Copy of a Letter from the East India Company Envoy to Persia, Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonald Kinneir, in Bombay, to the Chief Secretary to the Supreme Government of India, George Swinton

Content

Copy of a letter from the East India Company Envoy to Persia [Iran], Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonald Kinneir, in Bombay [Mumbai], to the Chief Secretary to the Supreme Government of India, George Swinton, of 22 February 1825. In the letter Macdonald Kinneir details:

• The history of Russo-Persian relations and conflicts in the Caucasus
• The expansion of Russian influence in the regions between Russia and India and the potential threat this poses to British possessions in India
• The weakness of the position of the Prince Royal, Abbas Meerza [Crown Prince of Persia, 'Abbās Mīrzā Qājār], and the possibility of conflict for the succession to the throne of Persia.

On the basis of these observations, Macdonald Kinneir makes recommendations for the British to work to oppose both further Russian territorial expansion and the spread of Russian influence in Persia.

This document was originally enclosed in the letter of HM Chargé d'Affaires to Persia, Henry Willock, to the Secret Committee Pre-1784, the Committee responsible for protecting East India Company shipping. Post-1784, its main role was to transmit communications between the Board of Control and the Company's Indian governments on matters requiring secrecy. of the East India Company of 3 July 1825 (IOR/L/PS/9/70/20).

Extent and format

1 item (18 folios)

Written in

English in Latin script

Type

Letter

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/L/PS/9/70/22

History of this record

Date(s)

22 Feb 1825 (CE, Gregorian)

Subjects

Imperial rivalryKings and rulers--SuccessionImperialismDiplomacy

People & organisations

East India Company Envoy to PersiaGovernment of Bengal, Chief Secretary

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Copy of a Letter from the East India Company Envoy to Persia, Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonald Kinneir, in Bombay, to the Chief Secretary to the Supreme Government of India, George Swinton, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/9/70/22, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100038378586.0x0002a5> [accessed 9 August 2026]

Link to this record

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