'Vol 8 Bushier [Bushire] Records 1805 & 1806'

Content

The volume consists of chronological diary entries containing transcripts of correspondence sent and received, and notes on the arrival and departure of vessels at Bushire. The Resident during the period covered was William Bruce (acting).

The correspondence sent is entered under the date the letter was written; that received is entered under the date of receipt at Bushire. The correspondence is mostly between the Resident and other East India Company officials, particularly officials of the Government of Bombay From c. 1668-1858, the East India Company’s administration in the city of Bombay [Mumbai] and western India. From 1858-1947, a subdivision of the British Raj. It was responsible for British relations with the Gulf and Red Sea regions. ; the Resident at Bagdad [Baghdad] (Harford Jones); the Resident at Muscat (David Seton); officials in charge of the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. at Bussora [Basra] (John Law and Lieutenant William Eatwell); and commanders of ships of the Bombay Marine The navy of the East India Company. (the East India Company's navy).

The records of shipping consist of a note of the day of arrival and departure of ships of the Bombay Marine The navy of the East India Company. and country ships (privately-owned merchant ships, which operated under licence from the East India Company), and information on their port of origin and destination. The term 'imported' is used to indicate the arrival of a vessel.

General topics covered in the volume include:

• political developments in the Gulf;
• movements of ships;
• piracy;
• sale of East India Company merchandise;
• appointments;
• personnel matters;
• accounting and financial matters;
• administrative matters;
• relations with the Court of Persia;
• relations with local rulers and Persian officials;
• the activities of the French in the region;
• reports of political and military developments in Europe.

Specific topics include:

• correspondence concerning the activities and whereabouts of a French officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Alexandre Romieu, former minister at Corfu, who had made his way from Constantinople into Persia on a mission the objectives of which were unclear, entries for 27 September - 22 November 1805 (folios 14-32v);
• correspondence relating to the recovery of cargo from the merchant ship Hector , 29 October - 22 November 1805 (folios 23v-32v);
• letter from Lieutenant W Eatwell, Bombay Marine The navy of the East India Company. , commanding the Fury , at Bussora, dated 20 October 1805, reporting the death of John Law, Resident of the Factory An East India Company trading post. at Bussora and stating that he had taken temporary charge of the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. there (entry for 31 October 1805, folio 28v)
• correspondence from the Political Department of the Government of Bombay From c. 1668-1858, the East India Company’s administration in the city of Bombay [Mumbai] and western India. From 1858-1947, a subdivision of the British Raj. It was responsible for British relations with the Gulf and Red Sea regions. concerning the Persian Embassy, particularly relating to an affray that had taken place on a road near Bombay in November 1805 between an East India Company officer cadet and two servants of the Persian Ambassador, 26 January 1806 (folios 60-89v).

Extent and format

1 volume (97 folios)

Arrangement

The volume is in the form of a diary running in chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume. The correspondence sent is entered under the date the letter was written; that received is entered under the date of receipt at Bushire. Notes of the arrival and departure of vessels are similarly recorded in diary form under the relevant date.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1A on the front cover and terminates at 92 on the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F; ff. 21, 21A; ff. 35, 35A.

Pagination: an original pagination sequence written in ink numbered 1-178 is present between ff. 1F-89. These numbers appear in the top right or top left corners of each page.

Condition: there is a hole measuring approximately 60x50mm in the top centre of folio 1F, probably caused by the oxidisation of iron gall ink. This hole reappears, diminishing in size, in the following nine folios (to f. 10). The holes have caused loss of text between ff. 1F-9. There is also minor damage to the edges of some folios, but this has not caused any serious loss of text. The entire volume was conserved, probably in the 1980s, in the form of an appliqué-coated guard book.

Written in

English in Latin script

Type

Diary

Access & Reference

Original held at

British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity.

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

IOR/R/15/1/8

History of this record

Date(s)

10 Aug 1805-26 Jan 1806 (CE, Gregorian)

Context of creation

Lieutenant-Colonel Alexandre Romieu made his way from Constantinople to the Court of Persia in 1805 on a clandestine mission on behalf of the French Government to explore the possibility of concluding a military alliance between France and Persia. He died at Tehran in October 1805.

Subjects

Trade (practice)Napoleonic Wars (1800-1815)DiplomacyAssault

People & organisations

Government of Bombay, Chief SecretaryGovernment of Bombay, Political Department

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Cite this record in your research

'Vol 8 Bushier [Bushire] Records 1805 & 1806', British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/8, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000000159.0x0003dc> [accessed 28 April 2024]

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