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
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
The volume contains letters sent to the British Resident at Bushire. The subject matter of the correspondence centres around the administration of the Bushire Residency, and company operations in the area. It therefore covers the wider commercial and political interests of the East India Company in the Persian Gulf, alongside those of the British Government during this period. This includes international relations between the British and the principal powers of the region; e.g. Persia, the Ottoman Empire, Muscat and Oman. It also concerns itself with piracy (as defined by British authorities) in the Persian Gulf; details of a British expedition which attacked Ra's al-Khaymah in 1819, and aimed to suppress 'piratical acts' in the region, can be found within.The volume does not cover the full time span indicated by the date range with the majority of the correspondence being from the period between 20 November 1816 to 29 December 1819. There are also a few letters inserted into the back of the volume of a much later date — January and February 1874 — sent to the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf via the office of the Assistant Resident. This correspondence concerns the financial affairs of the bin Rejubs [Bin Rajab] in Bahrain. The period from 1820 and 1873 is therefore not represented in this volume.The majority of the correspondence is in English with only a few items in Arabic towards the end of the volume.1 volume 272 items (162 folios)The letters are arranged chronologically by date received at Bushire, from 22 November 1816 to 29 December 1819. The last few letters in the volume are unrelated to this arrangement, and date January and February 1874; they are arranged in reverse order by date created. There is therefore a chronological jump near the end of the volume from 29 December 1819 to 22 February 1874.Foliation: The file has been foliated in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio with a pencil number. The foliation begins on the first folio of writing and ends on the last folio of writing.Pagination: The volume also has an original incomplete pagination sequence which consists of numbers in the top outermost corner of each page. The sequence which uses both ink and pencil numbers starts on the first folio of writing, with the number 1, and runs through to 151 (folio 76). The sequence continues on the verso of folio 77, with page number 152 and continues to folio 146 with number 283, however the numbering omits folios 80v-81v, 96v-97 and 130v-131.Condition: The file has suffered some pest damage, the individual folios which have been affected are recorded in the item level descriptions.
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.
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.
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
This file contains letters and enclosures inwards from William Newnham, Secretary to the Governor of Bombay, to Captain Ephraim Gerrish Stannus, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire between 1826 and 1827. There are letters relating to Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān, the former Governor of Bushire; relations with Persia and the Imam of Muscat; East Africa, including Mombasa and Seeuee [Siyu]; and the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf.1 file, 9 items (33 folios)Pagination: There is a pagination sequence, which is written in ink, in the top right corners of the rectos and in the top left corners of the versos.Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The sequence begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 33. This is the sequence which has been used by this catalogue to reference items within the volume.