This file consists of letters received by David Wilson, Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire, from William Newnham, Chief Secretary to the Government, Bombay, and Charles Norris, Acting Chief Secretary to the Government, Bombay. The letters cover the following subjects: the concerns of Mahomed Bin Ulee Jellanee, Chief of the Banī Bū ‘Alī tribe, about the distressed situation of the tribe resulting from the actions of Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Bū Sa‘īd, His Highness the Imam of Muscat; attempts by the British Government to discourage the Imam from launching an expedition against Bahrain; and a request for a quantity of shining sand for stationery use.1 volume, 3 items (18 folios)The correspondence proceeds in chronological order from 25 March 1829 to 21 July 1829.Pagination: There is a pagination sequence which is written in ink and which appears in the top right corner of the recto of each folio and in the top left corner of the verso of each folio. This sequence is inconsistent: some of the pages have not been paginated and the sequence is not complete.Foliation: There is a foliation sequence which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 19. This is the sequence used by this catalogue to reference items within the file.
This file consists of correspondence received by the Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire, Major David Wilson, from various officials at the Government of Bombay. Correspondents include: Charles Norris, Chief Secretary to Government, Bombay; Robert Cotton Money, Acting Persian Secretary to Government and Secretary to the Bombay Native Education Society; and John Pollard Willoughby, Acting Secretary to Government, Bombay. One of Willoughby's letters (no. 2348, ff 6-9) is followed by enclosed copies of three letters, addressed to Colonel Samuel Goodfellow, Chief Engineer, Major Stratford Powell, Acting Adjutant General, and the President and Members of the Medical Board respectively.The first letter of the file (see ff 2-5), from Charles Norris, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay, includes copies of a proclamation (in English, Arabic and Hindi), dated 31 December 1829, issued by Norris on behalf of the Honourable Governor in Council, John Malcolm. The proclamation refers to a recent Government Act which prohibits British subjects from serving under any foreign flag employed against the Turks, in any part of India or the Red Sea.Most of the items in this file are circular letters which relate to matters across the Bombay Presidency and beyond. The prominent theme in these letters is education. Topics of discussion include the following: the Governor of Bombay's decision to reform the Engineer Institution under the new name, 'Government Institution', and place it under the control of the Government of Bombay, rather than that of the Chief Engineer; changes to the way in which the Native Medical institution is regulated; the circulation of a list of the Bombay Native Education Society's publications.In one of only two letters addressed directly to the Resident in the Persian Gulf (see ff 28-29), David Wilson is given authorisation to warn local Arab chieftains that the British Government will not permit any acts which attempt to weaken the power of the Imam of Muscat [Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Bū Sa‘īd]. Enclosed with this letter are copies of two letters addressed to the Honourable Governor of Bombay, John Malcolm: a substance of a letter from Syyud Mahomed bin Salim, Regent of the Imam of Muscat (see ff 30-31); a translation of a written communication from the Imam of Muscat's Agent at Bombay, Agha Mahomed Shoostury (see ff 32-33).In the second letter addressed directly to the Resident (no.1098, f 34), Willoughby includes a copy of a letter to Norris from Richard Clive, Acting Chief Secretary to the Government of Fort Saint George, in which it is requested that the Resident procure a variety of plants and seeds and send them to Tellicherry [Thalassery], Calicut [Kozhikode] or any other port on the coast, so that they can be taken to the Neilgherry Hills and cultivated in the gardens there.1 volume (40 folios)With the exception of the first letter in the file, which is dated 22 January 1830, the letters proceed in chronological order, from 21 December 1829 to 11 June 1830.Pagination: There is a pagination sequence which is written in ink, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio and in the top left corner of the verso of each folio. The sequence is inconsistent: some of the pages have not been paginated and the sequence is not complete.Foliation: The foliation sequence is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 40. It should be noted that in this sequence f 20 is followed by f 20A; the sequence then resumes on f 21. This is the sequence used by this catalogue to reference items within the file. Foliation errors: f 20 is followed by f 20A.
