IOR/R/15/1/30, ff 95-97

The letter is reporting that Ephraim Stannus has arrived at Bushire, and taken charge of the Residency from Captain Hardy.

It reports that the Resident has not communicated yet with any of the Arab chieftains, but notes that he has received a report on the Arabian coast from Lieutenant Thomas Tanner. It further mentions a report indicating that Sooltan bin Suggur [Sulṭān bin Saqr] has arrested a man called Hassoon for engaging in piratical activity from Sharga [Sharjah].

The letter outlines the feuds that the Resident views as the main threat to peace and tranquillity in the Persian Gulf, principally focusing on the feud between Rama bin Jauber [Raḥmah bin Jābir] and the Shaikh of Bahrain; it explains that Sooltan bin Suggur may be the key to resolving these disputes.

It notes that there have been no further developments on the prospects of a Persian-led invasion against Bahrain, and that Shaikh Abdool Russool Khan's [Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rasūl Khān] apprehensions over his status as Governor of Bushire are not unfounded. It mentions that Hussain Ali Merza [Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mirzā], Prince at Shiraz, contemplates his removal, and has sent his wife to be received by the authorities at Bushire.

The letter is likely to have been dated incorrectly; it should perhaps read 26 December 1823, as indicated by the dates of the surrounding correspondence and the content of the letter.