Page 327 - Gulf Precis(II)_Neat

Port VIII—Chop. LXXII. 305

CHAPTER LXXII,

CHANGES PROPOSED IN THE BUSHIRE AND BASRAH
RESIDENCIES. PROPOSED MOVE TO KARRAK, 1829-34.

601. Tho following despatch of the Court of Directors to the Bombay
Government (dated 26tli February 1831) summarises tho discussions betweon
tho Bombay Government, tho Govornmont of India and tho Court of Directors
on the various alterations proposed in tho 13usliirc and Basrah Residencies :—

POLITICAL DEPARTMENT.
No. 4 or 1884.
Our Governor in Council at Bombay.
Wo now reply to tho letters and paragraphs noted in the margin, relating to tho subject
JT *0. Bengal, 4th Mn„h .S3!, page. 36
Letter from Bombay, 30th December 1831, P'»rtant questions of the oxtont of agency required
paco 21. in that quarter and the location by which it would
Letter from Bombay, 4th July 1832. bo best adapted to tho ends which it has to
Letter from Bombay, 26th September 1832, attain,
page* 1 and 2. ° 4
Letter Seoret, 17th October 1832.
2. We find that as early as the 11th of June 1827, tho Hpn'ble M. Elphinstone then
Governor in a Minute of that date, subscribed to by the Members of his Council, recorded his
opinion of the propriety of abolishing the Residency at Bussorah in the following words :
“ The Bussorah Residency might, I think, bo easily spared; but I would not abolish it at
present because Sir John Malcolm is so much fitter to decide on the necessity of tho situation.
We may take it as a prospective reduction/*
8. With reference to this opinion, Sir John Malcolm in a minute under date 12th March
1828, said—“Though I 6till keep in view the prospect of roducing the expense of our Agencies
in Persia and Turkey by another arrangement for their duties, I do not think, at the present
moment, when Russia may bo said to be at wav with the Porte, and when the Imperial forces
occupy Aderbijan that we can recall Major Taylor from Bussorah without creatiug impres-
si ons very unfavorable to our interests in that part of Asia.**
4. Russia ceased to be at war with the Porte and the Imperial forces to occupy AderbijaQ,
but her proceedings subsequently in respect to Turkey may have required the continued deten­
tion of an Agent at Bussorah.
5. In our letter dated 28th July 1830, noticing the postponement we said, that as it " was
solely grounded on the war between Russia aud tho Porto, wo shall be happy to loam that you
consider the present position of affairs such as to permit you to resume your original intention/*
6. The Committee appointed to enquire into the state of the finances of British India in
„ , , ,o 1830 said—“ In the course of our investigation into
Eeport dated 28th April 1830, paragraph 43. the rig0 and progress o£ these establishments in the
Persian Gulph wo have been led to compare the charges at Bushiro and Bussorah, with which i
the British Government is now burthened with those that sufficed for the same establishments i
at periods when our trado and intercourse ia that quarter were more active and flourishing than
at present, aud the result on our minds is that there is no reasonable ground whatever for con­
tinuing such costly agencies in the Gulph of Persia as are now maintained/*
7. Tho Committee recommended that one Agency alone should be maintained in the Gulph
and that Bushire should be its station. Aud with a view to forma correct estimate of the
expense which it would require, they remarked as follows '
11 In regard to the salary and establishments to be assigned under tho proposed modification
, .9 to the Political Agent in tho Gulph we have advert-
16., paragrap . ed ^o Daturo of the duties of the Resident and
the grounds on which the salary and establishment were fixed by the Supreme Government in
1800 so as to be enabled to form a correct judgment of the comparative business at the former
and the present period. And wo find by the instructions convoyed by the Supreme Govern­
ment to the Resident Mr. Smith, that this gentleman was appointed Commercial Resident at
Bushiro, and vested on tho part of the Supremo Government with tho political intercourse
betweon the King of Persia nud tho British Government. We need here only notice the fact
that there are now no commercial transactions to be performed by the Rosident, and that ths
Charge d*Affaires at Tehran is tho channel of oommunioation botwcon tho British Government
aud Persia, to convince Your Lordship in Council that so far as theso two duties are concerned,
the appointment of Resident at Bushire has beoome altogether nugatory/* I: