‘Mocha. Acts of oppression on the part of the authorities at – towards the merchants trading under the British flag to that port.’

Content

This item consists of copies of correspondence, minutes and consultations cited in, or enclosed with, letters 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. [Mumbai].

The item concerns complaints of unfair treatment by British subjects trading in Mocha, and in particular the efforts of Stafford Bettesworth Haines, Commander of HMS Palinurus , to seek redress on behalf of these merchants. It includes:

• A petition from a group of Surat merchants complaining of additional fees being charged at Mocha, something they claim is at odds with an earlier agreement
• The investigations of Haines into the duties being charged on goods traded by British subjects in Mocha
• The alleged interference of the Mocha authorities in the trade in certain goods, in particular coffee, to the detriment of British subjects
• Accusations of damage caused to goods while being held in the Custom House in Mocha
• The correspondence of Haines with Ibrahim Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. [Ibrahim Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. Kavali], Commander in Chief of the Egyptian Army in Yemen, and Solyman Aga [Sulaymān Āghā], Governor [Dola] of Mocha, regarding the above complaints
• The representation made by Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Campbell, Consul General in Egypt, to Mehemit Ali [Muḥammad 'Alī Pāshā al-Mas'ūd bin Āghā], Viceroy of Egypt [Wali of Egypt and Sudan].

As well as the above, correspondents include: Meeya Shaik Tyeb Ebrahimjee [ Mīrzā A title of honour originally applied to princes, later to military leaders, and later still to secretaries, chieftains, and other ‘gentlemen’. Shaikh Ṭayyib Ibrāhīmjī], Native Agent Non-British agents affiliated with the British Government. at Mocha; Sir Charles Malcolm, Superintendent of the Indian Navy; Sir Robert Grant, Governor of Bombay; and John Pollard Willoughby, Secretary to Government, Bombay.

The item contains a table of contents (ff 400r-401v), and the title page (f 399) contains the following references: ‘P C [Previous Communication] 2196, No. 7, Draft 573-1838, Collection No. 6 of No. 32’ and ‘Examiner’s Office’.

Extent and format

1 item (27 folios)

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the item.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 399 and terminates at f 425, 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 volume also contains an original 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/4/1699/68469

History of this record

Date(s)

30 Apr 1836-30 Jun 1837 (CE, Gregorian)

Related material

Related primary sources

Bom Pol 29 Aug 1838, draft 513/1838, IOR/E/4/1063 pp 432-33. See also IOR/F/4/1632/65396

Subjects

Coffee tradeCustoms dutyTrade disputes

Places

Mocha

People & organisations

Native AgentGovernor of MochaCommander of HMS PalinurusGovernment of BombayWāli of Egypt and SudanHM Ambassador to EgyptSuperintendent of the Indian NavyIbrāhīm Kavali

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‘Mocha. Acts of oppression on the part of the authorities at – towards the merchants trading under the British flag to that port.’, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/F/4/1699/68469, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000001865.0x0001a6> [accessed 24 July 2026]

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