"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٢‎٠‎٢] (١٧٨٢/١٣٥٧)

1202
Baghdad. In 1752 the effects of Sulaiman Pasha J s administration be^an
to be perceptible in the greater security which prevailed around Basrah,
and the British Resident was able to report: " For some time past this
" country has been in perfect tranquillity ; the Arabs kept under due
" restraint; grain of all kinds been very cheap ; the merchants of the
c< city unmolested, and the place in general in a more quiet state than for
'■ many years before.''''
British political and general relations with Turkish 'Iraq, 1730-54.
British political relations with Turkish ''Iraq still consisted solely in
the dealings of the East India Company's servants with the local
government.
Reference has already been made to the difficulties in which the British
were involved at Basrah, about 1735, in consequence of hostilities there
between the Persians and the Turks, and to the concessions which it was
found necessary to make in the matter to Nadir Shah ; but the British
Besident at Basrah was not withdrawn, as had at one time been
intended, for the purpose of convincing the Persians that the British had
no leaning towards the Turks; and the Agent at Bandar 'Abbas, who
had been invested at the end of 1735 with discretion to prevent ships
under the Company's protection from visiting Basrah, found no occasion
to exercise his powers.
In March 1/ i_G Mr. Irench, the British Resident, had lately returned
to Basrah from Baghdad; the object of his journey to the capital, which
htems to ha\e been undertaken on his own responsibility, was to obtain
redress from the Pasha for misbehaviour on the part of the Mutasallim
of Basrah j and in this he was entirely successful.
In 1738 Mr. Dorrill, the Assistant to the Resident at Basrah, was
sent by Mr. Whit well, the Resident, to wait on Ahmad Pasha at Baghdad
with a present and solicit his aid in recovering debts due, especially from
Bedouins, to the estate of Mr. French, who had died in the preceding
year. Mr. Dorrill had visited Baghdad in 1737 also. After 20,000
« Telotas " * had been recovered in barley, dates and wheat, the Pasha
recalled the Agha whom he had sent to Basrah to manage the business;
and, as it was seen that nothing further could be expected without more
payments, Mr. Dorrill was ordered to return to Basrah. The cost of
Mr. Dorrill s mission was charged to Mr. French's estate, of which
30,000 Telotas remained unrecovered.
Difficalties at
bmtah,
1735.
Reiident's
journey to
Baghdad,
1785.26.
Journeyi of
the AssistaDt
to the Resi
dent to Bagh-
dftd, 1737-38
* The value of this coin is not stated.