'Précis of correspondence regarding the affairs of the Persian Gulf, 1801-1853' [‎53v] (106/344)

Part IV—3hap. XXIV.
86
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accredited as the Representative of the British Government, and exercises his functions in
direct communication with the supreme local Government of the country. At Bushire, the
Resident although vested with the charge of some political duties and therefore in as far those
duties are concerned he may be considered to represent the Government to which he belongs,
yet he cannot be deemed to hold in his own person that full and regular representation which
is the characteristic of the office of Resident at Bagdad and at the Foreign Courts of India.
His situation approximates rather to that of a Consul with the superadded authority of
occasionally exercising some political duties connected either with our interests and concerns in
Persia or those at Muscat and in the Gulph.
• m •
5. Adverting therefore to the subordinate character of 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. at Bushire, and to
the very limited duties attached to it compared with those which are attached to the Residencies
at Foreign Courts, we were far from extending to suggest either the selection of an officer for
that situation of a superior to that of the actual incumbent, or the grant of allowances so
considerable as those which you propose to assign to the Resident.
6. The observations contained in our letter of the 3rd of April had especial reference to
the continuance of Lieutenant Bruce in the discharge of the duties of Resident at Bushire
because we neither contemplate such an elevation of the character and functions of that
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. as would require the selection of an officer from the higher rank of the service, nor
had any reason to consider Lieutenant Bruce unqualitied for duties even of a much superior
stamp to those which under present circumstances appeared to us to belong to the office. On
the contrary., so long as Lieutenant Bruce has been subject to the direct authority of this
Government, he has manifested not only the qualities of distinguished zeal, integrity and
assiduity, but a considerable degree of ability and address during those periods of time in .
which the duties of 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. have devolved upon him in the absence of the Resident and
occasionally under circumstances of much difficulty, delicacy and responsibility. He possesses
moreover the peculiar advantages of long local experience and of intimate acquaintance with v
the language, habits and temper of the people among whom he has for so many years resided
and by whom we understand he is greatly esteemed and respected.
7. We contemplated as a peculiar advantage of Mr. Bruce's confirmation in the office, that
it conceded with those maxims of economy which we are anxious to observe on all occasions
since the appointment of an officer of the rank of a Civil Servant would require that, according
to the principles suggested in our letter, a scale of allowances should be fixed, far superior to
that which under the operation of the same principles would otherwise be necessary. You will
have observed indeed that even Lieutenant Bruce's solicitation extended no further than to an
addition of 1,200 rapees per mensem for establishment and table expenses, making with the
salary of Resident on its original footing, the monthly sum of 1,600 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. , whereas the
allowances proposed on the plan of appointing a Civil Servant 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. of Bushire
amounts to 3,450 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. .
8. For the reasons already mentioned we further deem it our duty to express some observ
ations on the comparative statement contained in the 8th paragraph of your despatch which
exhibits a difference in favour of 1,720 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. per mensem.
9. We are disposed to think that the establishment both of Bushire and Muscat, the
former on the scale of the allowances granted to Mr. Smith, and the latter on that which was
authorized by the Hon^ble Court of Directors The London-based directors of the East India Company who dealt with the daily conduct of the Company's affairs. , cannot be considered to be the charges
superseded by the proposed arrangement. In point of fact neither of those charges has
existed for a long period of time, and by the arrangement last formed by the authority of this
Government the duties of 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. at Muscat were transferred 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. at
Bushire without any intention of reverting the former. The true point of comparison therefore
appear to us to be, between the scale of allowances granted to Mr. Smith and that which you
propose to assign to the Civil Servant who may be appointed Resident at Bushire, and it will
be found on this comparison that the latter exceeds the former in the sUm of 250 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. per
mensem—
Rs. Rs.
Mr. Smith's salary .......... 1 ,500
Contingencies, etc. 1,200 2,700
Salary now proposed .......... 1,500
House renr, diet and table 800
Establishment of servants, etc. ........ 500
Contingencies ........... 150 2,950
Difference against the proposed plan ....*.. 250
10. We may be permitted to refer to the view which we took of this branch of the
subject in order to shew that we could not have contemplated an application of our priuciples
so extensive as that which you have ascribed to them. We observe that the utmost extent of
the allowances which it might be judged proposed to grant to the Resident, would still leave
a considerable saving to the public in consequence of the cessation of the allowances enjoyed by
Mr. Smith. This observation would have been totally groundless if we had contemplated an
arrangement for 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. of Bushire such as you have proposed. But as we suppose the
extension of the allowances beyond what Mr. Bruce himself solicited, to be scarcely a subject
of deliberation that observation was consistent with the principles by which we desired that
the allowances of the Resident should be regulated ; since according to that view of the case
the smallest amount of saving would be 900 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. per mensem.