Abstract: A letter, numbered 10, from HM Ambassador to Persia [Iran], Sir Gore Ouseley, in Tehran, to Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Lord Richard Wellesley, in London. The letter reports and describes his arrival in Tehran and reception at the court of the Persian Shah. Details such as the istakbal (initial welcome outside the city), gift giving, and gun salutes are discussed. Reference to previous envoys, including those of General Gardanne [Claude-Mathieu de Gardane] in 1807, Sir Harford Jones in 1809, and General John Malcolm in 1811, are made and comparisons drawn.The letter was received from the Foreign Secretary's office on 9 May 1812.Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
Abstract: A letter, numbered 5, from HM Ambassador Extraordinary to Persia [Iran], Sir Gore Ouseley, in Kazvin [Qazvin], to the Secret Committee of the East India Company, of 1 June 1812, which was delivered on 16 November 1812. The letter encloses a copy of Ouseley’s dispatch No. 10 to the Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William (not included in this item, see IOR/L/PS/9/68/131). The letter also details the confidence of the Shah of Persia in the Anglo-Persian alliance following the conclusion of the Definitive Treaty of Friendship and Alliance between Britain and Persia, including his giving Ouseley joint full powers with the Crown Prince of Persia, Abbas Mirza, to negotiate treaties with the Russians in Georgia, and the Ottoman Empire.Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Captain John Malcolm, Envoy of the Governor-General of Bengal to Persia [Iran], to Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], sent from a camp five miles from Aboosheher [Bushehr] and dated 18 April 1800.The letter forwards three extracts of the latest intelligence Malcolm has received from the interior of Persia:1. An extract of a letter from a merchant in Herat dated 1 Shawal [Shawwal] 1214/24 February 1800. The letter reports that Rahmat Ullah Khan [Raḥmatallah Khān Sādūzāī], the leading Minister at the Court of Zemaun Shah [Zamān Shāh Durrānī, Ruler of Afghanistan], has ordered the execution of a number of Affghaun [Afghan] notables after the discovery of a conspiracy to bring the exiled brothers of Zemaun Shah to power.2. An anonymous letter from Yezd [Yazd] dated 1 Zekad [Dhū al-Qa’dah] 1214/22 March 1800. The letter reports that the King [Shāh] of Persia [Fatḥ-‘Alī Shāh Qājār] is planning to march towards Khorassan [Khorasan] in co-ordination with Prince Mahmood [Mahmūd Durrānī], the exiled brother of Zemaun Shah. It also reports that a number of Affghan [Afghan] notables made contact with Mahmood’s forces and were subsequently exposed and executed by Zemaun Shah.3. An extract of a letter from Moulla Askar, Moonshee [Mullah ‘Askar, Munshi or Secretary] to Shaikh Nasser of Aboosheher [Naṣr Khān Āl Madhkūr, Shaikh of Bushehr] dated 12 Zekad [Dhū al-Qa’dah] 1214/April 1800. The letter describes the King’s imminent march towards Khorassan.Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
Abstract: Letter from the East India Company Envoy to Persia [Iran], Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonald Kinneir, in camp at Ahar, to the Secret Committee of the East India Company, of 6 September 1826, which was received on 25 November 1826. In the letter Macdonald Kinneir reports his arrival at the camp of the Shah of Persia [Fath-‘Ali Shāh Qājār], and details his views regarding the war between Russia and Persia over territory in the Caucasus [Russo-Persian War, 1826-1828], including:The ill-preparedness of the Persian armed forces and its commanders for war with RussiaThe reluctance of the Shah to wage the war and Macdonald Kinneir’s belief that he would avail himself of any opportunity to negotiate for peaceHis belief that the outbreak of the war represents an end to any possible conquest of Persia by Russia, and the attendant threat to IndiaAn appraisal of the role played by the former rulers of the provinces ceded by Persia to Russia in the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813 in opposing Russia and contributing to the military successes enjoyed by the Persians, including Alexander Meerza [Alexander Mirza] of Georgia, Mehdee Khouli Khan [Mahdi Quli Khan Javanshir] of Carabaugh [Karabakh], Meer Hussun Khan [Mir Hassan Khan] of Talish [Talysh] and Mustapha Khan [Mustafa Khan] of Shirivan [Shirvan]The territorial dispute over the frontier at Kapan and the lake of Goucha [Lake Sevan] that led to the outbreak of the war.The letter also originally enclosed copies of dispatches from HM Chargé d'Affaires to Persia, Henry Willock, to HM Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, George Canning (not included in this item), and copies of Macdonald Kinneir’s dispatches to the Government of India (now catalogued as IOR/L/PS/9/70/132). Also originally enclosed were translations of letters from members of the Persian Government among themselves and to Macdonald Kinneir (now catalogued as IOR/L/PS/9/70/133-143).Physical description: 1 item (14 folios)
