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1. 'Baluchistan and Persia. Note by Sir Dennis Fitzpatrick'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file consists of a note, written by Sir Dennis Fitzpatrick, member of the Council of India, on the subject of the northernmost portion of land in the province of Baluchistan [Balochistān], south of the Durand line, which is described as being situated between British India and Kelat [Kalat] on the east side, and Persia on the west side.The note begins by referring directly to the following letter of correspondence: 'Letter from India, No. 189, Secret,' dated 19 October 1899. The note is principally concerned with the costs and benefits of a proposed railway line, which would run from Nushki (recently taken over by the British from the Khan of Kelat) to Koh-i-Malik-Siah [Malek Sīāh Kūh], in Seistan [Sīstān].The file questions the argument that such a railway line would counteract Russian influence in Seistan. Also discussed is the extent to which the Government of India should be expected to finance such a scheme. Fitzpatrick makes the argument that it is wider Imperial interests, rather than those of the Government of India, which are most at stake, and that therefore a distribution of the cost should be made by fixed shares, rather than by relying solely on Indian revenues. He concludes by referring to a note that he wrote some months earlier, in which he advised that the control of all British affairs west of Baluchistan and Afghanistan should be vested exclusively in the Foreign Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio, and terminates at the last folio; 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 volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
2. ‘Secret Letters received Sept.15.1856’
- Description:
- Abstract: This bundle consists of summaries, and partial transcripts, of secret letters received from both the Governor General of India (30 July 1856, Number 31) and the Government of Bombay (9 August 1856, Numbers 56-59). The amount of detail for each entry therefore varies.The despatch from the Governor General (folios 75-77) discusses a report claiming that Persian troops are moving towards Kelat [Kalat], and discusses whether the Government of India should provide assistance to the Khan of Kelat in the event of hostilities.The section from Bombay (folio 78) consists of short updates from Persia and Kelat, and a brief update on the slave trade.Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
3. 'Memorandum on Makran by Sir W. Lee-Warner (Letter from India No. 214 (Foreign), 17 November 1898) 21 Dec 1898.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file consists of a report by Sir William Lee-Warner (1846-1914) written during his tenure as Secretary to the Secret and Political Department. It is a critique of the Government of India's current policy towards Makran, which he claims has not been authorised by the Home Government. This policy depends on the Khan of Kelat, Mir Mahmud Khan, maintaining stability in the region; it is the author's opinion that he does not have the means to do so, and more direct British intervention is required.The report contains a brief account of Makran, covering its geography, recent history, and relations with Britain. It also explains how British policy towards the region has developed, and the interventions that have been instigated as a result. It also outlines what the author considers Britain's interests in the area to be.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio. 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.
4. 'News-Letters, 1839'
- Description:
- Abstract: Newsletters sent out by the Officiating Secretary to the Government of India containing compiled summaries of reports from British officials and military officers in various parts of South Asia and the Middle East.Each newsletter is divided into headings, most of which refer to the place a report was sent from. Headings which appear in a majority of the newsletters are: Army of the Indus; Cabool [Kabul]; Joudhpore [Jodhpur]; Lahore; Nipal [Nepal]; Peshawur [Peshawar]; Upper Scinde [Sindh] and/or Lower Scinde; and Items of General Intelligence. Other headings include: Aden; Ava [Inwa]; Bithoor; Bokhara [Bukhara]; Burmah [Myanmar]; Bushire [Būshehr]; Candahar [Kandahar]; Dera Ismael Khan [Dera Ismail Khan]; Egypt and Syria; Finance or Financial; Gwalior; Herat; Hyderabad; Kelat [Kalat]; Kurnool; Mooltan [Multan]; Muscat; Persia [Iran]; Persian Gulf; Sattarah [Satara]; and Turkish Arabia.Several of the reports are concerned with the opening months of the First Anglo-Afghan War, the East India