Letters from Tehran, Turkish Arabia, and the Persian Gulf

Content

This part of the volume consists of enclosures to a despatch 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. Secret Department to the Secret Committee Pre-1784, the Committee responsible for protecting East India Company shipping. Post-1784, its main role was to transmit communications between the Board of Control and the Company's Indian governments on matters requiring secrecy. , Number 113 of 1842, dated 15 October 1842.

The enclosures are dated 16 August to 10 September 1842, and consist of copies of the following correspondence:

• Copies of despatches from HM Chargé d’affaires at Tehran (Lieutenant Colonel Justin Sheil) to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Earl of Aberdeen) concerning Persia [Iran], Afghanistan and Herat, including reports of the build-up of Turkish [Ottoman] troops on the Turkish border with Persia. The despatches include: enclosed letters from correspondents including Meerza Abul Hassan Khan [ Mīrzā A title of honour originally applied to princes, later to military leaders, and later still to secretaries, chieftains, and other ‘gentlemen’. Abū al-Ḥasan Khān Shīrāzī, Īlchī Kabīr], Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs; a copy of a firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). [order or edict] from the Khan of Khiva; and a letter in French from the French Consul General at Baghdad
• Letters from the 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. in Turkish Arabia A term used by the British officials to describe the territory roughly corresponding to, but not coextensive with, modern-day Iraq under the control of the Ottoman Empire. [Iraq] (Lieutenant Colonel Robert Taylor) to the Secretary to the Government of India, forwarding copies of correspondence, mainly between Taylor and Sheil, relating to impending hostilities between Turkey [the Ottoman Empire] and Persia
• Letters from the Officiating Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Lieutenant Colonel Henry Dundas Robertson) to 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], forwarding copies of correspondence regarding: the proposed withdrawal 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. from Bushire [Bushehr]; the circumstances behind the departure of Lootf Ally Khan [Luṭf ‘Alī Khān Lārī], the Commander of the Lar Garrison of Karrack (also spelled Kharg), from Karrack; and news reported from Bahrein [Bahrain] by Mohamed Ali [Muḥammad ‘Alī], Agent at Bahrein, and from Shiraz by Mirza Reeza [Mīrzā Rezā], Agent at Shiraz.

Extent and format

1 item (63 folios)

It is part of

‘ENCLOSURES TO SECRET LETTERS FROM BOMBAY’, Vol 51

1230 images

Ref: IOR/L/PS/5/413

Arrangement

There is an abstract of contents of the despatch, numbered 1-10, on folios 308-309. These numbers are repeated for reference on the last verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. of each enclosure.

Written in

English and French 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/L/PS/5/413, ff 307-369

Former external reference(s)

No. 113 of 1842

History of this record

Date(s)

15 Oct 1842 (CE, Gregorian)

Subjects

Foreign relationsMilitary affairs

Places

TurkeyBahreinKarrack (island)BushireTurkish ArabiaAfghanistanPersia

People & organisations

Political AgentPolitical ResidentMinister for Foreign AffairsNative AgentPersian Gulf Political ResidencyHM Chargé d'Affaires to Iran

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Letters from Tehran, Turkish Arabia, and the Persian Gulf, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/5/413, ff 307-369, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100129648765.0x000008> [accessed 11 January 2025]

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