IOR/V/10/553/12

Annual administration report of the Aden Settlement, providing a summary record of the main events and developments in each department of the Administration of Aden during the financial year 1881-82. The report is addressed, in a covering memorandum, by Brigadier-General James Blair, Political Resident, Aden, to the Secretary to the Government, Bombay, dated 13 May 1882. The report was printed at the Government Central Press, Bombay [Mumbai].

The main body of the report is headed ‘PART II’. The first part is not present. Part II of the report is divided into the following sections, some of which are further divided into sub-headings:

• ‘I. – PHYSICAL AND POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY’ (f 201), consisting of: (a) Physical Features of the Country, Area, and Climate
• ‘II. – POLITICAL’ (ff 201-202), consisting of: (a) Historical Summary; (b) Form of Administration; (f) Changes in the Administration; (g) Relations with Tributary States and Foreign Affairs
• ‘III. – PROTECTION’ (ff 202-208), consisting of: (b) Police; (c) Criminal Justice; (d) Prisons; (e) Civil Justice; (f) Registration; (g) Municipal Administration; (h) Military; (i) Marine
• ‘IV. – PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION’ (ff 208-209), consisting of: (b) Weather; (f) Manufactures; (g) Trade; (h) Public Works
• ‘V. – REVENUE AND FINANCE’ (ff 209-211), consisting of: (a) Imperial Revenue and Finance; (b) Revenue and Finance Other than Imperial
• ‘VI. – VITAL STATISTICS AND MEDICAL RELIEF’ (ff 211-212), consisting of: (b) Births and Deaths; (d) Medical Relief; (f) Vaccination
• ‘VII. – INSTRUCTION’ (ff 212-213), consisting of: (a) Education; (b) Literature and Press
• ‘IX. – MISCELLANEOUS’ (f 213), consisting of: (a) Ecclesiastical.

The report includes six appendices relating to political relations (with the ‘native states’ and ‘native chiefs’), civil divisions of British Territory in Aden, population statistics and meteorological and weather statistics (ff 215-217).

On folios 213-214 is a ‘Report on the Health of the British Troops in the Aden Command for the Year Ending March 31, 1882’, authored by H A Lewis, Surgeon-Major, Senior Medical Officer, Aden.

A table indicating the number of square miles of the peninsula of Aden under the control of the Government of Bombay is on folio 199. A table of contents the Chapter numbers and headings of Part II is on folio 200 (‘chapter’ is not used in the main body of the report). This is followed by a place and subject index on folio 200.