Charles Hanmer Dickson – the First British Consul in Soukhoum-Kalé (1858-1865)

Abstract

The first essay in a series of works on the history of the British consulates on the Black Sea coast of the West Caucasus, dedicated to the first consul in the port city of Soukhoum-Kalé Charles Hanmer Dickson (1858-1865), who in the difficult conditions of The Caucasus War (1859-1864) worthily defended the imperial interests of the Great Britain

According to his activities in the Caucasus, the British consul left a large documentary complex that reveals political, economic, military, demographic, ethnographic, and other aspects of development of these territories. All this testified to the great interest of the British Crown in the Caucasus region, its desire to be actively involved in trans-Caucasian trade, in every way limiting the possibilities of the Russian Empire in contacts with the Caspian coast and India.

The article reveals the life of Charles Dickson (1824-1869), his formation as a diplomat from the Vice-Consul in Benghazi (Libya) to the Consul in Canéa (Island of Crete). Particular attention is paid to the reports of the consul during his stay in the Caucasus, which clearly characterizes the processes that took place not only in the subordinate district, but also in the Black Sea-Azov region in general.

The importance of consular reports and diplomatic correspondence as sources for the reconstruction of the historical past is once again emphasized.