Abstract: Correspondence file containing a narrative of the events of the War with Persia (1856-1857) from the perspective of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Captain (James) Felix Jones, and his assistant Lieutenant Herbert Frederick Disbrowe.Also contained within the file are copies of correspondence between Captain Jones; Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, Her British Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia; and Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government of Bombay regarding an escalation of incidents on the Persian Coast and at sea during 1860 and 1861.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence in use consists of a pencil number enclosed in a circle, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 125.Pagination: There is also a former pagination sequence which consists of numbers written in pencil, in the top right corners of the rectos and in the top left corners of the versos. It begins on the first page of writing, on number 5, and ends about halfway through the file, on number 121.
Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence, minutes and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, letters from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai], Captain Robert Cogan of the Indian Navy, and the Court of Directors of the East India Company.The item relates to whether the Government of Bombay should allow Cogan to transport the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat’s ship, the
Liverpool, to London, as the Imaum wishes to gift the ship to the King of England [King of the United Kingdom]. The issue of who will pay for the return of the ‘native’ crew members to India is also discussed.In addition, the item refers to the previous refusal to transport the ship by Captain Hart of HM Naval Forces in India, for diplomatic reasons concerning a treaty between the Imaum of Muscat and the United States of America. The communication between Hart and the Imaum is criticised by the Secret Committee of the East India Company and the Commissioners for the Affairs of India, who emphasise that communication with ‘states’ such as Muscat should only be undertaken through the Governor-General of India.Other principal correspondents include: Lord William Cavendish Bentinck, Governor-General of India; Vice-Admiral Sir John Gore, Commander in Chief of HM Naval Forces in India; and Captain Sir Charles Malcolm, Superintendent of the Indian Navy.The title page of the item contains the following references: 'Coll[ection] No. 13’, ‘P.C. [Previous Communication] 1721, Draft 266, 1836’, ‘Collection N. 1 of N. 29’, ‘Bombay Political Department’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 4, and terminates at f 37, 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 consists of a memorandum on the dispatches from Henry Willock, HM Chargé d’Affaires at the Court of Persia [Iran] in Tehran, to Viscount Castlereagh [Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry], Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Specific dispatches are referenced in the margin and are numbered and dated between 13 July 1817 and 14 May 1818. Appended to the end of the memorandum are copies of some of the correspondence referenced.The memorandum principally concerns relations between Russia and Persia their impact upon British interests. Specific matters covered include:The Russian Embassy of General Yermolew [Aleksey Petrovich Yermolov] and negotiations for peace between the two powersThe suggestion that the allegiance of the Pachalik of Bagdad [Pashalik of Baghdad] lies more with Persia than the Ottoman PorteThe status of places such as Georgia and Ghilan [Gilan] Province in light of the ongoing negotiations between Russia and PersiaThe Imaum [Imam] of Muscat’s desire for Persian assistance in his attempt to take Bahrein [Bahrain]The presence of diplomatic agents from Scind [Sindh] at the Persian CourtWillock’s recommendation to the notice of Castlereagh of Mr Campbell [Dr James D Campbell], surgeon of the Bombay Medical Establishment, and his subsequent death on 23 March 1818A note on the design and colour of flags being flown by vessels in the Persian Gulph [Persian Gulf]The campaign of Mahomed Ali Pacha [Muḥammad ‘Alī Pāshā al-Mas‘ūd bin Āghā] against the Wahabees [Wahhābī]The dismissal of French officers from service in the Persian ArmyThe request of Prince of Kermanshah, Mahomed Ali Mirza [Muḥammad-‘Alī Mīrzā Dawlatšāh], for arms and military officers from the BritishThe Shah’s [Fatḥ ʻAlī Shāh Qājār] determination to send an ambassador to London.Physical description: 1 item (25 folios)
Abstract: A memorandum describing how it had emerged that the Sultan of Muskat had granted the French a concession to establish a coaling station on his territory, and stating that the Sultan had only produced the text of the concession upon threat of bombardment by the British. The memorandum goes on to describe the French Government's agreement to withdraw the concession, as it contravened a Treaty of 1862 in which the Sultan pledged not to lease any part of his territory to either Power, and notes the French Government's continuing desire to establish a coaling station on the same terms as the British. The memorandum concludes with a quotation from
The Timesnewspaper, reproducing a statement in the House of Commons regarding the events. The memorandum is written by Sir William Lee-Warner.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at folio 91 and terminates at folio 92, as it is part of a larger volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but one set is circled and crossed through, the other set is not circled.
