Mss Eur F699/1/2/2/67

Contains docketed sets of papers, numbered 1600 to 1624a, consisting of correspondence, relating to applications for posts and other matters. These papers were originally included in one bundle of one hundred docketed sets of papers, labelled ‘No. 17 Private Secretary’s Correspondence, Nos. 1601 to 1700’. Each numbered set of papers usually consists of an original letter sent to the Private Secretary to the Governor General, or to the Governor General, a copy of the reply from the Private Secretary, Gerald Chetwynd Talbot, and any other papers. In addition, for each set of papers, either on the back of the original letter, or on a separate sheet of paper, is written the number of the set of papers, the year, the name of the writer of the original letter, the official position and location of the sender, the date the letter was despatched, the date it was received, the date it was answered, any cross references to other papers, and a brief summary of the letter. Numbers 1604, 1610, 1614, 1615, 1617, 1619, 1620, and 1621 have a red cross on them, to indicate that they ‘may be preserved’, whilst ‘the rest may be destroyed’. Numbers 1612 and 1625 are missing.

1601. March 1857. Letter from Mr William Jubb Hurry, Editor of the 'Englishman'. Acknowledges the receipt of the telegraphic message sent to him for advertisement.

1602. March 1857. Letter from Mr W Purdon, Calcutta. Asks for an interview to discuss some information about the Eastern Bengal Railway. Copy of reply, arranging interview.

1603. March 1857. Letter from Dr A W R Newenham, Surgeon 1st Native Infantry, Cawnpore. Asks to be Garrison Surgeon of Chunar. 2 anna stamp. Copy of reply. Apply to the Commander in Chief.

1604. March 1857. Letter from Mr W H Abbott, Acting Secretary to the Indigo Planters' Association, Calcutta. Asks for a deputation to be received who wish to speak to the Governor General about a Memorial to be presented to the Legislative Council of India by the British subjects about proposed changes in the Criminal Courts. Copy of reply, arranging interview. See also 1605, 1606, 1609, 1635.

1605. March 1857. Letter from Mr W H Abbott, Acting Secretary to the Indigo Planters' Association, Calcutta. Regretfully refuses the time for interview offered to the deputation, owing to the outgoing mail, and suggests another time. Copy of reply about this. See also 1604, 1606, 1609, 1635.

1606. March 1857. Letter from Mr George Brown, Calcutta. Suggests a day for the deputation to meet the Governor General (as in the preceding). See also 1604, 1605, 1609, 1635.

1607. March 1857. Letter from Mr C F Carnac, Calcutta. About a letter of introduction from his brother. Copy of reply about this.

1607a. March 1857. Copy of a letter to Mr H P Tapp, Calcutta. About the Himalayan birds.

1608. March 1857. Letter from Mr John H Ingram, Calcutta. Asks for money. Copy of reply, asks for references. See also 1649, 1685.

1609. March 1857. Letter from Mr W H Abbott, Acting Secretary to the Indigo Planters' Association, Calcutta. About an appointment for the deputation. See also 1604, 1605, 1606, 1635.

1610. December 1856 to March 1857. Letter from the Honourable P Bruce, Consul General in Egypt, Alexandria. Recommends that M Lattis' discovery by which a rice crop may be produced in half the time required by the present system of cultivation may be tried out in India. Submits a report drawn up by Mr Corlett at the close of the experiment in Egypt, and suggests that Mr Corlett may be compensated for his expenses. Copy of reply, no further steps to be taken at present, £25 are sent for expenses. Bill of exchange (duplicate) for Agra and United Service Bank is enclosed.

1611. March 1857. Letter from Mr C Polites, Calcutta. Asks for an interview in order to lay before the Governor General two more plans for bridging the Hooghly. Copies of two replies about this. See also 1049, 1120, 1280, 1888.

1613. March 1857. Letter from Captain C W T Whish, 43rd Madras Native Infantry, Vizagapatam. Asks for civil employment in Mysore. Copy of reply, application noted. See also 1564.

1614. March 1857. Letter from Mr J Lynch. Reports further misdoings of the officers in the Punjab and Oudh. See also 1252, 1269, 1279.

