This file contains correspondence mostly concerning the island of Sirri [Sirrī], as well as other Persian Gulf islands, including Tanb [Ṭanb] and Lesser Tanb, Farur [Farūr] and Lesser Farur, Dalmah [Dalmā], Halul island [Ḥālūl], Sir Abu Nu'ayr [Ṣīr Abū Nu‘ayr], and Sir Bani Yas [Ṣīr Banī Yās]. These papers contain details concerning the status of these islands, as well as geographical and topographical information, including details of mineral deposits.The correspondence in this file is between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, Residency Agent at Sharjah; ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, acting Residency Agent at Sharjah; Āghā Muḥammad Amīn Badr, Residency Agent at Lingah; Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Sharjah; T J Malcolm, Bushire; and various British officials in the Foreign Department of the Government of India.There is a file index on folio 2. Subjects include: Muin's [Moin-ut-Tujjar] claims to Sirri (folios 103, 121); connection of Sirri question with that of fisheries (folio 15); Hajji Ali Akbar [Ḥājjī ‘Alī Akbār]'s attitude oxide at Sirri (folios 39-47, 79, 84, 124); Strick's enquiries on oxide at Sirri (folios 90-91); Abdullah bin Hassan Galadari [‘Abdullāh bin Ḥassan Jaladārī] (folio 55-56); German visits to Sirri (folio 73); status of Nabiyu Tanb island (folios 92, 100); status Farur and Nabiya Farur islands (folios 88, 100, 121); oxide on Dalmah island (folio 100); oxide on Sir Abu Nu'air island (folios 100, 130-131); oxide on Halul islands (folios 100, 115); manganese on Halul island (folios 130-131); Sir Bani Yas island (folios 130-131); note on Sirri island (folios 25-27); situation at Sirri Island in 1904 (folios 8-15); the Jowasimis [Āl Qawāsim] occupation of Sirri (folio 62).1 file (146 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chornological order.Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the cover and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second incomplete mixed foliation/pagination sequence runs in parallel between ff. 4-143; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio, along with the corresponding top left (sometimes) of the verso side. The file contains the following foliation amendments: 109, and 109A; 114, and 114A; 116, and 116A.
The file contains letters mainly received by the Resident in the Persian Gulf regarding Persia and the Persian coast of the Gulf, from the Secretaries to the Government at Bombay Castle. There are also two documents which become part of the file at a later stage, in 1856; they were both proclamations by the Political Agent with the Field Force and Resident in the Persian Gulf at the time, Felix Jones.The subjects of the file include: the British occupation of Bushire and the Island of Kharg; opium trade (including copies of earlier documents); employment and career progression of native servants; the Battle of Alma.1 file, 6 items (51 folios)Foliation: the foliation is written in pencil, circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The numbering begins on the first page, on number 1, and runs through to 51, ending on the final page.
This file contains correspondence concerning the Persian claim to the island of Sirrī, as well as their claim to and occupation of that place. In addition there is information concerning rival claims by Trucial Coast rulers, details concerning Dubai pearl divers on the island and details concerning other Persian Gulf islands, including Abu Musa [Abū Mūsá] and Tanb [Ṭanb].The correspondence in this file is between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; ‘Abd al-Qasim and ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, Residency Agents at Sharjah; Āghā Muḥammad Amīn Badr, Residency Agent at Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh]; Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Sharjah; Maktūm bin Ḥashr Āl Maktūm, ruler of Dubai; and various British officials in the Foreign Department of the Government of India. There are also copies of correspondence between India Office and Foreign Office officials.Folio 2 is an index, and folios 4-9 are a precis of documents within the file for folios 10-115. Subjects covered include: Persian flag hoisted on Sirri [Sirrī] (folios 18, 48); Persian refusal to remove the flag (folios 127-131); Memorandum by the Resident on Persian refusal (folios 141-144); Hajji Ahmad Khan [Hājjī Aḥmad Khān]'s Report (folios 80-93); Legation correspondence with the Persian Foreign Office (folios 70-77); Documents tendered in support of the Persian claim (folio 52-59); Shaikh of Shargah [Sharjah]'s claims to Sirri (folios 27-28); Persian claim to Abu Musa island (folio 80); Shaikh of Debai [Dubai] complains of pearl divers absconding to Sirri and the Persian Coast (folios 116-118, 154-160, 167-190); Chief of Ras El Khaimah [Ras al-Khaymah]'s claim to Tanb island (folios 22, 209).Notable documents within the file include: a precis of correspondence about occupation of the island of Sirri (folios 109-113); a report entitled
Question of the status of the Island of Sirri(ff. 165-166); a report by the Residency Agent at Lingah on the island of Sirri in Persian and English translation (ff. 200-202); correspondence with Sir Mortimer Durand regarding the island of Sirri (folios 211-215); and a statement by the Shaikh of Sharjah (f. 65).1 volume (235 folios)The file is arranged approximately in chronological order.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, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 227. The file contains the following foliation amendments: folio 1 is followed by folios 1A and 1B; no folio 3; folio 92 is followed by folio 92A; folio 156 is followed by folio 156A; folio 171 is followed by folio 171A.
