Despatches Relating to Expeditions to the Persian Gulph, 1819-1821 [‎97v] (199/592)

Content

The volume comprises copies and extracts of correspondence, with enclosures, relating to the Persian Gulph [ Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ] Expedition of 1819 against the Joasmees [ al-Qāsimī One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. ] at Rasul Khyma [Ra's al-Khaymah, various spellings in this volume] who the British deemed guilty of acts of ‘piracy’ in the region. The correspondence is between the Government of Bombay From c. 1668-1858, the East India Company’s administration in the city of Bombay [Mumbai] and western India. From 1858-1947, a subdivision of the British Raj. It was responsible for British relations with the Gulf and Red Sea regions. [Mumbai], at Bombay Castle, and the Court of Directors The London-based directors of the East India Company who dealt with the daily conduct of the Company's affairs. in London.

The volume broadly covers three subjects, as follows:

1. The period April 1814 to November 1819, leading up to the expedition and during which acts of ‘piracy’ were being committed in the Persian Gulph and along the coasts of Scind [Sindh] and Cutch [Kutch]. Matters covered include:

• Reports of captured trade vessels, mostly from India
• Deployment of British naval patrols and stations to protect trade between India and the Gulph
• A visit by the Resident at Bushire [Būshehr], William Bruce, to Rasul Khyma, to remonstrate with the Joasmees
• A visit by Captain Lock, Commander of the Eden , to Bahrein [Bahrain] to investigate reports of the sale of Indian and European women prisoners at the island, and a subsequent prisoner exchange.

2. The 1819 expedition. Matters covered include:

• The background to the decision to send the expedition
• Preparations for and objectives of the expedition
• The progress and eventual success of the expedition
• The signing of the 1820 General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulf An agreement made in 1820 between Britain and ten tribal rulers of the eastern Arabian coast, often seen as marking the start of 150 years of British hegemony in the region.
• Discussion of what to do with the former possessions of the Joasmees
• The establishment of a political agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. and naval station on the Island of Kishma [Qeshm].

3. Two expeditions, in 1820 and 1821, against the Beni Boo Ali [Banī Bū ‘Alī, various spellings in this volume], inhabitants of Jalan province and nominally under the authority of the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd], for alleged acts of ‘piracy’ and for the murder of a member of the Imaum’s government. Matters covered include:

• The visit of Captain W S Collinson, Commander of the cruiser Mercury , to Alashkarah [al-Ashkarah, various spellings in this volume] to remonstrate with the Beni Boo Ali in September 1820, and during which the murder of the Imaum’s government official took place
• The preparations for, progress of, and eventual failure of the first expedition in late 1820
• The preparations for, progress of, and eventual success of the second expedition in early 1821.

Other matters covered by the volume include:

• Affairs of Central Arabia, in particular those concerning the Wahabees [Wahabi] and the campaign of Ibrahim Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. against them
• British efforts to enlist Ibrahim Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. 's cooperation with the campaign against Rasul Khyma, including Captain George Sadlier’s [Sadleir] journey across Arabia in order to deliver a letter and a gift to the Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
• A visit by Captain E Pratt, Commander of the Fly , to the Curia Muria [Kuria Muria] Islands in January 1821 in search of shipwrecked ' Lascars A term used by the British officials to describe non-European sailors employed on East India Company ships. ' [non-European sailors, usually from the Indian subcontinent, in the employ of the British]
• Relations between Britain and Persia [Iran], specifically relating to Britain’s presence on the Island of Kishma.

The second part of the volume comprises the enclosures referred to in the letters of the first part. These enclosures consist of letters, reports, and extracts of Proceedings of the Government of Bombay From c. 1668-1858, the East India Company’s administration in the city of Bombay [Mumbai] and western India. From 1858-1947, a subdivision of the British Raj. It was responsible for British relations with the Gulf and Red Sea regions. . Correspondents include: Major-General Lionel Smith, Commander of the Second Expedition against the Beni Boo Ali; Lieutenant J M Guy, Commander of East India Company Cruizer Psyche ; Captain A Hardy, Commander of East India Company Cruizer Teignmouth ; Lieutenant-General Charles Colville, Commander-in-Chief, Bombay Army; Shaik Sultan Ben Suggar [Shaikh Sulṭān I bin Ṣaqr al-Qāsimī One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. , various spellings in this volume]; Shaik Zeid Ben Seif [Shaikh Zayed bin Sayf bin Mohammed al-Falahi], Acting Ruler of Debay [Dubai]; George Swinton, Acting Secretary to the Governor-General of the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. of Bengal, Fort William; Captain Thomas Perronet Thompson (and his successors (acting), Captain Charles James Maillard and Captain H R Deschamps), 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. , Kishma; Captain Price Blackwood, Commander of HM Sloop Curlew .

Extent and format

1 volume (291 folios)

Arrangement

The volume is divided into two parts. The first contains extracts of letters; the second contains the enclosures referred to in the letters of the first part. Each part begins with a list of contents (ff 3-4 and f 146, respectively), referring to the original pagination and giving details of date, sender, and recipient.

Each part is arranged in chronological order, from the front to the back.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 293; 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. The sequence contains one anomaly, f 177a.

The volume includes multiple original pagination sequences.

Written in

English in Latin script

View the complete information for this record

Share this item

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100185004127.0x000050">Despatches Relating to Expeditions to the Persian Gulph, 1819-1821 [&lrm;97v] (199/592)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100185004127.0x000050">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001251.0x00039c/IOR_G_29_39_0199.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>

Copyright: How to use this content