Shah is planning a retaliatory expedition against the Wa-ha-by and has sent word of this to the Ottoman Emperor [Sulṭān].A copy of a letter from Harford Jones to Lord Elgin, HM Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, sent from Bagdad and dated 23 June 1802. The letter forwards the above dispatch and enclosures. Jones asks Elgin not to disclose any names mentioned in the correspondence to Ottoman authorities and to try to find out the proposed actions of the Porte [Government of the Ottoman Empire] regarding the affair of Meshed Hossein and communicate them to Jones.Physical description: 1 item (8 folios)
27. Afghanistan Affairs
- Description:
- Abstract: This item relates to the British-led invasion of Afghanistan. It comprises a letter dated 23 May 1839, from Thomas Herbert Maddock, Secretary to the Government of India with the Governor-General, to John Pollard Willoughby, Secretary to the Government, Bombay [Mumbai], forwarding a copy of a news circular sent to all Resident Agents, incorporating extracts of letters from William Hay Macnaghten, Envoy and Minister to the Court of Shah Shoojah ool-Moolk [Shāh Shujā’ al-Mulk Durrāni], and from Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Alexander Burnes, 24-26 April 1839, concerning the occupation of Candahar [Kandahar] by Shah Shoojah and the British Army of the Indus and the days leading up to it. The papers notably refer to:Crowds of inhabitants ‘flooding’ to the Shah’s camp, prior to his arrival into Candahar, to swear allegiance and pay homage to himOpposition to Shah Shoojah and attacks on the British Army, allegedly incited by the sirdars [leaders] of Candahar, including religious opposition against the ‘invading infidels’The departure of various Barakzye [Bārakzay dynasty] chiefs from Candahar, with their followersThe ‘defection’ of powerful chiefs, including Hajei Khan Kakur [Ḥājī Khān Kākar], and moollahs of the area to Shah ShoojahAlleged anti-Barakzye sentiment amongst the city’s populaceShah Shoojah’s ‘triumphant’ entry into Candahar on 25 April, greeted by a purported crowd of 60-70,000 inhabitants.Physical description: 1 item (16 folios)
28. Afghanistan and Persian Gulf Affairs
- Description:
- Abstract: This item comprises copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 39 of 1856, dated 27 May 1856. The enclosures are dated 22 March-23 May 1856.The enclosures notably comprise the following:A despatch from the Secretary to the Government of India to the Secretary to the Government of Bombay concerning the situation with regard to Herat and current Persian [Iranian] aggression against the town, and whether or not instructions from the Secret Committee debar the Government of India from all action in the matter. The despatch covers:The original request by Mahomed Yusuf [Muḥammad Yūsuf, also spelled Yoosuf and Yussuf in this item], Ruler of Herat, for Persian assistance against a feared attack by Dost Mahomed Khan [Dūst Muḥammad Khān Bārakzāy], and his dismissal of the Persian envoy who was sent to liaise with the Persian Army but actually joined them in their advance towards Ghorian [Ghurian or Ghoryan]The subsequent hoisting of the British flag in Herat and request of the Ruler and inhabitants of Herat for British money and an Agent to aid their resistance of the Persians, and the Government of India’s wish to disclaim any connection with those actionsThe Government of India’s belief that they cannot assist Herat as the Secret Committee’s instructions were based on Persia and Herat combining against Dost Mahomed Khan rather than Persia acting against both Herat and Candahar [Kandahar, also spelled this way in this item]Disapprobation by the Government of India of Lieutenant-Colonel John Jacob, Acting Commissioner in Sind [Sindh] for effectively speaking in the name of the British Government on a matter of national importance by replying directly to Mahomed Yusuf that the British Government had no intention of interfering in Herat.The enclosures also include:Copies of intelligence (ff 257-261) received by Jacob from the Acting Political Superintendent on the Frontier of Upper Sind relating to Herat (notably from sources in Kelat [Kalat]), and forwarded to the Governor of Bombay, reporting the besieging of Herat by the Persian Army, the apparent intention of Dost Mahomed Khan to send