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 correspondence book consists of translations and substances of letters, with enclosures, addressed to Captain David Wilson, British Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, Mirza Hadayat Ullah [Mīrzā Hidāyatullāh] and Captain Samuel Hennell. The dates of the letters are given using the Gregorian calendar, but also the Hijri calendar (for example, folio 44r). Some of the letters include enclosures (for example, folios 3v and 15v). The originals are not present in the volume, but there are two notes in Persian (folios 30 and 42).The letters are sent from British Native Agents in the Persian Gulf and Persia, including:Asso [Asu], Agent at Buhrein [Bahrain] (folios 2r, 4r, 13v, 21v, 25r, 29r, 37v, 42r, 45v, 46v, 53v, 54r, 56v, 57r, 59r, 69r, 72r, 74v, 76r, 77v, 83r, 89r);Goolab [Gulab Anandas], Agent at Muscat (folios 2r, 2v, 13r, 24v, 33r, 42r, 52v, 53r, 56r, 68v, 69v, 70r, 71v, 74r, 75r, 81v, 86v, 88v);Mirza Ally Akbar [Mīrzā ‘Alī Akbār], Agent at Shiraz (folios 4v, 14r, 17r, 17v, 19r, 19v, 23r, 28v, 29v, 34r, 35r, 36r, 41r, 42v, 45r, 51v, 52r, 55r, 57v, 60r, 70r, 76v, 86r, 87r, 87v);Moullah Salh [Ṣāliḥ], Agent at Mogoo [Moguyeh] (folios 5r, 5v, 12r, 24v, 29r, 32r, 33r, 36v, 38v. 40v, 50v, 54r, 57v, 58v, 63r, 76v, 77v);Moullah Houssein [Mullā Ḥusayn], Agent at Sharjah (folios 7r, 10r, 18v, 20v, 25v, 28r, 38r, 38v, 40v, 49v, 50v, 58r, 60v, 61r, 62r, 63r, 66r, 67r, 68v, 70v, 72v, 74r, 78r, 81v, 84r, 88r);Hajee Meer Baker [Ḥājjī Mīr Bakr], Agent at Isfahan (folios 21r, 32r, 32v, 34v, 35v, 54v);Hajee Salih [Ḥājjī Ṣāliḥ], Agent at Lingah (folios 46v, 64r, 69r, 86v, 87r, 88r).And local rulers, officials, notables and rulers on both littorals of the Persian Gulf:Juleel Mirza [Jalīl Mīrzā] (folios 14r, 22v, 42v);H R H the Prince of Fars [Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mīrzā Farmānfarmā] (folios 14r, 22r, 59v, 60v);Mahomed Ally [Muḥammad ‘Alī Khān] Wauzeer [Wazīr] of Fars (folios 15r, 22r, 33v, 58r);Eel [?] Khan (folios 19v, 34r, 60r);Shaik Sooltan bin Suggur [Sulṭān bin Ṣaqr Āl Qāsimī], ruler of Sharjah (folios 22r, 26v, 39r, 40r, 48r, 49r, 55v, 62v, 67v, 82v, 87v);Shaik Tahnoon [Ṭaḥanūn bin Shakhbūṭ Āl Nahyān], ruler of Abu Dhabi (folios 26v, 38r, 48v, 73v, 84r);Shaik Rashed bin Humeed [Rāshid bin Ḥumayd Āl Nu‘aymī], chief of Ejman [Ajman] (folios 27r, 39r, 47v, 63v, 68v);Shaik Abdoolah bin Ahmed [‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], chief of Bahrein [Bahrain] (folios 45v, 75v, 87v);Mahomed bin Quzeeb [Muḥammad bin Qaḍīb?], Shaik of Lingah (folio 46r);Shaik Salih bin Suggur [Ṣāliḥ bin Ṣaqr] (folios 49r, 73v, 87v);Jabir [Jābir bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Ṣabāḥ], Shaikh of Grain [al-Qurayn?], Kuwait (folios 51, 64v);Shaik Abdool Russool [‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān], Shaikh of Bushire (folios 65r, 65v, 79r, 80r);His Royal Highness the Imaum [Imam of Muscat, Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd] (folios 69v, 77r);Abdoulla bin Rashid [‘Abdullāh bin Rāshid Āl Mu‘allā], Shaik of Umulgavine [Umm al-Qaywayn] (folio 72v).Topics and themes of the correspondence include: British relations with Persia, the Imam of Muscat and rulers on the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf; relations and conflicts between local rulers; the arrival and departure of ships; trade and piracy; maintaining the Maritime Peace; petitions and claims; slavery; and issues concerning the work of the native agents and instructions sent to them by the Residency.1 volume (96 folios)The correspondence is arranged in approximate chronological order.Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the title page and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence runs between ff 2-11; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio. A third (original) foliation sequence appears uncircled at the top folio 9v, starting at number 24 and continuing on the recto and verso of each folio to number 189 on folio 89v.Physical Conditon: Insect damage, water damage and tears causing missing text on folios 2-58 and 83-89.
