Abstract: The volumes contain papers relating to Persia [Iran], including Seistan, and the tract of land south of the Baluch-Afghan boundary between Nushki and Persia, which had become British territory following the demarcation of the Afghan-Baluch border.The papers largely consist of printed copies of correspondence between the Governor General of India in Council (Government of India Foreign Department) and the Secretary of State for India (Lord George Francis Hamilton), and enclosed correspondence and papers.Letters from the Governor General of India in Council to the Secretary of State for India include:Number 170, 16 September 1896, relating to the opening up of a trade route between Nushki and the Persian frontier, crossing the tract of British territory south of the Baluch-Afghan boundary, and the protection of the newly-demarcated frontier, with enclosed memorandum by Captain Arthur Henry McMahon, British Commissioner, Baluch-Afghan Boundary Commission, containing his proposals for the management and administration of the tract and for the protection of the trade routeNumber 58, 31 March 1898, concerning the trade route between Baluchistan and Persia, including the suggestion that Consular Agents should be appointed at central points along it between Seistan and Meshed, with enclosures including a report by Lieutenant Frank Webb-Ware, Political Assistant at Chagai, on his visit to Seistan at the beginning of 1896, and the measures introduced for the development of trade between Baluchistan and Persia (which includes a blueprint map, Mss Eur F111/350, f 33)Number 163, 15 September 1898, forwarding copies of papers regarding the situation in Makran and Panjgur, following recent ‘disturbances’ in Makran.The file also includes:Copies of Government of India Foreign Department papers numbered 40-58 relating to the Kerman Consulate and British interests in Southern Persia, including correspondence between the Government of India Foreign Department and the Secretary of State for IndiaA letter from the Secretary of State for India to the Governor General of India in Council, with enclosed despatch from Sir (Henry) Mortimer Durand, HM Minister at Tehran, to the Foreign Office, dated 12 February 1899, in which he gives his opinion on suggestions for the appointment of additional consular officers in Persia (this includes a map titled ‘Skeleton Map of Telegraph Lines in Persia.’ Mss Eur F111/350, f 187)A letter from Durand to the Secretary to the Foreign Department of the Government of India, 24 February 1899, enclosing a copy of his memorandum (with appendices) drawn up in 1895 on the situation in Persia, and the steps he proposed should be taken to improve the British position thereCopies of a draft despatch from the Governor General of India in Council, 2 September 1899, regarding relations between Great Britain and Persia, including improving the British Political and Consular service in Persia, and the extent of the share of responsibility for Persia that should be devolved upon the Government of India, followed by printed comments upon the draftCopies of a minute by George Nathaniel Curzon, Viceroy of India, on Seistan, dated 4 September 1899, including the question of a railway connection between India and SeistanHandwritten pencil notes by Curzon relating to Persia and the ‘Seistan Question’.In addition to the two maps noted above, the file also includes the following maps: map of the area south of the border between Afghanistan and Baluchistan (Mss Eur F111/350, f 300); map of the area west of the border between Persia and Afghanistan (Mss Eur F111/350, f 301); and ‘Route Plan of Robat Nala’ (Mss Eur F111/350, f 302).Physical description: Foliation: this file consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover of volume one (ff 1-150) and terminates at the inside back cover of volume two (ff 151-304); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: Printed copies of correspondence and memoranda relating to the arms traffic in the Persian Gulf:a letter from Leonard William Reynolds of the Government of India, dated 29 June 1909 (ff 2-3)a confidential letter from the British Minister to Belgium, Arthur Henry Hardinge, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Edward Grey, dated 3 May 1909 (f 4)a letter from the Political Agent at Maskat [Muscat], Robert Erskine Holland, dated 5 July 1909 (ff 4-5)a memorandum written by Wilfrid Malleson of the Intelligence