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
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
The majority of this volume includes letters from the Secretary to the Government of Bombay to Lieutenant John MacLeod, Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire. They concern details of his appointment following the dismissal of Captain William Bruce and various instructions, including regarding the withdrawal from the island of Qishm; the salaries of the Native Agents; claims of Raḥmah bin Jābir and ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah, the ruler of Bahrain; and providing a pension to the family of Mahdī ‘Alī Khān. There is one letter from the Secretary to the Government of India to Lieutenant-Colonel Ephraim Gerrish Stannus following the death of MacLeod.1 volume, 17 items (145 folios)Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An original pagination sequence written in ink runs between ff. 1C-141, it can be found in the top right and the top left corners of the recto and verso sides respectively. Foliation errors: 1A, 1B and 1C.
Most of the letters are written by Lieutenant William Bruce, who was the Resident at this time. A handful of letters are written by James Orton, Assistant Surgeon at Bushire, who took temporary charge of the Residency while Bruce was away from Bushire. Subjects relating directly to the Residency include: accounts; stationery; military and marine expenses; and the sending of arms from Bombay to the Court of Persia, via Bushire. Broader themes within the letters include the procurement of sulphur for its use in India, the woollen and silk trades in Persia, and the threat of Āl Qāsimī pirates to British trade in the Persian Gulf.1 volume, 254 items (142 folios)The items are arranged in chronological order, beginning on 1 April 1813 and ending on 28 December 1814.1 volume in one slipcasePagination: This file has an original pagination sequence, which is written in ink, in the top right corner of each recto and the top left corner of each verso. This sequence runs until page 100. A later pagination sequence, which is written in pencil, begins at page 101. This sequence is inconsistent, with many numbers repeated out of sequence.Foliation: The volume has been foliated for referencing purposes by circling numbers in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. The sequence begins with the first letter, on number 1, and runs through to 138, ending on the inside of the back cover of the volume. This is the sequence that has been used by this catalogue to reference items within the volume.
Letter discusses William Bruce's meeting at Bushire with Hassan ben Mohummed ben Gaith [Hasan bin Muhammad bin Ghaith], Vakeel of Hassan ben Rehma [Hasan bin Rahma], the Joassemee [Āl Qāsimī] Chief. Bruce reports that Hassan ben Rehma continues to deny having captured any British property. Bruce states that Hassan ben Rehma intends to send his Vakeel to the Presidency to enter into more full and firm engagements with the British Government. Bruce reports that he has entered into a few preliminary articles with Hassan ben Mohummed ben Gaith. Includes the following enclosures: [1] translation of a letter, received 2 October 1814, from Abdella iben Soud [Abdullah bin Saud], the Wahabee [Wahabi] Chief, to Bruce, in which the Wahabee Chief promises to ascertain whether or not Hassan ben Rehma is holding any English property; [2] translation of a letter, received 2 October 1814, from Hassan ben Rehma, Ameer of the Joassemes [Qawāsim], to Bruce, in which he states that he has sent Hassan ben Gaith [Hasan bin Muhammad bin Ghaith] on his behalf, should Bruce wish to renew engagements; [3] copy of a preliminary agreement made between Bruce, on the part of the British Government, and Hassan iben Mohumed iben Gaise [Hasan bin Muhammad bin Ghaith], on the part of Ameer Hassan iben Rehma [Hasan bin Rahma], the Chief of the Joassemees [Qawāsim] at Ras el Khima [Ra's al-Khaymah], at Bushire, on 6 October 1814. The preliminary agreement is written in English and Arabic, and concludes by stating that it is subject to the approval of the Governor in Council of Bombay.6 folios
A volume of letters sent outwards. Most of the correspondence is from Nicholas Hankey Smith, Resident at Bushire, mainly to various company officials in India or elsewhere in the Gulf and surrounding regions. Correspondence is also frequently sent to Jaffer Ali Khan [Ja‘afar ‘Alī Khān], the Resident's native agent at Shiraz, along with various other Persian officials. From July 1808, correspondence is sent out by William Bruce, who becomes Acting Resident following the departure of Nicholas Hankey Smith. The volume also contains some letters inwards, mainly as enclosures to letters outward.The subject matter of the correspondence is the administration of the Bushire Residency, company trade and political matters in the Gulf. French diplomatic activity, and plans to advance on British India is also a frequent topic in the correspondence.The following abbreviations have been used:HCC - Honourable Company's CruizerHMS - His Majesty's Ship2 volumes, 314 items (212 folios)This was once a single volume that has since been split into two parts.Part 1: ff.1-96Part 2: ff.97-1942 volumes in one slipcaseFoliation: The foliation sequence runs through two volumes as a continuous sequence. It commences at the title page of volume one and terminates at the last folio of volume two; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The file contains the following foliation corrections: 1 is followed by 1A; 11 is followed by 11A; 117 is followed by 117A; 193 is followed by 193A.Pagination: An original pagination sequence also runs through both volumes between ff 1-194; these numbers are written in ink, and are located in the top outermost corner of each page. The pagination is intermittent in places as numbers have been lost as a result of damage to the folios.Condition: The volumes have suffered from extensive pest damage resulting in the loss of a significant amount of text, and as a result the content can be difficult to read in places.
The letter is conveying the Resident's gratitude for a packet Jaffer Ali Khan [Ja‘afar ‘Alī Khān] has sent him and commends him on his conduct. It also authorises him to reward the source of the acquisition and discusses the jealousy the recipient is experiencing from his fellow citizens. Furthermore, the Resident advises that intercepting French communications to Europe from Persia is probably less risky and more useful than the reverse. Recent gifts to Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mirzā, the Prince at Shiraz are also discussed.It includes a couple of Arabic words within the body of the English text.2 folios