Mss Eur F699/1/1/1/3/24

Writes of his pleasure at the satisfactory military demonstration on the Persian seaboard. Hopes that General Outram will have taken up a position at Awar or even Shuster before the news of the Treaty reaches him. Discusses the Treaty, and the question of the Governor of Herat. Despairs of obtaining two screw steamers for the Bay of Bengal. The necessity of a 5% loan had been foreseen, but the President has probably told Lord Canning that he expected to be informed before the loan was opened. The Treaty with the Amir is very politic, and 12 lacs as little as could be offered. But the whole object of the Treaty is now obviated. The letter to his mother attributed to Duleep Sing was a forgery, supposed to have been written by one Syed Abdoolan. Sends copy of an enclosed letter written from Singapore, full of alarms about the safety of Europeans there, from the scheme of the Chinese. If the Legislative Council carry out their plan of a tonnage duty at Singapore there will be angry complaints in Parliament. Has sent Lady Canning some papers containing an account of Sind antiquities at Brahmanabad, and hopes the Governor General will sanction excavations on the part of the Government. Captain G G Wellesley is to succeed Sir Henry Leeke.

Encloses two papers:

1. List of pensions to the Suddozye family.

2. Copy of letter from Singapore, 22 Jan 1857.