Abstract: The file contains a historical memorandum written in response to claims advanced by Ibn Saud to ancestral rights on the eastern boundary of the Saudi Kingdom, and to suggestions put forward by him that at some period in the past arrangements were entered into with his ancestors, the Wahabi Amirs, by representatives of the British Government, which afforded some recognition of those claims. The memorandum was written by John Gilbert Laithwaite, India Office, and is a revised edition of a document published on 1 September 1934.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 32; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: A memorandum of the events and correspondence relating to the Turkish construction of a fort at Fao on the Shat-el-Arab. The memorandum reproduces a number of representations made by the British Government both directly to the Turkish Porte and through the Persian Government, objecting to the construction of the fort on the grounds that it was said to contravene a Turco-Persian agreement of 1847. By June 1897 the fort is said to have fallen into decay and to be without guns, but the memorandum concludes that the British must resort to other means if construction of the fort is revived. The memorandum is written by Edmund Neel, Political and Secret Department, India Office, and provides a map at folio 19.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at folio 18 and terminates at folio 26, as it is part of a larger volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but one set is circled and crossed through, the other set is not circled.
Abstract: This file consists of a note written by Owen Tudor Burne, Secretary, Political and Secret Department, India Office, in which the author suggests ways to improve relations between the Shah of Persia and the British Government in order to limit the influence of the Russian Government in Persia. The author concludes that Britain's best hopes in this regard lie in the construction of a railway in southern Persia and in establishing good relations with the Shah's eldest son.A further note by Burne, and a copy of a letter from the India Office to the Foreign Office document an earlier, unsuccessful, attempt to persuade Germany to join in attempts to counter Russian influence in Persia.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 202 and terminates at the last folio with 203, 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 202-203; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: Copy of a memorandum detailing the views of the Prince Royal [Crown Prince] of Persia [Iran], Abbas Mirza, expressed to Sir Harford Jones, HM Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Persia, on the night on 31 May 1810. The Prince Royal mainly expressed views concerning Russo-Persian armistice negotiations and Ottoman-Persian relations including:The breakdown of the armistice negotiations and renewal of war between the Russians and Persians over the sole issue of the defence of the Ottoman frontierPersian-Ottoman cooperation in the defence of the frontierThe perceived shortcomings of the Ottoman defensive arrangements at the frontierSuggestions for the appointment of a new Seraskier [Serasker] to the frontier by the Ottomans.The memorandum also details the Prince Royal's frustrations at his having received payments of tobacco and sugar from the British for the war with Russia, rather than money or war matériel.The memorandum was an enclosure in Jones's letter to Earl Bathurst, enclosed in Jones's secret letter of 4 June 1810, which was received on 4 October 1810.Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
Abstract: Memorandum of the conferences between John McNeill, the assistant to the East India Company Envoy to Persia [Iran], Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonald Kinneir, and Abbas Meerza [Crown Prince of Persia, ʿAbbās Mīrzā Qājār]. In the memorandum McNeill reports having informed Abbas Meerza of intelligence regarding Russian preparations for a renewed offensive in the Caucasus [Russo-Persian War, 1826-1828], and of the text of the Declaration of War made by Russia. The memorandum also details McNeill’s recommendation that Persia send an ambassador to St Petersburgh [St Petersburg] to negotiate for peace, and attendant discussion of the likelihood of Persia receiving acceptable terms, whether Abbas Meerza might receive assistance from the British Government, the possibilities for further military action, and the deleterious effect losing the war might have on Abbas Meerza’s position as heir to the throne of Persia. McNeill also details the ambition of Meerza Mahommed Allee [Mīrzā Muḥammad ʿAlī Khān Shīrāzī] to lead the mission to St Petersburgh, and reports his having recommended to Abbas Meerza that the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Meerza Abul Hassan Khan [Mīrzā Abū al-Ḥasan Khān Shīrāzī], be charged with the mission instead.This document was originally enclosed, numbered 1 in enclosure No. 1, in Macdonald Kinneir’s letter to the Secret Committee of the East India Company of 23 December 1826 (IOR/L/PS/9/70/156).Physical description: 1 item (8 folios)
