Mss Eur F126/44, ff 140-145

Letter regarding Pelly's reception from the Viceroy and Council and the news that his suggestions regarding the Gulf had received their support and regarding his return to Bushire which Edwards presumes has been delayed owing to the arrival of the Duke of Edinburgh in Bombay.

The letter gives news from Bushire including the impact of the lack of rain and fears for the summer; Syed Abdul Azeez [Sayyid Abdu'l-Aziz bin Said al-Said ] having remained in Bushire owing to a lack of money; the Governor having departed for Shiraz in an attempt to obtain a decrease in revenue for next year on account of the lack of rain; Mirza Mehdy Khan [Mirza Mehdi Khan] being in Bushire; and the arrival of Fuzl-oolah-Khan who has been asked to report on the state of the Persian Government buildings and also intends to visit all the Persian ports and report on the state of their fortifications too.

The letter goes on to give news of the condition of Pelly's horses, a nomination for Captain Elton's, Dr Abraham Nickson Hojel having spent time in the country with his wife, Edwards having packed Pelly's boxes and dispatched them via Abyssinia to Muskat [Muscat], Dr. Hojel's treasury examination of 1 March 1870, and the arrival of a French gunboat La Bruat at Bushire and that he Commander and first officer called at the Residency.

The letter also discusses Narroyen's attempts to get tube rose bulbs for Pelly and informs him that Isaacson has laid out a plot of ground for a flower garden; and reports from Reshire that the cattle are being set adrift to eat what little has attempted to grow and that they have given up hope of being able to cultivate their land this year. Edwards informs Pelly that he does not have high hopes for the melon and cucumber gardens and that he fears the fig and grape trees will also suffer from the lack of moisture but that they should have a good crop of dates.

A postscript to letter encloses 3 papers on Bahrein [Bahrain] for Pelly's information (the papers are not enclosed) and reports on the movements of a Dutch frigate which is going from Koweit [Kuwait] to Bahrein and then on to Bunder Abbass [Bandar Abbas] and Bombay.