Company’s invasion of Afghanistan in order to depose Dost Mahomed [Dost Mohammad Khan] as Emir and replace him with former Emir Shah Shooja [Shah Shujah Durrani]. These reports cover:Movements of troops and artilleryLogistics of feeding the troops, particularly the acquisition of grainNavigation of mountain passes leading into Afghanistan, including the Boolan [Bolan] Pass and the Khyber PassThe reorganisation in preparation for the invasion of the so-called ‘Army of the Indus’ by Sir John KeaneThe raising of troops in support of the British by the Maharajah of the Sikh Empire [Ranjit Singh], in accordance with the terms of the Tripartite Treaty of 1838A treaty with the Khan of Kelat [Mir Mehrab Khan Baloch II]The invasion of Kundooz [Kunduz, also spelt Koondooz in the file] by the son of Dost MahomedRaids on British camps and convoys by so called ‘plunderers’, particularly in Balochistan and around the Khyber PassAttempts by Dost Mahomed to incite a holy war against the BritishAn uprising against Dost Mahomed in CaboolThe activities of Russian and Persian armies in western AfghanistanThe British capture of Ghuzni [Ghazni] on 23 July and of Ali Musjid [Ali Masjid] on 27 JulyThe death from sickness of Mahomed Akbar Khan, son of Dost Mahomed, while retreating from CaboolThe pursuit and attempted capture of Dost Mahomed after the capture of Ghuzni and his escape to Khoolum [Kholm]The creation by Shah Shooja of the Order of the Dooranee [Durrani] Empire to honour British officers involved in the warA treaty with Shah Kamran of HeratAttempts to force Dost Mahomed out of hiding in KoondoozSickness among British and Sikh troops at Ali Musjid, including from water naturally tainted with antimony.Other topics covered in the reports include:The health of the Maharajah, his death on 27 June, the accession and coronation of his son Kurruck Sing [Kharak Singh] and the late Maharajah’s funeral and tombThe subjugation of Nejd [Najd] by Ottoman forces, and perceived threats against Bahrein [Bahrain] and Kowheit [Kuwait]The renunciation of hostilities with his neighbours by Sooltan Bin Suggar [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī], ruler of Sharga [Sharjah]The capture of Bushire by Bahir Khan [Baqir Khan Tangistani], Chief of Tengistan [Tangestan]An appeal to the British Government against the Government of India by the Raja of Sattarah [Pratap Singh] and the Company’s deposition of the RajaAnti-British sentiment and activities in NipalAnti-British sentiment and activities in Burmah and the stationing of Royal Navy ships in Rangoon [Yangon] harbourAn uprising by Moobaruz ud Dowlah [Mubarez-ud-Daulah] against his brother the Nizam of Hyderabad [Sikandar Jah]Disturbances near British borders with Colapore [Kolhapur] and GoaRiver transport between Kurachee [Karachi] and Tatta [Thatta]The appointment of a Political Officer to handle 'anarchy and disorder' in Shikarpore [Shikarpur]Relations with the Guicowar [Sayaji Rao II Gaekwad, Maharaja of Baroda]The capture of Kot [Kota] on behalf of JoudhporeAn intercepted Arabic letter from Khan-i-Alum Khan, a cousin of the Nawab of the Carnatic, asking the intended recipient (believed to be Ibrahim Pasha, commander of the Egyptian army) to invade India and drive out the BritishDuties on goods exported from Lahore to Bombay [Mumbai], and a reduction of duties for boats on the IndusThe imprisonment of Colonel Charles Stoddart by the Emir of Bokhara [Nasrullah Khan]The withdrawal of the British Embassy from TehranThe reinforcement of Aden, and a census taken thereThe death of the heir to the throne of JoudhporeThe British occupation of Kharrack [Kharg] Island, to counter the Persian siege of HeratAn uprising in Suddya [Sadiya]The journey of the Euphrates Expedition up the Tigris to near Masoul [Mosul]A civil war in Bhootan [Bhutan]Negotiations over the position of the British in BushireA physical altercation between the Nawab of Bhopaul [Jahangir Muhammad Khan] and his wife Secunder Begum [Sikandar Begum]The arrest of forty-six Wahabee [Wahhabi] for sedition in HyderabadChinese measures against the opium trade in Canton [Guangzhou] and a proposal to send ships to protect British merchants and blockade portsA conspiracy against Maharajah Kurruck Sing and his son Now Nehal Sing [Nau Nihal Singh, also spelt Nao Nehal Sing in the file], and an enforced oath of allegiance to the MaharajahPerceived military intentions of the King of Ava [Tharrawaddy Min, King of Burma] against Britain and Siam [Thailand], and British responsesAn Egyptian victory over the Ottomans [Battle of Nezib]The reported raising of troops in Persia, possibly to target Herat, Bushire or Bagdad [Baghdad]An experiment