‘Unfriendly conduct of the Dola of Mocha towards the Surat Merchants’

Content

The item consists of extracts of Political Letters and Political Consultations from 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. concerned with the action taken by the Resident at Mocha, Captain Bagnold, in response to a dispute between Surat merchants and the Dola [Governor] of Mocha. The dispute relates to outstanding accounts owed to the merchants for goods supplied to the Dola. Topics covered include:

• Instructions to the Resident at Mocha regarding the use of an East India Company cruiser with the order not to take action unless authorised by Henry Salt, Consul General at Cairo
• The Resident at Mocha’s and the Consul General at Cairo's differing views on how to settle the dispute
• The Pacha [ Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. ] of Egypt's offer to write to the Imaum of Senna [Imam of Ṣanʻā', Yemen] on behalf of the Company and the Pacha's general concerns regarding the weaknesses of the Imaum's government
• The Resident at Mocha’s unauthorised action of requesting Captain Bremer to bring his squadron to Mocha and the Company’s concerns that this move may have caused the Pacha of Egypt and the Turkish Government to suspect that the Company is attempting to widen its influence in the Red Sea
• The death of a Turkish soldier as a result of an affray between ‘some of the Factory’ at Mocha and a group of Turkish soldiers, and the Company’s wishes to stress that this incident was unconnected to the presence of the squadron at Mocha
• The successful settlement of the dispute due to the actions of the Resident at Mocha.

The correspondence consists mainly of letters between the Resident at Mocha and William Newnham, Chief Secretary 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 other correspondents are: 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 Court of Directors The London-based directors of the East India Company who dealt with the daily conduct of the Company's affairs. ; the Agent at Surat; the Secretary 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 Secretary of the Supreme Government at Fort William; Syed Abdulla [Sayyid ‘Abdullāh, of Mocha]; Imaum H Mehdee [Al-Qasimi, Mahdi Abdullah, Imam of Yemen]; Henry Salt, Consul General at Cairo; Stratford Canning, Ambassador to Constantinople; Admiral William Hall Gage; Captain Bremer; Captain 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. at Bussora [Basra].

The item also contains a table of contents noting the page number, date, author and recipient of each letter (f 195 recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. ) as well as a copy of the petition against the Dola of Mocha made by the Surat merchants (ff 203 recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. – 206 verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. ).

The bulk of the item dates from the years 1826 and 1827.

The title page of the item contains the following references: 'P.C. 681, Draft 367, 1829/30', ‘Collection No. 9’ and 'Examiner's Office 1829'.

Extent and format

1 item (77 folios)

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at 194, and terminates at 270, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.

Written in

English in Latin script

Type

Archival item

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/F/4/1148/30305

History of this record

Date(s)

29 Feb 1823-24 May 1828 (CE, Gregorian)

Subjects

Trade disputesMerchants

Places

Mocha

People & organisations

HM Ambassador to EgyptImam of YemenGovernment of Bombay, Chief SecretaryResident

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Cite this record in your research

‘Unfriendly conduct of the Dola of Mocha towards the Surat Merchants’, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/F/4/1148/30305, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000001779.0x0002ea> [accessed 12 July 2026]

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