The file contains letters received by Major Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire.The majority of letters are naval patrol reports submitted to the Resident by the following British officers in the Persian Gulf Squadron of the Indian Navy: Captain William Lowe, Commodore Thomas Grere Carless and Lieutenant Alan Hyde Gardner, all reporting from the Honourable Company (HC) sloop of war
Elphinstoneand Commodore John Croft Hawkins, reporting from the HC sloop of war
Clive. There is also a naval patrol report made by Lieutenant James Rennie, commanding the HC schooner
Constance, to Commodore Thomas Grere Carless, commanding the Persian Gulf Squadron.The naval patrol reports describe the state of relations between the Arab Chiefs of the Trucial Coast Sheikhdoms and any violations of the Maritime Truce, based on observation, enquiry, meetings and other communications while on patrol along the Arabian and Persian coasts of the Persian Gulf.The file also contains letters received from Lieutenant Colonel Francis Farrant, British Chargé d’Affaires at the Court of the Shah of Persia, Tehran regarding Persian affairs. This correspondence includes Persian transcripts of two firmans (royal decrees) issued by the Shah of Persia to the Governors of Fars and Persian Arabia respectively, prohibiting any future importation by sea of African slaves into Persia.1 file (51 folios)The letters are arranged more or less chronologically. Most letters are either followed by copies or extracts from earlier letters that were enclosed with them.Foliation: the contents are numbered 2 to 51, from the front to the back of the file. The numbering is written in pencil on the recto, in the top right corner and encircled. The front cover of the file is numbered 1. The inside of the back cover is numbered 52. This is the main numbering system and should be used for referencing this file.As a result of earlier, mainly foliation sequences, the contents are also numbered in the range 2 to 346, with many gaps, from the front to the back of the file. The numbering is written in ink, usually on the recto only, in the top right corner.Condition: imperfections in the margins and along the outer edges of many folios have caused a slight loss of the text of some documents.
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.
The volume's correspondence and other papers document British officials' attempts to suppress the slave trade in the Gulf, and their procedures for dealing with liberated slaves. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Captain (James) Felix Jones), Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government in Bombay, and representatives of the Persian Gulf Squadron of the Indian Navy, primarily Commodore Griffith Jenkins, Commanding Officer of the Persian Gulf Squadron. Correspondence is grouped under subject numbers as follows:Subject no.1:Two reports on the slave trade in the Persian Gulf, written by the Residency Assistant Lieutenant Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, covering the period 1 January 1852 to 30 June 1859 (4 items, folios 3-67);2: Correspondence relating to two slaves taken kidnapped from a Sharjah boat by the Sheikh of Al Bidda (a town on the Qatar coast) the subsequent punishment of one-hundred dollars made against the Sheikh of Bahrain, who was held responsible for actions of the inhabitants of the Qatar coast, and dissent shown by the Sheikh of Bahrain towards British officials and representatives (8 items, folios 73-86a);3: Correspondence relating to a kidnapped Somali girl, and news of the departure of a Muscat boat from Keelwa [Kilwa], with fifty-four slaves on board (5 items, folios 89-96);4. Correspondence between Jones and the Honourable Company's Agent at Zanzibar, Captain Christopher Rigby, on the extent of the maritime slave trade between Zanzibar and the Persian Gulf, and the seizure of letters bound for Muscat from one slave boat, the contents of which describe the extent of the involvement of Muscat in the slave trade (7 items, folios 100-16);5: Correspondence relating to an incident in which a slave from Bahrain took refuge on the Persian Gulf Naval Squadron flagship, moored off the coast of the islands. Commodore Jenkins and Captain Jones held differing views of the incident, with the former wanting to recognise the absconded slave as free while the latter, conscious of the implications of freeing slaves under such circumstances, wished to send the slave back to Bahrain. The Advocate General of the Government of Bombay ruled in favour of Jones's proposed actions (4 items, folios 120-34);6: Correspondence concerning an Indian woman rescued from slavery in Turkish Arabia, and arrangements, in spite of her reluctance, to repatriate her to India (7 items, folios 138-45);7: Correspondence from 1861 related to an apparent change in the sea routes and ports where slaves were landed from Zanzibar, notably at Muculla [Al Makalla] (6 items, folios 149a-59);8: Letter relating to the arrival of Her Majesty's schooner
Mahiat Bushire, and news of three crew from a slave boat who have escaped Her Majesty's sloop
Falkland(1 item, folios 163-64);9: Correspondence relating to the capture of an Indian vessel flying Muscat colours, which was carrying a slave girl who had been purchased at Hodeida, and was being transported to Muscat (14 items, folios 168-91). Initial correspondence relates to the unseaworthy state of the captured boat, and the practicalities of sailing it to the nearest British Vice Admiralty Court (folios 168-69). Further correspondence between Jones and officials in the Government of India discuss whether the case is covered by existing treaties, owing to the fact that slaves could be legally exported from Hodeida (folio 185);10: Correspondence concerning the return to Bushire in 1857 of the Persian Commissioner for the Suppression of the Slave Trade, Meerza Mahmood Khan (9 items, folios 195-213). Later correspondence from 1861 refers to British concerns over Khan's mental health, and discussions over the need to find a suitable replacement.1 volume (237 folios)The contents of the volume have been divided into ten subjects, numbered 1 through to 10. Each subject has one or two types of cover pages, on which is written a description of its contents. The first of the two cover sheets are blue pieces of paper, many of which are folded sheets which entirely enclose the subject correspondence inside. These sheets have paper tabs on their outside edges, which have been damaged or torn over time. The second of these cover sheets, where they appear, are smaller sheets of white or blue paper, with the title written in ink and various pencil annotations, the meaning of which is unclear.Within each subject, the correspondence has been arranged in approximate chronological order, starting with the earliest items and finishing with the latest. Enclosures to letters are grouped together with the letters they were sent or received with.Foliation: Foliation starts on the front cover of the volume and continues until the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 1c, 33a-33m, 86a-86c, 97a, 97b, 117a, 117b, 135a, 135b, 147a, 147b, 149a, 149b, 161a, 161b, 166a, 166b, 209a, 209b, 212a, 212b. Folio 106 is a fold-out.
