IOR/R/15/1/9

The volume consists of chronological diary entries containing transcripts of correspondence sent and received, and notes on the arrival and departure of vessels at Bushire. The Residents during the period covered were William Bruce (acting) and (from May 1807) Nicholas Hankey Smith.

The correspondence sent is entered under the date the letter was written; that received is entered under the date of receipt at Bushire. The correspondence is between the Resident and other East India Company officials: officials of the Government of Bombay (including correspondence in the Political, Military, Public, General and Commercial Departments, and correspondence with the Accountant General); the Resident at Bagdad [Baghdad] (Harford Jones, and later John Hine [Acting]); the Resident at Muscat (David Seton); and the Resident at Bussora [Basra] (Lieutenant William Eatwell [Acting], and later Samuel Manesty).

The records of shipping consist of a note of the day of arrival and departure of ships of the Bombay Marine (the East India Company navy) and country ships (privately-owned merchant ships, which operated under licence from the East India Company), and information on their port of origin and destination. The term 'imported' is used to indicate the arrival of a vessel.

General topics covered in the volume include:

• political developments in the Gulf;
• movements of ships;
• the transmission of packets of correspondence;
• piracy;
• the provision and sale of East India Company merchandise;
• accounting and financial matters;
• administrative matters;
• relations with the Court of Persia;
• relations with local rulers;
• the activities of the French in the region (including the activities of French privateers);
• reports of political and military developments in Europe.

Specific topic include:

• dispatches from the Government of Bombay concerning the Persian Embassy to India (entry for 20 February 1806, folios 5-22), including a report of an assault by a sepoy sentry on a horse belonging to members of the suite of the Persian Ambassador, Mohumed Nebee Khan [Muhammad Nābī Khān];
• dispatches from the Government of Bombay concerning the Persian Embassy to India (entry for 27 February 1806, folios 22v-40v), including details of the garrison court martial of the sentry mentioned above, and financial claims of the Persian Ambassador;
• letter from Bruce to Francis Warden, Secretary to the Government of Bombay dated 3 March 1806, in response to the above dispatches (folio 41);
• letter from Bruce to Jonathan Duncan, President and Governor in Council, dated 12 March 1806 containing a report of the search for the wreck of the Reliance (f. 42v);
• letter from Bruce to Jonathan Duncan, President and Governor in Council, dated 25 March 1806 containing a report of the presence of a French agent at Tabrize [Tabriz], who was on his way to Teheran [Tehran] (f. 44v);
• dispatches from the Government of Bombay concerning the Persian Embassy to India (entry for 13 April 1806, folios 40v-67v), including details of stores drawn and remaining to be drawn from the Honourable Company's stores, and bills to be paid on account of the Rahimshaw (ff. 47-51), account of articles purchased by the Ambassador's people (ff. 56v-57), report of the sale of horses presented by the Persian Ambassador (f. 60), and list of articles purchased for the Persian Ambassador for use as presents (f. 62);
• dispatches from the Government of Bombay concerning the Persian Embassy to India (entry for 27 May 1806, ff.74v-138v), including the embarkation of the embassy for Calcutta;
• correspondence containing reports by Bruce of a French agent at the Court of Persia, (1-5 September 1806, ff. 160v-162);
• regulations issued by the Government of Bombay concerning persons in the East Company's service who wished to proceed to Europe (19 October 1806, ff. 170v-171);
• correspondence concerning an incident involving the Honourable Company's Schooner Sylph at Bushire, which led to a serious loss of life amongst the Sylph's crew (14 January - 14 February 1807, ff. 188-192);
• table of books, statements etc. required by the Accountant General's Office, Government of Bombay, issued 11 March 1807 (f. 228).