Branch, Indian Army Headquarters, dated 10 July 1909, also signed by the Officiating Chief of Staff in India, Herbert Mullaly, and the Chief of Staff in India, Beauchamp Duff (ff 6-7)further copies of correspondence signed by Malleson, Mullaly, Duff, and others including the Commander-in-Chief in India, Horatio Herbert Kitchener, and the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, Spencer Harcourt Butler (ff 8-10)a confidential memorandum written by Robert Erskine Holland, dated 27 June 1909 (f 11)Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 11; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: this part also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: Journal of the East India Company ship the
Frederick.The journal covers the ship's voyage from England to Bombay, and its way back towards England, finishing at St Lawrence [Madagascar], between 23 December 1704 and 28 February 1707 [New Style 28 February 1708] (Captain John Wynn).The journal contains daily entries in six columns: H [Hour], Courses, K [Knots], F [Fathoms], Winds etc., and Remarks. When the ship is at anchor the entries consist of remarks only. There are several blank pages in the volume and these appear to coincide with missing entries, which often cover a period of several days.The journal records navigational information; weather; descriptions of the coasts seen during the ship's course; contact with other East India Company ships, Dutch ships, Portuguese ships, and country ships; relations with merchants; commodities carried; provisions carried; and other remarks. Entries are double-dated using both the Julian and Gregorian calendars.Inscribed: 'Recd [Received]: 30 Octo [October] 1707' (folio 2).The ship's route is as follows (dates given are approximate dates of arrival, owing to missing entries above): Gravesend, 23 December 1704 (folio 4); the Downs, 3 January 1704 [New Style date 3 January 1705] (folio 4); Cape [Cape of Good Hope], 7 May 1705 (folio 54); Johana [Anjouan], 25 June 1705 (folio 74); Bombay, 31 July 1705 (folio 90); Gombroon [Bandar-e ʻAbbās], 11 March 1705 [New Style date 11 March 1706] (folio 122); Bombay, 12 April 1706 (folio 133); Surratt [Surat], 30 April 1706 (folio 137); Bombay, 5 May 1706 (folio 142); Madras [Chennai], 6 July 1706 (folio 155); Callcuta [Kolkata], 1 January 1706 [New Style date 1 January 1707].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 192; 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 file contains reports and correspondence relating to Persia [Iran], including reports on trade and trade routes in Persia.It includes:A copy of the ‘Report Received from Mr H.W. Maclean, the Special Commissioner Appointed by the Commercial Intelligence Committee of the Board of Trade, on the Conditions and Prospects of British Trade in Persia.’A copy of a letter from Arthur Henry Hardinge, HM Minister at Tehran, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Marquess of Lansdowne (Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice), enclosing an annual report prepared by Evelyn Grant Duff, Secretary of Legation, Tehran, on events in Persia during the year 1904Copies of the reports ‘Reconnaissance from Kondi on the Seistan Trade Route via Mashkhel-Hamun and Panjgur…’ and ‘Reconnaissance and Estimate for a Railway from Nushki to the Helmand and thence to the Persian frontier at Bund-i-Seistan’Copies of printed despatches from the Agent to the Governor-General in Baluchistan to the Secretary to the Government of India Foreign Department, forwarding copies of the weekly Diary of the Political Assistant, Chagai (for the weeks ending 16 February, 8 March, 24 March, 31 March, and 24 October 1901, and 31 March and 8 April 1902), and a copy of the report ‘Trade Returns of the Quetta-Seistan Trade Route, for the year 1900-1901.’ by Captain Frank Cooke Webb-Ware, Political Assistant, ChagaiPrinted copies of the Diary of Captain Robert Arthur Edward Benn, HM Vice-Consul for Seistan and Kain (for the period ending 31 March, 11 April, 30 April, 15 May, 17 June, and 15 September 1901).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 126; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: A sketch map prepared for the Bahrain Political Agent to illustrate the area of the Arabian Peninsula — shown in pink — served by trade with Bahrain.Physical description: Materials: 1 paper folioDimensions: 332 x 206mm
