Letters Outward 1837

IOR/R/15/1/76

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The record is made up of 1 file (90 folios). It was created in 22 Feb 1838-28 Dec 1838. It was written in English. The original is part of the 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. .

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Content

The file contains letters sent outwards from the British 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. by Samuel Hennell (the Resident), and Thomas Mackenzie (Acting Assistant 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. ). The main recipient being John Pollard Willoughby, Secretary to the Political Department of the Bombay Government. Other significant recipients are Edward M Wood, Secretary to the Military and Steam Departments of the Bombay Government; John McNeil, HM Minister Plenipotentiary and Minister Extraordinary to the Court of Persia; and the Secret Committee Pre-1784, the Committee responsible for protecting East India Company shipping. Post-1784, its main role was to transmit communications between the Board of Control and the Company's Indian governments on matters requiring secrecy. of the Court of Directors The London-based directors of the East India Company who dealt with the daily conduct of the Company's affairs. of the East India Company in London.

The correspondence includes material of a routine administrative nature; such as the movement of company ships, the transportation of mail, personnel matters, and so on. The trials of Noor Mahomed Beg [Nūr Muḥammad Beg] in conveying packets between Bushire and Tehran are outlined in more detail; a list of expenses he incurred in the process is also included. Additional topics covered include the suitability of various locations — Anjar, Bundar Maculla, Karrack [Khārk, Jazīreh-ye], and Muscat — for establishing a coal depot; the viability of relocating the base of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. from Bassidore [Bāsaʻīdū] to Anjar; the temporary occupation of Karrack by British forces; and the testing of the navigability of the Euphrates river through the ascent of an iron steamer.

Included in the file are reports on the Resident's annual tour of the Arabian Coast. The main object being the renewal of the Maritime Truce, and its extension from a period of eight to twelve months. The Resident is also involved in trying to get the Arab Chiefs to formally recognise the restrictive line in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; a neutral zone within which no hostility at sea will be tolerated.

The efforts of the Resident to suppress the trade in slaves in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. is also featured; this being prompted by a complaint alleging that traders of the Joasmee [Āl Qāsimī One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. ] tribe had abducted women from the coast of Barbarah [Berbera] for the purpose of selling them as slaves. It also covers the Resident's efforts to prevent hostilities at sea between Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi] and Debaye [Dubai], as a result of Shaikh Khuleefa bin Shakboot's [Khalīfah bin Shakhbūṭ] attack on the Sea Tower of the Fort of Debaye.

In a similar vein, the file includes correspondence related to the Resident's efforts to mediate a settlement between the Chief of Bahrain, and his revolted dependants — Esa ben Tareef [‘Isá bin Ṭarīf], and Ibn Salamah [Ibn Salāmah] — residing at Aboothabee. It also discusses the complete abandonment of Wukrah [al Wakrah] by the Boo Eymeen [Bu Ajman] tribe, and their relocation to Aboothabee, and a request from the Beni boo Ally [Banī Bū ‘Alī] for a reconciliation with the Beni boo Hoossun [Banī Bū Ḥusayn].

The file also covers the advances of Ameer Khaled [Amīr Khālid] — with the support of the Muḥammad ‘Alī Pāshā of Egypt — against Ameer Fysul [Amīr Fayṣul], the Wahabi Chief, in Nedgd [Najd], and the resulting threat this poses to the Chief of Bahrain, Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah.

The correspondence also concerns itself with the perceived hostility, and obstructive attitude of the Prince of Shiraz against the British at Bushire. The replacement of Shaikh Nasir [Shaykh Nāṣir] as Governor of Bushire by Mirza Abbas [ Mīrzā A title of honour originally applied to princes, later to military leaders, and later still to secretaries, chieftains, and other ‘gentlemen’. ‘Abbās], and his subsequent replacement with Mirza Assadoollah [ Mīrzā A title of honour originally applied to princes, later to military leaders, and later still to secretaries, chieftains, and other ‘gentlemen’. Assad ‘Allāh] following a dispute with the merchants of that place.

Included is list of equipment received from India on the requisition of Sir Henry Bethune showing their subsequent distribution, along with another list estimating the cost of building a coal depot with a capacity for 1000 tons of coal.

Extent and format
1 file (90 folios)
Arrangement

The correspondence is arranged chronologically from 22 February to 28 December 1838.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The 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 The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Pagination: An original incomplete pagination sequence is also present in the file between ff 2-91. These numbers are located in the top outermost corner of each page. Please note that there are significant gaps present in this sequence.

Written in
English in Latin script
Type
Letter book

Archive information for this record

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/15/1/76

History of this record

Date(s)
22 Feb 1838-28 Dec 1838 (CE, Gregorian)

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Letters Outward 1837, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/76, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x000031> [accessed 19 March 2024]

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