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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 in Arabic from Thuwaini bin Said al-Said, Sultan of Muscat.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.

1 folio

The volume contains a mix of inward and outward letters, received and sent from the Residency. Most of the letters are outward letters, sent by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Ephraim Gerrish Stannus, Resident in the Persian Gulf, to various representatives of the Government of Bombay.The letters in the volume fall into three main categories:Reports on events in the Gulf, primarily concerning the hostilities being waged and peace deals brokered between the various tribes. Intelligence on the activities of Rahma bin Jaber [Raḥmah bin Jābir] appear extensively throughout the volume;The financial administration of the Residency, including such matters as disbursements and bills of exchange, which are sent onwards to the Accountant General in Bombay;Letters confirming the receipt of despatches, or covering notes forwarded with onward despatches, often sent between Basra or Tehran and Bombay.

1 volume, 59 items (92 folios)

The items in the file, as outlined in a handwritten note made on the front cover made by an archivist in 1955 (folio 1), originally comprised three separate files (volumes 37, 38 and 40), but have been merged together and arranged into a complete chronological order, from the earliest item at the front of the file, to the latest at the end. A number of the letters included are incomplete.

1 volume in one slipcaseFoliation: The foliation system starts on the first page of content and runs to the last page of content, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The front cover, front fly-leaf, rear fly-leaf and inside back cover are unfoliated.There is an earlier, possibly original pagination system that runs inconsistently throughout the volume, located in either the top-right or top-left of recto and some verso pages. The inconsistency of this pagination sequence is likely a result of the volume being comprised of three original volumes (each with their own pagination sequences) being merged into one volume.

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

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 Ship

2 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.97-194

2 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.

Letter in Arabic, with English translation, sent 28 Ramadan 1281 (25 February 1865) and received at the Bushire Residency 20 Mar 1865.Letter reporting that the Chief of Jaalan [Ja'alan] had paid a visit to Ameer Fysul [Amir Faisal bin Turki al Saud] and that he had returned accompanied by a Wahabee [Wahhabi] Moollah [Mullah]. The letter also informs Pelly that Ameer Fysul had instructed his deputy at Brynee [al-Buraimi] to send his brother Abdul-Aziz al Saud to Jaalan as Amir and that they were now awaiting the arrival of a third brother, Majid from Lahsah [Al-Hasa] before departing.The letter also reports on the general opinion along the Oman coast that recent disturbances have been owing to the extending Wahabee influence and that although the English destruction of Rasal Khyma [Ra's al Khaimah] in 1820 had kept affairs quiet for a time in recent years the Wahabees had been increasing their influence unchecked.

2 folios

The Arabic letter has been written on the verso of folio 7 and the recto of folio 8, with the english translation appearing on the verso of folio 8.

Seal: The ink seal of Haji Yaq'ub (native agent at Sharjah) has been stamped onto the recto of folio 7.

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.

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

This file contains correspondence related to the Persian Government's claim of sovereignty over Bahrain and the actions of some its agents in connection to operations taken by the British Government against the chiefs of Bahrain that it had accused of acts of piracy.The correspondence includes original copies of letters from Persian Government officials (in both Persian and Arabic) to Mahomed bin Abdullah [Muḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Khalīfah] the Chief of Bahrain. English translations of these letters are also included.

1 volume (56 folios)

The file is arranged chronologically. An index of the correspondence contained in the file is included on folios 3-5.

Condition: Previously bound, the file's pages have been de-bound and are now loose in the file's original cover.Foliation: The file's foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; 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 errors: 1, and 1A and the following foliation omissions: 6-7, and 10-11.

This letter refers to William Newnham's letter dated 22 February and transmits an original letter from the Governor of Bombay to Sooltan bin Suggur [Sulṭān bin Ṣaqr Āl Qāsimī, the ruler of Sharjah] together with English and Arabic copies for the Resident's information. Only the Arabic copy is enclosed and is dated 4 Sha‘bān 1242 [2 March 1827].

2 folios

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.

The volume contains secret correspondence (original correspondence received and copies of correspondence sent) within the following three separate categories: Bahrein [Bahrain]; Muscat and Bunder Abbass [Bandar Abbas] (and local); and miscellaneous and local. The Resident in the Persian Gulf during the period covered by the volumes was Commander (James) Felix Jones (acting until July 1856).The correspondence is principally with Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government, Bombay and other East India Company officials, including Commodore Richard Ethersey, Indian Navy, commanding the Persian Gulf Squadron; Captain Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Political Agent, Turkish Arabia; and the commanders of vessels of the Indian Navy. There is also correspondence with other British officials, including Charles Augustus Murray, Envoy and Minister-Plenipotentiary to the Court of Persia, and correspondence (some of it in Arabic) with local rulers and Persian officials.General topics include:the slave trade;political intelligence;the Wahabees [Wahhabis];the operations of the Indian Navy in the Persian Gulf;Russian involvement in Persia;relations with Persia;administrative matters;appointments;the transmission of dispatches around the region;pearl fishing;the Anglo-Persian War (1856-57).Specific topics include:correspondence concerning the effect of the British suppression of the slave trade, January - May 1856 (folios 12-19);correspondence concerning the migration of the Al Ali tribe to Demaum [Dammām], March 1856 - January 1857 (folios 20-90);correspondence concerning relations between Muscat and Persia in the light of the claim of the Imam of Muscat to Bunder Abbas [Bandar Abbas], February - August 1856 (folios 92-110);letter from Jones to Henry Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident, Persian Gulf, dated 3 May 1856, briefing him on his duties at Bushire during Jones's temporary absence (folio 144);papers concerning Civil Surgeons' fees for attendance on the families of public officers of the East India Company in the light of the unhealthy nature of the climate at Bushire, June - September 1856 (folios 148-152);correspondence between Jones and the Government of Bombay and between Jones and the staff officers of the Bombay Army, concerning military operations in the Persian Gulf, September 1856 - February 1857 (folios 172-297).

2 volumes (305 folios)

The volumes are divided into three parts, with separate title pages: 'Secret Records 1856/57, Bushire Residency, Bahrein [Bahrain]' (ff 11-90); '1856/57 Secret Records, Bushire Residency, Muscat and Bunder Abbass [Bandar Abbas]' (ff 91-112); and '1856/57 Secret Letters, Bushire Residency, Miscellaneous' (ff 113-297). Within each section the correspondence is arranged in approximate chronological order. There is an index between ff 4-9. This is divided into three sections corresponding to the three parts of the volumes: 'Bahrein' (ff 4-5); 'Muscat and Bunder Abbass and Local' (f 5); and 'Miscellaneous and Local' (ff 5-9). The index is entered in the same order as the correspondence and has columns for number, address, subject, and page.

Foliation: the foliation sequence runs across the two volumes into which this record has been bound (Part 1 ff 1-141B; Part 2 ff 142-299). The foliation sequence commences at 1 on the (modern) title page of volume one and terminates at 299, the last folio before the back cover of volume two. The numbers are written in pencil and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff 141, 141A, 141B. This is the system in use.Pagination: three original pagination sequences, which generally number only those pages bearing text, numbered 1-124 (ff 12-90); 1-30 (ff 92-111); and 1-305 (ff 113-297) are also present. The numbers are written in ink and appear in various positions at the top of each page.