Abstract: This bundle consists of summaries, and partial transcripts, of secret letters received from HM Consul at Tehran, Richard W Stevens (7, 16, 20 and 22 June 1856, Numbers 7, 33 and 36-39). It also contains a summary of a despatch from Stratford Canning, HM Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (15 June 1856).The despatches from Stevens predominantly consists of reports of events surrounding the Persian advance towards Herat, while the despatch from Lord Canning reports on an interview held with the Prime Minister of Persia.Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
Abstract: This bundle consists of summaries of three secret dispatches from HM Consul at Tehran, Richard W Stevens (17 and 22 September 1856, Numbers 58 and 60-61). They consist of news from Persia covering: a report of conflict between the Shah [Nasser Al-Din Shah Qajar] and the Sedr Azeem [Mirza Aqa Khan-e Nouri, Sadr-i-A'zam or Grand Vizier], the confiscation of land from Prince Allah Koolee Meerza for offering to drive the Persians from Herat, and contradictory reports received regarding the situation at Herat.Physical description: 1 item (6 folios)
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of a copy of an enclosure to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 103 of 1847, dated 27 December 1847. The enclosure is numbered 3 and is dated 14 October 1847.The enclosure consists of a copy of a letter from HM Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia [Iran], Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil, to the Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Arthur Malet, enclosing under flying seals copies of despatches addressed to HM Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Viscount Palmerston, dated 23 to 30 September 1847.The enclosures relate to matters including:Sheil reporting that the Persian Prime Minister Hajee Meerza Aghassee [Ḥājī Mīrzā (ʿAbbās Īravānī) Āqāsī] had several times publicly accused the British Government of having given aid in money to the Salar [Muḥammad-Ḥasan Khān Sālār] and Jaffer Koolee Khan [Jaʿfar Qulī Khān], and that the Shah had said to a member of the British mission that the British Government were behind the ‘disturbances’ in Khorassan [Khorasan]; Sheil writing to Aghassee to demand that the accusation be withdrawn, and that an apology be made by the Persian Government; and the denial of the Shah and Aghassee that they had made the accusation that a ‘Hindoo’ [Hindu] British subject resident in Meshed [Mashhad] had, on account of the British Government given money to the Salar and Jaffer Koolee KhanPersian involvement in Afghanistan, including Sheil addressing a note to Hajee Meerza Aghassee regarding Herat, and stating that Aghassee’s reply repeats indirectly the absence of any intention on the part of the Persian Government to ‘interfere’ with HeratSheil stating that it appears the insurrection in Khorassan will be speedily terminated, and that this has likely prevented ‘complications of a more serious character’, as Sheil has received intelligence that the Russian Minister had told Aghassee that in case of a reverse Russian troops would be ready to assist the Shah in Khorassan, and Aghassee had proclaimed in public more than once that he would make use of that option should the occasion ariseSheil learning that the Russian Minister [Prince Dimitri Ivanovich Dolgorukov, referred to as Dolgorouki in this item] had made an application to the Persian Government for permission to build a hospital on land near Asterabad [Gorgan] opposite the Island of Ashoor Ada [Ashuradeh] for the use of seamen and mariners of Russian ships of war on that coast, and to surround this building as well as the Russian store houses in the same vicinity with a wall; and Sheil reporting that he had represented to the Shah that if he gave his consent to such a proposition it would be equivalent to giving his consent and confirmation to the Russian occupation of Ashoor AdaThe conduct of Mirza Mahomed Ali Khan [Mīrzā Muḥammad ‘Ali Khān], in leaving Constantinople [Istanbul] for France before the ratification of the Treaty of Erzeroom [Erzurum], having been nominated by the Persian Government to exchange the ratifications; Sheil and the Russian Minister, Dolgorouki, anticipating that this would delay the exchange of ratifications; and the Persian Government rejecting the advice of Sheil and Dolgorouki that great delay would be avoided if the Persian Government would provide them with letters directing Mirza Mahomed Ali Khan to hasten his return to ConstantinopleBritish attempts to abolish the transport of African ‘slaves’ [enslaved persons] through the ports of the Persian Gulf, including Sheil addressing a letter to Aghassee intimating that British war ships would examine any Persian vessels in the Persian Gulf suspected of 'slave trading' and liberate any enslaved persons found on board; Sheil’s view that whilst this announcement ‘has ostensibly been distasteful’ to the Persian Government, which declares that such an act would be a breach of treaty, he is nevertheless of the opinion that any obstruction this trade