IOR/V/10/553/13

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 1882-83. The report is addressed, in a covering memorandum, by Brigadier-General James Blair, Political Resident, Aden, to the Secretary to the Government, Bombay, 14 May 1883. 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’ (ff 222-223), consisting of: Physical Features of the Country, Area, Climate, and Chief Staples
• ‘II. – POLITICAL’ (ff 223-236), consisting of: Historical Summary; (b) Form of Administration; (c) Character of Land Tenures; System of Survey and Settlements; (d) Civil Divisions of the British Territory; (e) Details of the Last Census. Tribes and Language; (f) Changes in the Administration; (g) Relations with Tributary States and Foreign Affairs
• ‘III. – PROTECTION’ (ff 236-243), consisting of: (a) Legislating Authority; (b) Course of Legislation; (c) Police; (d) Criminal Justice; (e) Prisons; (f) Civil Justice; (g) Registration; (h) Municipal Administration; (i) Military; (j) Marine
• ‘IV. – PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION’ (ff 243-245), consisting of: (b) Weather; (f) Manufactures; (g) Trade; (h) Public Works
• ‘V. – REVENUE AND FINANCE’ (ff 245-246), consisting of: (a) Imperial Revenue and Finance; (b) Revenue and Finance Other than Imperial
• ‘VI. – VITAL STATISTICS AND MEDICAL SERVICES’ (ff 247-248), consisting of: (b) Births and Deaths; (d) Medical Relief; (e) Sanitation; (f) Vaccination
• ‘VII. – INSTRUCTION’ (ff 248-249), consisting of: (a) General System of Public Instruction; (b) Education; (c) Literature and Press
• ‘IX. – MISCELLANEOUS’ (f 250), consisting of: (a) Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction; (b) 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 250-253).

On folios 253-254 is a ‘Report on the Health of the British Troops in the Aden Command for the Year Ending March 31, 1883’, authored by G Ashton, Surgeon-Major, Senior Medical Officer, Aden.

A name, place and subject index is on folio 219. A table of contents listing the Chapter numbers and headings in Part II of the report is on folio 220 (‘chapter’ is not used in the main body of the report). This is followed by a table indicating the number of square miles of the peninsula of Aden under the control of the Government of Bombay on folio 221.