in sending mail to Damascus via Bussora [Basra] instead of BagdadArrangements for steam navigation on the IndusA reported increase in Russian hostilities in the War in Circassia [Russo-Circassian War]The withdrawal of the British Resident from Amreepoora [Amarapura]Reported Russian preparations to invade Stambol [Istanbul]The temporary seizure by the Sheik of Muhumarah [Khorramshahr, also spelt Mohamrah in the file] of a shipment of Company coalThe British occupation of Joudhpore to put down a rebellion against the Maharajah Mann Sing [Man Singh]A request from Nipal for passage through Sikkim in order to invade BhootanThe reported insanity of the Nawab of Kurnool [Ghulam Rasul Khan], and the British examination of troops and the arsenal thereThe outlawing of Suttee [sati] by the new Raja of Sattara [Shahaji]A genealogical account of the descent of Shah Newaz Khan [Shah Nawaz Khan] to support his claim to the Khanate of KelatA demand from the Shah of Persia for reparations to Persian merchants who lost property during the Ottoman capture of MohamrahA demand from Mehemet Ali [Muhammad Ali, Pasha of Egypt] for the removal of Khosrow Mahomed Pasha [Mehmed Emin Rauf Pasha] as Ottoman Grand VizierTroops sent by the Emir of Bokhara to put down a rebellion against Moorad Beg, Chief of Koondooz [Mohammad Murad Beg, Khan of Kunduz]Unrest and riots in Persian cities, including against the Armenian population in Tabreez [Tabriz] and against the Prince [Fereydoun Mirza] in ShirazThe removal of Mirza Mahomed Hossein as Governor of BushireA rumoured Russian invasion of Toorkistan [Turkestan]A survey of the road between Kurachee and SehwanThe reported intention of the Imam of Muscat [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd, Sultan of Muscat and Oman] to establish a commercial relationship with the United States of America.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 575, and terminates at f 950, 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.
5. 'Confidential 86/22 - i A.78. GWADAR OIL'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence in English and Arabic between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle), the Political Agent at Muscat (Ralph Ponsonby Watts), the India Office (John Percival Gibson, John Charles Walton), the Secretary to the Government of India, External Affairs Department (Olaf Kirkpatrick Careo, William Rupert Hay), the Agent to the Governor General for Baluchistan (Alfred Alan Lethbridge Parsons), the Sultan of Muscat (Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd), the Burmah Oil Company (William Ernest V Abraham, W A Gray, John H L Brownrigg) and Indian Oil Concessions Limited (Hamilton R Ballantyne, Lloyd Nelson Hamilton, Joseph Paul McCulloch) regarding a possible concession for the Jabal-i-Mehdi [Koh Mehdi] area of Gwadur [Gwadar] belonging to the Sultan of Muscat.The correspondence covers initial enquiries by both companies to His Majesty’s Government expressing interest in a concession through to the commencement of negotiations and the submission of draft concession agreements for the Sultan’s consideration.Also discussed in the volume is the boundary between Gwadur and Kalat [Kalāt] which would need to be demarcated before approval could be given for an oil concession at Gwadur. The correspondence discusses relations between the Khan of Kalat (Aḥmad Yār K̲h̲ān) and the Sultan of Muscat, including recent disagreements between both parties over customs and trade, and suggesting possible processes that could be followed in order to demarcate the boundary.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 206-216.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 221; 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 6-216; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
6. Sind Affairs and Matters Relating to Afghanistan, Kelat and Persia
- 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 2 February 1857. The enclosures are dated 5-20 January 1857.The enclosures comprise despatches of Lieutenant-Colonel John Jacob, Acting Commissioner in Sind [Sindh], to Lord Elphinstone, Governor and President in Council, Bombay, in which he forwards intelligence received from or via Captain William Lockyer Merewether, Acting Political Superintendent on the Frontier of Upper Sind.The papers notably cover and include:Intelligence claiming that the representative of the King of Persia [Shah of Iran], who approached Sirdar Goolam Hider Khan [Ghulām Ḥaydar Khān], the Governor of Candahar [also spelled Kandahar in this item], offering friendship with Dost Mahomed Khan [Dūst Muḥammad Khān Bārakzāy] and the Afghan people, was rebuffed by the