Page 179 - Gulf Precis (1-B)_Neat

373
Prosion; and ascribe bis being sent, to your friendly Disposition, & ready
attention to the Imamn’s Wishes, as communicated thro’ Vishendoss.
There cannot be a doubt, but a Company’s Servant residing at Muscat,
under any Pretext is a most desirable object, & must be, to a certain degree
a Chock on the Government of that Port; & at a further Security, I shall as
recommended by your Hon’ble Board, make it my early endeavor to procure
the King of Persia’s Injunctions to the Imaum to abstain from all Communi­
cation whatever with the Europeau Enemies of the British Nation.

I have the honor to be, with the highest Respect
Sir,
Your most obdt. & very bumble Servant,

JOHN MALCOLM,
Envoy.
Bombay ;
The 10th December 1799.
CCLXXXIXI.
From—The Governor and Council, Bombay,
To—Mr. A. H. Baole.
8ir,
You have already been advised of your appointment to proceed by the ^
same opportunity a9 Captain Malcolm to Muscat in compliance with a reques^ Phy«ici»n to
Maskat.
preferrod by the Imaum or Prince of that Country for Medical assistance and
it is the object of Government to render your stay there permanent in that
capacity jointly with such political character a9 Captain Malcolm’s ultimate
instructions may authorise you to assume.
In selecting you for this particular duty the Board have been guided by
the confidence they repose not only in your professional ability, but in the
descretion vigilance and foresight which may enable you to render the further
political services that may be required of you in view to which it is fit you
should here be informed that the present Native Agent or Broker for the
Hon'ble Company at Muscat is Veshendas who has been directed to afford
you every assistance and who of course must consider himself as subordinate
to you in any political capacity you may have to exeroise. He is properly
speaking now acting as the Deputy Mehedi Ali Khan the Company’s Resident
at Bushire to whom on the removal of the former Broker for reputed connec­
tion with the French it was left to supply the vacancy by an Agent of his
choosing in regard to which there is reason to believe he has not been parti­
cularly fortunate in as much as Veshendas is said to be the servant also of the
Imaum and cannot therefore be fully or implicitly relied on for impartial reports
of the latters conduct; but otherwise as Government have no special ground
for mistrusting Vishendas further than as may arise out of his general situ­
ation it will neither be just nor consistent with good policy to betray any
suspicion of him at least in the first instance and Government will therefore
leave to Captain Malcolm’s or your future experience to determine whether
or not Vishendas may not oontinue to be still usefully employed as Native
Agent at his present salary of 10U Rupees per month for whioh he draws occa­
sionally on the Presidency.