Abstract: The item consists of correspondence between the Government of Bombay and Rear Admiral William O’Brien Drury, Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station, regarding a proposal for increased British naval presence in the Gulf of Arabia [Red Sea] in order to resist French influence in the region.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 287, and terminates at f 294, 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 printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: The item consists of correspondence and extracts of papers relating to French influence and activities in the Red Sea (often referred to as the ‘Arabian Gulph’) and Persia [Iran], sent to the Chairman of the Court of Directors, Charles Grant, and the Secret Committee.Matters covered include:French efforts to establish a trading and military settlement on the island of Cameran [Kamaran] through the agency of Syed Mahomed Akil [Sayyid Muḥammad ‘Aqīl]The preparations for and progress of an expedition to the Red Sea to counter French activitiesThe plunder and destruction of the American ship
Essexby Syed Mahomed Akil and his followersDiscussion of the legality of seizing Syed Mahomed Akil and his shipsAntoine-Alexandre Romieu’s mission to the Court of Persia as an agent of FranceFrench influence in Persia, Bagdad [Baghdad], and AleppoThe impact of any agreement reached between France and Persia on Anglo-Persian relationsA second French embassy to the Court of Persia following Romieu’s death in TehranHajee Mohsen’s [Ḥājī Muḥsin] deputation to Tehran to gather intelligence on French activities and to try and counter their influenceThe proposal of Sir Harford Jones, Resident at Bagdad, that he travel to Persia as British EnvoyThe dispatch of a Persian Embassy to FranceHostilities between Russia and Persia along the latter’s northern frontier.Correspondence regarding the Red Sea comes from the following: the Government of Bombay; Sir Edward Pellew, Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station; the Government of Bengal; Lieutenant Charles Court, Commander of the
Panther, at Mocha; the Government of Madras; Searkrun/Searkum Kirjee, East India Company Broker at Mocha.Correspondence regarding matters in Persia comes from the following: Samuel Manesty, Resident at Bussorah [Basra]; John Barker, Consul General at Aleppo; Harford Jones, Resident at Bagdad, and John Hine, Acting Resident at Bagdad; William Bruce, Acting Resident at Bushire [Bushehr]; Alexander Stratton, Ambassador at Constantinople; Leopold Sebastiani, Prefect of the Catholic Mission in Ispahan [Isfahan]; and Lord Viscount Castlereagh, First Commissioner for the Affairs of India.Physical description: The papers are arranged in rough chronological order, from the left to the right.
Abstract: The volume consists of chronological diary entries containing transcripts of correspondence sent and received, and notes on the arrival and departure of vessels at Bushire. The Resident during the period covered was William Bruce (acting).The correspondence sent is entered under the date the letter was written; that received is entered under the date of receipt at Bushire. The correspondence is mostly between the Resident and other East India Company officials, particularly officials of the Government of Bombay; the Resident at Bagdad [Baghdad] (Harford Jones); the Resident at Muscat (David Seton); officials in charge of the Residency at Bussora [Basra] (John Law and Lieutenant William Eatwell); and commanders of ships of the Bombay Marine (the East India Company's navy).The records of shipping consist of a note of the day of arrival and departure of ships of the Bombay Marine and country ships (privately-owned merchant ships, which operated under licence from the East India Company), and information on their port of origin and destination. The term 'imported' is used to indicate the arrival of a vessel.General topics covered in the volume include:political developments in the Gulf;movements of ships;piracy;sale of East India Company merchandise;appointments;personnel matters;accounting and financial matters;administrative matters;relations with the Court of Persia;relations with local rulers and Persian officials;the activities of the French in the region;reports of political and military developments in Europe.Specific topics include:correspondence concerning the activities and whereabouts of a French officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Alexandre Romieu, former minister at Corfu, who had made his way from Constantinople into Persia on a mission the objectives of which were unclear, entries for 27 September - 22 November 1805 (folios 14-32v);correspondence relating to the recovery of cargo from the merchant ship
Hector, 29 October - 22 November 1805 (folios 23v-32v);letter from Lieutenant W Eatwell, Bombay Marine, commanding the
Fury, at Bussora, dated 20 October 1805, reporting the death of John Law, Resident of the Factory at Bussora and stating that he had taken temporary charge of the Residency there (entry for 31 October 1805, folio 28v)correspondence from the Political Department of the Government of Bombay concerning the Persian Embassy, particularly relating to an affray that had taken place on a road near Bombay in November 1805 between an East India Company officer cadet and two servants of the Persian Ambassador, 26 January 1806 (folios 60-89v).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1A on the front cover and terminates at 92 on the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F; ff. 21, 21A; ff. 35, 35A.Pagination: an original pagination sequence written in ink numbered 1-178 is present between ff. 1F-89. These numbers appear in the top right or top left corners of each page.Condition: there is a hole measuring approximately 60x50mm in the top centre of folio 1F, probably caused by the oxidisation of iron gall ink. This hole reappears, diminishing in size, in the following nine folios (to f. 10). The holes have caused loss of text between ff. 1F-9. There is also minor damage to the edges of some folios, but this has not caused any serious loss of text. The entire volume was conserved, probably in the 1980s, in the form of an appliqué-coated guard book.
