![An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman [‎595v] (1212/1291)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000323.0x0002bc/Mss Eur D922_1_1212.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman [‎595v] (1212/1291)")
An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman [595v] (1212/1291)
The record is made up of 2 files (630 folios). It was created in 1898-1914. It was written in English and Persian. The original is part of the 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
3
saying that he had not the least desire to nurse or hury him on
the road; so under protest he at last borrowed a helmet of Mr.
C’s — which up to date he has neither paid for nor returned !—
not having; in oil this time provided one for himself.
He sent off his caravan one a.m. and presently set out to
follow and catch it up. But Glim-like he had forgotten to
ascertain exactly where it was going or to keep one muleteer
to act as guide, so they pursued it in vain and hai. to spend
their first auspicious night without touts, beds or food,. Bext
day Mr, C. refused to stir till scouts should have lecat^ed
the caravan, wisely unwillingly to hunt through Persia for it.
It was fianlly run tc earth and the Commandant and his guest rejd
joined it after 34 hours' divorce. Throughout, they lost
their caravan some 5 or 6 times. The crowning exploit was
one day that they despatched the caravan to Ahmadl from D&ulata'ca^
themselves leaving the latter at 4 a.m. Bo protests had availed
to induce Glim to take a guide, he started out with a map and
they travelled on and on. In vain Mr, C. pointed out that they
were bearing steadily in the wrong direction; Glim would not list
ten; it seems he Invariably rends maps as if in a looking glass
turning East instead of West etc. In any case in a country like
this where the roads are at best donkey tracks frequently divergl
ing in half a dozen different directions the best map needs
supplementing by the human brain. By c a.m. they had exhausted
their drinking water, and on they marched through the heat of
that June day till about 6 p.n, they sighted throe welcome villa©
lages about 3 hours away. They put their horses to the Jiallop
and at last about 7 p.m. afta IS hours’ march they i&e"
within a stone's throw of some goal. They passed a countryman
in a field and Mr. C. thought he detected an uncivil and
sneering laugh. He drew up and asked what the man was laughing
at; this produced a burst of merriment which would not be
controlled. "What is the name of tnis village ?" — Don't you
know ? "Certainly not, what is it Daulatabad.
They had successfully looped the loop in thirteen hours
with immense harclshipand were condemned to one of those foodless
bodiess nights which were becoming painfully familiar. Characte
ristically the caravan itself had meantime arrived at some other
place than Alrnadi.
Nearly as remarkable as the skill with wh. Glim lost himself
were his commissariat arrangements. The wretchedect Persian
servant ox even the mere village guide will have tho sense to
cook a chicken and eggs overnight to serve for next days lunch,
or to carry some soup, ox in going to a vliiage-less halting
place to carry provisions with him. B t not so with Glim.
After the first two days he had exhausted some tinned stores he
had brought and they would have gone lunchless day after day
had not M ? . C. produced some haorded stored hich he was carrying
for emergencies. For twenty years it has teen his habit to
keep a fow such things for crises, but on no previous Journey
About this item
- Content
This file consists of two separate physical files as follows:
1) An account of a journey in Kashmir in 1898-99 written by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer of the Indian Army. His account is entitled 'Three Months of Privilege Leave'. It contains his observations on the languages, peoples, transport, flora and fauna, trade and climate of the region. There are occasional edits and corrections to the original text marked in red pen. The Persian language material in the file is a proverb written on folio 194.
In addition to this travel diary, the following is enclosed: an essay by Lorimer entitled 'Modern Education' dated 9 February 1895 (folios 1-24); two copies of a pamphlet that was published 'for private circulation' in memory of David's brother, John Gordon Lorimer, following his death on 8 February 1914 (folios 255-262); and another essay by Lorimer entitled 'Our Indian N.W. Frontier - a study in a bye-gone Civilisation. A forgotten Chapter of Frontier History' (folios 221-253).
2) Copies of letters that were sent from Emily Overend Lorimer to her parents, Thomas George Overend and Hannah Kingsbury. The letters describe the lives of Emily and her husband, David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer (referred to as 'Lock' in the letters), while living in Bahrain from October 1911 until November 1912 (folios 263-310) and in Kerman from January 1913 until November 1914 (folios 313-634). David served as 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 Bahrain 1911-12 and as HM Consul, Kerman and Persian Baluchistan, 1913-14.
The letters discuss a range of topics including Lorimer's observations of local customs, food, climate, scenery and festivals; the couple's domestic life and arrangements (especially their servants, who are often discussed in racialised, insulting language); and her interactions with other non-local residents. Also discussed are Lorimer's reading habits, her and her husband's health, family news and, occasionally, world events and political developments.
On folios 322-324, the file contains a description of a walk around Kerman in March 1914 that is accompanied by a sequence of six small black and white photographs of various points in the journey (folios 315-321).
In addition to these letters, the file also contains a number obituaries and letters of condolence written upon the death of David's brother, John Gordon Lorimer, on 8 February 1914 (folios 299-302, 415-416 and 543-544).
On folio 417, the file contains an obituary of David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer published in an unknown newspaper following his death on 26 February 1962.
- Extent and format
- 2 files (630 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: this file consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the front cover of volume one (ff 1-262) and terminates at the inside back cover of volume two (ff 263-634); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
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- English and Persian in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman [595v] (1212/1291), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur D922/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100179946968.0x000027> [accessed 30 June 2026]
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- Reference
- Mss Eur D922/1
- Title
- An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman
- Pages
- 263r:298v, 303r:306v, 309r:391v, 393r:411v, 418r:542v, 545r:634v
- Author
- Lorimer, Emily Martha
- Copyright
- ©Munro Family
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- Creative Commons Attribution Licence