may encounter from British ships of war ‘will in reality be viewed by the Persian Government with considerable apathy’, and that the detention of one Persian vessel and the liberation of any enslaved persons who may be found on board will probably be sufficient to deter other Persian vessels from continuing to engage in the 'slave trade'.The despatches from Sheil to Palmerston include enclosed copies of despatches in French from the Russian foreign minister Count Nesselrode [Karl Robert Vasilyevich] to Prince Dolgorouki, and from the Russian Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom, Baron Brunow [Filipp Ivanovich Brunnov] to the Russian Chancellor, relating to Afghanistan. The despatches also include: correspondence between Sheil and Hajee Meerza Aghassee; letters (in French) jointly signed by Sheil and Dolgorouki addressed to Aghassee, and replies from Aghassee; and a letter from Sheil to the Political Resident at Baghdad, Major Henry Creswicke Rawlinson.Enclosure No. 3 also includes:A letter from Sheil to HM Minister Plenipotentiary to the Ottoman Empire, Lord Cowley, dated 5 October 1847, stating that it is the intention of the Persian Government to despatch the ratification of the treaty concluded at Ezeroom by special messenger in seven days to the care of the Persian Consul at ConstantinopleA letter from Sheil to the Secretary to the Government of India, dated 10 October 1847, enclosing an extract from the
Delhi Gazettecontaining news ‘from a letter from Tehran’, which Sheil states bears remarkable similarity to his correspondence with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, copies of which are forwarded to the Governor-General for information. Sheil suggests that as no one in his own office has any correspondence with the northern part of India, this information has been provided by the Native Writers in the office of the Secretary to the Government of India.Physical description: 1 item (46 folios)
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of a copy of an enclosure to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 96 of 1847, dated 13 November 1847. The enclosure is numbered 3 and is dated 14 September 1847. The enclosure consists of a letter from HM Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia [Iran], Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil, to the Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay, forwarding under flying seals copies of despatches addressed by him to HM Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Viscount Palmerston, and letters to HM Minister Plenipotentiary to the Ottoman Empire, Lord Cowley, dated 12 August to 4 September 1847.These despatches and letters concern matters including:The Treaty of Erzeroom [Erzurum] between Persia and the Ottoman Empire, including: Sheil’s attempts to persuade the Persian Prime Minister Hajee Meerza Aghassee [Ḥājī Mīrzā (ʿAbbās Īravānī) Āqāsī] of the expediency of Persia establishing a tariff with Turkey; Sheil's efforts to persuade the Persian ministers to accompany the ratification of the treaty with a confirmation of the explanations of certain points given by the representatives of the mediating powers, including the explanation relating to the construction of fortifications on the opposite banks of the Shatt-Ool-Arab [Shatt al Arab]; and ‘the breach of promise contemplated’ by Nejeeb Pasha [Gürcü Mehmet Necip Pasha, or Muḥammad Najīb Pāshā, Wali or Governor of Baghdad] in relation to the removal of war ships from the vicinity of Mohemmera [Khorramshahr]The ‘spirit of insubordination’ amongst the Persian troops, and the revolt in Khorassan [Khorasan], including: an incident in which a ‘considerable body of troops’ had forced their way into Hajee Meerza Aghassee’s house and demanded their pay, and another incident in which a body of troops had surrounded his house and not allowed him to leave; the troops refusing to march without payment of their arrears, and the ‘great disorganisation’ in their ranks; Hajee Meerza Aghassee extracting 70,000 tomans left in the treasury by the late Shah to pay the soldiers; 4,000 Persian infantry and six guns marching towards Khorassan, with about 1,500 being expected to be despatched in the next few days, to join the previous detachment at Bestam [Bastam]; news that the 2,000 troops sent in advance to Bestam had made a forward movement to Kalpoosh [Kalpush], where ‘an action’ had taken place, resulting in the troops of Jaffer Koolee Khan [Jaʿfar Qulī Khān] retreating, and the opposing troops taking possession of his position; Hajee Meerza Aghassee and the Shah’s rejections of Sheil’s proposal to intervene between the Government and the Salar [Moḥammad-Ḥasan Khān Sālār] and Jaffer Koolee Khan, in an attempt to settle the revoltSheil’s success in settling with the Persian ministers the claim of Hajee Nooroodeen [Ḥājī Nūr al-Dīn], a British subject, against the Persian Government, with the Governor of Fars agreeing to pay Hajee Nooroodeen 8,000 tomans in instalmentsThe Resident in the Persian Gulf, Major Samuel Hennell, informing Sheil that he had learnt that it was the intention of the Governor of