The volume contains correspondence relating to the employment and activities of British Agents responsible to the Persian Gulf Residency at Bushire. The correspondents include: Felix Jones, British Resident at Bushire; the Government of Bombay; Captain Christopher Palmer Rigby, British Consul and Agent at Zanzibar; Syed Thuweynee [Thuwaynī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd], Sultan of Muscat; the British Agency at Muscat; Commanders of the Persian Gulf Naval Squadron; the British Agency at Sharjah; the British Agency at Shiraz; Prince Tahmasp, Governor of Fars; Charles Murray (later Charles Alison), British Minister at Tehran; and Lieutenant R W Whish, Commander of the
Mahi.The volume is organised into sections, each relating to a different topic, as follows:Subject 1: Relates to the British Agent at Muscat, covering the following matters:the dismissal of Heskael bin Yusuf as Agent due to lack of communication and inefficiency;the appointment by Jones of Henry Chester as Agent, and his subsequent removal because of the need for officers of his rank in the navy;the argument, put forward by Jones, for the need for a British-born agent at Muscat because of the sensitive political situation (the political split between Zanzibar and Muscat), a new telegraph station at Muscat that requires the expertise to operate, the slave traffic in Oman, and the growing influence of foreign powers (France) in the country;the appointment of William Pengelley as Political Agent at Muscat.The section contains (folios 24-32) detailed instructions for new agents at Muscat and a discussion of the protection to be given to banyans (Indian traders) in the region and the extent of British jurisdiction.Subject 2: relates to friction and disagreement between Jones and Hormuzd Rassam, appointed temporarily as British Agent at Muscat, caused by the former communicating directly with the Sultan of Muscat and the latter considering himself under the authority of the Residency at Aden, not Bushire.Subject 3: relates to Hajee Yacoob [Ḥājī Ya‘qūb], British Agent at Shargah [Sharjah], including praise and reward for his good service, and compensation paid to the family of Hajee el-Mir [Ḥājī al-Mīr], a munshi who drowned off Sharjah and was employed at the Agency.Subject 4: also relates to Ḥājī Ya‘qūb, specifically the transferral of a boat in store at Bassadore [Bāsaʻīdū] to Sharjah for the use of the Agent.Subject 5: relates to the position of British Agent at Shiraz after the Anglo-Persian War. Matters covered include:the re-appointment of Meerza Mahomed Hussun Khan [Mīrza Moḥamad Ḥasan Khān] as agent by Jones and his subsequent dismissal in favour of Hajee Mahomed Khuleel [Ḥājī Moḥamad Khalīl], who had been appointed by Charles Augustus Murray, British Minister at Tehran;the disagreement between Jones and Murray following these events;the routes of communication with India to be used and whether, if Shiraz is bypassed, to retain an agent there.Subject 6: relates to the resignation of Ḥājī Moḥamad Khalīl as agent at Shiraz and a cholera epidemic affecting the city.Subject 7: relates to the appointment of E N Castelli as British Agent at Shiraz, his retirement shortly afterwards, and the re-appointment of Moḥamad Ḥasan Khān. Also briefly covers Charles Murray's return to Europe on sick leave.Subject 8: consists of correspondence between the Resident at Bushire and Castelli, Agent at Shiraz, on miscellaneous topics, including the case of a Persian merchant in Bombay, naturalised as a British subject, seeking legal protection in Persia, and the death of Mirza Mahomed Ali Khan [Mīrza Moḥamad ‘Ali Khān] Nawabi Hindi.Subject 9: relates to the work of several munshis employed by the British Government, including:interpreter Meerza Mahomed Jawad [Mīrza Moḥamad Jawād] joins a mission to Muskat [Muscat];praise for the work of Abdool Kurrem [‘Abdul Karīm];Abdool Cassim [‘Abdul Qāsim] transferred from the
Cliveto the
Aucklandto be appointed the Commodore's munshi.Subject 10: relates to a claim by Khulfan Rattonsee on the estate of the deceased brother of Moolla Ahmed [Mullā Aḥmad], British Agent at Lingah and complaints made about former Muscat Agent, Hezkiel.Subject 11: relates to leave granted to Khodadad bin Mahomed [Khudādād bin Moḥamad], Slave Agent at Bāsaʻīdū, in order to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca.1 volume (318 folios)The volume is firstly divided into sections relating to a specific subject within the main subject of British Agents. Each section is given a subject number, ranging from 1 to 11, and arranged using this number. Within each section the correspondence is arranged chronologically.Foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio of writing, on number 2, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 303. There are the following irregularities: f 55 is followed by f 55A; f 90 is followed by f 90A; f 106 is followed by ff 106A-B; f 158 is followed by f 158A; f 162 is followed by f 162A; f 195 is followed f 195A; f 207 is followed by f 207A; f 218 is followed by f 218A; f 237 is followed by f 237A; f 238 is followed by f 238A; f 255 is followed by f 255A; f 267 is followed by f 267A; f 278 is followed by f 278A; f 280 is followed by f 280A; f 286 is followed by f 286A.
