'Precis Containing Information in regard to the First Connection of the Hon'ble East India Company with Turkish Arabia, as far as the Same Can Be Traced from the Records of the Bombay Government, together with the Names of the Several British Residents and Political Agents Who Have Been Stationed at Bagdad [Baghdad] and Bussorah [Basra] between A.D. 1646 and 1846, accompanied by Other Information' [‎70v] (142/226)

110 PRECIS OF INFORMATION REGARDING CONNECTION OF E. I. COMPY.
consider as my duty to the Bey's (Mr. Rich's) own person; such are my sentiments
for him, that I cannot do him too much honor. I consider him as a member of my
own family, and would not show even an Ambassador Extraordinary attention which
he had not received."
244. In a letter dated the 5th July 1819 Mr. Rich gave the
following character of the Pacha, and information in regard to the then
condition of 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. :—
" The affairs of this Government are I am sorry to report, rapidly falling into a state of
confusion, partly no doubt from the unavoidable pressure of circumstances, but princi
pally from the imprudence and want of integrity of the Pacha and his Minister. The
times are certainly replete with difficulties, but His Highness, instead of exerting his
own powers and meeting them with steady and well combined measures, although
conscious of being surrounded by servants who are neither able nor honest, gives up his
own judgment to any one who will save him the trouble of thinking, satisfies himself
with temporary expedients, shuts his eyes to the exactions and violence of his Mame
lukes, and seems solely intent on the hasty acquisition of money by any means. It
will readily be conceived that the evil consequences of such conduct will equally affect
both the internal and external relations of the (Government. The domestic state of this
country is in an equally bad condition with its foreign politics. In the city all business
is at a stand. The Police is almost null and void but the evil disposed feel confidence.
In the country the exactions and tyrannies exercised by the subordinate officers of
Government on the peasantry and inoffensive pastoral tribes are without a parallel even
in the annals of this wretched Government. The outlaw, Saeed Saleh, at the head of a
desperate gang of ruffians ravages the district of Mendeli. The Mardin desert has
become impassable, except by an army, from the incursions of the mountaineers of
Sinjar, who infest it in parties of several hundreds, and have entirely cut off more
than one caravan. Among the severe losses sustained by the merchants from these
depredations, I have to regret that of a Tartar, who was plundered of despatches he
was bringing to 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. from the Hon'ble Company's Agent at Constanti
nople. I have taken all the measures necessary on this occasion to procure the
recovery of the papers, should they not have been destroyed by the banditti, of which
I fear there is but small chance."
245. In a letter dated the 12th August 1820, Captain Taylor,
Assistant in charge 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. at Bussorah, reported that on the
16th of the preceding month a party of Najedah Arabs had entered
that town and attempted to gain possession of the serai, but had failed
in consequence of the defence made by the Mussaleem During the eighteenth century this was the third most powerful official in Ottoman Iraq (after the Pasha and the Kiya). The title was given specifically to the Governor of Basra. . The Arabs being
baffled in this attempt, then murdered a number of the inhabitants, and
plundered the town of Bussorah, and encountering on their retreat a
small party of Beloochees advancing to the relief of the serai, they
seized and put to death Iskandar Aga, the Commander, and two of his
relations. The reason assigned by the assistants for this attack was a
previous affray between some of their party and the Mussaleem During the eighteenth century this was the third most powerful official in Ottoman Iraq (after the Pasha and the Kiya). The title was given specifically to the Governor of Basra. 's guard,
in which the former alleged that two of their clan had been killed.
Captain Taylor, however, stated that this attack had been instigated by
some of the principal Najedah merchants, who were dissatisfied with a
recent order of the Bagdad Government in a case respecting the restitu
tion of some landed property, and that they thought that this order
might be averted by this display of their strength and influence. On
receipt of this information Captain Taylor was directed by this Govern
ment to observe the strictest neutrality in these differences between the
Najedah Arab and the Turks, and not to comply with the demand which
had been preferred to him by the Mussaleem During the eighteenth century this was the third most powerful official in Ottoman Iraq (after the Pasha and the Kiya). The title was given specifically to the Governor of Basra. for the surrender of certain
property belonging to some of the Najedah merchants then on board
some British vessels laying in the Bussorah River. Captain Taylor was
further directed not to extend his protection to the Agents of any British