Abstract: Translation of a letter from the Persian Ambassador to France, Askar Khan [Askar Khan Afshar], to the Vizier of the Crown Prince of Persia [Iran], Meerza Bozurg [Mirza Buzurg], of 1 April 1809. The letter details the news of the day from Paris, particularly the plans for the marriage of Napoleon Bonaparte to the daughter of the Emperor of Austria, Marie Louise. The letter also relates to the activities of two Persian merchants at Constantinople [Istanbul], the arms and money sent to Persia by the British, and Franco-Austrian plans to wage war against Russia.The letter was enclosed in HM Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Persia, Sir Harford Jones’s secret letter of 14 September 1810, which was received on 6 February 1811.Physical description: 1 item (3 folios)
Abstract: Translation of a letter from Askar Khan, Persian Ambassador to France, to the Vizier of the Crown Prince of Persia [Iran], Meerza Bozurg [Mīrzā Buzurg], received at Tauris [Tabriz] on 17 April 1810. The letter contains representations concerning Franco-Persian relations, including:The French willingness to retain Askar Khan in Paris to maintain the appearance of Franco-Persian friendshipThe departure of the mission of General Gardanne [Gardane] from PersiaThe appointment of a Persian ambassador to EnglandAccounts of Askar Khan's conversations with the Foreign Minister of France, Jean-Baptiste de Nompère de Champagny, and the Emperor of France.The letter also contains details regarding the ongoing conflict in Europe, including an account of the Battle of Wagram, the dispatch of French peace proposals to England, and the movement of French soldiers and artillery to Spain.The letter was enclosed in HM Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Persia, Sir Harford Jones's letter of 23 May 1810, which was received on 4 October 1810.Physical description: 1 item (6 folios)
Abstract: A translation of a Firman [edict] from Fath Ali Shah [Fath-ʻAlī Shāh Qājār], Shah of Persia [Iran], to Abbas Meerza ['Abbās Mīrzā], Prince Royal (Crown Prince), sent from Tehran and dated Zeekadah [Zū al-Qaʿdah] 1224 (December 1809-January 1810). Following the conclusion of an alliance with Britain [Preliminary Treaty of Friendship and Alliance, 1809], the Firman orders that Jouanin, a French representative in Persia, should be dismissed, and accommodation should be provided for Sir Harford Jones, HM Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Persia. The Firman also requests that any news from Meerza Abdul Hassan [Mirzā Abul Hassan], Persian Ambassador to London, should be passed on immediately.The translation was enclosed in Jones's Letter No. 1 to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company dated 3 February 1810.Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
Abstract: The item consists mostly of copies of correspondence, minutes and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, letters to and from the governments of Bengal and Bombay. It concerns news of French activities in Persia and the Gulf, and the measures to be taken to protect British interests.In particular, the item addresses reports of a French mission to Persia, of an agreement made between Persia and France, and concerns about the threat this might pose to British interests in the Gulf. It is alleged that Persia has agreed to cede the port of Gombroon [Bandar-e ʻAbbās] and the islands of Ormus [Jazīreh-ye Hormoz], Kishm [Qeshm], and Kharick [Kharg] to France, and that a French fleet is heading to the Gulf to take possession of these territories. As a result, plans are made for the formation of a naval force to intercept the French fleet.The primary correspondents are: Owaness Paitkym [Hovhannes Paitkhim]; Moohummud Hossein Khan [Mirzā Muḥammad Ḥusayn Khān Bahādur Jang, also referred to as Mirzer Moohummaud Hooseyn Khan]; Jafer Ali