an army for its relief, the surrender of Mahomed Yusuf to the Persian force and the advance of a portion of the Persian Army towards Candahar against Dost Mahomed KhanCorrespondence of Rear Admiral Sir Henry J Leeke, Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Navy, with the Government of Bombay, regarding which vessels should remain in the Persian Gulf during the monsoon season, including: Leeke’s strong recommendation that the Ajdahaand Semiramisbe ordered back to Bombay [Mumbai] before the monsoon for repairs and that the Victoriais better suited for the Gulf; the Government of Bombay’s agreement that the Semiramisreturn to Bombay when the Victoriaarrives at Bushire [Bushehr], but that the Ajdaharemains at Bushire on the express wishes of the Political ResidentCorrespondence of Commander Felix Jones, Acting Resident, Persian Gulf, with the Government of Bombay, concerning a ‘venomous article’ in the Bombay Timeson the supposed cause of the rupture between the British Mission at Tehran and the Persian Government, including his admonishment of Commodore Richard Ethersey, Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf, regarding the impropriety of naval officers discussing public questions in their private letters.Physical description: 1 item (36 folios)
29. Persia and Afghanistan 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 53 of 1856, dated 28 July 1856. The enclosure is dated 19 May 1856.The enclosure comprises copies of despatches sent by Richard W Stevens, HM Consul in Tehran, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, copies of which are forwarded for the information of the Government of Bombay and the Government of India. The despatches notably cover and include:The bastinado (punishment by caning the soles of the feet) of the post-master of Semnaan [Semnan], convicted of bringing false news of the capture of HeratIntelligence from a European (Italian) officer attached to the Persian [Iranian] Army at Herat that the Ruler of Herat, Mahommed Youssuf [Muḥammad Yūsuf], has been sent a prisoner to the Persian camp by his Vezier [vizier, minister] Essau Khan [ʻĪsá Khān], that the Vezier has ‘sold himself to the Persians’ (f 428) and with other Heratee leaders has agreed to all Persian surrender terms apart from the admission of troops into Herat (ff 430-432. (The copy of the original intelligence is in Italian, with an English translation. This is a duplicate of a document in item IOR/L/PS/5/487, ff 381-396, on ff 395-396).Stevens’s belief that Essau Khan has not surrendered but has: pretended to espouse the Persian cause; got the Persian Army to withdraw to Bernabad [Baranabad] 25 miles from Herat; ‘set the Persians at defiance’ (f 429) after disposing of the Ruler of Herat to the Persian camp; and infuriated the Shah [Shāh] and Persian CommanderReports of great Persian losses during attempts to storm Herat, and the assembling of more Persian troops in Khorassan [Khorasan] and Teheran [Tehran]Authorisation given by the Persian Sadr Azem [Ṣadr A‘ẓam, minister] to the Commander of the Persian Army at Herat to confirm Essau Khan in power provided he allows the town to be garrisoned by Persian troopsThe Sadr Azem’s claim that Persian troops have occupied the forts of Laush, Jeven [Lash-e Juwayn?] and Kohak, former dependencies of KandaharDetails of the present distribution of the Persian Army (f 434)Intelligence that prior to peace negotiations in Paris (to end the Crimean War) Russia amassed war stores at Lankeran [Lankaran] and Bakoo [Baku] for troops collected at Astracan [Astrakan], which would have been sent to Herat to assist PersiaIntelligence regarding friendly relations between the Governor of Asterabad [Gorgan] and Russian agents stationed there.Physical description: 1 item (11 folios)
30. Persia and Persian Gulf Affairs
- Description:
- Abstract: This item comprises copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 34 of 1856, dated 10 May 1856. The enclosures are dated 8 March-29 April 1856.The enclosures chiefly comprise copies of despatches, with enclosures, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, from: Charles Augustus Murray, HM Ambassador to the Court of Persia [Iran], then located at Tabreez [Tabriz]; and Richard W Stevens, HM Consul at Tehran. (Murray’s despatches mainly forward copies of Stevens’s despatches to him). The despatches are forwarded for information to the Government of India and Government of Bombay. They cover and include the following:Murray’s intention to proceed to Ooroomiah [Urmia or Orumiyeh] and then to Baghdad with the British diplomatic missionA copy of a letter (ff 165-166) that the Persian Government claims to have been written by William Taylour Thomson, former British Envoy at Tehran, to the Ruler of Herat, and which Murray asserts is a forgery intended to smear the reputation of the British mission and justify Persian aggression in HeratA copy of a circular letter (ff 169-171) from the Persian Sadr Azim [Ṣadr A‘ẓam, minister to the Shāh, also spelled Sedr Azem in this item] to all the foreign missions in Tehran, in which he explains his Government’s intentions regarding Herat and Candahar [also spelled Kandahar in this item], implying that Britain is supporting Dost Mahomed Khan [Dūst Muḥammad Khān Bārakzāy] who has occupied Candahar, and claiming that Persia is responding to calls for assistance from the relatives of Kohendil Khan [Kuhandīl Khān Muḥammadzay] and the Ruler of Herat. (Murray insists that letters supposedly written by relatives of Kohendil Khan are mostly fabrications)A commercial treaty about to be concluded between the Persian and Austrian GovernmentsIntelligence received by Stevens that Persia is sending a large force from Tehran to wrest Candahar from Dost Mahomed Khan and Persian military and propaganda preparations for thisMurray’s claims of ‘insulting’ behaviour towards him and the British mission and the Persian Government’s determination to quarrel with Britain causing costly disorder in Afghanistan, and Murray’s desire for hostile action against PersiaA translation, in French, of an article in the Tehran Gazettepublished by the Persian Government, stating the ‘true causes’ of Murray’s withdrawal from the Persian court (ff 178-185)Stevens’s assertion that the young Armenian named Meerza Melkom [Mīrzā Malkum Khān], sent by the Persian Government to the British Ambassador in Constantinople [Istanbul] to mediate the quarrel between the Persian Government and the British Mission, has in fact contributed towards the rupture with Murray, is pro-French, and is responsible for distributing anti-English newspaper articles in Constantinople and EuropeIntelligence received by Stevens, including from the native agent and news writer at Meshed [Mashhad], confirming the movements of the Persian Army under Prince Sultan Moorad Meerza [Sulṭān Murād Mīrzā] towards Herat with the aim of occupying it, and the besieging of HeratIntelligence that the Mooftee [Muftī] of Herat was seized, sent as a prisoner to Meshed, and insultingly paraded through the townVarying reports received by Stevens on whether Herat has been occupied by the Persian Army or is yet to be taken by Sultan Moorad Meerza’s force, and regarding the strength of the Herat garrison and determination of the Ruler and inhabitants of Herat to prevent Persian troops entering the townStevens’s refusal of presents sent to him by the Shah and Minister for Foreign Affairs on the occasion of the new year festival of Narooz [Nowruz or Navroz].Also included in the item are:Despatches from Commander Felix Jones, Acting Resident, Persian Gulf, relating to: his plan to tour the Gulf and intention to persuade the Al Ali [Āl ‘Alī] tribe to leave Demaum [Dammam]; the warning given to Sheikh Mahomed bin Abdullah, Chief of Demaum [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh, Shaikh of Dammam] not to allow the Al Ali to build homes in his territory; and the movements of Persian troops in the Province of Fars as reported by the British Agent at ShirazThe Government of India’s equivocal notice to the Government in Bombay regarding the latter’s authority to despatch an expedition to the Persian Gulf upon the sole requisition of Murray.Physical description: 1 item (43 folios)
31. Aden Affairs
- Description:
- Abstract: This item comprises enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee [Bombay Secret Letter], No. 20 dated 19 March 1856. The enclosures are dated 15 January-19 March 1856.The correspondents are: Brigadier William Marcus Coghlan, Acting Political Resident and Commandant, Aden; the Secretary to the Government, Bombay; and Stephen Page, HM Acting Vice-Consul and Officiating HC [Honourable Company] Agent at Juddah [Jeddah]. The item also includes enclosures to correspondence and one Resolution of the Board.The papers cover the following matters:Coghlan’s decision to continue the British blockade of Berbera, and to disregard the confession (ff 310-311) of a prisoner named ‘Ali Mahomed’ [‘Alī Muḥammad] who has been brought to Aden on the Mahi, since he is not considered to have been the ‘ring leader’ of the attack on the Somali Expedition of Lieutenant Richard Burton and has been repudiated by the Elders [of the Habr Awwal tribe]Events relating to Zailah [Zeila, also spelled Zeylah in this item], including: the attempt by the Haj Shermarki [Ḥājjī Sharmārkī ‘Alī Ṣāliḥ, also spelled Sheumarki and Shermarkie in this item] to retake his position as Governor, from which he was lately ousted by the [Ottoman] Turkish authorities; Coghlan’s attempt to prevent Shermarki blockading Zailah and potentially disrupting British supply chains by sending the Assistant Resident to liaise between Shermarki and the Turkish authorities; Coghlan’s efforts to ascertain the effect of the [Ottoman] Sultan’s proclamation prohibiting slavery at Zailah, considering news of the arrival there of a ‘large slave Caffilah [caravan]’ from the interior (ff 314-315)News obtained from Mocha that cholera has broken out in the camp of the Asseer [‘Asīr tribe] apparently causing the death of their leader and causing the force's retirement from their putative campaign to attack the Red Sea ports of YemenRelations in Aden between the Abdali [al-‘Abdalī] and Oulaki [al-‘Awlaqī]] ‘chiefs’ regarding their mutual claims over the fort of Bir Ahmed [Bir Ahmad], including: a letter sent by the Secretary to the Government, Bombay, to the Resident in Hyderabad asking him to gather information about the apparent influence of one ‘Sirdar Abdulla bin Ali Oulaki’ [Sirdār ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Alī al-‘Awlaqī] a ‘jemadar [jamadar] in the service of His Highness the Nizam of Hyderabad’ (f 322); and Coghlan’s decision to abstain from interference provided that the dispute causes no interruption of tradeIntelligence relating to the state of affairs in Massowah [Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa], including a letter from Raffaello Barroni, Agent to Mr Plowden [Walter Chichele Plowden], HM Consul in Abyssinia [now Ethiopia], reporting the promise of the Naib of Massawa to re-establish order but that the current absence of any governor renders Massawa ‘without soldiers and without protection, and the population … left to herself and committed to fortune’ (f 318)Report by Stephen Page describing the state of affairs in Juddah and its vicinity since the unsuccessful insurrection led by Abu Montallib [Sharif ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib bin Ghālib bin Musā‘ad], including Page’s: description of the recent engagement at Tayf (to where Abu Montallib had retreated) between ‘Bedouins’ and [Ottoman] Turkish soldiers; concern regarding the delayed arrival of the newly appointed [sharif?] Ebu Aonan [Muḥammad bin ‘Abd al-Mu‘īn bin ‘Awn]; Page’s belief that the arrival at Juddah of the Elphinstonewas effective in preventing further disturbance and his request that it may return there by April to avoid potential attacks by ‘Bedouin’ if Ebu Aonan has not yet arrived; and opinion that Abu Montallib’s rebellion was not properly quashedReports on the prevalence of smallpox and typhoid in the town of Aden.Physical description: 1 item (22 folios)
32. Aden Affairs
- Description:
- Abstract: This item comprises enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee [Bombay Secret Letter], No. 17 dated 16 February 1856. The enclosures are dated 5 December 1855-16 Feburary 1856.The primary correspondents are Brigadier William Marcus Coghlan, Acting Political Resident and Commandant, Aden; the Secretary to the Government, Bombay; and Stephen Page, HM Acting Vice-Consul and the HC [Honourable Company] Officiating Agent at Juddah[Jeddah, also spelled Judda and Jiddah in this item]. The item also includes three related Resolutions of the Board.The papers cover the following matters:The ‘tranquil’ state of affairs in Aden, including relations between the Oulaki [Awlaki] and Abdali [‘Abdali] ‘chiefs’ and the gathering of supporters by the Foudheli ‘chief’ [Aḥmad bin Abdullāh al-Faḍlī] regarding his stipend (from the British authorities)News from Mocha and Hodeida [Al Hudaydah] relating to the serious state of affairs in Yemen, notably with regard to a force of the Aseer [‘Asir] tribe, rumoured to be 30,000-40,000 strong, allegedly advancing to take the sea ports of Yemen, including copies of: a letter from the principal merchants of Mocha appealing for British protection; Coghlan’s instructions to the Commander of the HC [Honourable Company] steam frigate Queen, to proceed to Mocha and Hodeida and if necessary assist the ‘subjects of the allied powers living there’, or proceed to Juddah as previously ordered; and Coghlan’s report to Bombay regarding the strength of Ottoman defences at Mocha and HodeidaThe prevalence of smallpox in Aden, including: the possible origins of its introduction to the peninsula by commercial steamships from Calcutta [Kolkata], most probably the Hindustan; a ‘Daily statement of smallpox prevailing amongst the several corps and departments at Aden’, 1 February 1856, by the Medical Department Superintendent, Aden (f 252); and measures taken to stop further spread including the use of the island of Seerah [Sirah] as a quarantine station and the commencement of a vaccination programmeIntelligence, conveyed by the commander of the Queen, regarding the successful suppression by Ottoman authorities and forces of the rebellion in Mecca and Juddah, but their subsequent defeat ‘by Bedouins’ in their attempt to capture Taif [Ta’if] to where the rebel leader Sheriff Abdul Min Tulab [Sharif ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib bin Ghālib bin Musā‘ad, also spelled abd-el Mutalib and Abn Mootallib in this item] had fledThe political situation in Mussowah [Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa] following the rebellion against the Governor of Massawa, including a copy of a letter to Coghlan from Raffaello Barroni, Agent to Mr Plowden [Walter Chichele Plowden], HM Consul in Abyssinia [now Ethiopia], reporting that the Governor has left in order to summon the support of Egyptian troops; and Coghlan’s later report to Bombay that since the situation is less critical than that in Yemen the commander of the Queenhas left that place for HodeidaTwo letters from Stephen Page, HM Acting Vice-Consul and HC [Honourable Company] Officiating Agent at Juddah, relating to the ‘disturbance in Mecca’: citing the Firman of the Sultan [ruler of the Ottoman Empire] prohibiting slavery as the cause of the rebellion; reporting that the route between Juddah and Mecca is closed; requesting a HC vessel to protect British and British Indian property which is at risk; and reporting that rebel leader Abn Mootallib has fled to Tayf [Ta’if] with 4-5,000 followers.Physical description: 1 item (20 folios)
33. Aden Affairs
- Description:
- Abstract: This item comprises enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee [Bombay Secret Letter], No. 18 dated 5 March 1856. The enclosures are dated 13-27 February 1856.The item comprises a report by Brigadier William Marcus Coghlan, Acting Political Resident and Commandant, Aden, to the Secretary to the Government, Bombay, on the situation in the Aden and the Red Sea coast region of Yemen, enclosing five letters conveying intelligence from: Captain John James Frushard, Indian Navy, Senior Naval Officer at Aden and the Red Sea Station; Stephen Page, HM Acting Vice-Consul and Officiating HC [Honourable Company] Agent at Juddah [Jeddah, also spelled Jedda in this item]; Mahmoud Pasha [Maḥmūd Pāshā], Governor of Yemen; Khajia Georgie Kastandi (Teoffani) [Georgie Kostanti Theofani] of Hodeida [Al Hudaydah]; and Haji Abd-er-Rassool [‘Abd al-Rasūl] of Mocha.Coghlan’s report and enclosures chiefly relate to the varying rumours of the advance of a force of between 30,000 and 50,000 of the Asseer [‘Asir, also spelled Aseer in this item] tribe southwards to Yemen with the intention of attacking and capturing Hodeida and other Red Sea ports of that country, and Lahedj [Lahej]. There is particular reference to:The arrival of the Elphinstoneand the Queenat Hodeida and the arrangements put in place by their commanders for the protection of the governor of the town and his familyDetails of the strength of the defences and fortifications at HodeidaThe apparent gratitude of