Bender Abbas [Bandar ‘Abbas], Shaikh Syd [Shaikh Saʿīd] (an official of the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat, with the latter renting the port and the adjoining district from Persia), to blockade the Persian ports of the Persian Gulf, ‘under the pretext of retaliating injuries suffered by him from the Governor of Fars, but in reality for various frivolous [and] insufficient reasons’ Sheil asserts, and Sheil’s recommendation to Hennell that he should use every legitimate means in his power to prevent this from happeningSheil’s report that further to his despatch No. 67 of 29 June regarding the ‘misconduct’ of the Governor of Asterabad [Gorgan], Suleiman Khan [Sulaymān Khān], the latter had been brought to Tehran and apologised to Sheil for his treatment of the Khan of Khiva’s servant and admitted stealing his property; that Hennell had received 350 tomans from the Persian Government on this account which he had paid to the servant; and that despite his very negative opinion of Suleiman Khan, Hennell had yielded to the appeals of the Persian Government and signified to the latter that he would not oppose the resumption of Suleiman Khan’s GovernmentSheil’s lack of success in his attempts to persuade the Shah to abolish the ‘traffic’ in enslaved African people by sea through the Persian ports of the Persian Gulf.Enclosure No. 3 includes enclosed correspondence between Sheil and Hajee Meerza Aghassee.The enclosure also includes a letter from Sheil to the Secretary to the Government of India with the Governor-General (dated 14 September 1847), requesting to be informed as to what privileges or protection the Governor-General considers a Persian, or other foreign vessel, carrying English colours [a British flag] should be entitled to claim.Physical description: 1 item (39 folios)
Abstract: A bulletin written by Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], undated.The bulletin concerns reports that the King of Persia [Iran] [Fatḥ-‘Alī Shāh Qājār, Shāh of Persia] has executed his Minister Haujee Ibrahim Khan [Ḥājī Ibrāhīm Khān Zand Kalāntar Shīrāzī, Prime Minister of Persia] and several others following a suspected plot, and has also dispatched troops towards Khorassan [Khorasan] and Azerbaijaun [Azerbaijan].Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
Abstract: This volume contains correspondence on the political situation in Persia [Iran] from December 1921 to December 1923. It is primarily formed of exchanges between HM Minister in Tehran (Sir Percy Loraine) and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston). It includes material relating to the following matters:The resignation of Mushir-ed-Dowleh [Ḥasan Pīrnīyā, Mushīr al-Dawlah] as President of the Council and his replacement by Serdar Sepah [Rezā Khān Savādkūhī, Sardār-i Sipah]The departure of the Shah of Persia [Aḥmad Shāh Qājār] for Europe, arranged through the mediation of HM Minister in Tehran with Serdar SepahThe position of the Persian tribes south of the Tehran-Khanikin [Khanaqin] road and the plans of the Minister of War [Sardār-i Sipah] for dealing with themThe arrest of former Prime Minister, Qawam-es-Sultaneh [Aḥmad Qavām, Qavām al-Salṭanah], in connection with a plot to assassinate the Minister of WarThe fall of the cabinet of Mustaufi-ul-Mamalek [Mīrzā Ḥasan Āshtīyānī, Muṣtawfī al-Mamālik]The appointment of the new Prime Minister, Mustaufi-ul-Mamalek, and the announcement of his eight-point programme to the Persian Medjliss [Majlis, or Parliament]The dissatisfaction with Qawam’s conduct of affairs in the Medjliss, his failure to reach an agreement with the Soviet Union, and the fall of Qawam-es-Sultaneh’s GovernmentThe reconciliation brought about between Soulet-ed-Dowleh [Ismā‘īl Khān Qashqāy, Ṣawlat al-Dawlah], de facto Ilkhani of the Keshgais [Qashqāys] and Qawam-ul-Mulk [Ibrāhīm Khān Qavām, Qavām al-Mulk V], head of the Khamseh [Khamsah] TribesThe communique issued by Reza Khan [Reżā Khān], the Minister of War, assuming the entire responsibility for the coup d’etat of Sayyid Zia ed Din [Sayyid Ziyāʾ al-Dīn Ṭabāṭabāʾī Yazdī]The relations between Loraine and the Bakhtiari Khans, including Sasam es Saltaneh [Najaf Qulī Khān Bakhtīyārī, Ṣamṣam al-Salṭanah], Sardar Jang [Naṣīr Khān Bakhtīyārī, Sardar-i Jang], and Sardar Ashjaa [Sulṭān Muḥammad Khān Bakhtīyārī, Sardar-i Ashjaʾ]A raid carried out by Sardar Naser Sanjabi [Qāsim Khān Sanjābī, Sardār-i Nāsir] and Sardar Rashid [‘Abbās Khān Ardalān, Sardār-i Rashīd] against Sayyid-ud-Daulah [Sayyīd Qaydār Hāshimī, Sayyid al-Dawlah] and the Waladbegi [Valadbaygī] Tribe.The volume also includes memoranda and records of interviews and conversations with the War Minister, Reza Khan, on 17 August 1922 (f 127), 15 July 1922 (ff 168-170), 14 and 15 May 1922 (ff 193-196), 14 April 1922 (ff 216-220), 22 January 1922 (ff 272-274); the Valiahd [Valī ‘Ahd, or Crown Prince, Muḥammad Ḥasan Mīrzā Qājār], June 1922 (ff 156-164); and the Bakhtiari Khans mentioned above on 2 January 1922 (ff 246-249).Physical description: The foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 307; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.