The volume's correspondence and other papers document British officials' attempts to suppress the slave trade in the Gulf, and their procedures for dealing with liberated slaves. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Captain Felix Jones), Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government in Bombay, and representatives of the Persian Gulf Squadron of the Indian Navy, primarily Commodore Griffith Jenkins, Commanding Officer of the Persian Gulf Squadron. Correspondence is grouped under subject numbers as follows:Subject no. 11 (folios 3-43) contains correspondence relating to the apparent inaction of the Persian slave commissioner at Bushire, over the importation from Sharjah of twenty slaves, and the reluctance of British naval officials to stop and search vessels suspected of carrying slaves at Bushire, for fear that they would be contravening international law (folios 18-19). In his covering letter to the Secretary to the Government in Bombay, dated 17 November 1858, Jones expresses his opinion that the various slave trade suppression treaties need greater clarification in order to be properly effected (folios 3-8);12: Seizure of a 'Joasmee [Qasimi] vessel' carrying one male slave and five female slaves, in the Bushire roads (folios 47-54);13: Miscellaneous papers relating to the slave trade in Persia (folios 58-80), including the appointment of Persian assistants to accompany British vessels (folios 58, 60), and a report from Lieutenant P W Tendall, the British slave agent at the Bassidore [Bāsa‘īdū] slave depot (folios 63-66);14: Correspondence relating to Commodore Jenkins's opinion that the Persian authorities are not fulfilling their obligations with regard to the Anglo-Persian slave trade suppression treaty (folios 84-111). In a letter to the Secretary to the Government in Bombay, dated 24 August 1859, Jones writes that he believes the port at Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh] has become the entrepôt for slaves brought from Africa (folios 87-88);15: Correspondence concerning the apparent lack of co-operation from the Persian slave commissioner's assistant, in a case of a slave found on a Persian boat (folios 115-61). A letter dated 16 May 1859, from Lieutenant Chester of Her Majesty's sloop
Falklandwritten to Commodore Jenkins, reports the incident (folios 119-20), leading to the incident being taken up by British officials at the Court of Persia;16: Correspondence from the Secretary of State for India related to the slave trade, forwarded to the Residency by the British Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Persia, Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson (folios 165-70). The enclosed letter, written by C Wood of the India Office, dated 15 December 1859, contains an overview of recent correspondence concerning the suppression of the slave trade, between the Persian Gulf Resident, British officials in Persia, and Indian naval authorities (folios 167-70);17: Female attendant for female slaves at Bassidore (folios 173-77);18: Suspension of the post of European slave agent at Bassidore (folios 181-87). In a letter dated 25 July 1859, Jones writes to Commodore Jenkins, stating that he is abolishing the appointment of a European slave agent at the slave depot in Bassidore, in light of there being too few slaves and no one with sufficient time to keep the post. The post at Bassidore will instead be filled by a native agent (folios 181-82);19: The chief of Debaye [Dubai] implicated in, then acquitted of, the kidnap of Somalee [Somalian] slaves (folios 192-95);20: Correspondence relating to a boat carrying slaves from Somalia, belonging to the Sheikh of Amulgavine [Umm al-Qaywayn]. The boat was captured off the Aden coast by Her Majesty's Steamer
LadyCanning, under the charge of Captain Playfair. Sixty-three slaves were liberated. (folios 199-210)The file is a continuation of 'Vol 259 Slave Trade' (IOR/15/1/171), which contains subjects 1-10. Further subjects (numbered 21-27) are contained in the file 'Vol 255 Slave Trade' (IOR/15/1/168).1 volume (225 folios)The contents of the volume have been divided into ten subjects, numbered 11 through to 20. Each subject has one or two types of cover pages, on which is written a description of its contents. The first of the two cover sheets are blue or white sheets of paper, many of which are folded sheets which entirely enclose the subject correspondence inside. Some of these sheets have paper tabs on their outside edges, which have been damaged or torn over time. The second of these cover sheets, where they appear, are smaller sheets of white or blue paper, with the title written in ink and various pencil annotations, the meaning of which is unclear.Within each subject, the correspondence has been arranged in approximate chronological order, starting with the earliest items and finishing with the latest. Enclosures to letters are grouped together with the letters they were sent or received with.Foliation: The file is foliated from the first to last page of writing with pencil numbers enclosed in circles in the top-right corner of the recto of each folio. Foliation anomalies: 20A, 45A, 55A, 69A, 109A, 162A, 164A, 164B, 178A, 196A.
Correspondence file containing a narrative of the events of the War with Persia (1856-1857) from the perspective of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Captain (James) Felix Jones, and his assistant Lieutenant Herbert Frederick Disbrowe.Also contained within the file are copies of correspondence between Captain Jones; Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, Her British Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia; and Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government of Bombay regarding an escalation of incidents on the Persian Coast and at sea during 1860 and 1861.1 file, 2 items (126 folios)The contents of the file have been arranged chronologically, with enclosures to letters being placed after the letter they are enclosed with.Foliation: The foliation sequence in use consists of a pencil number enclosed in a circle, 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 125.Pagination: There is also a former pagination sequence which consists of numbers written in pencil, in the top right corners of the rectos and in the top left corners of the versos. It begins on the first page of writing, on number 5, and ends about halfway through the file, on number 121.
The majority of correspondence in the file consists of miscellaneous letters and instructions, with enclosures, in Arabic and English, between 9 February 1884 to 24 February 1914, from the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire and ‘Abd al-Qāsim, Khān Bahādur ‘Abd al-Laṭīf bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān and ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, Residency Agents on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah. There are also letters from Messrs A & T J Malcolm & Company (f. 9) and the Residency Agent at Lingah (f. 49). Enclosures typically include copies and originals of letters to and from various Persian Gulf rulers (for example, ff. 69, 70-77) and from British native agents at Bahrain and Lingah (for example, f. 151). Also included within the file are copies of responses from the Residency Agent to the Political Residency (for example, f. 67) and list of claims of various residents of Abu Dhabi (ff. 78-87).The Arabic and Persian text of the letters is handwritten and appears on the left hand of the folio, while the English text occasionally appears typed (for example, ff. 191-192). Some letters have strips of paper attached to them indicating the subject of the letter (for example, ff. 141-144), while on the recto side of some folios the subject of the letter is written in Arabic in pencil or pen (for example, f. 26v). The letters are numbered according to the year, for example, ‘No 389 of 1886’ (f. 107), although some letters appear unnumbered (for example, f. 171).The correspondence within the file deals generally with commercial and consular matters and the relations of the rulers of the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms with one another and the British. Subjects covered within the file include: the islands of Dalmā, Sīrī, Sir Bu Neir [Ṣīr Bū Nu‘ayr] and Abū Mūsá and red oxide mines; the status and claims of British Indian subjects (
banyans) in the Persian Gulf; pearl diving matters and cases of absconding divers; relations between Aḥmad bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Mu‘allā, the ruler of Umm al-Qaywayn, and his son Muḥammad; the transport of armed men and munitions by sea, and the preservation of maritime peace; relations between Shaikh Zāyid bin Kahlīfah Āl Nahyān of Abu Dhabi and Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī of Qatar; attack on an al-Wakrah boat and correspondence from ‘Alī bin Rāshid, the shaikh of al-Wakrah; various slavery cases, including one related to the shaikhs of Abu Dhabi and Qatar; relations between Shaikh Zāyid and al-Qubaysāt, al-Manāṣīr and Banī Hājir tribes; relations between Oman and Persia vis-à-vis the Trucial Coast; and a breach of the maritime peace by the people of al-Ḥamrīyah against ports on the Persian littoral of the Gulf.1 file (241 folios)Foliation: The foliation numbers are circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. They begin on the front cover, on number 1, and end on the inside of the back cover, on number 241. Foliation errors: f. 78 is followed by f. 78A; no f. 211.
