Abstract: Enclosures no. 2-15 to a despatch from the Secret Department, Bombay [Mumbai] Castle, dated 15 March 1848. The enclosures are dated 14 December 1847-7 March 1848. The enclosures consist of copies of correspondence relating to affairs in the Persian Gulf and the possible intentions of the Sublime Porte [Government of the Ottoman Empire] to extend its influence in the Gulf. Many of the topics discussed in the correspondence relate to Bahrein [Bahrain], believed to be the Porte’s primary target in the Gulf, including:Possible closer relations between Britain and Shaik Mahomed bin Khuleefa [Shaikh Muhammed bin Khalifah Al Khalifah], Chief of BahreinPossible French support for Shaik Abdoollah bin Amed [Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifah], exiled former Chief of BahreinThe aftermath of the death of Shaik Esai bin Tareef [Shaikh ‘Isa bin Tarif al-‘Utbi], Chief of Al-Bida [Doha], in battle against Bahrein in November 1847A Bahraini ship running aground off the coast of Amulgavine [Umm al-Qaywayn].Other topics discussed include:The increasingly close diplomatic relations between France and Persia [Iran]A reconciliation between Sheikh Sultan bin Suggur [Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr al-Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah and Ra's al-Khaymah] and his sons Ibraheem [Ibrahim] and AbdullahPeace negotiations between Debaie [Dubai] and Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi].The correspondents are: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Government of India; and the Native Agent, Sharjah.Physical description: 1 item (27 folios)
Abstract: This item consists of copies of correspondence and consultations cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. The correspondent is Major Samuel Hennell, British Resident in the Persian Gulf. It is the sixth in a series of eleven items.The item concerns the death of Esai ben Tareef [Shaikh ‘Īsá bin Ḥamad bin Ṭarīf Āl Bin ‘Alī al-‘Utbī, Shaikh of al-Bid’].The item contains a contents page and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Draft no 689/48’, ‘Col[lection]: 17’, ‘Collection No 6 of No 45’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 269, and terminates at f 271 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 consists of copies of correspondence, consultations, memoranda, resolutions, and minutes cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai]. The correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; Captain Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf; and Shaik Abdoolla bin Ahmed [Shaikh ‘Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifah], Shaikh of Bahrein [Bahrain]. It is the eighth in a series of ten items on the Persian Gulf (the others are IOR/F/4/1767/72461, IOR/F/4/1767/72462, IOR/F/4/1767/72463, IOR/F/4/1767/72464, IOR/F/4/1767/72465, IOR/F/4/1767/72466, IOR/F/4/1767/72467, IOR/F/4/72469, and IOR/F/4/1767/72470).The item concerns Shaik Abdolla’s desire to force Esa bin Tareef [Shaikh ‘Isa bin Hamad bin Tarif Al Bin ‘Ali al-‘Utbi] and his followers to return to Bahrein from Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi], and the Resident’s reluctance to allow him to use aggressive measures against Esa bin Tareef and the Shaikh of Aboothabee.The item contains a contents page, and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Draft 550, 1839, P.C. [Previous Communication] 2491’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 849 and terminates at f 858, as it was originally 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 item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence and minutes cited in, or enclosed with, a Political Letter from the Government of Bombay to the East India Company Court of Directors, 31 January 1848. A copy of this Political Letter can be found at IOR/F/4/2238/112322, alongside details of further enclosures. The item is the forty-seventh in a series of fifty-nine items on events in the Persian Gulf.The item relates to reports by Hajee Jassem [Ḥājjī Jāsim], Native Agent at Bahrein [Bahrain], on the recent battle near Foweyrat [Fujairat] between the forces of Sheik Esai ben Tareef of Biddah [Shaikh ‘Īsá bin Ṭarīf, Ruler of al-Bid] and Sheik Mahomed ben Khuleefa [Shaikh Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah], Chief of Bahrein. Hajee Jassem’s reports include details of the troops sent from numerous places to reinforce both sides and the consequences of the battle. The item contains the reactions of Major Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf, and the Government of Bombay to the news that Sheik Esai ben Tareef was killed during the battle.The item contains multiple