Persian Gulf Affairs: Incident at Bushire [Būshehr] and Egyptian Manoeuvres Regarding the Island of Bahrein [Bahrain]

Content

Copies of correspondence and papers relating to the relocation of the British 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 Bushire [Būshehr] to the island of Karrack [Khark, also known as Kharg] at the end of March 1839, and the events leading up to it, including:

• Deterioration of the Political Resident’s relations with Mirza Assad, Governor of Bushire, over: the latter’s alleged attempts to cut off communication between 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. and the anchored British vessels of war; the ‘unfriendly and insulting’ behaviour towards Rear Admiral Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland, commanding HMS flagship Wellesley ; and Mirza Assad’s construction of a tower in the landing place adjacent 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. hitherto used by British ships
• Accounts, by the Resident, Admiral Maitland, and Commodore George Barnes Brucks, Commanding the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , of the occurrences that took place between 22-29 March 1839, including the fracas on 25 March when shots were fired and a hostile crowd attacked the Admiral with stones (ff 148-158, 174-184, 209-215)
• Roles of Bakir Khan, Chief of Tungestan [Baqir Khan Tangistani, Chief of Tangistan], the merchants and moollahs [mullahs] of Bushire, and Sheikh Hussain the Cazee [Shaikh Husayn, Qazi of Bushehr], in relation to the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency.
• Role of the Indian Navy in escorting the Resident and guarding 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. buildings following the decampment to Karrack, notably reports of Captain John Croft Hawkins, Commander of the EIC Company Sloop of War the Clive , on his negotiations with the Governor of Bushire and the Chief of Tungestan
• Communications with the Firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). Firma, Prince Governor A Prince of the Royal line who also acted as Governor of a large Iranian province during the Qājār period (1794-1925). of Fars, Prince at Shiraz [Fereydūn Mīrzā A title of honour originally applied to princes, later to military leaders, and later still to secretaries, chieftains, and other ‘gentlemen’. , Farmanfarma, Prince Governor A Prince of the Royal line who also acted as Governor of a large Iranian province during the Qājār period (1794-1925). of Fars]
• Approbation of the Government of India for the Resident’s actions.

Also included are copies of correspondence and papers relating to British policy towards HE Khorshid Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. [Khūrshīd Pāshā], Commander of Egyptian Forces in Nedgd [Najd, also known as Nejd] with regard to the latter’s purported aggressive intentions against the island of Bahreen [Bahrain, also spelled Bahrein in this volume] and in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . The papers chiefly concern the appointment of Captain Henry Smith, commanding HMS Volage , as both a messenger to Admiral Maitland and potential commander of British vessels of war in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. that could be sent to deter Khorshid Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. (ff 187-207).

The principal correspondents are: Captain Samuel Hennell, Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. , Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; Captain Hawkins; Commodore Brucks; John Pollard Willoughby, Secretary to the Government, Bombay [Mumbai]; Rear Admiral Maitland; and Captain Smith.

Extent and format

1 item (73 folios)

It is part of

'ENCLOSURES TO SECRET LETTERS FROM BOMBAY', Vol 13

1294 images

Ref: IOR/L/PS/5/375

Arrangement

The papers are not in chronological order.

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/L/PS/5/375, ff 143-216

History of this record

Date(s)

Mar 1839-Apr 1839 (CE, Gregorian)

Related material

Related primary sources

A printed summary of the Bushire [Būshehr] incident and Bahrein [Bahrain] events can be found in IOR/L/PS/20/C248C, ff 151-152, and IOR/L/PS/20/C91/1, f 625.

Subjects

Political conflictsAnti-colonialism

Places

BahrainKhargBushire

People & organisations

Political ResidentGovernor of BushireRoyal Navy, Commander-in-Chief, East Indies and China StationGovernment of BombayCommander-in-Chief of Egyptian Forces in Central ArabiaWellesley

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Persian Gulf Affairs: Incident at Bushire [Būshehr] and Egyptian Manoeuvres Regarding the Island of Bahrein [Bahrain], British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/5/375, ff 143-216, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100110385087.0x000003> [accessed 16 July 2026]

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