Page 136 - Gulf Precis (VI)_Neat

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CHAPTER V.
Chapter V.—CONSULATE HOUSES AT BASRAH AND BAGHDAD-
(i) Consulate House at Basrah.

(a) The old Consulate at Maaghil.
71. At llio beginning of the 10th century Mr. Mancsly, tlio East India Comp-
any’s Resident at Basrah, bought tlio
Corrctpomlonco No. 1473 of 1861.
ground, on which ho afterwards built and
resided, and which was callod Maaghill, * from the Arab proprietors. Subse­
quently it passed into Colonel Taylor’s hands, and, whilst in the latter’s posses­
sion, served ob a depot lor the vosels attached to the Euphrates expedition.
Prom Colonel Taylor Lynch and Co. got Maaghill, and with them the East
India Company*a Agent was authorised to
Correspondence No. 2889 of 1S51.
treat for the purchase of tho property and
to oiler £1,000 for it.
7G. A legal transfor of the property by Lynch and Co. to the East India
Company was not however possible, because
Owr-wpondcnco No. 17 of 1852.
Colonel Taylor had not formally convey­
ed it to them, hut had moroly handed it over to Lynch and Co's charge with a
powor-of-attorney giving them the right over its usufruct. These negotiations
for the purchase of the property by tho Compauy took place at tho time
when Colonel Taylor was too ill to attend to business, and it was consequently
impossible to obtain from him any more dcfiuite powers.
76. Negotiations to purchase Maaghill having failed, the East India Com­
pany rented a portion of it, and there our Consuls resided until Mr. Robertson
left it in 1870 and went into liasrah.
(b) The early history of the site of the existmg Consulate.

77. Soon after we find Mr. Robertson occupying the present Consulate
house two miles outside Basrah town (now ro-constructed).
78. The history of this house and tho grounds is as follows :—
The property in question was sold in 1872 to a purchaser described in the
Soc notes Extornal A., July 1891, Nos. 79-272, deed of sale as Haji Ibrahim-bin-Osiuan-
p-vjc 1. bin-AbduMVabid-el-Maimaui residing in
the Mahallat-el-Pasha of Basrah.
79. At the period of the above transaction there was a firm trading under
the name of Osman Vydina having a place
External A., July 1892, No*. 202 21G (No. 216).
of business at Basrah.
SO. The local a^entof the firm was one Haji Omer-bin-Abdul Mola, who was
born in India and always known in India as Haji Omcr-bin-Othman. When
this individual went to reside at Basrah lie took the name of Haji Ibrahim-bin-
Osman-bin-Abdul-Wahid-cl-Maimani, because he wished it supposed that he be­
longed to the family of his employer, who had an infant son of the same name.
T:ie head partner of the firm of Osman Vydina appears to have purchased the
property in question in the name of his infant son who bore tho name (Haji Hj”
rahim-Osiuau-bin-AhduLWahid-cl-Maimani) which bis father’s agent assumed,
but who was not residing in the Mahallat.cl-Pasha. Owing to the description
as to rcsideuco in tlio doed of the purchaser, Haji Ebrahim’s title was
had one.
81. Ten years later, however, i.c., in 1882, Haji Ibrahim, in conjunction with
—-«•»<»-•»- gx&rs cwfiji

Ali (deceased) and his cousin Esmail; this latter was the vendor.
• Fora detailed account of the Maaghill property, <ec Chapter XII, <001100 (••), paragraph* -27 ^