William Newnham encloses an original letter, dated 20 October 1826, from the Governor of Bombay for delivery to the Shaik of Bushire, Abdoor Russool Khan [‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān] with copies in Persian and English for the Resident's information.3 folios
This file contains letters written and received by Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire. Most of the letters written by Hennell are addressed to His Excellency Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil CB, Her Majesty's Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Persia, Tehran. In addition, there are the following items: a small number of letters addressed by Hennell to Arthur Malet, Chief Secretary to the Government, Bombay, in which Hennell forwards copies of his letters to Sheil; a couple of letters from Hennell to Commodore John Patterson Porter, Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf; a letter from Hennell to James McAlister, Civil Surgeon at Bushire; a letter from Hennell to the Assistant Collector at the Stationery Department, Bombay; and a letter from Hennell to J Malcolm, Armenian Merchant, Bushire. The received letters consist entirely of Sheil's responses to Hennell. The letters from Hennell to Sheil report on recent events in Bushire and the surrounding area. Hennell also forwards enclosures from the British Agent at Shiraz, which describe in detail events in and around Shiraz. Subjects covered in Hennell's and Sheil's letters include: a recent incident in which slaves were imported into Bushire; several acts of piracy committed in the Persian Gulf; the removal of Sheik Nasir Khan from his position as Governor of Bushire; Sheil's suspicions regarding the conduct of the British Agent at Shiraz, Mirza Mahmood.1 volume, 94 items (226 folios)The items of correspondence is in roughly chronological order. The sequence begins on 7 January 1850 and ends on 27 December 1850. Some of the letters from January 1850 appear out of chronological sequence.There is an original pagination sequence and a foliation sequence.Pagination: The pagination sequence is written in ink, in the upper left hand corner of each page. It begins on the first page after the title page. The sequence skips pages where no text is present and pages which contain only abstracts of letters and original reference numbers. The sequence repeats numbers 60-79 so these appear twice; it also skips 266.Foliation: The foliation sequence is written in pencil, in the top right corner of each folio. It begins on the title page, on number 1; then 2-88; 89A and 89B; and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 225. Due to a foliation error, there is no number 157 in this sequence. This is the sequence that has been used for cataloguing this file.
The volume contains correspondence relating to the Anglo-Persian War of 1856-57, following Persia's attempts on Herat. The letters cover a period when the British had an expeditionary force camped outside Bushire while Persian troops were amassed at Borazjoon [Borazjan] and Mohammerah [Korramshahr]. The correspondents include Charles Augustus Murray, former British Minister to Persia, General Foster Stalker and Brigadier General John Jacob, commanders within the British army, Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Lieutenant-General James Outram, Commander in Chief of the British Forces in Persia, Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, Shuja al-Mulk, a Persian commander at Borazjoon, Lieutenant James Tronson, Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf, Colonel Shepherd, Commander at the Bushire Camp, John Taylor, Agent and Consul at Basrah, Felix Jones, Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, Sheikh Jabir al-Kaabi, at Mohammerah, J. M. Hyslop, in charge of local duties at the Political Agency for Turkish Arabia at Baghdad, Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at Istanbul, and Mirza Mohammed Khan, Commander of the Persian forces.The volume covers the following matters:Intelligence on the construction of fortifications at Mahomerah [Korramshahr] being carried out by the Persians and the discussion over whether to destroy them;The appointment and arrival of Lieutenant General James Outram as Commander in Chief of the Persian Expeditionary Force;Communications with the Sheikhs of the surrounding villages, including those of Roodhilla [Dehrūd ‘Ulīā] and Dashtee [Khormoj];Infiltrations and harassment by the Persians in and around the English camps;Preparations for the defence of Bushire against a Persian attack;Captain Felix Jones's mission to Basrah and Mohumrah [Korramshahr] to gather intelligence and communicate with Sheikh Jabir, leader of the Chaab [Banu Ka'b], to obtain their assistance against the Persians;The consequences of a peace treaty signed by the two nations in Paris on 4 March 1857, including reiterations of friendship and peace back and forth between the commanders of both armies, and a discussion of the conditions of armistice.1 volume (87 folios)The volume is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the sequence 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 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 79. Foliation irregularities: folio 15 is followed by folio 15A; folio 22 is followed by folio 22A; folio 29 is followed by folio 29A; folio 44 is followed by folio 44A; folio 50 is followed by folio 50A; folio 56 is followed by folio 56A; folio 62 is followed by folio 62A; folio 75 is followed by folio 75A.