This volume includes miscellaneous draft correspondence, as well as Internal Transit Permits, in English with accompanying Arabic and Persian (with the presence of
siyāqaccountancy script) translations from 23 May 1870 (21 Ṣafar 1287) to 14 March 1872 (4 Muḥarram 1289).The letters are between the British Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, during Lieutenant Colonel Lewis Pelly's residency, and various correspondents, most prominent among them are:British native agents: Hajee Abdul Rahman [Ḥājjī ‘Abd al-Raḥmān], British Agent at Sharjah; Hajee Mahomed Bushir [Ḥājjī Muḥammad Bushayrī], British Agent at Lingah; Mirza Hassan Ally Khan, [Mīrzā Ḥassan ‘Alī Khān], British Agent at Shiraz;Persian officials: Mirza Mahomed Khan [Mīrzā Muḥammad Khān], Governor of Bushire; Hajee Ahmed Khan [Ḥājjī Aḥmad Khān]; Governor of Bandar ‘Abbās; Persian Slave Commissioner;Rulers: Shaikh Esau ben Alee ben Khalifah [‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah], chief of Bahrain; Shaikh Mahomed ben Tanee [Muḥammad bin Thānī], chief of Gutter [Qatar]; Syed Toorkee ben Syed Saeed [Sayyid Turkī bin Sayyid Sa‘īd], Sultan of Muscat; Shaikh Zayed ben Khuleefah [Zāyid bin Khalīfah], chief of Aboo Thabee [Abu Dhabi];Others: Hajee Moosa Maymanee [Ḥājjī Mūsá Maymanī], Bushire / British Indian subject; Ebrahim ben Yusuf [Ibrāhīm bin Yūsuf], merchant at Lingah; Nassir ben Rashed Hyderabady [Nāṣir bin Rashīd Ḥaydarābādī]; Ebrahim ben Mohsen Rajab [Ibrāhīm bin Muḥsin Rajab], merchant at BahrainGeneral subjects covered throughout the volume include of relations between the British Residency at Bushire and the Persian government; communications with their native agents, local rulers and merchants on both littorals of the Persian Gulf; relations with other powers including the Wahhabis and the rulers of Najd, the Sultanate of Oman and the Persians; the status and claims of British India protected subjects; trade, exports, imports and customs; preservation of the maritime peace; pearling issues; and slavery cases. The volume also covers the period directly after the attack on Bahrain by Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah and Nāṣir bin Mubārak Āl Khalīfah, and the murder of ‘Alī bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain in 1869 (ff. 187r, 188r); Ottoman reconquest of Eastern Arabia (ff. 116r and 75-71); Great Persian Famine (ff. 77r, 51v).Specific events and details include: relations between Qatar and Āl Na‘īm tribe (f 167v); intelligence gathering from native informants (f. 153v); transportation of books for Reverend Robert Bruce to Persia (ff. 126v, 130v); vessels arriving in the Gulf for the purpose of surveying operations (f. 99r); sanitary conditions in the town of Bushire and quarantine arrangements (ff. 88-89); opening for the position of second munshi at the Bushire Residency (f. 87r); decrees concerning export and storage of grain (ff. 58r, 56r, 55v); posting of Major Sidney Smith, Assistant Resident, to Bahrain; Persian Telegraph Department; and an appeal from Jewish poor of Bushire for aid (f. 31v).Miscellaneous notes in Persian appear on folios 1, 193v and 194r. There are inserted folios of Persian and Arabic documents on folios 141, 137, 124, 69 and 3. A stamp reading 'Received - Political Department' dated 4 December 1907 appears on folio 1r with 'from Mr Wollaston on retirement' written below in pencil.1 volume (195 folios)The volume is arranged from right to left with the earliest correspondence appearing on folio 193r and the latest on folio 2r. Both the recto and verso of the folio are divided into a grid with the English appearing in the right hand column and the Arabic or Persian appearing in the left hand column, although there are exceptions where the Arabic or Persian appears in the right hand column and the English appears in the left hand column (for example, folio 168r). Writing in purple ink appears over some of the English text as a post-script or note (for example, folio 174v), as does the word 'Cancelled' in black ink or a note in purple ink (for example, folios 105r and 86r). The letters in this volume are numbered, running from 46 to 308 for the year 1870 between folio 193r and 132v; 1 to 536 for the year 1871 between folio 132r and 25r; and 1 to 100 for the year 1872 between folio 24r and 2r. Between folios 30r and 26v there are some unnumbered letters. There are inserted folios of Persian and Arabic documents on folios 141, 137, 124, 69 and 3.Foliation: The foliation number is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio after the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the recto of the back cover at number 194.
