Guide to the

Alexander Russell Webb Journals, 1892

Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library

Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Guide to the Alexander Russell Webb Journals, 1892

Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library

Duke University
Box 90185, 103 Perkins Library
Durham, North Carolina 27708 USA
Phone: (919) 660-5822 / Fax: (919) 660-5934
Email: special-collections@duke.edu
URL: http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/

Guide to the Alexander Russell Webb Journals, 1892

Descriptive Summary
Collection Title: Alexander Russell Webb Journals, 1892
Creator: Webb, Alexander Russell, 1846-1916
Extent: 3 Items
Language of Material: English.

Information for Users

Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
However, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form
before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service
Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special
Collections Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in the Alexander Russell Web Journals have not been transferred to Duke
University. For more information consult the section on copyright in the Regulations and Procedures of
the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library.
A Xerox copy of Journals 1 and 2, on acid-free paper, is filed with the collection. Further photocopying
should be done from these copies, not from the original volumes.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Alexander Russell Webb Papers, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special
Collections Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The Alexander Russell Webb Journals were purchased by Duke University in 1980.
Processing Information
Processed by: Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library Staff
Completed October 8, 1981
Encoded by Stephen Douglas Miller
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.

Biographical Note

Guide to the Alexander Russell Webb Journals, 1892

Alexander Russell Webb (1846-1916) has the distinction of being the first known American convert to
Islam and of being the first person to conduct a major effort to spread Islam within the United States.
Born in Hudson, New York, he had a short journalistic career as editor of the St. Joseph Gazette and
Missouri Republican. In 1887 he was appointed American consul at Manila. There he befriended several
Indian Muslim businessmen and studied works about Islam. In 1888 he declared in a pamphlet his
conversion to Islam. He resigned from the consular service in 1892 and returned to the U. S. by way of
Singapore, Penang, Rangoon, a number of cities in India, and possibly other places. Back in America,
Webb established an office in New York City as the Oriental Publishing Co. In May, 1893, he published
the first issue of the Moslem World, Devoted to the Interests of the American Islamic Propaganda, the
earliest Islamic missionary periodical in America. In connection with his "American Mission," as Webb
called it, he wrote a number of books and pamphlets among which were several of his lectures in India
that were published there during 1892-1893. Biographical information about Webb appears in: Nadim al
Maqdissi, "The Muslims of America, 80,000 Muslims and 12 Mosques in the United States and
Canada,"Islamic Review, Vol. 43, No. 6 (June, 1955), pp. 28-29; Nelson R. Burr, Critical Bibliography
of Religion in America (Princeton, 1961), pp. 536-538; and V. S. Naipaul, "An Islamic Journey, Among
the Believers,"The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 248, No. 2 (Aug., 1981), p. 63. Copies of the pertinent pages
from these sources are filed in the Information Folder in this collection.

Collection Overview
The collection contains Webb's "Journal No. 1, From Manila to Calcutta" (142 pp.), Aug. 29-Oct. 19,
1892, and his "Journal No. 2, From Calcutta to Bombay and Agra" (144 pp.), Oct. 20-Dec. 15, 1892.
This is the first journal that Webb ever wrote (Vol. 1, p. 1). His journal continued beyond Vol. 2; the last
sentence was continued elsewhere, and no pages appear to be missing from this volume. A later volume
or volumes contained the account of the rest of his journey which is incomplete here.
Webb's descriptive style is good, and he did extensive touring wherever he went. Thus, his volumes are
good travel journals. The most important feature of his account is his contact with Muslim scholars,
re-ligious leaders, businessmen, rulers, ordi-nary people, etc. Beginning in Rangoon, he and his mission
to spread Islam in America were enthusiastically received not only by individuals but literally by
throngs of well-wishers. He was received by many influential Muslims, and his comments about some
of them are quite interesting. Webb did not like the English or local people who catered to them, and this
attitude, often expressed, colored his reactions to persons whom he met. Some of the significant
Muslims whom he discussed have been identified by using S. M. Ikram's Modern Muslim India and the
Birth of Pakistan (Lahore, 1977). Spellings of names are given as Webb wrote them unless they are
found written otherwise in Ikram's book or other reference sources.
Webb's journals record the following travels in 1892: Vol. 1: Manila, Aug. 29-Sept. 6 (pp. 1-10); ocean
travel, Sept. 6-13 (9-23); Singapore, Sept. 14-21 (24-64); ocean travel, Sept. 21-28 (64-80) with a visit at
Penang, Sept. 23-25 (66-74); Rangoon, Burma, Sept. 28-Oct. 9 (80-113); ocean travel, Oct. 9-12
(113-122); Calcutta Oct. 12-19 (122-142); Vol. 2: Calcutta, Oct. 20-23 (pp. 1-11); Patna, Oct. 23-24
(11-15); Benares, Oct. 25-26 (15-19); Bombay, Oct. 28-Nov. 17 (21-54); Poona, Nov. 17-19 (56-62);
Hyderabad, Nov. 20-Dec. 8 (65-120); Madras, Dec. 10-12 (127-140); and Agra, Dec. 15 (143-144).
Travel inside India was by train, of which Webb gave some interesting descriptions.
The item is a printed program for a horse race given by the Sultan of Johore at Singapore on Sept. 15,
1892.
A Xerox copy of Journals 1 and 2, on acid-free paper, is filed with the collection. Further photocopying
should be done from these copies, not from the original volumes.