Mahmoud Pasha, Governor of Yemen, for the arrival of the British vessels, his departure north to Lohea [Al Luhayyah] to reassure that town’s inhabitants, enrolment of additional soldiers, and impression that additional military assistance is on its way from Bombay.Coghlan’s report also covers news on the situation in Mecca and Juddah following the recent rebellion, including that: both cities are now tranquil; the rebellion led by Abd-el-Mutalib [Sharif ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib bin Ghālib bin Musā‘ad] has largely petered out since the military engagement at Tayf [Ta’if, also spelled Taif in this item] between ‘Bedowins’ [Bedouin] and [Ottoman] Turkish soldiers; and that a new Seriff [Sharif] is soon arriving in Mecca.Also included in the item is a Resolution of the Board indicating that the Governor in Council wants the number of volunteers from the Sind Irregular Horse for service at Aden to be raised to a full complement of one hundred men.Physical description: 1 item (10 folios)
34. Aden Affairs
- Description:
- Abstract: This part of the volume consists of copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 36 of 1850, dated 25 June 1850. Enclosures Nos. 3-15, dated 25 May to 24 June 1850, consist of correspondence, and minutes of the Government of Bombay.The enclosures cover matters including:The Political Agent at Aden, Captain Stafford Betteworth Haines, reporting that ‘some mischievous person’, he believes from Aden, had caused a report to be spread that three or four British steam ships had brought troops and guns to the area, and that the British intended to march inland, which had caused a sudden panic. However, Haines states that he had written a friendly letter to Sultan Ali M’Houssain [‘Alī I bin Muḥsin al-‘Abdalī] of Lahidge [Lahej or Lahij] ridiculing the idea of ‘such nonsense’, and that this letter had instantly dissipated all fearHaines reporting that the Turkish [Ottoman] force for the capture of Maculla and Shahahr [Mukalla and Ash Shihr] are at Mocha, and that the ‘Arabs’ of Maculla and Shahahr have united, and the Arab main force is at Broom [Bandar Burum] ready to receive and attack them. Haines states his belief that if the ‘Turks’ persevere in this attack, it will end in the destruction and capture of the Turkish fleet and the death or capture of their military forceAn unarmed boat belonging to the Honourable Company’s steam frigate Aucklandbeing fired on ‘without the slightest provocation’, Haines writes, by ‘an Arab of the Arabia tribe’ named Baghi bin Abdulla [Bāqī(?) bin ‘Abdullāh], on 29 May 1850, resulting in one seaman being killed and one being wounded. Haines asserts that the demolition of the town of Bir Ahmed [Bi’r Aḥmad] would be a ‘just act of retribution’ for the murder, but as its ‘Chief’ is a vassal of the Abdali Sultan [of Lahej], Haines deemed the correct course of action to be to leave the punishment in the hands of the Abdali SultanHaines reporting that he had made the following demands of the Sultan of Lahidge: that Baghi bin Abdulla should be delivered into his custody until Government should decide on his punishment; and that Sheik Hydra bin Medhi [Shaikh Ḥaydarah bin Mahdī] of Bir Ahmed should be replaced by another Chief subordinate to the Abdali Sultan of Lahidge, since Sheik Hydra bin Medhi has shown a ‘turbulent and inimical spirit’ towards the British, and Haines asserts he had approved of Baghi bin Abdulla’s conduct and connived at his escape to the Subeihi [Subayhi] countryThe delivery of a letter from Viscount Palmerston, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and a box containing 300 Sovereigns, to the King of Shoa [Shewa].The correspondence is between the following: the Government of Bombay; Haines; the Secretary to the Government of India with the Governor-General, Sir Henry Miers Elliot; HM Consul General of Egypt, Charles Augustus Murray; Lord Palmerston; Captain J P Sanders, Senior Naval Officer at Aden; and Commander John Stephens, commanding the Auckland.Enclosure Nos. 16-17, listed in the abstract of contents as copies of the Bombay Overland Timesand the Bombay Overland Telegraph and Courierdated 25 June 1850, are recorded as missing in a note dated 31 October 1906.Physical description: 1 item (37 folios)
35. Kelat, Candahar and Herat Affairs
- Description:
- Abstract: This item comprises copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 54 of 1856, dated 28 July 1856. The enclosures are dated 19 June-7 July 1856.The enclosures chiefly comprise letters from Lieutenant-Colonel John Jacob, Acting Commissioner in Sind [Sindh] to the Secretary to the Government of India, copied to the Government of Bombay. Jacob forwards intelligence he has received regarding the state of affairs in Herat, Candahar [Kandahar, also spelled this way in this item] and Kelat [Kalat, also spelled Khelat in this item], notably:Intelligence obtained by the Acting Political Superintendent North West Frontier, written by Moolla Ahmed [Mullā Aḥmad], the Wukkeel [vakil, representative] of the Khan of Kelat and the Wukkeel’s son, stating that an approaching Persian [Iranian] force threatens the territories of the Khan of Kelat. Included are copies of the letters in Persian with English translations (ff 442-443 and ff 445-446)Four original translations of letters (ff 452-460) forwarded to Jacob with the original Persian letters (not present in this item) by Captain William Lockyer Merewether, Acting Political Superintendent on the Frontier of Upper Sind, which allege that: the Persian Army has captured Herat; a detachment of the Persian Army, in support of the ex-Sirdars [sirdārs, leaders] of Candahar, is approaching Candahar with the aim of ousting Ameer Dost Mahomed [Amīr Dūst Muḥammad Khān Bārakzāy] and replacing him with Rehimdil Khan [Raḥam Dil Khān]; and the ‘uncivil people of the red face [English]’ who did not help the Candahar sirdars will ‘suffer a similar fate’ in ‘Hindoostan’ [India] at the hands of Persia (f 455). Also included is Merewether’s admission that information relating to the taking of Ghorian [Ghurian or Ghoryan] and investment of Herat was obtained orally from his conversations with Moolla Ahmed but was accidentally added to the translation of the first letterAn extract of a letter from the Khan of Kelat to Moolla Ahmed, residing in Jacobabad, forwarded to Jacob by Merewether, in which the Khan of Kelat reports that the Wuzzeer [vizier, minister] of Herat has thrown into confinement the Ruler of Herat and his household, plundered all his property, caused coinage to be minted in the name of the Persian King [Shāh], and hopes to be Governor of the city. The Khan also reports that ex-Sirdars of Candahar, Khooshdil Khan [Luynab, ʿAbd al-Hamid, Khushdil Khan] and Mahomed Omer Khan [Muḥammad Omar Khān Muḥammadzāy] and others have been captured by Dost Mahomed Khan’s soldiers, but that Rehimdil Khan is still at large in Ghilzee [Ghilji] country.Also included in this item is a letter from Jacob apologising for the tone of his previous letter and insisting that no disrespect was intended.Physical description: 1 item (25 folios)
36. Correspondence of Harford Jones
- Description:
- Abstract: This item contains:1. Notes on a meeting between Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], and the Pasha [Büyük Sulaymān Pāshā, Governor of Baghdad] on 6 June 1802. The meeting mainly concerns the recent sack of Meshed Hossein [Shrine of Imām Huṣayn bin ‘Alī, Karbala] by the Wahabys [Wahhābī movement] and the possibility of a Persian [Iranian] expedition against the Wahabys via Bagdad. Jones offers to liaise with Persian representatives on the issue.2. A translation of a letter from Harford Jones to Meerza Bozurg [Mīrzā ‘Īsá Khān Farāhānī, Vizier to the Crown Prince of Persia] dated 12 July 1802. Jones advises against a Persian campaign against the Wahaby via Bagdad in light of logistical difficulties and the threat from Russia in the Caucasus, instead suggesting a route via Bahrein [Bahrain].3. A translation of a letter from Harford Jones to Meerza Reza Kooli [Mīrzā Rezā Qulī Navā’ī Munshī al-Mamālik, Principal Secretary to the Shah of Persia], repeating the above argument regarding the proposed campaign against the Wahaby4. A translation of a letter from an informant of Harford Jones ‘employed to the Northward’, dated 4 June 1802. The informant reports Russian movements in the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea and developments in Khorassan [Khorasan].Duplicates of these documents are catalogued as IOR/L/PS/9/76/248.Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
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