"ملخص لمراسلات تتعلق بشؤون الخليج الفارسي، ١٨٠١-١٨٥٣" [ظ‎‎٥‎١] (٣٤٤/١٠٢)

Part IV—Chap. XXIV. g2
CHAPTER XXIV.
MR. SMITH'S RESIGNATION—RECONSTITIJTIO^ OF THE
BLSHIRE RESIDENCY, 1811-1813.
194. In March 1811, Mr. H. Smith resigned his appointment of Resident
in the Persian Gulf.
In consequence of this resignation and the small prohahility of that station
leiug filled by any renewed nomination to it, pending the subsistence of a
national Embassy a f the Court of Persia, it was resolved by the Bombay
Government on 29th March 1811 that the sepoy guard at that station as
originally formed on its existing augmentation, at the instance of General
Malcolm, for the purposes of Mr. Smith's Political Residency, be reduced to its
former standard—for the use and protection of our Commercial Residency only.
1 he Commanding officer of the Forces and Lieutenant Bruce were advised
and instructed to cause the surplus men and officers to be returned by the earliest
opportunity that might offer to the Presidency.
195. C)n 22nd May 1811 the Bombay Government ordered that Lieutenant Poll. Dept. Diary
Bruce be informed that as the Political Residency at Bushire had been No - 374 , 0 V 811 '
abolished from the 29th of March, it was not probably expected by the pp ' 284,5— 846 '
Supreme Government that he should continue his correspondence in that
channel.
196. We have seen above how the Bombay Government resolved on 29th
March 1811 to reduce the sepoy guard at Bushire, as there was little prospect
after Mr. Smith's resignation of any renewed nomination to the Residency
there, pending the subsistence of the mission to the Court of Persia. On the
22nd May they informed Lieutenant Bruce that as the Political Residency at
Bushire had been abolished from the 29th March, he was not probably expected
by the Supreme Government that he should continue his correspondence
in that channel.
197. General Malcolm returned from his mission to Persia in July 1811
(vide para. 49 ante), as the Home Government had determined to depute Sir Gore
Ousley as an envoy of His Majesty the King, and thus to entirely take the manage
ment of the Persian affairs in their own hands, the Bombay Government in the
circumstances considered that there was no necessity to maintain a full paid
Resident at Bushire. As it was however thought necessary to maintain a
representative at that post for the preservation of the East India Company's
political privileges inclusive of the right to hoist the British flaij and for the
eventual purpose of making occasional purchases of the products of Persia,
Mr. Bruce was ordered to remain in temporary charge of the station on his
personal allowance (Bombay Government Resolution dated 2nd July 1811).
198. The correspondence and discussion that follows is so interesting and
important that it is brought out in extenso below :—
No. 385, dated Fort William, the 3rd April 1812.
From— Lord Minto , Governor-General and Council,
To—The Hon'ble Geceqe Beown , Esq., President and Governor in Council, Bombay.
Having taken into our consideration the question relative to the Residency at Bushire which
formed a subject of correspondence between the two Presidencies in the months of May, June
and July last year and the decision of which was suspended on account of the absence of the
Governor-General from the Presidency, we have now the honour to communicate to you the
result of our deliberation on that subject.
2. Adverting to the Resolutions adopted by Your Hon'ble Board on the 2nd July 1811,
a copy of which was transmitted to this Presidency in a letter from your Chief Secretary'
dated the 15th of that month, with an intimation that those Resolutions' of course lay open
to such amendment as the supreme authority in India might prescribp, we have the honour
to state that we entirely concur in the principle of the arrangement therein described intending
Poll. Dept Diary
No. H85 of 1812,
pp. 852-858.