This volume includes miscellaneous draft correspondence in English with accompanying Arabic and Persian (with the presence of
siyāqaccountancy script) translations from 9 August 1856 (7 Dhū al-Ḥijjah 1272) to 28 January 1859 (23 Jumādá II 1275).The letters are between the British Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, during Captain James Felix Jones's residency, and various correspondents, most prominent among them are:British native agents: Hajee Yacoob [Ḥājjī Ya‘qūb], British Agent at Sharjah; Hajee Jassem [Ḥājjī Jāsim], British Agent at Bahrain; Khojah Hiskal, British Agent at Muscat; Mullah Ahmed [Mullā Aḥmad], British Agent at Lingah; [Mīrzā Muḥammad ‘Alī?], British Agent at Shiraz; Khodādad, Bassidore Native Agent; Hajee Mahomed Bushire [Ḥājjī Muḥammad Bushir, Agent at Karrack [Bandar-e Chārak]; Ḥājjī Muḥammad Khalīl, government agent at Shiraz;Persian officials: Mirza Ahmad Khan [Mīrzā Aḥmad Khān], Derya Begge [Daryā-Begi] and Governor of Bushire; the Prince of Fars; Mirza Muhammad Khan [Mīrzā Muḥammad Khān], Persian Slave Commissioner; Sayyid Muḥammad Tāhir, mojtahid [mujtahid] of Bushire;Rulers: Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain; Jābir bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Ṣabāḥ, ruler of Kuwait; Zāyid bin Khalīfah Āl Nahyān, ruler of Abu Dhabi; Sulṭān bin Saqr, ruler of Ras al-Khaymah and Sharjah; Khalīfah bin Sa‘īd, chief of Lingah; Sa‘īd bin Buṭṭī, chief of Dubai; Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh, chief of Dammam; Sayyid al-Thuwaynī, Imam of Muscat; Ḥusayn bin ‘Abdullāh, chief of Chārak; Jābir [al-Ka‘abī] bin Maurdo [Mardū], chief of Muhammarah; Ḥassan bin Jābir, chief of Kagan [?]; ‘Abdullāh bin Rāshid, chief of Umm al-Qaywayn; Ṣaqr bin ‘Abdullāh, chief of Kishm; Amir Fayṣal, chief of Najd; chief of Khasab; chief of Bu Samit tribe; chief of Ajman [Ḥumayd bin Rāshid]; chief of Tangistan; chief of Kumzar; chief of Mogoo; chief of Bukhā; chief of Ḥamayrah; Sayyid Turkī, governor of Sohar; chief of Ka‘ab; governor of Ṣaḥam;General subjects covered throughout the volume include relations between the British Residency at Bushire and the Persian government; communications with their native agents, local rulers and merchants on both littorals of the Persian Gulf; relations with other powers including the Wahhabis and the rulers of Najd, the Sultanate of Oman and the Persians; the status and claims of British Indian protected subjects; trade, exports, imports and customs; preservation of the maritime peace; pearling issues; and slavery cases. This volume also covers the period of Anglo-Persian War and the Battle of Bushire.Specific events and details include: the affairs of Ibrāhīm Maymanī; passes and duty on horses and donkeys at Bushire (ff. 125r, 123v, 71r); presents for the ruler of Kuwait (f. 120r); death of Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd, Sultan of Muscat (f. 116r); congratulations from Shaikh of Kuwait on fall of Bushire (f. 121r); commemorations for the Day of Ashura at Bushire (f. 96); murder committed by ‘Īsá bin Jarrāḥ of the Āl Bin ‘Alī tribe (ff. 94r, 93v); shipwrecks (ff. 92v, 66v); pension for widow of Mullā Ḥusayn, deceased Native Agent at Sharjah (f. 91v); evacuation of troops of Karrack island, December 1857 (ff. 71r, 63v, 59r); recognising national festivals by hoisting a flag (f. 67v); the state of the Bushire customs house (ff. 67v, 67r); excavation of certain mounds near Bushire (f. 64v); announcement of the marriage of Victoria, the Princess Royal of the United Kingdom, to Prince Frederick of Prussia, later Frederick III, Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia (f. 53v); invitation to the Daryā-Begi for an evening of entertainment at the Residency (f. 49v); facilitating watch repair for Zāyid bin Khalīfah Āl Nahyān, shaikh of Abu Dhabi (f. 12r); notice of English New Year (f. 10r); and request