Jacob

1858 · 175736 — Bombay: Smith Taylor and Co. 1858. The thoughts of an influential British administrator in India on British policy in the east First edition of this important collection of Jacob's often controversial views; a London edition followed in the same year. The book covers general and civil administration military matters the North-West Frontier the Anglo-Persian War and Jacob's proposals for reorganizing India's civil and military administration. John Jacob 1812-1858 travelled to India in 1828 as a second lieutenant in the Bombay Artillery. He served in Gujarat before joining the Bombay column in the First Anglo-Afghan War. He was placed in charge of ordnance stores at Fort Bukkur and later appointed to command the Sind Irregular Horse under Sir James Outram. In this role he suppressed raiding in Sind and Kachhi though his support for Outram in a dispute with Charles Napier damaged his career prospects. Despite this Napier authorized him in 1846 to expand his force to 1600 horsemen. He successfully led campaigns against Bugti Baloch tribesmen and as political superintendent of Upper Sind developed frontier defences roads and canals. He also negotiated a treaty with the khan of Kalat. Promoted brigadier-general during the Persian War 1856 he commanded British forces in Persia after the fall of Muhammarah. He died of brain fever in Jacobabad in 1858 mourned by an estimated 10000 residents. The editor Lewis Pelly 1825-1892 a Bombay Army captain joined Jacob as aide-de-camp in Persia in 1857 and became brigade major of the Sind Frontier Force. After Jacob's death Pelly's career flourished under Sir Bartle Frere's patronage. He became chargé d'affaires at Tehran 1859 political agent and consul at Zanzibar 1861 and in 1863 replaced J. Felix Jones as British Resident in the Persian Gulf. Pelly relocated the residency from Bushire to Muscat expanding British influence in the Gulf. His impact is noted in Saudi Arabia's Memorial on the Muscat-Abu Dhabi territorial dispute: "Lieutenant Colonel Lewis Pelly became the British Resident in the Persian Gulf in 1863 and for the next nine years he played an important part in events there. Pelly came to the Gulf after a long association with General John Jacob whose forthright views on the position of the British in the East he admired to the point of collecting and publishing them in a volume for the enlightenment of the British public" Memorial p. 230. This first edition is scarce WorldCat showing six locations only plus the Oriental and India Office Collection British Library. We trace only a single copy of the London edition at auction. The book reflects both Jacob's strategic vision and Pelly's commitment to shaping British policy in the Gulf. Provenance: Charles Waddington 1796-1858 with his ownership inscription on the front free endpaper dated "Kurachee Karachi 19th Feby. 1858". Waddington served in the Bombay Engineers from 1813 and was superintending engineer for Bombay and southern southern provinces. He was ADC to Napier at Miani 1843 and in October 1847 was appointed superintending and executive engineer at Aden altered to chief engineer in April 1851. In 1854 he was appointed chief engineer in the public works department Bombay and "his services in preparing the Persian expedition received official acknowledgement. In November 1857 he was appointed to the command in Sind" ODNB; in September 1858 he left India due to ill health and died in London on 22 November. With the armorial bookplate of his son Horace Waddington 1834-1930to front pastedown. Octavo. Tables to the text 4 engraved plates on 2 leaves. Original green morocco-grain cloth gilt lettered on the spine embossed arabesque panels to the covers. A little rubbed neatly rebacked with majority of original spine laid down 3 letters partially replaced on the underlying cloth endpapers browned contents with pale toning and occasional light foxing overall a well-preserved copy very good. Memorial of the Government of Saudi Arabia 1955. hardcover