Abstract: A letter from the East India Company Envoy to Persia [Iran], John Macdonald Kinneir, in camp at Deharagan [Mehraban?], to the Secret Committee of the East India Company, of 28 October 1826, which was received from the Foreign Office on 1 January 1827. The letter reports developments at the Court of the Shah of Persia [Fath-‘Ali Shāh Qājār] concerning the war between Persia and Russia [Russo-Persian War, 1826-1828], including:Macdonald Kinneir’s discussions with the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Meerza Aboul Hussan Khan [Mirza Abu'l-Hasan Khan Shirazi], and the Moatumud oo Dowleh, Meerza Abdoul Wahab [Mirza Abdul Wahab Nishat Isfahani, Mu’tamid al-Dawlah] for a possible peace proposal to be made to RussiaThe Shah’s provision of funding to the armed forces of the Prince Royal, Abbas Meerza [Crown Prince of Persia, 'Abbās Mīrzā Qājār]The Shah’s request for Macdonald Kinneir to spend the winter at Tabreez [Tabriz]The poor quality of Persian commanding officers and the decline and deficiency of Abbas Meerza’s armed forcesThe unsuitability of the Persian system of government for waging warThe conflicting ‘war’ and ‘peace’ factions advising the Shah, namely the roles of the Asuf oo Dowleh [Allhyar Khan Qajar Davallu, Asif al-Dawlah] and the Kaim Mukam, Meerza Aboul Cossim [Mirza Abu'l-Qasim Farahani, Qa'im Maqam] from the war faction and Meerza Abdoul Wahab and Meerza Aboul Hussan Khan from the peace factionMilitary developments, including a proposed prisoner exchange by the Governor-General of Georgia, General Yermoloff [General Aleksey Petrovich Yermolov].The letter also originally enclosed a letter and its translation from Meerza Aboul Hussan Khan to the Chairman of the Court of Directors of the East India Company (now catalogued as IOR/L/PS/9/70/150).Physical description: 1 item (6 folios)
Abstract: Letter from the East India Company Envoy to Persia [Iran], Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonald Kinneir, in Tabreez [Tabriz], to the Secret Committee of the East India Company, of 11 February 1827, which was received from the Foreign Office on 10 April 1827. Macdonald Kinneir reports the withdrawal of the corps led by General Madatoff [General Valerian Madatov] from Persian territory following an unsuccessful campaign (see IOR/L/PS/9/70/178). He details his views on what would have been Madatoff’s chances of success in attacking Ardebil [Ardabil], which was undefended, and Tabreez, and details the changing of allegiance of Atta Khan, who had allied himself to General Madatoff.. He also reports the departure of the mission of Meerza Mahomed Ali [Mirza Muhammad ‘Ali Khan Shirazi] to undertake peace negotiations with Russia, accompanied by Honorary Consul Noskoff [Ivan Fyodorovich Noskov] (papers concerning which were originally enclosed and now catalogued as IOR/L/PS/9/70/180-187), and the peace proposals made by the Russian Chargé d’Affaires to Persia, Mazarowitch [Semyon Mazarovich], to the Sirdar of Erivan [Sardar of Yerevan]. Macdonald Kinneir also details the military preparations made by the Prince Royal, Abbas Meerza [Crown Prince of Persia, 'Abbās Mīrzā Qājār], and the alleged parsimony of the Shah of Persia and the deleterious effects of this upon Abbas Meerza’s war effort. Macdonald Kinneir’s account includes an anecdote of the Shah having confiscated cases of glass and crystal belonging to the Russian envoy to Persia, Prince Minchikoff [Prince Aleksandr Sergeevich Menshikov].Physical description: 1 item (5 folios)
