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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 [572v] (1166/1291)
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.
KERMAN,
27 - 5 - 14 .
LXII.
Maas
Life Is really very Jolly Just at present. We are begin
ning tennis again, and as the weather has settled down a little
into summer heat we are starting our hot weather regime of early
rising and a lie-down after lunch. It is a very pleasant
routine, but does not seem to leave so much time in the day.
Mother's parcel containing the new summer dresses arrived
safely, and she will be delighted to Know that all four fit
beautifully and are extremely pretty. Lock Is delighted with
them all. I fear they perhapd fit so well as to be a little
tight for comfort in the heat, but if so, I shall probably be able
to let them out a bit. Mother must have had a lot of trouble In
choosing and getting them made, but we are most grateful. Last
years well-washed ones looK so shabby and seedy by comparison.
I am now thoroughly well-supplied with every sort of cool garment
there is a peculiar fascination In the cool and dainty muslin
that you cannot get in your winter clothesor in the wlntry-suramer
things one has at home.
Lock Is Jolly and well and is plunging Into the mysteries
of the Parsee or Gabr language before breaKfast everyday. It
is a most entertaining way of learning a language to get It from
the lips of the ordinary uneducated person, but It requires a
lot of patience and a lot ofgenius to maKe anything at all.
Kemember that they have no Idea of grajnmar, nor a shimmer of
a notion of case or tense. You extract perhaps after mueh labour
the words/ 1 Je faisals' I was doing: then you start asKlng, but
how do you say I am doing It . If you are lucKy you will get
something HKe' Je-suls-en-train-de-le-construlre-a-ce-moment 1
all said very qulcK as If It was one word. Little by llttel
you have to picK out a . .c®. moment and resolve it into its elements-
— to find that it has nothing whatever to do with the verb.
And so on and so on till after some days you trap the victim into
giving you the form 'Je fals' and 'Je suls en train de le falre'
In the meantime you have collected a lot of other things which you
were not just then hunting for and out of them you construct
somthlng else and so piece by piece you get the stuff together.
It Is absorbingly interesting. As Loctysuspected, it looKs as If
many of the Kermani idioms which he has collected are due directly
or Indirectly to the Gabr influence, so that his Kerman studies
would be very Incomplete If he had not managed to worK a little
at the Gabri. It Is one of the depressing and at the same time
seductive sides of any sort of worK, however humble, that you
really can't do It properly without Knowing everything else in the
world too.
Meantime proofs continue to come in, and I need not tell you
that his hobbles are not allowed to prevent his true worK being
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.
- Written in
- 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 [572v] (1166/1291), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur D922/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100179946971.0x000001> [accessed 2 April 2025]
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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
- Usage terms
- Creative Commons Attribution Licence