Governor who emphasised that the nations will remain at war whilst Persia occupies Herat and reaffirmed the Afghan alliance with the BritishIntelligence purporting that the Murree [Marri] tribe have ‘assembled in large numbers for the purpose of plundering’ (f 271) and that British troops at the frontier outposts are on the alert for signs of an attackA report by Captain Henry Green, Assistant Political Superintendent on the Frontier of Upper Sind, concerning relations with the Khan of Kelat [Kalat], notably the Khan’s: reaffirmation of his friendship with the British; concerns about potential Persian incursions on his north and north west frontiers; belief in the unreliable loyalties of the tribes in the area of Candahar and Kelat; and support for the establishment of a British force at Quetta. Green also asserts the destabilising effect on the frontier of Upper Sind caused by the withdrawal of a regiment of Sind Irregular Horse for service in the Persian GulfConfirmation by the Governor of Kandahar of the receipt of treasure and arms despatched through the Bolan Pass for the Ameer Dost Mahomed Khan in October 1856.Physical description: 1 item (11 folios)
7. Sind Affairs: Kelat and Persia
- 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 57 of 1856, dated 9 August 1856. The enclosure is dated 12 March-16 April 1856.The enclosure consists of a letter from the Secretary to the Government of India to Lieutenant-Colonel John Jacob, Officiating Commissioner in Sind [Sindh], copied to the Secretary to the Government of Bombay. The Secretary to the Government of India confirms, in response to intelligence Jacob forwarded of alleged Persian [Iranian] threats to the territory of the Khan of Kelat [Kalat], that although the Government of India is under no obligation by treaty to assist the Khan of Kelat, in the current circumstances Jacob may assure the Khan that arms and money will be offered to him should there occur any unprovoked aggression on his territory by Persia, and Jacob should ascertain the level of subsidy the Khan might require.Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
8. Sind Affairs: Matters Relating to Afghanistan, Kelat and Persia
- 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. 2 dated 2 January 1857. The enclosures are dated 11-16 December 1856.The papers chiefly comprise two letters from Lieutenant-Colonel John Jacob, Acting Commissioner in Sind [Sindh], to Lord Elphinstone, Governor and President in Council, Bombay, forwarding the following documents:A copy of the report by Captain William Lockyer Merewether, Acting Political Superintendent on the Frontier of Upper Sind, concerning the convoy recently despatched carrying treasure (three lacs of rupees), arms and ammunition, destined for the Ameer Dost Mahomed Khan in Kandahar [Dūst Muḥammad Khān Bārakzāy]. The report details the journey of a party of the Sind Irregular Horse, under the command of Lieutenant W L Briggs, Acting Assistant Political Superintendent, including the escort provided by officers and men of the Khan of Kelat [Kalat] through Kelat territory and the Bolan Pass [also spelled Bolaan in this item] to Quetta [also spelled Quettah in this item] where Briggs transferred his consignment to a party of Dost Mahomed’s men (ff 34-38)A copy of a letter from Merewether who forwards intelligence he has received of: a Persian force assembled at Bunpoor [Bampur] on the frontier of Mekran [Makran]; news of Persian activities in Herat; and relations between the Khan of Kelat and Persia.Physical description: 1 item (16 folios)
9. Kelat and Herat Affairs
- Description:
- Abstract: This part of the volume consists of copies of enclosures to a secret despatch from the Government of India Foreign Department to the Secret Committee, Number 47 of 1856, dated 8 October 1856. The enclosures are numbered 3-4 and are dated 6 September to 8 October 1856.They consist of two despatches from the Acting Commissioner in Sind [Sindh, also spelled Sinde in this item], Lieutenant-Colonel John Jacob, to the Secretary to the Government of India, concerning the progress of the Persian [Iranian] invasion force in the vicinity of Kelat [Kalat], military affairs at Herat, the receipt of one lac [lakh, one hundred thousand] of rupees by officers deputed by the Khan [Khān] of Kelat, and guns, small arms and ammunition to be despatched to the Khan.The despatches include translated copies of letters from Fukkeer Mahomed Naib of Mekran [Faqīr Muḥammad Nā’ib of Makran] to the Khan of Kelat, and from Faiz [or Faize] Ahmed Baabee [Fayz̤ Aḥmad Bābī] to the Wukkeel [Vakil] of the Khan of Kelat, Moolla Ahmed [Mullā Aḥmad].Physical description: 1 item (6 folios)
