![An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman [‎533v] (1088/1291)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000323.0x0002bc/Mss Eur D922_1_1088.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman [‎533v] (1088/1291)")
An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman [533v] (1088/1291)
The record is made up of 2 files (630 folios). It was created in 1898-1914. It was written in English and Persian. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
A, •?*. ,
enormous amount of friction and annoyance tout al&o a feu^e
waste of time; it is sometimes 10.30 or evn 11/toefore I get
toack from my rounds.
Of course y u will say that it would toe "best to dismiss
the whole crowd'and tart fresh, tout this is very doutotful.
You will find no honest Persian unless one who is too imtoecil:
to steal and if a Persian is so stupid as not to toe atole to
steal you make take your oath he isn’t much use for anything
else. ' And you would only exchange the one set of over
vrhom you have established a certain 'moral bulge* for another
set still to toe broken in !
I think they have begun to learn that we at least Intend to
toe obeyed. ¥e have been waging war on them about peeping their
clothes a little decent. Persians love new clothes tout they
t ke no care of them at all, they sit down on the floor and rub
their backs against the white walls in their best as in their
everyday clothes. Lock gave the whole lot nice new dark out
fits at Christmas — they looked like a gang of ragged beggars
before— with the recommendation that the new suits should not
toe worn all day and everyday tout kept for afternoons and show,
uhammad, however, would come into the charcoal store and start
shovelling charcoal in his. Twice I sent him out to take it off
and warned him that if I caught him there again in it I should
confiscate the suit. After about a week there I find him one f
fine morUilng shovelling away, I suppose it didn’t occur to him
that I really would toe such a cad as to take it back. Anyhow
it was a very chastened and surprised Huh mmad who laid the new
suit well“torushed and nicely folded as per instructions, down int
the study next day, I made the occasion the text from wglch
to preach to the rest, arguing that as I did not myself go to
the store-rooms in my Sunday gear there was no reason why they
should be too proud and too lazy to change their clothes, and
that I should not heslt te to confiscate the whole collection
if they would not take care. I should not wonder if I had
the whole row of new suits in the study before long. TThen I cat
Baby rubbing himself up against walls in his, I take him out
and bang him clean again with all^mlght !! I wish I could bang
the others too. You know it woUldnTt do to toe a slave-owner
I am perfectly sure when one’s blood got up that ohe would be
capable of doing atrocious things. Yet as a matter of fact
nothing tout a good flogging now and then would have the least
effect on these people, and I hould thoroughly enjoy giving it
to them I
Lock has heard from Tehran that his long despatch anent
our Swiss friend Bruggmann and his misdolngd has come to hand
and representations have been made to the German Minister who
in turn intends to ask his firm to remove him to another shpere.
Ke has been lying very low of late and may have learnt a lesson
hlch will stand him in jood stead in the other place. Lock say.
he is a man of some ability and an exce llent man of business
in ways where his tenroer and general standard of conduct do not
come in.
About this item
- Content
This file consists of two separate physical files as follows:
1) An account of a journey in Kashmir in 1898-99 written by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer of the Indian Army. His account is entitled 'Three Months of Privilege Leave'. It contains his observations on the languages, peoples, transport, flora and fauna, trade and climate of the region. There are occasional edits and corrections to the original text marked in red pen. The Persian language material in the file is a proverb written on folio 194.
In addition to this travel diary, the following is enclosed: an essay by Lorimer entitled 'Modern Education' dated 9 February 1895 (folios 1-24); two copies of a pamphlet that was published 'for private circulation' in memory of David's brother, John Gordon Lorimer, following his death on 8 February 1914 (folios 255-262); and another essay by Lorimer entitled 'Our Indian N.W. Frontier - a study in a bye-gone Civilisation. A forgotten Chapter of Frontier History' (folios 221-253).
2) Copies of letters that were sent from Emily Overend Lorimer to her parents, Thomas George Overend and Hannah Kingsbury. The letters describe the lives of Emily and her husband, David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer (referred to as 'Lock' in the letters), while living in Bahrain from October 1911 until November 1912 (folios 263-310) and in Kerman from January 1913 until November 1914 (folios 313-634). David served as 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. in Bahrain 1911-12 and as HM Consul, Kerman and Persian Baluchistan, 1913-14.
The letters discuss a range of topics including Lorimer's observations of local customs, food, climate, scenery and festivals; the couple's domestic life and arrangements (especially their servants, who are often discussed in racialised, insulting language); and her interactions with other non-local residents. Also discussed are Lorimer's reading habits, her and her husband's health, family news and, occasionally, world events and political developments.
On folios 322-324, the file contains a description of a walk around Kerman in March 1914 that is accompanied by a sequence of six small black and white photographs of various points in the journey (folios 315-321).
In addition to these letters, the file also contains a number obituaries and letters of condolence written upon the death of David's brother, John Gordon Lorimer, on 8 February 1914 (folios 299-302, 415-416 and 543-544).
On folio 417, the file contains an obituary of David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer published in an unknown newspaper following his death on 26 February 1962.
- Extent and format
- 2 files (630 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: this file consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the front cover of volume one (ff 1-262) and terminates at the inside back cover of volume two (ff 263-634); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English and Persian in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman [533v] (1088/1291), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur D922/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100179946971.0x000023> [accessed 17 July 2026]
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- Reference
- Mss Eur D922/1
- Title
- An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman
- Pages
- 263r:298v, 303r:306v, 309r:391v, 393r:411v, 418r:542v, 545r:634v
- Author
- Lorimer, Emily Martha
- Copyright
- ©Munro Family
- Usage terms
- Creative Commons Attribution Licence