for British protection by Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah, shaikh of Bahrain (f. 7v).Miscellaneous notes in Arabic and Persian appear on the verso of the front cover and folios 1r-6v and 135v-136v. A stamp reading '[Received] In [Political Department]' dated 4 December 1907 appears on the inside of the front cover with 'from Mr Wollaston on retirement' written below in pencil. Also on the inside of the front cover there is a Persian inscription that appears to be verses of the poet Shihāb Turshīzī.1 volume (140 folios)The volume is arranged from right to left with the earliest correspondence appearing on folio 135r and the latest on folio 6v. Both the recto and verso of the folio are divided into a grid with the English appearing running vertically down the folio in the right hand column and the Arabic or Persian appearing in the left hand column. The text of some letters are crossed out (for example, folio 115r) indicating they were cancelled. Letters for the year 1856 run from 9 August on folio 135r to 27 December on folio 121vv; for the year 1857 from 2 January on folio 121v to 31 December on folio 67r; for the year 1858 from 1 January on folio 67r to 30 December on folio 10r; and for 1859 from 3 January on folio 9r to 28 January on folio 6v.Foliation: The foliation number is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio after the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 137. Foliation errors: f. 6 is followed by ff. 6A-B.
This volume includes miscellaneous draft correspondence, reports and statements, as well as Internal Transit Permits, in English with accompanying Arabic and Persian (with the presence of
siyāqaccountancy script) translations from 14 May 1863 (25 Dhū al-Qa‘dah 1279) to 18 October 1865 (27 Jumādá I 1282).The letters are between the British Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, during Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis Pelly's residency, and various correspondents, most prominent among them are:British native agents and Residency staff: Mahomed Hassan Khan [Muḥammad Ḥassan Khān], British Agent at Shiraz; Hajee Yacoob [Ḥājjī Ya‘qūb], British Agent at Sharjah; Hajee Ahmed [Ḥājjī Aḥmad], Bushire Residency Arabic secretary; Hajee Jassem [Ḥājjī Jāsim], British Agent at Bahrain; Hajee Mahomed Busheer [Ḥājī Muḥammad Bushīr], British Agent at Lingah; Jaffer Kolee Khan [Ja‘far Qūlī Khān], brother of British Agent at Shiraz and acting Agent; Mahomed Jeauder Ali, havalidar [Havildar] of the Bushire Residency; Mirza Jowad [Mīrzā Jawād], Coal Agent at Bassidore; Abdul Causem [‘Abd al-Qāsim], Slave Agent at Bassidor;Persian Officials: Agha Mahomed Ali [Āghā Muḥammad ‘Alī], Melek et Tojjar [Malik al-tajjār], Bushire; Mirza Mahomed Ali Khan [Mīrzā Muḥammad ‘Alī Khān], Persian Foreign Agent at Shiraz; Ahmed Khan [Aḥmad Khān], Governor of Bushire; Mirza Saeed Khan [Mīrzā Sa‘īd Khān], Minister for Foreign Affairs; Prince Governor of Yezd; Sultan Aweis Mirza [Sulṭān Aways Mīrzā], Governor of Behbahan; Mahomed Yusuf Khan [Muḥammad Yūsuf Khān], Deputy Governor of Bushire; Sheikh Abd al Ali [‘Abd ‘Alī], mujtahid of Bushire; Mirza Suleyman Khan [Mīrzā Sulaymān Khān], Acting Governor of Bushire; Mirza Ibrahim Khan [Mīrzā Ibrāhīm Khān], Deputy Governor of Bushire;Rulers: Chief of Moghoo [Sulṭan bin Ḥusayn?]; Governor of Kuteef [al-Qatif]; Agha Khan Muhallati; Ameer Faysul [Fayṣal bin Turkī Āl Sa‘ūd], chief of Najd; Syed Majid [Sayyid Mājid bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd], Sultan of Zanzibar; Mahomed Khan [Muḥammad Khān], chief of Khormooj [Khvormūj]; Sheikh Ali ben Abdullah [Ālī bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Mu‘allā], chief of Amulgowine [Umm al-Qaywayn]; Sheikh Hushur ibn Muktoom [Ḥashr bin Maktūm], chief of Debai [Dubai]; Sheikh Mahomed ibn Khalifah [Muḥammad bin Khalīfah], chief of Bahrain; Sheikh of Ajman, Ḥumayd