Khan [Ja’far ‘Ali Khan], Native Agent, Shiraz; Nicholas Hankey Smith, Resident at Bushire [Bushehr]; Jonathan Duncan, Governor of Bombay; Rear Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, Commander in Chief, East Indies; Captain John Ferrier; Nusuroola Khan [Naṣr Allāḥ Khān Qarāguzlū, also referred to as Nusur Oolla Khan and Nassuralla Khan], Vazir of Fars [incorrectly identified as Beglerbeg of Fars in the item]; and His Royal Highness the Prince Regent at Sheraze [Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mirzā Farmānfarmā, Prince-Governor of Fārs].The title page (f 264) of the item contains the following references: ‘Political No. 14, Season 1808/09, Draft 178, Para. 61’; and ‘Examiner’s Office, July 1808 and September and December’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at 315, and terminates at 407, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: The volume contains copies of correspondence, journal extracts, and intelligence reports relating to Sir Harford Jones’s diplomatic mission to Persia [Iran] in 1808.The papers reflect the purposes and practicalities of the mission and cover the following matters:Jones’s progress from England to Bushire [Būshehr, in this volume also written Abusheher, Abushehr and Busheer] via Funchal, Cape Town, and Bombay [Mumbai]The purpose of, and uncertainty caused by, another diplomatic mission to Persia under Brigadier-General John Malcolm and sent by the Governor-General, Lord Minto [Gilbert Elliot Murray Kynynmound]Relations between France and Persia, specifically British fears regarding the presence and influence of a French Embassy in Teheran [Tehran, in this volume also written Tehraun]The mission of Captain Charles Pasley, Malcolm’s Secretary and sometime Acting Envoy, to Shiraz [in this volume also spelled Sheraz, Shirauz, Sherauz, and various other spellings] and failure to open negotiations with the Persians (folios 114-121 comprise extracts from Pasley’s journal)Discussion of the terms of any agreement to be made with the Persian GovernmentPolitical and social affairs within Persia, both locally and nationallyThe presence of Russian and French diplomatic agents in PersiaEuropean politics, specifically the closing of Portuguese ports to British shipping following the former’s alliance with France during the Napoleonic WarsRequests for money and details of costs from Jones.Principal correspondence is from Jones, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of Persia, to Robert Dundas, President of the Board of Control. Enclosures, which constitute the bulk of the volume, include correspondence between Jones; Lord Minto, Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William; Brigadier-General John Malcolm, Government of India Envoy to the Court of Persia; and Captain Charles Pasley, Malcolm’s Secretary and sometime Acting Envoy. Further correspondence, sometimes in summary form, is between Jones; Meerza Sheffee [Mirza Muhammad Shafi Mazandarani], Grand Vizier of Persia; Nasr Oolah Khan [Nasrallah Khan], Chief Minister of Fars; Prince Hoossein Ally Meerza [Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mirzā], Governor of Fars; Jaafer Ali Khan [Ja‘afar ‘Alī Khān], ‘Native Agent’ [a non-European employed by the British as a representative and broker, among other things] in Shiraz; and Mohammed Nebee Khan [Muḥammad Nabī Khān Shirāzī], Governor of Bushire [in this volume, also written Abusheher, Abushehr, Busheer]. Other correspondents include Claudius James Rich, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], and William Bruce, Acting Resident in Bushire.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 462; 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.Pagination: the file also contains multiple original pagination sequences.The sequence contains two foliation anomalies, at f 242 and f 433a.