Abstract: This memorandum, written by Lieutenant-Colonel William Frederick Travers O'Connor, concerns the new subdivision of Persia into two spheres of influence – Russian and British – with the present neutral zone falling into the British sphere. The memorandum considers what system of Consular or other representation should be adopted in order to maintain not only law and order, but also British influence in the area.Before discussing the issue of Consular representation, O'Connor mentions two alternative suggestions regarding the future of Southern Persia (the first being that Britain should decline to extend its influence beyond its present zone, and the second being that Southern Persia should be turned into one or more independent states), which he dismisses as lying outside the sphere of practical politics.Assuming that the British sphere will encompass the whole of Southern Persia, O'Connor advocates the continuation of the existing post of British Minister at Tehran (located in the Russian sphere), and suggests that the Minister should be supported by Consular officers residing in the capital of each province. O'Connor suggests that Consul or Consul-General posts – to be held by officers of the Indian Political Department – should be present in the following places: Sistan [also spelled Seistan in this file] (as at present); Kerman (for the province of Kerman); Shiraz (for Fars, excluding the Gulf hinterland); Mohammerah [Khorramshahr in modern-day Iran] (for Arabistan); and Bushire (for the Gulf and for hinterland affairs).In addition, O'Connor advocates the appointment of a Resident or Consul in the Bakhtiari country. He suggests that his proposed Consulates be run in the same way as the existing Consulates at Seistan, Meshed and Kerman.O'Connor goes on to address the problem of the rivalry between the Home Government and the Indian Government on the subject of Southern Persia. He makes the following two proposals: either Southern Persia should be placed under direct control of the Indian Government, or it should be guaranteed that the Minister at Tehran will always be an officer from British India, who has been nominated for the post by the Indian Government.In this memorandum, O'Connor suggests that the future arrangement of Consular representation in Southern Persia has been made complicated by the anomalous status of the Resident in the Persian Gulf. O'Connor argues that, in the post-war period, whilst it would still be possible to retain a Resident at Bushire, it would not need to be such an important and highly paid appointment; he appears to imply that his proposed Consul at Shiraz and Consul at Bushire would take over the Resident's responsibilities regarding inland Persia and the Gulf and its hinterland respectively.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 18, and terminates at f 20, 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: A memorandum explaining that Lord Canning, Viceroy and Governor General of India, had arbitrated between the two sons of Sultan Syud Saeed [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd]upon his death. The two sons agreed the division of their inheritance between them as Sultans of Zanzibar and Muscat respectively, and the memorandum reproduces an Anglo-French declaration recognising the independence of the two sultans. The memorandum goes on to give the opinion of Sir E C Ross, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, regarding how Gwadar had originally fallen under the dominions of Muscat. The memorandum was written by Richard William Brant, Foreign Office.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at folio 86 and terminates at folio 90, as it is part of a larger volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but one set is circled and crossed through, the other set is not circled.
Abstract: This file is a memorandum written by Adolphus Warburton Moore, Political and Secret Department, of historical events and correspondence relating to the occupation of Merv by Russia, and to Russian activity in Khorassan, on the Persian boundary.The memorandum reproduces a despatch to the Russian Ambassador to London, in which Lord Granville, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, expresses the British Government's displeasure at hearing of the Russian annexation of Merv, against assurances previously given by the Government of the Russian Empire. The memorandum gives the Russian response, describing the annexation as merely an act of local administration without political pre-meditation on the part of Russia, who continue to seek co-operation and friendly relations with the British Government.The memorandum goes on to describe British concerns and Russian denials that they next intended to annexe Sarakhs on the Persian border, and, upon the arrival of Russian troops at Sarakhs and in other parts of Khorassan, Persian protests to the Russian Government.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 110 and terminates at the last folio with 122, 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 110-122; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.