Abstract: Home correspondence of the East India Company (EIC) in relation to its naval force in the Gulph [Gulf]. The correspondence includes duplicate copies of the ‘Charges and Losses sustained in the Gulph of Persia [Iran]’; duplicate copies of ‘An Account of Woollens exported for Persia’; and letters related to the status of the Company’s naval force compared to other forces in the Gulph including the French, Hyder Ally [Ḥaydar ‘Alī, Sulṭān of Mysore], the Turks, the Arabs and the Persians.This part of the volume includes duplicates of correspondence that are part of IOR/G/29/25, ff 31-110. These are as follows: folios 453-455, 469-472, 475-476 and 477-478 corresponding to folios 51-53, 38-40, 43-44 and 41-42 respectively.Physical description: 1 item (27 folios)
Abstract: The correspondence is about the mission of Mirza Mehedy Ali Khan [Mīrzā Mahdī ‘Alī Khān, several spellings appear in this part], Resident at Bushire [Bushehr] to the Persian Court. It includes copies of letters from him to the East India Company (EIC) reporting mainly on his diplomatic efforts to impede the advance of Zeman Shah [Zamān Shāh Durrānī, Amīr of Afghanistan, also spelled as Zemaun] into Hindostan [Subcontinental India]. He reports on relations between Russia and Persia [Iran]; his correspondence with the Grand Vizier, Hajy Mirza Ibraheem Khan [Ḥājī Ibrāhīm Khān Zand Kalantar Shīrāzī, Eʿtemād al-Dawlah, Persian Prime Minister]; his correspondence with the King of Persia [Fatḥ ʻAlī Shāh Qājār, also called Bābā Khān] and getting his approval on sending the two princes, Mehmood Shah Zadeh [Maḥmūd Shāh Durrānī, brother of Zamān Shāh, also spelled as Mahmood] and Ferooze [Fayrūz Shāh Durānī, brother of Zeman Shah, also spelled as Phirouz-ed-den] to Heraut [Herat] and Candahor [Kandahar] via Khorassan [Khorasan]. He also reports on the EIC’s activities in Persia and the movement of shipping in the Persian Gulf’.The correspondence includes a letter from Abdur Reheem [‘Abd al-Raḥīm Khān Shīrāzī, Beglerbegi of Iraq] at the Royal Residence in Tehraun [Tehran], to Mehedy Ali Khan regarding the relation between the King of Persia and the Company and about the defeat of Zeman Shah. It also includes letters from the Governor of Bombay about the Company’s accounts, trade in Persia and Zeman Shah.Physical description: 1 item (22 folios)
Abstract: This volume relates to British policy regarding the Gulf island of Henjam [Jazīreh-ye Hengām], occupied in part, on and off, by the British since the late nineteenth century.Interdepartmental correspondence refers to the establishment of a British telegraph station on the island in 1868, following a concession from the Persian Government, which was abandoned in 1881 but re-established in 1904. The correspondence also acknowledges that further developments since then, including the establishment of a wireless station and a naval coal depot, represent an encroachment by the British Government.The main topic of discussion is the extent of the British claim (or lack thereof) to Henjam, and the continued use of the island as a fuelling and recreational station for British naval forces in the Gulf.Related matters of discussion include the following:The possibility of consolidating the British position at Henjam by offering to surrender Basidu to PersiaThe British response to Persian forces expelling the Arab Shaikh of Henjam from the island in May 1928, in retaliation for the Shaikh attacking and looting the island's customs office the previous yearThe drafting of a protocol (as part of wider Anglo-Persian negotiations, which are referred to throughout) in 1929 between the British and Persian governments, setting out the terms for the British Government's surrender of its claims to Basidu and Henjam, in return for continued access to facilities at Henjam, possibly in the form of a leaseThe consideration of alternative locations for a naval station, in the event of it being necessary for the British to relinquish their hold on HenjamWhether the British should be prepared to offer the Persian Navy docking and refitting facilities at Bombay or Karachi, on 'favourable terms', in return for their continued use of the facilities at HenjamA request from the Persian Government in September 1932 for the immediate withdrawal of the British naval establishment, following the Persian Government's decision to use Henjam as the location for six recently purchased naval vesselsThe possibility of the British naval depot at Henjam being relocated either to Basidu or Bahrein [Bahrain].The volume features the following principal correspondents: the British Minister in Tehran, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and officials of the Admiralty, the Foreign Office, and the India Office. Other notable correspondents include the following: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Viceroy of India; the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf; the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India; the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs; officials of the British Legation at Tehran and the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department.Also included in the volume are the following: a précis of printed correspondence relating to British positions at Basidu and Henjam, covering the period 1821-1905 (ff 898-941); an India Office memorandum entitled 'Henjam. Position and Rights of His Majesty's Government in the Island of Henjam', dated 26 September 1928 (ff 723-726); copies of the minutes of two meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, dated 17 December 1931 (ff 249-262) and 10 October 1933 (ff 12-28); a copy of a memorandum by the Admiralty and the Foreign Office on the British naval depot at Henjam, dated 23 February 1932 (ff 197-208).The French language material consists of correspondence from Belgian customs officials writing on behalf of the Persian Government, as well as articles from the aforementioned draft protocol, and correspondence between the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs and the British Minister at Tehran. English translations are included in some but not all cases.The volume includes two dividers which give the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence (ff 4-5).