10. Coll 28/28 ‘Persia. Perso-Baluchistan Frontier. Demarcation near Mirjawa.’
- Description:
- Abstract: Correspondence, memoranda, maps and other papers relating to the establishment of a precise position of the frontier between Persia [Iran], British Baluchistan [in present-day Pakistan], and Afghanistan, arising in response to the proposed transfer to Persian ownership of the Mirjawa [Mīrjāveh] to Duzdap [Zahedan] stretch of the North Western Railway, and territorial claims made by the Khan of Kalat, Mir Mohammad Azam Jan Khan, and the Persian Government. The volume’s correspondents include: Foreign Office and India Office officials; the British Legation at Tehran (Reginald Hervey Hoare; Charles Dodd); the Government of India (Francis Verner Wylie); the Agent to Governor-General and Chief Commissioner for Baluchistan (Alexander Norman Ley Cater); the British Consul for Sīstān and Kain [Ka’īn] (Clive Kirkpatrick Daly).The correspondence covers:The historical basis for negotiations, being surveys carried out in the 1870s, and a demarcation agreement concluded on 24 March 1896 by Colonel Thomas Hungerford Holdich, later referred to as the Holdich Line. Papers include correspondence from the 1930s in response to uncertainties about the precise position of the line (including extracts of the agreement in Persian), and copies of correspondence from 1895-1896 relating to the conclusion of Holdich’s agreement.Arrangements in 1932 for a joint British and Persian survey party to map the frontier, with Captain Guy Bomford of the Survey of India leading the British party. The results of Bomford’s survey are summarised in a copy of a secret letter, dated 9 June 1932, with accompanying maps (ff 113-119).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 321; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and two ending flyleaves.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
11. Coll 28/28A ‘Persia: Perso-Baluchistan frontier; demarcation near Mirjawa [mostly copies of papers on 28/28]’
- Description:
- Abstract: Photographic reproductions of letters, memoranda, printed copies of correspondence and maps, relating to the demarcation of the border between Persia [Iran] and British Baluchistan (in present-day Pakistan) around the town of Mirjawa [Mīrjāveh]. The majority of the file’s papers are duplicates of material in the file Coll 28/28 ‘Persia. Perso-Baluchistan Frontier. Demarcation near Mirjawa.’ (IOR/L/PS/12/3425).Correspondence dating between 1924 and 1935 comprises the first part of the file (ff 2-153). The second part of the file is preceded by a cover slip attached to folio 154, which reads: ‘Collection ‘B’’. Papers in this part of the file (ff 154-286) comprise copies of correspondence dating between 1871 and 1912. Three of the file’s thirteen maps (f 223, f 224, f 242) are not duplicates of maps included IOR/L/PS/12/3425.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 286; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
12. Coll 5/33 ‘Air-route to India: Landing ground at Gwadur; Muscat Civil Air Agreement’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains notes and correspondence related to the use of the Gwadur Aerodrome by Imperial Airways and the Royal Air Force. It also therefore covers the negotiations surrounding the Muscat Civil Air Agreement (1934), and subsequent amendments to modify the level of rent paid to the Sultan of Muscat and Oman. Draft copies of the Muscat Agreement can be found on folios 266-273 and 307-318, while the final print edition copies can be found on folios 189-192 and 221-222. A copy of the Kuwait Air Navigation Regulations can be found on folios 366-367, and a copy of the Kuwait Air Agreement can be found on folios 329-331.The file contains further correspondence regarding trouble experienced by Imperial Airways in claiming its rebate on aviation fuel, and efforts made by British authorities to obtain further duty exemptions for the airline. It also covers special authorisations issued under the agreement to permit aircraft to fly over and land in Oman.The abandonment of Gwadur in 1938 – as a result of its unsuitability for seaplanes – and the transfer of Imperial Airways services to Jiwani (also spelt Jiunri in the file) is documented by the correspondence.The main correspondents are as follows: the Persian Gulf Political Resident; the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat (Claude Edward Urquhart Bremner and Ralph Ponsonby Watts); the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India (the Department of External Affairs from 1937); and the Agent to the Governor General, Resident and Chief Commissioner in Baluchistan. The file also contains correspondence with officials of the following departments of the British Government: the Air Ministry, the Foreign Office, and the India Office.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 362; 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 (present between ff 2-360), which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.