‘1904. THE LORD CURZON OF KEDLESTON. CORRESPONDENCE WITH SECRETARY OF STATE, MR. BALFOUR, SIR A. GODLEY, &C.’

Content

The volume consists of printed copies of letters to and from Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India, dated 1 January to 28 April 1904. The correspondence is mainly between Curzon and (William) St John Fremantle Brodrick, Secretary of State for India, and Sir Arthur Godley, Permanent Under Secretary of State for India. There is also one letter from Curzon to Arthur James Balfour, British Prime Minister.

There is an alphabetical index of names, places and subjects on folios 3-9. The volume is then divided into two parts: letters to Curzon (folios 10-40), followed by letters from Curzon (folios 42-89).

The correspondence relates to a variety of subjects including:

• The attitude of the Amir of Afghanistan, and British policy towards him
• War Office and Army Reform
• The Bain Case (in which the Government of India were ‘quite erroneously’ supposed to have interfered with the administration of justice to the detriment of an innocent man)
• The proposed partition of Bengal
• 'The Bushire [Bushehr] Incident' [a diplomatic incident during Curzon's cruise in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. in 1903, in which Curzon left Bushire without landing there, due to a perceived attempted slight by the Persian Government towards him]
• Indian and Chinese labour for the Transvaal Colony
• The Viceroy’s appointment as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
• The question of the abolition of Cooper’s Hill College [the Royal Indian Engineering College]
• Treatment of correspondence between the Secretary of State for India and the Viceroy
• The Viceroy’s position in relation to the Secretary of State for India and the British Cabinet
• Members of the Viceroy’s Council
• Cotton cultivation in India
• The Government of India’s fiscal despatch
• Military matters, including Lord Kitchener’s attitude to reinforcements for India in the event of war
• The suggested inclusion of Muscat in Anglo-French negotiations
• Relations between soldiers and ‘natives’ in India, and the responsibility of the Commander-in-Chief for recent orders
• Parliamentary debates
• The Police Commission Report, including the Secretary of State’s objection to its publication
• The Russo-Japanese War, including its bearing on India and probable effect on Russian policy in Persia [Iran] and Afghanistan
• The Tibet Mission [the Younghusband expedition].

Extent and format

1 volume (91 folios)

Arrangement

The letters are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of each of the two sections of the volume, which are divided by a folio of blue card. Each letter is numbered, and the index on folios 3-9 gives the numbers of the letters which correspond to each name, place or subject listed in the index.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 89; 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.

The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.

Written in

English 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 F111/163

History of this record

Date(s)

1904? (CE, Gregorian)

Subjects

PoliticsCotton growingRusso-Japanese War (1904-1905)Military affairsColonial policyLabourForeign policyInternational relations

Places

PersiaIndiaMuscatAfghanistan

People & organisations

Indian Police CommissionRoyal Indian Engineering CollegeViceroy and Governor-General of India in CouncilSecretary of State for India, United KingdomPermanent Under-Secretary of State for India

Share this record

• Share on twitter
• Share on facebook

Cite this record in your research

‘1904. THE LORD CURZON OF KEDLESTON. CORRESPONDENCE WITH SECRETARY OF STATE, MR. BALFOUR, SIR A. GODLEY, &C.’, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/163, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000001452.0x000324> [accessed 30 July 2026]

Link to this record

https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000001452.0x000324

IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000001452.0x000324/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Copyright: How to use this content