bin Rāshid Āl Nu‘aymī; Sheikh of Lingah [Khalīfah bin Sa‘īd]; Sheikh Subah [Ṣabāḥ Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ], Chief of Koweit; Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr [Sulṭān bin Ṣaqr Āl Qāsimī]l, ruler of Ras al-Khaymah and Sharjah; Sheikh Zayed ibn Khalifah [Zāyid bin Khalīfah Āl Nahyān]; Sultan of Muscat, Thawaini [Thuwaynī bin Sa‘īd Āl Bū Sa‘īd];Others: Hajee Ibrahim Mahmeny [Ḥājjī Ibrāhīm Maymanī], Bushire merchant; Sheikh Ali ibn Khalifah [‘Alī bin Khalīfah], Bahrain; Hajee Ahmed [Ḥājī Aḥmad], wazir of the Sultan of Muscat; Ibrahim ibn Yusuf [Ibrāhīm bin Yūsuf], Bassidor; Lalezur, a Jewish inhabitant of Bushire; Mahomed Saleh [Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ], Bushire merchant; Mirza Ali Akbar [Mīrzā ‘Alī Akbār], Shiraz merchant at Bushire; Sayed Subhanullah [Sayyid Subḥānullāh], inahbitant of Akbarbad; Shahibanor, widow of late Hajee Khodadud [Ḥājjī Khodādad], British Agent at Bassidore; Yoseph bin Buder [Yūsuf bin Badr], Kuwait merchant; widow of Agha Yusuf [Āghā Yūsuf], munshi; Beebee Fatimah [Bībī Fāṭimah], daughter of late Mahomed Nubee Khan [Muḥammad Nabī Khān].General subjects covered throughout the volume include relations between the British Residency at Bushire and the Persian government; communications with their native agents, local rulers and merchants on both littorals of the Persian Gulf; relations with other powers including the Wahhabis and the rulers of Najd, the Sultanate of Oman and the Persians; the status and claims of British Indian protected subjects; trade, exports, imports and customs; preservation of the maritime peace; pearling issues; and slavery cases.Specific events and details include: the affairs of Ibrāhīm Maymanī; procuring housing at Bushire (ff. 131r, 128v-129r, 125r); the English burial ground at Bushire (f. 129r); pilgrims proceeding on hajj (f 124r); trip of Hajee Mirza Ahmed [Ḥājjī Mīrza Aḥmad], Residency Head Munshi to the Arab Coast (ff. 95r, 92r); Wahhabi influence on the Trucial Coast (f. 82r, 81v); acquiring a plot of land for the Persian Gulf Telegraph (f. 73v); an incident on board British vessels at Bushire involving Captain Warner (f. 78v); arrangements for the birthdays of Queen Victoria (f. 66v) and the Nāṣir al-Dīn Shāh Qājār (f. 61v, 20v); abolition of the Agency at Bahrain (f. 58r, 57v); and announcing the English New Year (f. 46v).Miscellaneous notes in Arabic and Persian appear on the verso of the front cover and folios 1r-6v and 135v-136v. A stamp reading 'Received In [Political] Department' dated 4 December 1907 appears on folio 2r with 'from Mr Wollaston on retirement' written below in pencil.1 volume (142 folios)The volume is arranged from right to left with the earliest correspondence appearing on folio 133r and the latest on folio 5r. Both the recto and verso of the folio are divided into a grid with the English appearing in the right hand column and the Arabic or Persian appearing in the left hand column. Some letters appear with the word 'Entered' at the bottom of the text (for example, folio 133r), while others appear with the word 'Cancelled' written over the text (for example, folios 123v and 35r) or crossed out (folio 34r). The letters in this volume are unnumbered. Letters for the year 1863 run from 14 May on folio 133r to 2 December on folio 90v; for the year 1864 from 13 January on folio 90v to 23 December on folio 47r; for the year 1865 from 3 January on folio 46r to 18 October on folio 5r. There are inserted folios of Arabic and English documents on folios 4A and 136.Foliation: The foliation number is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the third folio after the front cover (the front cover being separate from the rest of the volume), on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 136. Foliation errors: f. 4 is followed by ff. 4A-B; f.112 is followed by f. 112A.