1614a. March 1857. Copy of a letter to Mr Sharp, Barrackpore Park. Asking him to come to Calcutta to receive some Himalayan birds for the aviary.

1615. March 1857. Letter from Colonel A Abbott C B, Inspector General of Ordnance, Calcutta.

Has just received information from Meerut that a sufficient number of cartridges for Enfield rifles, free from grease, are ready for issue to the Practice Depots at Umballa and Sealkote He has hitherto refrained from troubling the Governor General with any remarks on the subject of the late mutiny; but the very existence of the Government in India depends upon the fidelity of their native troops, and he very much fears that if the Government insists on the men using cartridges of this description at the practice depots in the North West, the discontent that prevails at Barrackpore and Berhampore may pervade the whole of the regular infantry. The number of men who desire mischief is probably small; they have misled the rest. Dr Mackamara's analysis proved the absence of grease, but all English paper, or nearly all, contains gelatine, obtained from the integuments of various animals, oxen included. Every Encyclopaedia contains this information, which may have been communicated to the Sepoys. Detached balls should be used, as hitherto, any kind of paper would answer for detached cartridges, and the bullets would be covered with patches of clean thin cotton cloth, to which grease would be applied by the men themselves, as is done at present. He proposed this to the Commander in Chief who objected that the Sepoys objected to the paper itself. Copy of reply, orders have already been issued to stop the practice objected to.

1616. March 1857. Letter from Lieutenant J M Graham, Adjutant Ramghur Light Infantry, Chota Nagpore. Asks for his application for employment in the South West Frontier Agency to be cancelled. Copy of reply, acknowledgement. See also 1584.

1617. March 1857. Letter from Mr H Berners, Attorney at Law, Calcutta. Asks the Governor General to subscribe to a fund for a memorial to the memory of the late Captain H L Thompson C B, 63rd Bengal Native Infantry. Letter from London about the fund, Copy of reply, sending donation of 200 Rupees. See also 1627.

1618. March 1857. Letter from Captain H Hopkinson, Commissioner of Arracan, Akyab Arracan. Returns thanks for his appointment as Officiating Commissioner in the Tenasserim Provinces during the absence of Sir A Bogle. Copies of 3 letters about this. See also 1621.

1619. December 1856 to March 1857. Letter from Captain W E Hay, Commissioner of Kooloo.

Reports the despatch of the 2 chuprassies in charge of the pheasants. Copy of reply, acknowledging receipt of the birds. See also 3179.

1620. February to March 1857. Letter from the Honourable S A Blundell, Governor of the Straits Settlements, Singapore. Reports the arrival at Singapore of the 14th Madras Native Infantry, and in the absence of instructions from the Government he will do his best to make the troops comfortable. He suggests sending a wing of the Regiment to Hong Kong. All is quiet in the Straits, and the Honourable Company's Steamer 'Auckland' is reported to have destroyed some pirate junks and forts on the shore. Copy of reply, he will have received Government instructions before this reply.

1621. March 1857. Letter from Colonel Sir A Bogle, Commissisoner of the Tenasserim and Martaban Provinces. Encloses a letter from Captain Hopkinson about his movement, and reports that the news from the Youngzaleen was good. Copy of reply, acknowledgement. See also 1618.

1622. March 1857. Letter from Captain J E Fraser, 4th Native Infantry, 2nd class Assistant Comissioner in the Punjab, Googaira. Renews his application for promotion. Governor General's Book number 54. See also 294, 365, 375, 455, 479, 659, 775, 842, 1561, 1666.

1623. March 1857. Letter from Captain W McNeile, 5th Native Infantry, late Assistant Commissioner in the Punjab, Umballa. Apologises for the tone of his last letter, asks that the Commander in Chief may be informed of the Governor General's intentions towards him. Copy of letter to Mr Edmonstone about McNeile. See also 781, 1051, 1257, 1390, 1447, 1556, 1595, 1643.

1624. March 1857. Letter from Mohamed Reja Eslambully, Calcutta. Asks for a situation or some money. With two enclosures. Copy of reply, refusing.

1624a. March 1857. Copy of reply to R B Chapman Esquire. About Lady Canning's donation to the Calcutta Girls' School.