Abstract: Correspondence and other papers concerning the development of trade routes in northeast Persia [Iran], on the Iraq border, with particular focus on routes through Rowanduz (also spelt Rawanduz [Ruwāndiz]) and in Azerbaijan. HM’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Tehran, Percy Loraine, and the (Acting) High Commissioner in Iraq, Bernard Henry Bourdillon, discuss the Persian Government’s desire to facilitate exports in its northern and eastern provinces, in response to Russia's embargo on all goods except cotton from Persia. The correspondence also concerns British-administered Iraq’s desire to encourage greater trade between Iraq and Persia. The file includes: a memorandum dated 2 November 1926 on Persian exports and inland transport, written by the Acting Secretary in Charge of Commercial Affairs at the British Legation in Tehran, Eric Ralph Lingeman (ff 43-46); a report dated 29 June 1931 on the Rawanduz road and other main roads in Azerbaijan, written by the British Consul at Tabriz, Clarence Edward Stanhope Palmer (ff 19-39); a memorandum dated 30 March 1932 on the Rowanduz Rayat road, written by the Director of the Iraq State Railways, Joseph Ramsay Tainsh (ff 10-15).The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 76; these numbers are written in pencil and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: Papers relating to the railway line running from Duzdap [Zahedan] via Mirjawa [Mīrjāveh] in Iran, across the border to Nok Kundi in India (now Pakistan).The first section of the file contains papers dated December 1934 to November 1941 (ff 111-184), chiefly exchanged between HM Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Tehran, Hughe Montgomery Knatchbull-Hugessen, and the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India. The correspondence concerns the viability of the Duzdap stretch of the railway line which the Government of India are considering withdrawing, and which the Persian Government would like to improve in order to encourage trade between Persia [Iran] and India. This part of the file also contains correspondence relating to improvements of the road running between Nok Kundi and Mirjawa.The second section of the file contains papers dated September 1944 to June 1945 (ff 53-110) and concerns: the British Government’s request to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to remove disused rails at the sidings in Mirjawa so that they might be used elsewhere for military purposes; the construction of a railway from Zahidan [Zahedan] to Kerman; maintenance of the Zahidan to Meshed [Mashhad] road as part of a supply line to China; a minute with multiple enclosures written by the Additional Counsellor at the British Embassy in Tehran, Lieutenant-Colonel Everard Huddleston Gastrell, relating to the Iranian Government’s refusal to allow the North Western Railway to remove rails at Mirjawa for war purposes.The third section of the file contains papers dated July 1946 to October 1947 (ff 5-52). The papers relate to the Iranian Government’s desire to take over the Zahidan to Mirjawa railway line, and include a report, sent by the Foreign Department of the Government of India to the British Ambassador at Tehran in June 1947, on the Mirjawa to Zahidan railway, covering its history, and political, strategic and economic aspects (ff 9-31).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 185; 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: The volume contains papers relating to Britain’s trade with east Persia [Iran], chiefly comprising reports by Major B Temple, British Vice-Consul, Meshed [Mashhad].Major Temple’s reports cover various aspects of trade including development possibilities, trade routes, foreign competition (notably Russia), local resources, topography and economic geography, types of transport, road and rail networks, telegraph and postal communications, banking facilities, favoured merchants to trade with, merchant and trade conferences, and the political circumstances in Persia and surrounding countries.The papers including the following:‘Report of a Commercial Survey of the East Persian Trade Route between Quetta and Meshed’ by Major Temple, dated 1919, first proof (ff 166-197) and final version (ff 34-60), plus letters regarding revisions made by the Department of Overseas Trade and comments by India Office officials, and a proposal for possible confidential circulation of the report to a limited number of selected