The Translation and Comment

 by 

Mohammed Q, Binghalib:

 of Original Document:

 

          December 10th 1862

 

My Lord,

 

With reference to my despatch to your excellency dated the 16th of february. I have the honor to enclose. I have the honor to enclose translation of a further communication which has been made to me by Pholaum Mahomed Jaffer Ali Khan regarding Feroze Shah’s proceedings. It appears from this that a Belooch named  Ratmet-oollah, of whom an account is given I the enclosure.

His Excellency the right Honoroble Carl of Elqin and Kincardine I.K.I.K.S.I above dispatch, had left Tehran for Baghdad on this way toBaroda and that he is declared to be the bearer of the letter from Feroze Shah  to his friends in Beloochistan and India.

                                I have informed colonel ------ of these statements and have farnished him with a description pf Rahmet-oollah person .

 

I have the honor to be

My Lord,

Your Excellenceys

R,F Thomson

 

 

Transalation

 

Extract from the letter addressed to the Sir Thomson by Gholam Mahomed Jaffer Ali Khan received  March 22nd 1863.  

 

In the middle of Februaiy 1863, it was reported that one Mohd. Abbas Ali Khan, a native of Madras, lately traveled with Firoz Shah and his party from Kerman to Meshad and to Astrabad and thus had been living for several months on terms of intimacy with the whole of the insurgent refugees. According to his own statement, this person had no previous connection with these people. Mohammad Abbas Ali Khan wrote a letter to Thomson giving details of the activities of Firozshah. He wrote, “My name is Ghulam Mohammad Abbas Ali Khan s/o Ghulam Mohammad Masga Khan Bahadur of the Mewalwalagarh family, now residing in Madras. My wife’s father who was the Nejahid Daulat, whose son, Abbas Ali Khan is now living in the fortress of the English Government. 1 left India, with the intention of pilgrimage to Mecca. I came by way of Bushire to Seeraj. Mirza Koochak of Feroz Bakht arrived from Kerman and took up his quarters.”"

 

He further wrote that the Persian Dabir-ul- Mulk paid 600 Toomans to Vessee Hussain who has assumed the title of Dabir-ul-Mulk of India’ and promised that a further sum would be given. But he requested that Firoz Shah and his party would go away and not trouble the Persian Govt, any long. Firoz Shah replied that he could not travel in the winter season but after two months he would take his departure. Mohammad Abbas Ali Khan further wrote that Firoz Shah dispatched the one eyed Bilochi named Rehmatulla to India by way of Baghdad with letters from Firoz Shah to certain persons in
Belochistan and to his friends in India. He sent Akhoond Beloch from Kerman down the Persian Gulf. It was also intended to dispatch Alimulla, who was the person employed to communicatewith the Persian Govt.,to India on a similar errand. Both these persons were to proceed to Baroda. Alimullah had not yet started. He was living in a serai at the New Gate at Tehran. Mohammad Abbas Ali Khan also wrote about an incident related to Firoz Shah’s Baroda visit. Abbas Ali wrote that when he was in Meshad with the rebels, they told him that while Firoz Shah and his followers were at Baroda, the Baroda Raja ordered a general illumination on the occasion of Lord Elphinston’s visit, and Firoz Shah, the one eyed Baluchi, Rahmatulla, Alimullah and Versee Hussain all determined to assassinate Lord Elphinston. They had left their home and had started with loaded guns on one of the roads where the
Governor had to pass, but in the meantime, their friend Maulana Saheb Hislee finding that they were not in their house followedthem and dissuaded them from carrying out their intention. This Maulana Saheb was the person who provided them with a house in which they were concealed and from which during their stay at Baroda they did not move excepting at -night. 

 

It is not clear as to when Firoz Shah was in Baroda in his mission. It was quite possible that he might have visited Baroda in the last quarter of 1862, the rumours of which might have prompted the British authorities to apprehend Mahmud Shah alias Pasha on 3 1st December 1862 at Patan, Gujarat. In reply to a reference from Persia in January 1863, whether any reward had been offered for Firoz Shah’s apprehension, the Government of India stated that it would not be expedient to
undertake any such proceedings in a foreign territory.

Translated by

                             (Sd).  R.F. Thomson.