Guide to the Alexander Russell Webb Journals, 1892

Description from the Manuscript Card Catalog located in the Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript,
and Special Collections Library.

Subject Headings
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the
Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
India--Description and travel.
Islam--Missions--India.
Missionaries--India.
Pinang Island (Pinang)--Description and travel.
Rangoon--Description and travel.
Singapore--Description and travel.
United States--Diplomatic and consular service.

Guide to the Alexander Russell Webb Journals, 1892

List of Series
Alexander Russell Webb Journals, 1892

Detailed Description of Collection:

Alexander Russell Webb Journals, 1892
The following description does not include references to every person, place, or topic mentioned in
Webb's journals, but sufficient detail is provided to indicate the richness of their contents and to
serve as a guide to them.
The journal begins on Aug. 29, 1892, at Manila when Webb was concluding his affairs at the
consulate. His wife and children had left earlier for the U. S. He remarked that he had never before
kept a journal. The section for Manila is on pages 1-10.
On Sept. 6 Webb sailed for Singapore on a Spanish steamer, a trip that lasted until Sept. 13 (pp.
9-23). He commented about the crew and about the bad conditions on the ship.
Webb's visit in Singapore lasted from Sept. 14 to 21 (pp. 24-64). He considered Singapore one of the
most beautiful of cities, and he provided a fine description of many aspects of it. He commented
about: the Raffles Hotel (25-26, 54-55); a Chinese open-air theater (26-28); the Singapore Cricket
Club (29); the Chinese section of the city on various occasions; English snobbishness (31-33);
carriages and carriage drivers often; a horse race given by the Sultan of Johore (33-34); Sir Charles
Warren (34, 57), army commander at Singapore; Hindu temples (36-40, 42-43); an Islamic mosque
(38-39); a Buddhist temple (39-40); the tomb of Iskander Khan, an Islamic shrine (40-42); the home
of a wealthy Chinese (43-45); the Raffles Library and Museum (46-47); the Leogan (?) Library of
oriental material (47-48); a Chinese club dinner, a social custom among wealthy Chinese (48-51);
the girls imported to be sold as wives, mistresses, and prostitutes and their role at the dinner (49-51);
a Chinese street festival to propitiate the devil (51-53); the Botanical Garden (55-56); psychical
researcher Ridley and two experiments in thought transference (57-58); prostitutes on Malay St.
(59); a Chinese ceremony over the dead (59-61); and botanist Henry Nicholas Ridley (57-58).
Webb resumed his journey on Sept. 21 with a voyage from Singapore through the Malacca Strait and
Bay of Bengal (pp. 64-80). This ship was better. He described a number of European and Asian
passengers. The ship paused during Sept. 23-25 at Penang, and Webb, who was charmed with this
city, described it and its environs.
On Sept. 28 the ship entered the Irrawaddy River and soon docked at Rangoon, Burma, where he
visited until Oct. 9 (80-113). He was greeted at the wharf by a throng of Muslims, and he was driven
to the principal mosque where he addressed a large gathering and where he was congratulated for
becoming a convert to Islam. He toured the city extensively. He met with many Muslims at the
mosque, an assembly hall, offices, and private homes. He delivered several addresses. At the
principal mosque he was given his Islamic name of Alexander Russell Abdulla Webb (88), but he
was known later as Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb. Muslims whose names appear frequently
in the text are Abdul Careem Sookar, Abu Beher, and Abdulla Arab. There are a few references to
Ismail Mohammed (107-108), Mohammed Dawood (84, 87-89), and Moolah Ismail (82).
Notable references include: Buddhists and Buddhist temples (101-104); funeral customs (85,
105-107); a museum and zoo (110-111); an oil-mill or petroleum refinery (112); opinions of the