British firms‘Political and Economic Report on Khorasan for the year 1919’, forwarded by HM Officiating Consul-General and Agent to the Government of India in Khorasan, to HM Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Tehran, co-authored by the Consul-General (political section) and Major Temple (economic section) (ff 148-159)‘Trade Notes’ by Major Temple, January-February 1920, forwarded by HM Officiating Consul-General and Agent to the Government of India in Khorasan, to HM Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Tehran (ff 138-146)‘Trade Notes’ by Major Temple, February-April 1920 and June 1920, forwarded by HM Officiating Consul-General and Agent to the Government of India in Khorasan, to the Comptroller-General, Department of Overseas Trade, with related letters and notes concerning the potential establishment of a ‘forwarding agency’ at Meshed (ff 17-32)‘Commercial Survey of East Persia’ by Major Temple, forwarded in December 1919 by HM Officiating Consul-General and Agent to the Government of India in Khorasan to the Director of the Department of Overseas Trade (Development and Intelligence), London (ff 62-135)Quarterly Trade Returns for 1920, completed and forwarded by HM Officiating Consul-General and Agent to the Government of India in Khorasan, to the Controller General, Department of Overseas Trade (Development and Intelligence).Papers comprise: printed reports; India Office Political Department registry dividers including notes by India Office officials on groupings of papers; internal letters and notes by India Office officials; and some letters from the Department of Overseas Trade.The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 200; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: multiple additional printed pagination sequences are present in parallel between ff 35-197.
Abstract: Journal of the East India Company ships
Mary, Hartand
Hopewellby Peter Andrews, covering a voyage from Cape Bona Esperance [Cape of Good Hope, also written in the journal as Cape Bone Sperance] to Surratt [Surat] and back to England between 20 July 1627 and 12 January 1629 [New Style date 12 January 1630] (Captain Malim,
Hopewell; Captain John Hall,
Mary, Captains Bartholomew Goodall and Richard Swanley,
Hart).Peter Andrews changed ship twice during this voyage: he was on board the
Marybetween 20 July 1627 and 5 July 1628 (folios 11-28), the
Hartbetween 6 July 1628 and 7 October 1629 (folios 28-44) and the
Hopewellbetween 9 October 1629 and 12 January 1630 (folios 44-47). The journal consists of mostly daily entries of information on the following: navigation; winds; weather; contact with other East India Company ships, contact with Portuguese ffriggatt [frigates] and ships; descriptions of the coasts seen during the ships' course; commodities carried; and other observations.The dates of the entries (where indicated) are in the Old Style (i.e. the Julian calendar).Inscription: 'A journal kept by me Peter Andrewes m[as]ters maite off the Mairy and then m[as]ter off the Hart till the discease off Capt: Andrew Eyers and then by consultation m[as]ter off the Hopewell ffrom the Island of S Hellena to England' (folio 10); 'By me Peter Andrew m[as]ter off the Hopewell
'(folio 47).The ship's route includes the following destinations (dates given are approximately those of arrival): Cape Bona Esperance, July 1627 (folio 11); Mohillia [Moheli], 10 September 1627 (folio 15); Daman, 27 November 1627 (folio 19); Swally [Suvali], 13 January 1627 [New Style date 13 January 1628] (folio 20); Surratt, 18 January (folio 20); Dabull [Dabhol], 28 January (folio 20); Gundevee [Gandavi], January (folio 20); Surratt, February (folio 22); Goa, April 1628 (folio 23); Cocheene [Kochi], 15 April 1628 (folio 24); Mauritius, 30 May 1628 (folio 28); Augusteene Baye [Saint Augustine Bay], 5 July 1628 (folio 28); Mossanbique [Mozambique], 21 July 1628 (folio 29); Mohillia, 20 August 1628 (folio 30); Persia, January 1628 [New Style date January 1629] (folio 34); Mauritius, 26 July 1629; St Hellena [Saint Helena], October 1629 (folio 44); Plimoth [Plymouth], 18 December 1629; the Downs, 10 January 1629 [New Style date 10 January 1630].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 87; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The volume includes a sequence of blank pages, ff 48-85, which have not been digitised.Pagination: the file also contains an original pagination sequence.