Abstract: The volume relates to affairs in Persia [Iran] and contains copies of letters, extracts and translations of letters, intelligence reports, and proceedings of Governor-General in Council meetings at Fort William, Calcutta [Kolkata], being enclosures to several despatches sent during the first half of 1808 (9 February, 31 March, 3 May, and 6 June) to the Secret Committee, in London, from the Secret Department of the Bengal Presidency, Fort William.A list of the enclosures is included at the beginning of the volume (folios 3-4), including enclosure number, date written, summary of content, and a page reference (to the original pagination). This is followed (folios 5-10) by a separate ‘list of packets’ for the 9 February, 31 March, and 3 May despatches. Each is a list of the numbered enclosures that were included within each packet when sent. Not all items contained in these lists are present within the volume.The papers deal with a range of matters, including:British fears of French ascendency in Persia, including a suspected plan to invade India from PersiaThe outbreak of war between Britain and Denmark, and the subsequent occupation of Danish colonies in India by BritainAffairs in Bagdad [Baghdad], including relations with the Pacha [Pasha]Appointment of Brigadier-General John Malcolm as Political Agent in Persia and his diplomatic mission to the Persian Court in 1808Events connected to the Napoleonic Wars including the evacuation of British forces from Alexandria in September 1807, the surrender of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, and the Treaty of Tilsit, 1807, between France and RussiaInternal affairs of PersiaFrench plans for a trading settlement in the Persian GulfBritish plans for stationing a naval force in the GulfRelations between the British Resident at Muscat, Captain David Seton, and the Imaum [Imam Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd]Affairs in Afghanistan.Correspondents include the following: Lord Minto [Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound], Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William; Neil Benjamin Edmonstone, Secretary to the Governor-General, Fort William; Nicholas Hankey Smith, Resident, Bushire [Būshehr]; Captain Court Schuyler, Resident, Goa; John Hine, Acting Resident, Bagdad; President and Council, Fort St George, Madras [Chennai]; Samuel Manesty, Resident, Bussora [Basra]; Jonathan Duncan, Governor of Bombay [Mumbai]; Raphael de Picciotto, Austrian Consul, Aleppo; John Barker, Consul of the Levant Company, Aleppo, writing from exile in Haussa [Harissa, Keserwan, Lebanon]; Captain Benjamin Hallowell, Commander of the
Tigreand Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty’s Sea Forces on the Coast of Egypt; Brigadier-General John Malcolm, Political Agent in Persia and Envoy to the Persian Court; and Jafer Ali Khan [Ja‘afar ‘Alī Khān], Agent at Sheraze [Shiraz].Folios 196-201 comprise extracts, translated extracts, and summarised intelligence taken from intercepted letters to Monsieur Frezel, a French Engineer and Aide-de-Camp to General Gardanne [Claude Matthieu de Gardane], the French Envoy to the Court of Persia.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 207; 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 includes an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: Translated abstracts of Persian letters received at the London headquarters of the East India Company, dated 1807, containing:A letter from the King [Shah] of Persia [Iran] [Fath-‘Ali Shāh Qājār] to the King of England and India [King George III] expressing hope for stronger relations between the two countriesA letter from Muhammed Safee [Mīrzā Muḥammad Shafī' Māzandarānī], Prime Minister of Persia, to Lord Grenville, Prime Minister of Britain, concerning: the arrival of Colonel Macquarie at the Court of Persia; the Russo-Persian War and Persia’s desire for peace; Persia’s relations with France and Turkey [Ottoman Empire]; and the hope that Britain will either mediate with Russia or enter an alliance with Persia.Physical description: 1 item (11 folios)
Abstract: A volume of letters sent outwards. Most of the correspondence is from Nicholas Hankey Smith, Resident at Bushire, mainly to various company officials in India or elsewhere in the Gulf and surrounding regions. Correspondence is also frequently sent to Jaffer Ali Khan [Ja‘afar ‘Alī Khān], the Resident's native agent at Shiraz, along with various other Persian officials. From July 1808, correspondence is sent out by William Bruce, who becomes Acting Resident following the departure of Nicholas Hankey Smith. The volume also contains some letters inwards, mainly as enclosures to letters outward.The subject matter of the correspondence is the administration of the Bushire Residency, company trade and political matters in the Gulf. French diplomatic activity, and plans to advance on British India is also a frequent topic in the correspondence.The following abbreviations have been used:HCC - Honourable Company's CruizerHMS - His Majesty's ShipPhysical description: 2 volumes in one slipcaseFoliation: The foliation sequence runs through two volumes as a continuous sequence. It commences at the title page of volume one and terminates at the last folio of volume two; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The file contains the following foliation corrections: 1 is followed by 1A; 11 is followed by 11A; 117 is followed by 117A; 193 is followed by 193A.Pagination: An original pagination sequence also runs through both volumes between ff 1-194; these numbers are written in ink, and are located in the top outermost corner of each page. The pagination is intermittent in places as numbers have been lost as a result of damage to the folios.Condition: The volumes have suffered from extensive pest damage resulting in the loss of a significant amount of text, and as a result the content can be difficult to read in places.