Letter in Arabic, with English translation, from Syed Majid [Sayyid Majid bin Said Al-Busaid] to Ameer Abdullah [Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki al-Saud].The letter discusses Ameer Abdullah's ownership of the Arab coastline of the Persian Gulf, and stating that Guttur [Qatar] does not belong to them, but instead is subject to the Rulers of Bahrein [Bahrain]. The letter goes on to give the history between the rulers of Bahrain and the al-Saud's from 1197 (1783) onwards focusing especially on Faisal bin Turki al-Saud, his relationship with the rulers of Bahrain and arrangements for receipt of payments of tributes.The letter itself is not dated, however the events referred to within it occured in 1870.The letter is addressed to Colonel Lewis Pelly as he was acting as intermediary in negotiations between the two parties at the time of writing.3 folios
The volume contains letters received by the Residency, relating to a number of issues affecting or occurring in the Persian Gulf during the period covered: regulations for British vessels visiting the Persian Gulf and Bushire; hostilities on the Arab coast between the rulers of Abu Dhabi, Ra's al-Khaymah and Ajman; the forwarding of letters from the Honourable Governor in Council to the Wahhābī ruler Turki bin Sa‘ūd, and the Shaikh of Ajman Rashid bin Humayd.1 volume, 5 items (12 folios)The letters in the volume are arranged in chronological order, from the earliest at the front of the volume, to the latest at the rear.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first page of text and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An original incomplete pagination sequence, written in ink, is also present in the volume between ff 1-12. This is the sequence used by this catalogue to reference items within the volume.
The letter is a covering letter, enclosing a letter in English (folio 11) and Arabic (folio 12) from Mountstuart Elphinstone, Governor of Bombay, to Sooltan bin Suggur [Sultan bin Saqr], dated 16 February 1825. The Acting Secretary requests that Stannus forward the letters to the Governor to Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr.In the enclosed letter, Elphinstone writes that he is pleased that peace has been concluded between Sultan bin Saqr and the Imam of Muscat [Sa‘id bin Sulṭān al-Sa‘id], and hopes, with God's blessing, that no more violence will be inflicted by Shaikh Sultan's neighbours.4 folios
Letter in Arabic, with envelope, to Thuwaini bin Said al-Said, Sultan of Muscat. The letter is most likely from Lewis Pelly, as folio 16 contains a letter to Pelly from His Highness.The letter is most likely written sometime between 1863 and 1865 as Lewis Pelly only commenced his position as Political Resident in the Persian Gulf in mid-1862 and Thuwaini bin Said was killed in February 1866.2 folios
The letter relates to the death of the Shaikh of Bahrain, and the intentions of the Imam of Muscat [Sa‘id bin Sulṭān al-Sa‘id] to help the late Shaikh's sons take power, and his plans to seize the Bahrain islands for himself. Newnham's letter is a covering letter, enclosing copies, in English (folios 5-6) and Arabic (folio 7), of a letter from the Governor of India to His Highness the Imam of Muscat, dated 20 February 1825. The enclosed letter states that the British Government is bound by a treaty with the Sheikhs of Bahrain to protect the islands, and that Britain will go to war with the Imam of Muscat if necessary, which will result in a loss of order to the Gulf region and a renewal of piracy.5 folios
Kemball acknowledges receipt of 50 copies of the Government Gazetter (22 July) containing the notification for commanders, masters, and nakhodas of native vessels trading between the westen coast of India and the Persian Gulf (as described in f 232-37), with its native translations. Kemball discusses the possiblility of misinterpretation of the Arabic version of the notification by Arabic-speaking peoples, regarding the use of the term 'native vessels'. Accompanied with the original letter was an amended copy of the Arabic notification, not included in the volume. The Arabic amendments made have been marked on the copy letter, with reference to the pages and lines of the notification amended.2 folios