Mss Eur F699/1/2/2/154

Contains docketed sets of papers, numbered 5403 to 5450, 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. 55 Private Secretary’s Correspondence, Nos. 5401 to 5500’. 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, Lewin Bentham Bowring, 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 5405, 5406, 5409, 5410, 5412, 5413, 5415, 5422, 5426, 5429, 5433, 5434, 5439, 5440, 5444, 5447, 5448, and 5450 have a red cross on them, to indicate that they ‘may be preserved’, whilst ‘the rest may be destroyed’.

5403. May 1859. Letter from Major A Fytche, 70th Native Infantry, late Officiating Commissioner, Tenasserim and Martaban Provinces, Calcutta. Having just returned from sick leave to England asks for an interview with the Governor General to request a transfer. Copies of two replies arranging interview.

5404. Apr - May 1859. Letter from Baboo Gooroo Churn Chatterjee, Boinchee. Applies for a Deputy Magistracy.

5405. Mar 1859. Letter from Mr Martin Gubbins, Judge of Agra. Further to his Memorandum submitted to Government, about taxation. With pencilled notes by Mr Harington.

5406. May 1859. Letter from Mr C Wingfield, Chief Commissioner Oudh, Lucknow. States that since the receipt of Mr Montgomery's telegram and one from the Chief of Staff, he has been examining correspondence addressed to the 4th European Light Cavalry and Bengal Artillery at Lucknow; from which it is evident that the men at Meerut are aware that their correspondence is watched, but that he has not found any traces of a plot or instigations to mutiny at Lucknow. Some letters however give an alarming account of the events at Meerut, and the sympathy of the royal troops and of a Gurkha regiment are reckoned upon by the mutineers. The Editor of the Lucknow Herald has promised to make no allusion to the subject in his Journal, and is certain that the natives have no idea of it. Colonel Riddell of the Royal Artillery thinks very ill of the men of the Bengal Artillery, but feels that his branch of the service is to be relied upon.

5407. May 1859. Letter from Dr J P Stratton, Officiating Assistant Resident in Charge, Baroda. Returns thanks for his acting appointment made by Sir R Shakespear on his departure for Indore.

5408. May 1859. Letter from Dr G N Cheek, Officiating Garrison Surgeon, Chunar. Returns thanks for his appointment to the Joint Medical Charge of Simla. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence nos. 5368, 5364.

5409. May 1859. Letter from Lord W Hay, Deputy Commissioner Simla. Asks for information about Government orders on the salary of the appointment he holds. If he is not promoted in the meantime he proposed to take his furlough at the end of 1860. Remarks on the Bounty question. Will shortly be sending some Chudders. He wishes to know if his reply in the Peskett case was considered satisfactory, he has no doubt that Dr Peskett has been neglecting his opportunities sadly. Copy of reply, the order regarding civil salaries will not apply to present incumbents, but is prospective. The Governor General has not ordered anything with regard to Peskett, but is dissatisfied with his conduct.

5410. May 1859. Letter from Major Colin MacKenzie, Agent to the Governor General Moorshedabad Calcutta. Represents the expediency of the Nawab Nazim being honoured before his return to Moorshedabad with the promised acknowledgement of his services from the Home Government. This would be more gratifying if accompanied by publicity and ceremonial observance.

5411. May 1859. Letter from Rajah Bur Sing, brother of Rajah Ram Sing of Cheera Poonjee Calcutta. Asks for an interview to represent his grievances about some matters connected with his independent Raj of Cheera. Copy of reply, would he please state his business in writing. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence no. 5458.

5412. May 1859. Copy of a letter to Major General Birch. About Mr Wood, a student in Bishop's College, the son of a Captain H Wood, Her Majesty's 3rd Dragoons; Captain Wood is presumed to be dead, but his family are unable to draw his money because there is no evidence of his death.

5413. May 1859. Letter from Mr T D Forsyth, Secretary to Chief Commissioner Oudh, Lucknow. In reply, about the Oudh Akhbar newspaper, in Urdu. Copy enclosed. Copy of earlier letter asking for information. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence no. 5446.

5414. May 1859. Letter from Mr N A Chick, Calcutta. Sends a copy of a letter from Mr Talbot and asks for employment. Copy of reply, request refused. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence no. 5415.

5415. May 1859. Letter from Mr N A Chick, Calcutta. Submits a Memorandum about the defective system under which the administration reports of Government are at present got up, and suggests the establishment of an office of General Registration in direct communication with, and subordinate to, the Private Secretary. Printed. Copy of reply, grateful acknowledgement. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence no. 5414

5416. May 1859. Letter from Mrs J Rollo, Calcutta. Submits a Memorial asking for money. Memorial no longer enclosed. Copy of reply, her Memorial has been transferred to the Home Department.