spellings for individuals and places.The title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Bombay Political Department’, ‘Draft No. 345/48, Coll: 2, Vol: 47’, ‘Collection No. 3 of No. 21’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 538, and terminates at f 546, 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 item mainly relates to affairs in the Persian Gulf. It chiefly comprises copies of despatches of Captain Samuel Hennell, Political Resident, Persian Gulf, to John Pollard Willoughby, Secretary to the Government, Bombay [Mumbai], with relevant enclosures, such as letters to and from Hennell, reports, and translations of letters. It also includes: Willoughby’s acknowledgments of receipt; Hennell’s reports to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors, EIC; and Willoughby’s communications with Thomas Herbert Maddock, Secretary to the Government of India with the Governor-General. Hennell’s despatches were sent from the island of Karrack [Khark, also known as Kharg, also spelled Karrak in this item], the Residency having relocated to the island following a dispute with Mirza Assad, the Governor of Bushire [Bushehr].The main subjects covered are:Arrangements for strengthening the defences of Karrack, by repairs to the wall and fort of the town, organisation of the ammunition stores and the erection of new buildings; departure from Karrack of Sheik Nasir [Shaikh Nāṣir Āl Mazkūr II, a former Governor of Bushire]; conversion of the island into a military post and imposition of martial lawHennell’s efforts to monitor and influence Khorshid Pasha [Khūrshid Pasha], Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Forces in Nedgd [Najd, also known as Nejd], in view of the latter’s recent encroachments on the coastline of the Persian Gulf and purported plan to conquer the island of Bahrein [Bahrain], including: sending letters of ‘warning’ to Khorshid Pasha; dispatching the Assistant Resident, Lieutenant Thomas Edmunds, to Bahrein and Koweit [Kuwait]; instructing HM Consul in Egypt to demand an explanation from the ruler of Egypt, Mahomed Ally [Muḥammad ‘Alī Pasha al-Mas'ud bin Āghā] of his policy in the Persian Gulf ; ascertaining the policy of Abdoollah ben Ahmed [‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], Sheik of Bahrein [Shaikh of Bahrain], and the sheik's estimation of the likelihood of an Egyptian invasion; ascertaining the ‘disposition, the strength and the relative interests’ (f 62) of the main rulers in the Persian Gulf towards Khorshid Pasha (see ff 62-66) and influencing them against assisting the Egyptian force in obtaining supplies of grainConsideration of the possibility of Khorshid Pasha turning his attentions to Bussorah [Basra] and Mohumrah [Khorramshahr, formerly Mohammerah] if there is a rupture of relations between Egypt and the [Ottoman] Porte and a battle between Ibrahim Pasha [Kavalali] (unrecognised Khedive of Egypt and Sudan) and Hafiz Pasha [Hafiz Osman Pasha] in SyriaAversion of a possible war between Bahrein and Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi] over the ‘fugitive’ from Bahrein, Esa bin Tareef [Shaikh ‘Īsá bin Ḥamad bin Ṭarīf Āl Bin ‘Alī al-‘Utbī], and members of his Alli Ally [Āl Bin ‘Alī] tribe, who are residing in Aboothabee, and news that the Shaik of Bahrein has signed a treaty of peace with Kuleefa bin Shakboot [Shaikh Khalīfah bin Shakhbut Āl Nahyān], the Shaik of Abothabee [Shaikh of Abu Dhabi]Rumours of a Persian force marching from Tehran into Khorassan [Khorasan] to occupy HeratDelays in the transmission of overland (mail) packets, notably with regard to events in Syria between [Ottoman] Turkey and Egypt, and investigation of different routes, including via Damascus, transmission times, charges and possible couriers.There is a note at the beginning of the item stating that the ‘Enclosure in Bombay Secret Letter No. 75, dated 12th June 1839, are missing from this Collection’.Physical description: 1 item (42 folios)
Abstract: The item comprises:Two letters from Thomas Henry Maddock, Secretary to the Government of India with the Governor-General, to John Pollard Willoughby, Secretary to the Government, Bombay [Mumbai], notably relating to: British policy regarding the potential conflict between the Sheik of Bahrein [Shaikh of Bahrain] with the ‘fugitive’ subject Esa bin Tareef [Shaikh ‘Īsá bin Ḥamad bin Ṭarīf Āl Bin ‘Alī al-‘Utbī]; the threatened invasion of Bahrein by Khoorshid Pasha, [Khūrshid Pasha], Commander of Egyptian Forces in Nejde [Najd, also known as Nejd]; and the Governor-General’s objection to a suggestion,by the Resident in the Persian Gulf at Karrak [Kharg, also known as Khark] to blockade the port of Bushire [Bushehr]The substance of a letter from the Native Agent at Muscat to the Persian [Iranian] Secretary to the Government, notably relating to: the policy of the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat regarding the territorial encroachments of Khoorshid Pasha in the Persian Gulf; the Imaum’s refusal to provide the assistance demanded by Khoorshid Pasha; and the activities of Saad Bin Mutluck [Sa‘d bin Muṭlaq al-Muṭayrī], who claims he has been appointed Governor of Oman by Khoorshid Pasha and has demanded tribute to be paid to the latter by the principal sheiks [shaikhs] in the Persian Gulf which had formely been paid to Fysul [Amir Fayṣal bin Turki bin Abdullāh Āl Sa‘ūd].Physical description: 1 item (5 folios)
