‘Vol 120 Letters outward’

Content

The volume comprises letters sent from 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , based at the time at Karrack [Bandar-e Chārak], under a number of different departmental headings (general, political, marine, territorial, judicial, financial, military, secret, steam), and written by Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , or one of the officiating Residents, Lieutenant T Edmunds or T Mackenzie. Most of the letters are addressed to the Secretary to the Government Bombay. Other recipients include Commodore George Barnes Brucks, Commanding Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Taylor, Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. for Turkish Arabia A term used by the British officials to describe the territory roughly corresponding to, but not coextensive with, modern-day Iraq under the control of the Ottoman Empire. , Colonel Justin Sheil, HM's Chargé d'Affairs at the Court of Persia, and Captain Atkins Hamerton, employed on political duty at Muscat. Many of the Resident’s letters refer to enclosures which are not included in the volume. Instead, reference is made after the Resident’s letter to the location of the enclosure (for example ‘Translation Book for 1840, Page 172’ on folio 70).

The correspondence covers a wide range of topics:

• The day-to-day affairs and financial administration 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. , removed from Bushire to Karrack island in the wake of the break in diplomatic relations between Britain and Persia, and the Karrack Field Force, with particular reference to the difficulties faced by 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. staff and troops on Karrack island, including lack of proper accommodation, disease (fever, scurvy), procurement of supplies, and the construction of permanent buildings to ensure protection during the winter season;
• Progress of the Euphrates expedition – the construction of three steamers on the Euphrates river – led by Lieutenant Henry Blosse Lynch;
• Reports of Hennell’s annual tour of the Arab coast of the Gulf on board the Sloop of War Coote during April and May 1840, and his meetings with various rulers;
• Orders to and coordination (including pilotage) of vessels in the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , as communicated to the squadron’s officers;
• Reports from the Native Agent Non-British agents affiliated with the British Government. at Bahrain, relating to the activities of Khorshed or Koorshid [Khurshid] Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , Commander in Chief of the Egyptian armies in Nedgd [Najd], and the movements and actions of the Egyptian army in Arabia;
• Reports from the news writers at Shiraz on court and government affairs in Persia, including visits to Persia of ambassadors from foreign countries, including France and Italy;
• Affairs on the Arab coast, including tribal disputes, and a protracted dispute between the Shaikhs of Debaye [Dubai] and Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi];
• Incidents of shipwreck, piracy and plunder in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , including piracies committed by an individual named Ghuluta, and British efforts to apprehend him (folios 35-36, 44-45);
• Incidents of kidnap and slave trading occurring in the Gulf, instances of the recovery of enslaved individuals, and their subsequent despatch to Bombay, and a discussion of the precedents and treaties under which British officers can tackle the Gulf’s slave trade (folios 221-24).

Extent and format

1 volume (297 folios)

Arrangement

The volume’s correspondence is arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front to the latest at the end. Political Department letters are numbered throughout the volume in numerically ascending order. An index at the rear of the volume (ff 285-89) lists all correspondence contained in the volume by date, with columns indicating department, recipient, subject and page number, the latter referring the volume’s original pagination system.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the spine, which is stored in a polyester sheet inside the back cover, on number 294. Foliation anomalies: f 17 is followed by f 17A; f 84 is followed by f 84A; f 102 is followed by f 102A. 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.

Condition: There is insect damage, in the form of small holes in the paper, throughout the volume.

Written in

English in Latin script

Type

Letter book

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/15/1/87

Former external reference(s)

Vol 120

History of this record

Date(s)

1 Jan 1840-29 Dec 1840 (CE, Gregorian)

Places

Karrack (island)

People & organisations

Assistant Resident, BushireField Force in the Persian GulfCommander-in-Chief of Egyptian Forces in Central Arabia

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‘Vol 120 Letters outward’, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/87, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x00003c> [accessed 18 April 2024]

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