5417. May 1859. Letter from Major General J Michel, Commanding Malwa Field Force, Mhow. Recommends Major Ballard as Officiating Resident at Baghdad. Copy of reply, the Governor General has already appointed Dr Hyslop.

5418. May 1859. Letter from Lieutenant T E Powell, Adjutant Bengal Lieutenant Infantry, Barrackpore. Sends a letter (no longer enclosed) for the Governor General. Copy of reply, his letter has been sent to the Military Secretary.

5419. May 1859. Copy of a reply to Mr J W Brown. His letter has been transferred to Captain Baring, Aide de Camp.

5421. May 1859. Letter from Mr P Petrus, Calcutta. States his services in Persia as Treasurer to the English Embassy, and asks for money. 4 papers. Copy of reply, sending him 100 Rupees.

5422. May 1859. Letter from Lieutenant General Sir M Cubbon, Commissioner of Mysore, Nundydroog. Makes various comments about appointments in the Commission. Reports that after several years of drought the old Mysore weather seems to have returned, the present season is very promising. Copy of reply, about appointments in the Commission.

5423. May 1859. Letter from Mr R Simson, Under Secretary to the Government of India Foreign Department, Calcutta. In reply, no reply to Mr Burton's Memorial to the Honourable Court was ever received at Allahabad, but a despatch was received by the President in Council in Oct 1858 stating that the Bombay Government had been directed to confer on Mr Burton a local commission as Lieutenant of Infantry. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence nos. 5222, 5538.

5424. May 1859. Letter from Mr R Simson, Under Secretary to the Government of India Foreign Department, Calcutta. Forwards a letter asking that the appointment of Lieutenant C H Grace as Assistant Commissioner in Oudh may cancelled. Copy of reply, the appointment will be cancelled. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence nos. 5205, 5435, 5483.

5425. May 1859. Letter from Captain W G Cumming, Deputy Bheel Agent and Political Assistant Agent to the Governor General for Central India, Sehore. Applies for the vacancy at Bhopawar. Copy of reply, he has been appointed Political Agent at Bhopawar. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence nos. 5557.

5426. May - Jun 1859. Letter from Captain J C Brooke, Officiating Political Agent, Jodhpur and Serohi, Aboo. Asks to be appointed Officiating Political Agent in Meywar, or to any other civil or political appointment. The disturbance at Nugger Puckur has completely subsided, it was a local insurrection caused by oppression on the part of the native official, and by the intrigues of the Electric Telegraph people. 2 letters. Copy of reply, the Governor General has not yet decided about the Acting appointment at Meywar. He is well aware of Brooke's service in the Rajputana Frontier. The Harawtee Agency is not vacant at present. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence nos. 5528, 5689, 5835.

5427. Mar - May 1859. Letter from Mrs Lindsay, Chichester. Sends extracts from letters in testimony of the gallant conduct of her brother Mr W F McDonell, Magistrate of Chuprah, during the retreat from Arrah, in the hope that he may be deemed worthy of the Victoria Cross.

5428. May 1859. Letter from Dr M H Lackersteen, Assistant Surgeon, Her Majesty's Bengal Service Tangra. Asks for a medical appointment. Copy of reply about this. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence no. 5436.

5429. May 1859. Letter from Mr W Terry, Midnapore. Suggests ways of increasing the Government's revenues. Copy of reply, grateful acknowledgement.

5430. May 1859. Letter from Mr P Petrus, Calcutta, Returns thanks for the Governor General's donation of 100 Rupees.

5431. Mar - May 1859. Letter from Sir W B O'Shaughnessy, Superintendent of Electric Telegraph in India, Ootacamund. Suggests Lieutenant H Mallock of the Bengal Artillery for permanent employment in the Ordnance Department. Cover only. Endorsed : Transferred to Colonel Stuart.

5432. May 1859. Letter from Major W F Eden, Political Agent in Meywar, Officiating Agent to the Governor General Rajputana, Mount Aboo. Returns thanks for the Officiating appointment in Rajputana, and suggests various arrangements during his absence from Meywar. Copy of reply, the Governor General has not yet decided who is to officiate for Eden. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence no. 5112.