This file consists of letters written and received by James Felix Jones, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire. Aside from Jones, the two most prominent correspondents are Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government of Bombay, and Commodore Griffith Jenkins, Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf. Other correspondents include: Henry Young, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay; Cecil Beadon, Secretary to the Government of India, Fort William; and George Frederick Edmonstone, Secretary to the Government of India, Allahabad.The two main subjects of this file are the condition of the naval station at Bassidore [Bāsaʻīdū] and Britain's assumption of the sovereignty of India. The letters received from Griffith Jenkins are primarily concerned with the status of the naval station at Bassidore. In one of his letters to Jones (ff 5-8), dated 18 March 1858, Griffith Jenkins remarks on the total inefficiency of the naval establishment at Bassidore and solicits Jones's aid in presenting this issue to the Government so that arrangements can be made for its repair. The file includes a letter to Griffith Jenkins from a committee which has been appointed to report on the condition of the public buildings at Bassidore. This letter (ff 28-33), dated 18 March 1859, submits the committee's report on the condition of the port, the water tanks, the storehouses, the houses for liberated slaves, the smithy, the hospital and the sepoys' quarters at Bassidore.In his letters to Henry Lacon Anderson, Jones discusses the distribution of the ships of the Indian Naval Squadron and expresses his opinion on whether it is advisable for British subjects to engage in pearl fishing in the Persian Gulf.Jones's correspondence with Henry Young concerns the dissemination throughout the Gulf of copies of Her Majesty's proclamation on Britain's assumption of the sovereignty of India. Included with the received letters from India are printed extracts from the Government of India Act (1858) (ff 54-62), as well as translations of the aforementioned proclamation in Persian (handwritten, ff 43-46), Arabic (printed, f 48) and English (printed, ff 63-64).Further items on this subject include letters, both in Arabic (it is not clear whether the letters in Arabic are originals or transcriptions) and in English, from the Imam of Muscat, Sayyid Thuwaynī bin Sa‘id Āl Bū Sa‘īd, to Felix Jones (see ff 74-77 and f 80), in which Jones is informed that Her Majesty's assumption of the sovereignty of India was marked with the decoration and illumination of Muscat for three successive nights. In addition, there is a copy of a letter to the Resident which is written in Persian (ff 78v-79, name of correspondent unclear). These items are followed by translated purports of letters from the British Agents at Muscat and Sharjah (Khojeh Hiskale and Hajee Yacoob – see f 81 and ff 84-85 respectively), which convey the acknowledgements of the Imam of Muscat and other local rulers.1 volume (94 folios)For the most part, the letters in this file have been arranged in chronological order, proceeding from 25 February 1858 to 24 December 1859.Foliation: This file has a foliation sequence, which 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 1, and ends on the final folio before the back cover, on number 96. This is the sequence that has been used to reference items within the file.
This volume primarily concerns Britain's Persian Expeditionary Force and the state of relations between the British and the Persians following the end of the Anglo-Persian War. The volume contains letters written and received by a range of correspondents, including the following:Lieutenant-General Sir James Outram, Commander of the Persian Expeditionary Force, Bushire;Meerza [Mirza] Mahomed Khan, Sirkisheekchee Bashee and Mookhtar-ood-Dowlah, Persian Commander-in-Chief;Hajee Sheikh Mohsin Khan, representative of Meerza Mahomed Khan;Captain James Felix Jones, Resident in the Persian Gulf (also referred to as Political Agent of the Persian Forces and Civil Commander);Brigadier-General John Jacob, Commander-in-Chief of the British forces, Bushire;Brigadier Henry Willoughby Trevelyan, Commandant of Artillery in Persia;Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to the Government, Bombay;Charles Augustus Murray, Her Britannic Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia;Brigadier Robert William Honner, Commander at Karrack [Bandar-e Charak];Ahmed Khan, Durya Begee and Governor of Bushire;His Royal Highness Prince Tahmasp Meerza [Tahmasp Mirza Mu'ayyid al-Dawla], Governor of Fars;Commander James Rennie, Senior Naval Officer, Commander of the Persian Gulf Squadron, Bushire;George Frederick Edmonstone, Secretary to the Government of India.The volume has been divided into sections and summarised as follows:Folios 3-54: Hajee Sheikh Mohsin Khan's visit to the British Commander-in-Chief [Brigadier-General John Jacob], Brigadier Henry Willoughby Trevelyan's return visit to the Persian Commander-in-Chief [Meerza Mahomed Khan], and details of the powers devolved by Lieutenant-General Sir James Outram to Brigadier-General John Jacob;Folios 55-69: Extracts (sent to Bombay by the Resident) from the
Tehran Gazetteregarding the renewal of friendship between Britain and Persia, religious toleration in Persia, and Afghans residing in Persia;Folios 70-84: The return of His Excellency Charles Augustus Murray to the Persian capital and the evacuation of Mohumrah [Khorramshahr, Iran] and Bushire;Folios 85-107: General John Jacob's farewell orders;Folios 108-192: The appointment of Ahmed Khan as Governor of Dashtestan and Bushire.1 volume (194 folios)The letters generally proceed in chronological order from 17 June 1857 to 30 July 1858. However, there are several examples of letters appearing out of sequence; the file has been divided into sections and there are cases where the letters at the beginning of a new section pre-date those letters which appeared at the end of the previous section.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the inside of the back cover; the numbers are written in pencil, are circled and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The volume consists of substances of, and translations of native letters (i.e. correspondence in Arabic or Persian) sent to the British Resident in the Persian Gulf. The majority of these are from various native agents serving the British in the Gulf at Bahrein [Bahrain], Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh], Muscat, and Sharjah respectively. They provide updates on the local political situation; relay local news; report incidents of, enquiries into, and restitution for acts of piracy; and forward any intelligence that the agents perceive to be of interest to the Resident. It also includes incidents where the agents report ill treatment at the hands of local subjects, or the local authorities.Also included are communications from local rulers in the Gulf region. These are much less common, but include communications from Shaikh Abdollah bin Ahmed [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], Chief of Bahrein; Sultan ben Sugger [Sulṭān bin Saqr], Chief of the Joasmees [Qawāsim]; and Shaikh Khuleefa ben Shakboot [Khalīfah bin Shakhbūṭ], Chief of the Beniyas [Bani Yas].Some specific topics covered include a war between the Wahabees [Wahhabis] and Bahrein; a dispute between Humood bin Azan, Chief of Sohar [Ṣuḥār], and the Governors of Muscat; and political instability in Persia following the death of Fatḥ ‘Alī Shāh Qājār (such as Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mirzā's declaring himself King of Shiraz). The murder of Shaikh Toorky bin Saood [Turki bin Sa‘ūd], Wahabee Chief, is also reported within.1 volume, (145 folios)The correspondence is arranged chronologically from 8 January to 28 December 1834. A single loose letter in Persian can be found at the back of the volume (see f 137).Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The file contains the following foliation corrections; 14, and 14A.Pagination: The file also contains an original pagination sequence; these numbers are written in ink between ff 3-135, and are located in the top outermost corners of each page.