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 964; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This volume relates to the British occupation of Basidu, situated on Kishm [Qeshm] Island in the Gulf, close to the south coast of Persia [Iran], and occupied by the British since the early 1820s. It is stated in the correspondence that the site had been used mainly as a coal depot for British naval vessels until 1913, and that since then it has been retained on 'political grounds', as a potential bargaining asset in negotiations with Persia.The correspondence primarily concerns the British claim (or lack thereof) to Basidu, in the event of the Persian Government questioning Britain's ongoing occupation. It covers the history of Basidu's status and the various existing agreements that relate to it, as part of an attempt by the British to gather documentary evidence to support their claim. Also discussed are a number of reported incidents at Basidu, involving British representatives and the local Persian authorities, mainly regarding customs, taxes, and the presence of the British naval guard. In addition, the correspondence touches on Anglo-Persian relations in general, with occasional references being made to ongoing treaty negotiations between the two countries.The volume's principal correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the British Minister in Tehran; the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf; officials of the India Office, the Foreign Office, the Admiralty, and the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department. Other notable but less frequent correspondents include the following: the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India; the Viceroy of India; the Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station; the Law Officers of the Crown.Included with the correspondence are several related documents, including the following: two sketch maps (f 622); copies (in English and Arabic) of a treaty dated 1856 between Muscat and Persia, in which the Imam of Muscat acknowledges Kishm Island as being part of the Persian Empire (f 179 and ff 221-223); draft and final copies of an India Office memorandum dated 18 October 1933, outlining Britain's understanding of the history of the status of Basidu from 1720 to 1928, including extracts from nineteenth century reports and related correspondence (ff 46-54 and ff 123-159); a submission of reference, prepared by the India Office and the Foreign Office, for the Law Officers of the Crown, requesting the latter's legal opinion on the strength of the British claim to Basidu (ff 43-45 and ff 67-83); a copy of a secret report on Basidu, prepared by the Commander-in-Chief at the East Indies Station, containing extracts from the East Indies Station's records and notes from the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf (ff 16-38).The Arabic language material consists of the aforementioned treaty text. The material written in French consists of small extracts from correspondence and treaty articles. It should be noted that there is no material covering the years 1924 and 1925.The volume includes two dividers, which give a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence (ff 4-5).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 651; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The correspondence includes copies of letters, translated letters, and secret and political consultations related to the following:‘Deputation of Mehedi Ali Khan [Mīrzā Mahdī ‘Alī Khān, several spellings appear in this part] to the Court of Persia [Iran] for the purpose of counteracting the designs of Zeman Shah [Zamān Shāh Durrānī, Amīr of Afghanistan, also spelled Zemaun] against Hindostan [Subcontinental India]’The progress of Mehedi Ali Khan’s negotiations with Persian officials at Tahiran [Tehran, also spelled as Teheran] including the Grand Vizier, Hajy Mirza Ibraheem Khan [Ḥājī Ibrāhīm Khān Zand Kalantar Shīrāzī, Eʿtemād al-Dawlah, Persian Prime Minister], and the King of Persia [Fatḥ ʻAlī Shāh Qājār, also called Bābā Khān]Appointment of Captain John Malcolm to the office of Envoy from the British Government to the Court of Persia on 12 October 1799The British offer of supplies of arms to the Persian GovernmentExchange of letters with Hajy Mahomed Kheleel Mullik Ettijar, native of Hazbin [Qazwin] [Ḥājī Muḥammad Khalīl Qazwīnī, Malik al-Tujjār of the Persian Empire, various spellings of his name and title feature] related to his help with the execution of the Company’s charges in Bushire [Bushehr]A list of superfine broad cloth to deliver in PersiaThe trading activities of the Governor of Bushire, Sheikh Naser Khan [Shaikh Naṣr Āl Madhkūr, son of Shaikh Nāṣir Āl Madhkūr, also spelled as Nusser]The rebellion of the Governor of Fars, Hussan Kully Khan [Ḥasan Qulī Khān]Notes on the King of Persia, his family and wealthExchange of letters between Sheikh Naser Khan of Bushire and Jonathan Duncan, the Governor at Bombay, regarding Mehedi Ali Khan’s position in BushireThe efforts of Mehedi Ali Khan to send the two princes, Mahomed [Maḥmūd Shāh Durrānī] and Ferouze [Fayrūz Shāh Durrānī] brothers of Zeman Shah, towards Herat [also spelled as Huraut] and Candahar [Kandahar] via Khorassan [Khorasan]Account of Abdur Reheem [‘Abd al-Raḥīm Khān Shīrāzī, Beglerbegi of Iraq] from the Royal Residence in Tahiran in relation to the happenings at the Persian Court; Mehedi Ali Khan’s personality and achievements; and the issue of Zeman ShahGovernor General, Lord Mornington [Richard Colley Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley of Norragh], honouring Mehedi Ali Khan and Hajy Mahomed Kheleel with a ‘khilaut’ [
khil'a, distinction] for their good conduct in PersiaA translated copy of a firmaun [farmān] from the King of Persia regarding the relations of his country with the EnglishDetails of the internal affairs of MuscatFrench activities in the GulfThe activities of Armenian vesselsNews of correspondence being established between Tippo Sultaun [Sulṭān Fātiḥ ‘Alī Ṣāḥib Tīpū, Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore] and Zeman Shah, and their shared feelings against the English presence in IndiaZeman Shah’s anti Shea [Shi‘a] policyCommunication with Soliman Basha [Büyük Sulaymān Pāshā, also spelled as Soleyman] of Bagdad [Baghdad, also spelled as Bagdat]The French siege of Akkah (Acre, also spelled as Akka), and the response of the Ottoman and the BritishThe Ottomans and Wahabies [Wahhābīs] reaching an agreement regarding the governing of Lehesa [Al-Ahsa]Instructions and information to Captain Malcolm about his trip to PersiaThe movements of the Ottoman troops in SyriaThe possibility of the British establishing relations with Zeman ShahOttoman-Persian relationsOttoman-British relationsRussian-Persian relationsFrench-Arab relations.Physical description: 1 item (126 folios)