‘Egyptian Mission. Visit of Beghet Aga Effendi on a Mission from the Vice Roy -Further proceedings reported-’

Content

The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence, minutes, and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, a Political Letter from 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. to the East India Company Court of Directors The London-based directors of the East India Company who dealt with the daily conduct of the Company's affairs. , dated 30 August 1853, and found at IOR/F/4/2536/147461. It is the third in a series of seven items about the 'slave trade' [trade in enslaved people].

The item concerns a recent visit to Bombay [Mumbai], Muscat and Bahrein [Bahrain] by Bihjut Effendi [Bahjat Āghā Effendī], an agent of Abbas Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. [‘Abbās Ḥilmī Pāshā I], Viceroy of Egypt. In particular, the item relates to:

• Arrangements made for the transport of Bihjut Effendi from Aden to Bombay
• Assistance provided to Bihjut Effendi by 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. , including the chartering of a ship, the Bombay , from the Bombay Steam Navigation Company, and a loan of 25,000 dollars
• Arrangements for the payments to the Bombay Steam Navigation Company and for the repayment of the loan by Bihjut Effendi
• Assistance provided to Murad Bey [Murād Beg] during his visit to Bombay to purchase horses
• Reports by Khoja Hiskel bin Yusoof [Khawājah Ḥizqīl bin Yūsuf], Acting Native Agent Non-British agents affiliated with the British Government. at Muscat, and by Hajee Jassem [Ḥājjī Jāsim], Native Agent Non-British agents affiliated with the British Government. at Bahrein, on Bihjut Effendi's activities during his visits to those places, including the purchase of horses
• Reports that the women described in passenger lists as being part of Bihjut Effendi's entourage were actually enslaved women offered to Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa [Shaikh Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah], Sheikh of Bahrein, as 'gifts'
• Concern expressed by Arnold Burrowes Kemball, Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , that this activity may be seen to have been condoned by the British and the potential political implications of this given their public stance against the 'slave trade'
• Further concern expressed by Kemball that Sheikh Mahomed ben Khuleefa is attempting to approach Abbas Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. for assistance against Ben Saood [Amīr Fayṣal bin Turkī bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Sa‘ūd, also rendered in text as Ameer Fysul] and the implications of Turkish [Ottoman] intervention in Bahrein affairs
• General updates from Khoja Hiskel bin Yusoof about activity at Muscat.

The item also includes 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. 's instructions to forward copies of correspondence on the above subjects to Charles Augustus Murray, HM Consul-General in Egypt, and to the Government of India.

Principal correspondents include: Murray; Kemball; Abbas Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. ; Bihjut Effendi; Khoja Hiskel bin Yusoof; Hajee Jassem; Luis Caetano de Menezes, Acting Manager of the Bombay Steam Navigation Company; and 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. .

There are multiple spellings for multiple individuals in the item, particularly for Bihjut Effendi, whose name is often rendered including the name Aga [Āghā].

The title page of the item contains the following references: 'Bombay Political Department', Draft Number '161 1854', 'Collection', 'Vol: 3', and 'Examiner's Office'. Originally, the Collection was described as 'No. 1 of No. 85 of 1853' but this has been crossed out.

Extent and format

1 item (51 folios)

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the item. The item also contains a table of contents (ff 779-782), noting ‘No’, ‘From’, ‘To’, ‘Subject’, ‘Date and No. of Docu[men]t’ and ‘Date and No. of Consul[tation]’.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 778, and terminates at f 828, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Pagination: the item also contains an original pagination sequence.

Written in

English in Latin script

Type

Archival item

Access & Reference

Original held at

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.

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

IOR/F/4/2536/147463

History of this record

Date(s)

1 May 1853-Sep 1853 (CE, Gregorian)

Subjects

Horse tradingPolitical affairsVisits

Places

BahreinMuscat

People & organisations

Government of BombayNative AgentNative Agent

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‘Egyptian Mission. Visit of Beghet Aga Effendi on a Mission from the Vice Roy -Further proceedings reported-’, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/F/4/2536/147463, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100108815180.0x000001> [accessed 5 July 2024]

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