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], to Lord Elgin, HM Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, sent from Bagdad and dated 22 June 1800.The letter reports news from Persia [Iran] and Afghanistan regarding the expedition of Baba Khan [Fatḥ-‘Alī Shāh Qājār, Shāh of Persia] to Khorasan and the movements of Zeman Shah [Zamān Shāh Durrānī] and his exiled brothers, and reports on relations between the Government of Bagdad and the Whabee [Wahhābī movement]. The letter also forwards various correspondence.Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of a copy of an enclosure to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 96 of 1848, dated 11 November 1848.The enclosure is numbered 3 and is dated 18 September 1848. It consists of copies of two despatches from HM Consul in Bagdad [Baghdad] and Political Agent in Turkish Arabia (Major Henry Creswicke Rawlinson) to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Viscount Palmerston), dated 18 September 1848, forwarded under flying seal to the Secretary to the Government of India.The despatches concern affairs in the Bagdad Pachalic [Pashalik] and Persia [Iran] following news of the death of the Shah of Persia [Mohammad Qajar], including a confidential agent of Assef-ed Dowlah [Allahyar Khan Asif al-Dawlah Qajar Davallu, also spelled Assef-ed Dawlah in this item] visiting Rawlinson and informing him of Assef-ed Dowlah's aspirations to be the new Shah of Persia.Physical description: There is an abstract of contents of the despatch, numbered 1-2, on folio 151. The number 2 is repeated for reference on the verso of the last folio of the enclosure.
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 101 of 1848, dated 28 November 1848. The enclosures are numbered 3-4 and are dated 28 September to 14 October 1848.The enclosures consist of copies of despatches from the Political Agent in Turkish Arabia (Major Henry Creswicke Rawlinson) to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Viscount Palmerston) and HM Ambassador at Constantinople [Istanbul] (Sir Stratford Canning), forwarded under flying seals to the Secretary to the Government of Bombay. The despatches concern affairs in the Bagdad Pachalic [Baghdad Pashalik] and Persia [Iran], including the views and actions of the Assef-ed-Dowlah [Allahyar Khan Asif al-Dawlah Qajar Davallu] in relation to the Persian succession, following the death of the Shah [Mohammad Qajar].Physical description: There is an abstract of contents of the despatches, numbered 1-4, on folio 297. These numbers are repeated for reference on the verso of the last folio of each enclosure.
Abstract: This part of the volume consists of copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 97 of 1847, dated 15 November 1847. The enclosures are numbered 3-8 and are dated 2 to 15 November 1847.The enclosures concern the battle axe of the Emperor Nadir Shah [Nādir Shāh, Shāh of Persia or Iran] selected from the ‘Sind Prize Property’ to be forwarded to England to be ‘placed at the disposal’ of Queen Victoria, including the estimated value of the battle axe.The enclosures consist of minutes of the Government of Bombay, and correspondence between the following: the Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Arthur Malet; the Sind [Sindh] Prize Agents; and the Sub-Treasurer, Bombay.Physical description: 1 item (8 folios)
Abstract: A copy of a letter from Henry Willock, HM Chargé d’Affaires in Persia [Iran], to George Canning, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, sent from Tehran and dated 14 April 1824.Following consultations with the Court of the Shah [Fath-‘Ali Shāh Qājār] in Tehran, Willock reports the decided opposition of the Shah to the proposed transfer of responsibility for diplomatic relations between Persia and Britain to the British Government in India.The letter was enclosed in Willock’s letter to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company dated 14 April 1824 (IOR/L/PS/9/69/174).Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
Abstract: Notes of a meeting between Meerza Abul Hassan [Mīrzā Abūl Hassan] Khan, Foreign Minister of Persia [Iran], and John McNeill, Assistant Surgeon, 18 March 1824.In the meeting Meerza Abul Hassan related to McNeill the decided opposition of the Shah [Fath-‘Ali Shāh Qājār] to the proposed transfer of responsibility for diplomatic relations between Persia and Britain to the British Government in India and refusal to accept an envoy of the East India Company at Court.The notes were enclosed in the letter of Henry Willock, HM Chargé d’Affaires in Persia, to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company dated 14 April 1824 (IOR/L/PS/9/69/174).Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)