5433. May 1859. Letter from the Honourable Robert Montgomery, Lieutenant Governor Punjab, Murree. Returns thanks for the reply about the Oudh Narrative, sends a list of addresses in England, to whom he wishes a copy of the work to be sent. Sends a letter from Major H Bruce, Superintendent of Police, Oudh, with news from the Drum Major of the 17th Native Infantry about European women and children who are with the Nana, one of the children is supposed to be the daughter of Mr Palmer, who was Deputy Collector and Deputy Magistrate of Futteyghur. Montgomery has no doubt that some English women and Anglo-Indian women are with the Nana. Other rebels are in the hills to the north of Toolseepore and east of the Soorhie Satah. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence no. 5362.

5434. May 1859. Letter from Lieutenant Colonel J Abbott, Artillery, Delhi. Asks for political employment in Central India. Copy of reply, the Governor General would be glad to meet his wishes, but there are numerous officers on his list of candidates, who possess strong claims on the Government. He considers it his first duty to reward those who have been most tried in the past struggle. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence no. 8713.

5435. May - Jun 1859. Letter from Mr C Wingfield, Chief Commissioner Oudh, Lucknow. In reply, regrets that he misled the Governor General about Lieutenant Grace, and explains how it happened. Copy of earlier letter; copy of reply, with some remarks on the settlement in Oudh. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence nos. 5205, 5424, 5483.

5436. May 1859. Letter from Dr J Forsyth, Senior Surgeon, Calcutta. Replies about Dr M H Lackersteen. Copy of earlier letter asking for information. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence no. 5428.

5437. May 1859. Copy of a reply to J K Batten Esquire, Bareilly. His letter has been transferred to Mr Grey.

5438. May 1859. Letter from Mr E M Potter, Lucknow. Asks for reconsideration of his application for employment.

5439. May 1859. Letter from Lieutenant Colonel C MacKenzie, Governor General's Agent, Moorshedabad, Calcutta. States that the Nawab Nazim with the Governor General's permission intends to leave Calcutta in a few days, and asks for orders. Copy of reply, the Governor General has no objection, on which day does the Nawab intend to leave?

5440. May 1859. Letter from Mr R Simson, under Secretary to Government of India Foreign Department, Calcutta. Asks instructions as to the disposal of 241 copies of the 'Narrative of the Mutinies in Oude'. Copy of reply about this. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence no. 5448.

5441. May 1859. Letter from Mr D W Taylor, Head Assistant Commissariat Office, Rohilkund Division, Bareilly. Asks for a reward for his services; asks to be appointed Governor of the Andaman Islands. 2 enclosures. Copy of reply, request refused.

5442. May 1859. Letter from Mr T Garrett, Deputy Post Master General, Calcutta. States that instructions have been sent to the Deputy Post Master General at Bombay, about newspapers addressed to the Governor General.

5443. May 1859. Petition of Sagur Baity, inhabitant of Soondernugur in Midnapore. Asks permission to supply mats required for the use of the Government, and sends a pair of coloured mats. Has supplied mats to the Queen for which he was rewarded and received a medal.

5444. May 1859. Letter from Colonel Charles Stuart, Military Secretary to the Governor General Calcutta. On behalf of Captain Ouseley 34th Native Infantry, a candidate for civil or political employment. Sends an application (no longer enclosed) from Lieutenant Moore, 2nd in Command Shekawattee Regiment. Will send any more applications for civil employ. Asks what is to be done for Major Stuart Wortley.

5445. May 1859. Copy of a letter to the Reverend W Kay, Bishop's College, Calcutta. About Mr Wood's father.

5447. May 1859. Letter from Mr G J Landells, Camel Agent of the Government, of Victoria, Lahore. Forwards a letter from the Chief Secretary of the Government of Victoria about the exportation of camels from India to Victoria. Letters no longer enclosed. Copy of reply, Landells' letter and enclosure have been transferred to the Military Department. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence nos. 4960, 4986.

5448. May 1859. Letter from Mr R Simson, Under Secretary to the Government of India Foreign Department, Calcutta. About the distribution of the copies of the 'Oudh Narrative'. Copy of reply about this. See also Private Secretary’s Correspondence no. 5440.

5449. May 1859. Letter from Mr R Simson, Under Secretary to Government of India Foreign Department. With reference to certain appointments following the resignation of Major G Haines, Superintendent of Bangalore, presumes that Haines' resignation has been accepted from 1 Jul. Copy of reply, this is correct.

5450. undated [1859]. Anonymous letter. Despairing of success in checking the rebellion with only British Forces, suggests the name of Chunder Nauth Paurray who may be consulted. In the vernacular, with translation.