BHOPAL. A letter of 1894 from the H.E. The Viceroy Lord Elgin to H.H. The Begum of Bhopal

Letter from the Viceroy , The Earl of Elgin, to H. H. Nawab Shah Jahan Begam of Bhopal. 1894.

A letter written by secretarial hand in palace script on two sides of a bifolium headed with the royal arms embossed in gold, addressed to Her Highness Nawab Shah Jahan Begam, G.C.S.I.,C.I., of Bhopal signed Elgin Viceroy and Governor General of India, dated Fort William, 8th February 1894. The letter is stab sewn into a simple card folder with some eight pages of untranslated letters in Persian script [these are probably copies of letters sent by the Begum and translations of replies: one is signed and stamped Political Agent in Bhopal]. The letter, which begins My Esteemed Friend, is a fairly formal introductory letter saying that Elgin took over his office [from the Marquis of Lansdowne] on 27th January and that he hopes to take a great interest in the Begum’s state. Although such letters would have been sent to all the senior states they seldom come on the market and this one is unique in being addressed to the only female ruler of an Indian state in her own right. It was customary for most letters to be conveyed by the Resident of a state or the Agent rather than directly sent by the Viceroy.   apr8/2