![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 [‎564v] (1150/1291)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000323.0x0002bc/Mss Eur D922_1_1150.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 [‎564v] (1150/1291)")
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 [564v] (1150/1291)
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.
2
steepaa in all tnas is beat in French literature. *t aorae
period he spent three years in ^aris in more or less Bohemian
circles amongst the rising litterateurs to wncm Verlaine ana
Bauaelaire were guiaing stars. We nad a couple of glorious
evenings in which no read to us nis favorite passages. It was
ail terra incognita to us; out what a wonderfully catching thing
enthusiasm is, ana how aiiferent it is to make the acquaintance of
a poet first irom the lips oi an admirer, instead of looking ais-
consolately at tns outside of 26 oda volumes oi Verlaine and won
dering wnere to oegrn i But never was there a .oari of more catholic
tastes or vaster amateur reading. Tnere seemed literally nothing
worth mentioning in English or French or derma.! literature for tne
last century or so tnat ne aid not K*iow intimately ana was .iOt
prepared to discuss ana quote ii necessary in largo noses. It was
just splendid. Ana it is a long time indead since we 1 nave met any
one witn such delicate apprecs^ition oi rnytnm, s^una sna style. It
aid us ootn gooa a.ia nas made us several years younger, oeaiaea
opening new visions of iriends to oe made far off our own immediate
tracks. I t sc arecely needs mentioning tnat we responded -ey
oai 5 ana ms readings were duly interspersed oy ours. Te introduced
dim uO Browne ana Dautnenaey a.ia Sm, to Macraa, ana even to portions
oi tne Eana arid t*.e tale oi T..or ana his Hammer, and together we
read the close of joo, parts oi Isaian, and some new treasure-trove
oi «ne Apocrypha. It was truly intoxicatiagly delightful, and nis
pleasure was manifestly no less tnau our own. He lost hia heart
without a moment's delay to ootu Em a.*a Dauthenaey, arid in parti
cular could not say enough scout the extra-ordinary independence
ana originality ox Em ana the marvellously haunting music ox meny
oi ^er lines, p'e old not spare him any oi our hoodies, ana you
will agree t~at he must oo a ps son o.c straiigoly varied capajilities
and tastes when I tell you that he was scarcely loss in Ceres tea in
Lock's Bakhtiari narratives, the Pa3..tu Syntax etc.
He has oean working a lot at Persian poetry and making trans
lations; travelling aoout near Teheran in the mountain country am
collecting xolk-tales. But when he saw Lock's methods of collecting
maceeial, not only the meaning ana the drift ox a story cut the vary
dialect and words in which it was told the tears nearly stood in his
eyes at the thought that he haa not workea on the same lines. He
s&ia to m<j one morning over his porridge: Your husband is one
oi t^e moat amazing men I ever met; I shall go away from Xerman
wit., totally new ideas ex how to work aid what to aim at ana also
a new idea ox what a ousy man nay accomplish in spare time. It
would nave maae all tne dixxerence to my live years in ‘Persia if*
I naa met ..ira cox ore — or ix‘ i haa only known ox' nis existence I
I u speaks however not a little x'or the sincerity of his own work
I
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 [564v] (1150/1291), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur D922/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100179946972.0x0000ba> [accessed 1 July 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
- Usage terms
- Creative Commons Attribution Licence