IOR/R/15/1/33

The volume consists of letters sent out by Ephraim Gerrish Stannus, the Resident in the Persian Gulf, and James Pringle Riach, the officer placed in charge of the Bushire Residency during his absences; the Resident is required to make a number of trips to the Arabian Coast during the period covered by this volume.

The subject matter covered includes political activity in Persia principally relating to Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān, the Shaikh of Bushire, and Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mirzā, the Prince at Shiraz; this includes some discussion concerning a possible Persian expedition to retake Bahrain, and the insecure position of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān at Bushire. The impact and consequences of an earthquake, which occurred at Shiraz are also reported.

A great deal of correspondence is related to the Resident's role in enforcing the General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Persian Gulf 1820, which aims to curb piracy in the Gulf. There is therefore a great deal of material relating to mediating a dispute between the dependants of Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Sa‘īd, the Imam of Muscat (principally Shaikh Ṭaḥnūn bin Shakhbūṭ Āl Nahyān), and Sulṭān bin Saqr. There is also some material concerning the arrangement of transportation for the Resident's trips to the Arabian coast.

Captain William Owen's efforts to suppress the slave trade in East Africa are covered to a degree by the correspondence; the Captain's authorised declaration of a British Protectorate over Mombasa is reported, along with his threats against other dependencies of the Government of Oman (for example, Zanzibar). There is also a limited amount of material concerning the Imam of Muscat's threats to blockade the port of Basra.