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Letter No.596 of 1870 from Colonel Sir William Lockyer Merewether, The Commissioner in Sind, Commissioner's Office, Kurrachee [Karāchi] to His Excellency the Right Honorable Sir William Robert Seymour Vesey Fitzgerald, Governor and President in Council, Bombay [‎138r] (27/34)

The record is made up of 17 folios. It was created in 15 Sep 1870. It was written in English. The original is part of the 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. .

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. I2S
( 25 )
51, In your lifcli para, jour remark that the
Khan might well appeal, if he understood that,
contrary to the repeated orders of Goveruraent,
I interfered to coerce him in matters so nearlv
concerning himself and the Government of
his country, as the settlement of questions be
tween himself and his rebellious subjects ; and
again, that you " regret to have to observe that
" a very serious and most undesireable change
" has taken place in the action from and mode
of procedure at Jacobabad, which the Khan
" has not merited, and which cannot be per-
" mitted to continue."
52. The course referred to by me was
Colonel Phayre's persistent antagonism to the
Khan in all he has adduced during the past
year, and now this has taken a more direct
form, not to the Khan exactly, bat to the
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 his Court, in unnecessarily
limiting that Officer's powers.
52. In the first place I have already point
ed out most clearly that I have not interfered
to coerce the Khan contrary to the orders of
Government. What I did attempt, was in car
rying out Sir Henry Green's arrangement, con
curred in by the Khan himself and approved
by Government, that the Sirdars Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. should bo
a forgiven and return to their homes." Indeed,
no case of absolute and practical interference
has taken place since I came to the Frontier,
except that of Captain Harrison in the Kum-
mal Khan estate dispute, between the Khan and
the Jam of X*us Beyla—vide paras. 30 and 31,
above.
53. The undesirable chanfje is the view
Colonel Phayre takes of our relations with the
Khelat Government. He cannot suppose for a
moment that the ideas he holds are not known
to those about him, and quickly spread far and
wide. Even if they were not r the manner in
which he allowed the Belooch Chief to ask his
(Colonel Phayre's) permission to address the
Khan, thus ignoring the latter, and putting
Colonel Phayre as his governing authority, was
quite sufficient of itself to show every one that
His Highness the Khan was differently esteem
ed at Jacobabad from what he used to be.
53. Then as to the serious and undesireable
change now at Jacobabad from what it was.
This is a point that I can enter upon with plea
sure, no matter what branch of the Frontier ad
ministration be referred to.
54. The first part of this para. I hold to be
most unbecoming, and disrespectful. Any re
marks I have felt compelled to make on Co
lonel Phayre's proceedings can in no way be
deemed attacks, but an expression of my opinion
on matters emanating from him, which do
54. This however is a very serious matter, as
reflecting highly upon my character as a public
servant; and as I am entirely upon my defence
in this matter, and have controlled the feelings
3 o
of honest indignation which I have felt at your
series of attacks, I will say no more at present than

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Letter enclosing a letter from Colonel Robert Phayre which Merewether feels is exceedingly improper and disrespectful in its tone and that he has felt it necessary to add remarks to the letter to demonstrate the Colonel's continued misunderstanding of the situation and the different documents he has quoted from.

Enclosed with the letter is No.1260 of 1870 from Colonel Phayre, to Colonel Merewether, 3 September 1870, in which the Colonel defends his position and his attitudes towards Khelat [Kalāt] and Captain Charles Henry Harrison (The 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 Khelat) including giving his understanding of the history of Khelat and how that applied to the present situation. Alongside each paragraph is a counter-explanation from Colonel Merewether, most of which either give fuller explanations of the correspondence cited or highlight areas where the Colonel has made assumptions and suppositions without having any evidence to support them.

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17 folios
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English in Latin script
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Letter No.596 of 1870 from Colonel Sir William Lockyer Merewether, The Commissioner in Sind, Commissioner's Office, Kurrachee [Karāchi] to His Excellency the Right Honorable Sir William Robert Seymour Vesey Fitzgerald, Governor and President in Council, Bombay [‎138r] (27/34), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F126/22, ff 125-141, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100024195160.0x00004a> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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