The file is in two sections. The first section contains correspondence and the minutes of a public meeting regarding desecration of British graves at Bushire by some Persians, covering attempts to secure agreement with Persian authorities to respect the sanctity of such things and permission to make repairs to those damaged.The second section pertains to the visit of the Prince-Governor of Farsistan, Sultan Murad Mirza, to Bushire. It covers preparations for the event and a trip taken by the Prince-Governor to Karrack [Kharg] Island aboard the
Semiramis, accompanied by Felix Jones. It also covers the positive results for Anglo-Persian relations that the visit engendered.The correspondents include: Felix Jones, Political Resident at Bushire; Charles Murray (later Henry Rawlinson), British Envoy and Minister at Tehran; Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government at Bombay; William Doria, British Chargé d'Affaires at Tehran; Prince Sultan Murad Mirza, Prince-Governor of Farsistan; William Balfour, Commander of the Persian Gulf Squadron; Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident at Bushire.1 file (62 folios)The file is arranged firstly by subject number, in this instance number 5 and 6. How the numbers were assigned is unclear. Each subject section is arranged chronologically.Foliation: the numbering 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 inside of the back cover, on number 58. There are the following irregularities: f 12 is followed by f 12A; f 15 is followed by f 15A; f 21 is followed by f 21A; f 22 is followed by f 22A; f 27 is followed by f 27A; f 28 is followed by f 28A.
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.
The letter and its enclosures relate to British pressure on the Persian authorities to suppress the slave trade in Persian ports.The following enclosures are included with Kemball's letter:A letter (folios 260-62) from Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil, Her Majesty's Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Persia, to Kemball, dated 10 December 1852;The translation of document (folios 262v-263)Letter no.426 of 1852 (folios 264-66) from Kemball to Sheil, dated 14 December 1852;Letter no.11 of 1853 (folios 267-68) from Kemball to Sheil, dated 11 January 1853.11 folios
The letter is an acknowledgement of Kemball's previous letter (folios 394-95), relating to the importation of seven slaves into a port near Bushire. Malet writes that, unless the men implicated in the importation are British subjects, they are not liable to British laws. Given that they appear to be Persian subjects, Malet continues, the Governor in Council considers that they should be dealt with under the existing slave trade treaty with Persia.1 folio
The letter and its enclosures relate to the importation of slaves into Persia by the vessel
Mahmoodee, and the efforts made by the Persian Commissioner for the Suppression of the Slave Trade, Meerza Mahmood Khan, to secure their release.The following enclosures are included with Kemball’s letter:1. A letter (folios 334 and 336) from William Taylour Thomson, His Majesty’s Chargé D’Affaires at the Court of Persia, Tehran, to Kemball, dated 10 January 1854. Thomson’s letter discusses two letters relating to the importation of slaves on the
Mahmoodee. Thomson states that both letters are vizirial letters, one to the Prince Governor of Fars, and the other to Kahn. The latter of these letters is included in the file (in Persian with no English translation, folio 335), and contains instructions to Khan to procure the slaves imported on the
Mahmoodee, in conformity of the stipulations of the Slave Trade Convention. Thomson writes that the letter from the Prince Governor (enclosed with earlier correspondence of 20 October 1853) is a warning to Khan that he will be removed from his post should he continue to be remiss in his duties.2. Letter no.54 of 1854 (folios 337-38) from Kemball to Thomson, dated 13 February 1854. Kemball writes that the vizirial letters have failed to obtain the freedom of the slaves imported on the
Mahmoodee. Kemball includes two letters sent by him to Khan, dated 30 January 1854 (folio 339) and 3 February 1854 (folio 340). In the first letter Kemball enquires what progress had been made in inducing Hajee Abdul Mahomed to surrender slaves imported on the
Mahmoodee. Kemball’s second letter acknowledges receipt of Khan’s reply to this enquiry (not included in the volume) which states the lack of success encountered by Khan in retrieving the slaves. Also enclosed with Kemball’s letter to Thomson is the translation of a letter (folio 341) from Hajee Mahomed Shereef, a merchant of Bushire, addressed to Kemball, dated 19 October 1853. Shereef confirms that his son consigned to him his pregnant concubine, imported from Hodeideh [al-Ḥudaydah] on the
Mahmoodee, but that a male slave was not delivered.9 folios