IOR/L/PS/5/398, ff 429-435

This item comprises copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 84 of 1841, dated 29 October 1841. The enclosures are dated 27 September-28 October 1841.

The enclosures numbered 3-6 (dated 21 June-9 October 1841) are noted as missing. According to the abstract of contents they covered the following:

• Suggestions (not stated in the item) made by the Resident in the Persian Gulf of certain measures for the suppression of the trade in enslaved persons carried on between the eastern coast of Africa and various ports in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea
• The response of the Secretary to the Government of India regarding those suggestions
• Requests for the views of the Political Agent at Aden and the British Agent at Muscat for their views on the suggestions.

The remaining enclosures comprise a copy of a letter from the Secretary to the Government of India to the Acting Secretary, Bombay, acknowledging receipt of the latter’s correspondence with Captain Atkins Hamerton, British Agent at Muscat, regarding the trade in enslaved persons said to be carried on between Bombay [Mumbai] and Zanzibar by vessels belonging to the Imaum [Imam] of Muscat, approving of the instructions Hamerton has issued, and expressing satisfaction that the trade is minimal due to current obstacles in place, and likely to cease entirely without the need for establishing further measures of prohibition. Also included is the Government of Bombay’s notification to Hamerton of the Government of India’s views.