IOR/F/4/745/20303

This item consists of copies of correspondence, memoranda, and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. The principal correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; the Resident at Mocha, Captain Gilbert Hutchinson; and the Imaum of Senna [Imam of San'a, Yemen, al-Mahdī ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad bin ‘Alī].

The item concerns the differences between the Arabic and English versions of the Treaty of 15 January 1821, which William Bruce, Resident at Bushire [Būshehr], negotiated with the Imaum of Senna. The differences are:

• Whether the reduction in customs duty to two and a quarter percent applies only to English merchants (as in the Arabic version) or to all merchants trading under the British flag (as in the English version)
• In the English version, the dependents of the British Factory are to be under the protection of the Resident (omitted in the Arabic version)
• In the English version, in the case of a dispute between dependents of the Resident and the Imaum, the Dola [Governor] of Mocha and the Resident are to adjudicate and the offender is to be punished by their own authority (all omitted in the Arabic version).

The discussion primarily concerns the second difference, which the British are most eager for the Imaum to agree to. The East India Company Broker’s business transactions with the Americans and the Imaum’s debts owing to him are extensively discussed in this context. The Resident also reports on his visit to Aden with a view to moving the Residency there.

The item includes a contents page, and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Political No. 9, Draft 496, P.C. 154, [Season] 1823/4, Examiner’s Office ‘23’.