IOR/L/PS/9/71/43

Translation of a letter from Abbas Meerza [Crown Prince of Persia, ʿAbbās Mīrzā Qājār] to the East India Company Envoy to Persia [Iran], Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonald Kinneir, dated 4 Ṣafar [AH 1243] [27 August 1827]. Abbas Meerza details the recent Persian victory over Russian troops near Eutch Keleesia [an Armenian religious site, possibly at present-day Vagharshapat] during the ongoing war between Russia and Persia [Russo-Persian War, 1826-1828] (see IOR/L/PS/9/71/39). He describes the fighting between the Russian and Persian troops, detailing the losses sustained by the Russians in terms of fatalities and prisoners taken, and the military stores and equipment captured during the battle. He also emphasises the magnitude of his victory, praising the conduct of his troops in action. He concludes with a request for military equipment from Macdonald Kinneir, including a spyglass, a rifle and some boots.

A note is included in the letter, presumably added by the translator, describing the practice of granting a reward for every prisoner or decapitated head delivered to Abbas Meerza, and which also explains that the King [Shāh] only provides rewards for heads, resulting in living prisoners often being killed by his troops for the reward paid for their heads.

This document was originally enclosed, numbered 2 in dispatch No. 64, in Macdonald Kinneir’s letter to the Secret Committee of the East India Company of 5 September 1827 (IOR/L/PS/9/71/38).