Abstract: The volume consists of chronological diary entries containing transcripts of correspondence sent and received, and notes on the arrival and departure of vessels at Bushire. The Residents during the period covered were William Bruce (acting) and (from May 1807) Nicholas Hankey Smith.The correspondence sent is entered under the date the letter was written; that received is entered under the date of receipt at Bushire. The correspondence is between the Resident and other East India Company officials: officials of the Government of Bombay (including correspondence in the Political, Military, Public, General and Commercial Departments, and correspondence with the Accountant General); the Resident at Bagdad [Baghdad] (Harford Jones, and later John Hine [Acting]); the Resident at Muscat (David Seton); and the Resident at Bussora [Basra] (Lieutenant William Eatwell [Acting], and later Samuel Manesty).The records of shipping consist of a note of the day of arrival and departure of ships of the Bombay Marine (the East India Company navy) and country ships (privately-owned merchant ships, which operated under licence from the East India Company), and information on their port of origin and destination. The term 'imported' is used to indicate the arrival of a vessel.General topics covered in the volume include:political developments in the Gulf;movements of ships;the transmission of packets of correspondence;piracy;the provision and sale of East India Company merchandise;accounting and financial matters;administrative matters;relations with the Court of Persia;relations with local rulers;the activities of the French in the region (including the activities of French privateers);reports of political and military developments in Europe.Specific topic include:dispatches from the Government of Bombay concerning the Persian Embassy to India (entry for 20 February 1806, folios 5-22), including a report of an assault by a sepoy sentry on a horse belonging to members of the suite of the Persian Ambassador, Mohumed Nebee Khan [Muhammad Nābī Khān];dispatches from the Government of Bombay concerning the Persian Embassy to India (entry for 27 February 1806, folios 22v-40v), including details of the garrison court martial of the sentry mentioned above, and financial claims of the Persian Ambassador;letter from Bruce to Francis Warden, Secretary to the Government of Bombay dated 3 March 1806, in response to the above dispatches (folio 41);letter from Bruce to Jonathan Duncan, President and Governor in Council, dated 12 March 1806 containing a report of the search for the wreck of the
Reliance(f. 42v);letter from Bruce to Jonathan Duncan, President and Governor in Council, dated 25 March 1806 containing a report of the presence of a French agent at Tabrize [Tabriz], who was on his way to Teheran [Tehran] (f. 44v);dispatches from the Government of Bombay concerning the Persian Embassy to India (entry for 13 April 1806, folios 40v-67v), including details of stores drawn and remaining to be drawn from the Honourable Company's stores, and bills to be paid on account of the
Rahimshaw(ff. 47-51), account of articles purchased by the Ambassador's people (ff. 56v-57), report of the sale of horses presented by the Persian Ambassador (f. 60), and list of articles purchased for the Persian Ambassador for use as presents (f. 62);dispatches from the Government of Bombay concerning the Persian Embassy to India (entry for 27 May 1806, ff.74v-138v), including the embarkation of the embassy for Calcutta;correspondence containing reports by Bruce of a French agent at the Court of Persia, (1-5 September 1806, ff. 160v-162);regulations issued by the Government of Bombay concerning persons in the East Company's service who wished to proceed to Europe (19 October 1806, ff. 170v-171);correspondence concerning an incident involving the Honourable Company's Schooner
Sylphat Bushire, which led to a serious loss of life amongst the
Sylph'screw (14 January - 14 February 1807, ff. 188-192);table of books, statements etc. required by the Accountant General's Office, Government of Bombay, issued 11 March 1807 (f. 228).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence, which runs through both volumes, commences at 1 on the first folio of correspondence and terminates at 235 on the inside back cover of the second volume. The numbers are written in pencil, are smaller than the pagination numbers, and appear near the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 116, 116A, 116B, 116C, 116D, 116E, 1116F. Folio 228 folds out beyond the edge of the volume. This is the system in use.Pagination: there is also an incomplete pagination sequence, which runs from 1-458 through both volumes. The numbers are written in pencil, are larger than the foliation numbers, and appear at the top centre or toward the top of the recto and verso pages.Condition: the volumes have suffered extensive damage at the beginning and end of the original (pre-conservation) volume (ff. 1-15 and 222-232), in the shape of damaged edges and holes in the folios, which has resulted in significant losses of text. There is also some damage to other folios, which occasionally causes loss of text.