Abstract: Copies of correspondence relating to affairs in the Persian Gulf and Arabian coastline, chiefly British attempts to avert potential conflicts between Arab maritime rulers, the disruption of trade with India, acts of ‘piracy’, and the undermining of British influence in the area.The papers notably cover:Efforts of Captain Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, to mediate and promote resolution of the dispute between Abdoollah bin Ahmed, [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah] Shaik of Bahrein [Bahrain], and his ‘fugitive’ subject Esa bin Tareef [Shaikh ‘Īsá bin Ḥamad bin Ṭarīf Āl Bin 'Alī al-'Utbī] and members of his Al-i-Ally [Āl Bin 'Alī] tribe, who have taken refuge in Abothabee [Abu Dhabi] under the rule of Kuleefa bin Shakboot [Shaikh Khalīfah bin Shakhbūṭ Āl Nahyān], the Shaik of Abothabee [Shaikh of Abu Dhabi]. Includes: the Shaik of Bahrein’s secret pledge allowing all the ‘fugitives’ to resettle on the coast of Gutter [Qatar]; the British restrictive boundary line beyond which Arab maritime operations are ‘forbidden’; the role of the Indian Navy in facilitating negotiations and patrolling the GulfBritish policy with regard to a possible attempt by Khorshid Pasha [Khūrshīd Pāshā, also spelled Khoorshid and Koorsheid, and Pacha, in this volume], Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Forces in Nedgee [Najd, also known as Nejd], to conquer the island of Bahrein and ascertainment of the Shaik of Bahrein’s allegianceEvents on the island of Karrack [Kharg, also known as Khark], recently occupied by the British after an incident in Bushire [Būshehr] and deteriorated relations with Meerza Assud [Mirza Assad], Governor of Bushire, notably: the departure in April 1839 of Sheik Nasir [Shaykh Nāṣir] to seek asylum in Koweit [Kuwait]; departure of the Belochee [Balochi] garrison from the fort and its take-over by the British; arrangements by Lieutenant-Colonel James Shirreff, Commanding the Detachment at Karrack, for martial law on the island and his difference of opinion with Hennell regarding the Persian ‘threat’Events in Bushire following the British departure, notably: arrangements for a British presence in the town; conditions at the Residency building; Persian attempts to persuade the British to return there including Hennell’s communications with the Prince of Shiraz, and the latter’s deputing of a negotiator, Mohamed Hussain Khan Sirdar, to promote re-establishment of friendly relations; Hennell’s refusal to return unless Meerza Assad is removed and refuting the latter’s claims that the British navy fired first on his people at Bushire; discussion of whether Mirza Assad was acting independently or upon orders from Shiraz or TehranIntelligence from Meerza [Mirza] Riza, the News Writer at Shiraz concerning purported Persian military operations towards Herat and BushireNaval tour of the Persian Gulf and Arabian coastline by Rear Admiral Sir Frederick Maitland and Lieutenant Edmunds, Assistant Resident Persian Gulf [also referred to as Captain in this volume], to ascertain: the political stance of various sheiks towards each other and the British, and potential for a united coalition against an attacking foe; the resistance capability of Bahrein; and the views of the Bahreini people towards the Egyptians and the British. Includes Maitland’s report, with notes taken by Captain Edmunds, of the meetings held with the different sheiks between 22-30 April 1839 (ff 503-511).The principal correspondents are: Captain Hennell, and John Pollard Willoughby, Secretary to the Government, Bombay [Mumbai].Other correspondents include George Barnes Brucks, Commodore of the Squadron of the Indian Navy in the Persian Gulf; John Croft Hawkins, Commander and Senior Officer, Bushire; and Lieutenant-Colonel Shirreff.There is a note before the papers commence stating: ‘Enclosure in Bombay Secret Letters No. 65-6, dated 18th May 1839, is missing from this collection’.Physical description: The papers are not in chronological order.