Guide to the Alexander Russell Webb Journals, 1892

English (109, 112); etc. The Imam endorsed Webb's mission to convert Americans to Islam, and
subscriptions were raised (102).
Webb traveled by boat to Calcutta, and his visit there is described in Vol. I, pp. 122-142 and Vol. II,
pp. 1-11, covering the period of Oct. 12-23. As usual he was well received by the Muslims, and he
met with many of them. Of particular interest are his comments about Nawab Abdul Latif
(1828-1893), a magistrate, first Muslim member of the Bengal Legislative Council, and founder of
the Mohammedan Literary Society at Calcutta. Webb toured extensively in the city and commented
upon places of interest associated with the British, Muslims, and Hindus. Religious observances of
both Muslims and Hindus occurred during this time. Some of the Muslims whom Webb met were:
Hajee Noor Mohammed Jackeriah (123-124); Hajee Abdulla (often); Abdul Jubbar (131); Nawab
Jan Mohammed (136, 140); the editor of the Mohammedan Observer (138-140, 142); Hajee Abdul
Wahed (139); Dewan Synd Ameer Hossein (131, 139); Mohammed Yussuf Khan Bahadur (139; II,
6); Moulin Abdul Jubbar (139; II, 9); Nawab Meer Mohammed All (II, 9); etc. Prominent Hindus
included Dr. Sambha C. Mookerjee (II, 2).
Webb left Calcutta by train on Oct. 23 and next visited the Muslims and sights at Patna (II, 11-15).
Of special interest is his visit to Moulin Khuda Bakhsh Khan Bahadur and the Bakhsh Oriental
Library of books and manuscripts in his mansion. This notable collection is now the Khuda Bakhsh
Oriental Public Library (11-12).
Webb's next stop was at Benares on Oct. 25-26 (15-19). While en route from Benares to Bombay,
Webb was joined by Budmddin Abdulla Kur whom he was to see often in Bombay. Kur was the
publisher of Webb's lecture at Bombay.
Webb was at Bombay during Oct. 28-Nov. 17 (21-54) where he received his most cordial reception
up to that time. His traveling companions and helpers, Hajee Abdulla and Hassan Ali, were with him
through most of his journey in India. Some notable aspects of the Bombay visit were: meeting with
Shaikh Abdul Rahim, a Muslim mystic and clairvoyant (28); opinions of Nawab Zada Nasrullah
Khan of Sachim and his cousin the Nawab of Jungera (32-33); critical remarks about the English
scattered through both volumes; a Muslim wedding procession (34-35); a Parsee wedding (37-39);
the Elephanta Caves (40-43); Hajee Yussuf Soliman (48-49); the shrine of Ali (49); and Badr-ud-Din
Tyabji, a justice who once presided over the Mohammedan Educational Conference (51-52).
The next city that Webb visited was Poona on Nov. 17-19 (56-62) where he met Hajee Haroun Hajee
Jaffer, a wealthy bookseller and businessman (57, 59, 61) and Khan Bahadur Kazi Shahabudin
(60-61).
Webb traveled by train inside India, and his descriptions of these experiences, especially from
Bombay to Hyderabad, Hyderabad to Madras, and Madras to Agra, were rather colorful.
Webb had a particularly interesting visit in Hyderabad, the capital of the native state of Hyderabad
that was ruled by the Nizam with British assistance. He was in the city during Nov. 20-Dec. 8
(65-120). Notable references include: the Superintendent of Public Instruction (66); marriage
procession for a daughter of the Nizam (68-69); Shah Abdur Rahim, a sort of high priest to the
Nizam (70-75, 79); Mohammed Sharful Hak of Delhi, a Muslim missionary (71, 74); the Nawab
Mehdi Ali, that is, Syed Mehdi Ali, a high official in the government of Hyderabad who retired in
1893 and soon became an official of the important Aligahr College (75, 79, 87, 89-90, 93, 104-105,
107-108, 116-118); a juggler (77-78); the Prime Minister (78, 87-89); Webb's speech before 2000
people (80) that was soon published; visits to a dervish (91-92) and to a Muslim saint who conducted
a seance before his followers in a mosque (99-101); the old city of Golconda (102-104); Hassan Ali's
public lecture and troops to keep order in case the Muslims revolted (104-106); and the lack of
7

Guide to the Alexander Russell Webb Journals, 1892

success of the movement here (110-111).

Webb's next stop was at Madras during Dec. 10-12 (127-140). Notable references include: Mirza
Ismail Khan Bahadur (129-131); Col. Henry Steel Olcott, founder of the Theosophical Society
(128-129, 132-133); the performance of a fakir (135-137); presiding over the opening of the new
asylum for Moslem converts (137-138); Mohammed Ahmad (138-139); and various references to
Anjumani-Islam, a society that hosted him.
The second volume of the journal ends during the visit at Agra on Dec. 15 (143-144).