Diary of Sir Arthur Hirtzel, 1908

Content

This volume is a diary of Sir Arthur Hirtzel (then Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for India) for the year 1908. Entries start from 1 January and end at 31 December (some dates in between these dates do not have any entries). The entries are usually brief (although entries for some dates run over into the space for the entry for the next date).

There are brief references to Hirtzel’s health, the weather, Hirtzel’s attendance at church services, and the birth of Hirtzel’s daughter Miriam (17 February, folio 39 verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. ). However, the diary entries largely concern John Morley (Viscount Morley of Blackburn, Secretary of State for India, referred to as ‘J.M.’ throughout). The entries mostly record the following:

• The views and opinions expressed by Morley on India and 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. business, including the Zakka Khel Expedition [or Zakha Khel Expedition, also known as the Bazar Valley Campaign] of 14 February to 1 March 1908, and the imprisonment of the Indian nationalist Bal Gangadhar Tilak (28 and 29 July, folio 85 verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. ).
• The views and opinions of Morley on domestic British politics, including the Sweated Industries Bill of 1908 (19 February, folio 39 verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. ) and on various individuals (as recorded by Hirtzel).
• Meetings between Morley and various individuals, including Winston Churchill (27 January, folio 33 verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. ; 14 February, folio 39 verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. ), the Prince of Wales (the future King George V) (10 February, folio 37 verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. ), King Edward VII (27 February, folio 43 recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. ), George Nathaniel Curzon (17 March, folio 47 verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. ; 26 and 27 March, folio 67 verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. ), Herbert Henry Asquith (17 March, folio 47 verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. ), James Keir Hardie (7 June, folio 73 recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. ), and Gopal Krishna Gokhale (3 December, folio 123 verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. ).
• Cabinet and Council meetings and other events attended by Morley.
• Conversations between Hirtzel and Morley.
• Morley’s health.

Before the entry for 1 January on folio 25 verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. , there are four lines in German, which quote the second verse of O Gott, du frommer Gott by Johann Heermann.

The volume itself is an Army & Navy Octavo Scribbling Diary for 1908, published by the Army & Navy Co-operative Society, Limited, London. It includes printed information at the front of the volume, such as a list of London bankers, postal information, and a calendar of lessons for Sundays and holy days throughout the year. There are also various advertisements at the front and back of the volume.

Pages (not folios) in the diary which relate to press cuttings in the Sir Arthur Hirtzel Press Cuttings volume [Mss Eur D1090/6], are noted in the Press Cuttings volume.

Extent and format

1 volume (149 folios)

Arrangement

Diary entries are chronological from the front to the rear of the volume.

There is an alphabetical index to the diary with entries for places, subjects and persons [Mss Eur D1090/5].

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 151; 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.

Written in

English and German in Latin script

Type

Archival file

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

Mss Eur D1090/3

History of this record

Date(s)

1 Jan 1908-31 Dec 1908 (CE, Gregorian)

Subjects

Zakha Khel Expedition (1908)

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Diary of Sir Arthur Hirtzel, 1908, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur D1090/3, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000000371.0x000189> [accessed 23 April 2024]

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