Edward and his brother Charles first established themselves in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz in the early 1830s, specializing in the import of Manchester cotton goods.
Although the text of this translation was a hundred years old, Edward found himself able to update its content aided by several contemporary European gazetteers.
Upon Naser al-Din's accession to the throne, Edward was promoted to become his principal translator, perhaps at the recommendation of Mirza Taqi Khan (later known as Amir Kabir), then vazir-e nezam of the Azerbaijan province.
He appointed him to oversee (mobasherat) the contents of the Ruzname-ye vaqaye-e ettefaqiya, a famous Persian newspaper established in 1851 by Amir Kabir, chief minister during the first four years of Naser al-Din Shah's reign.
The papers contain correspondence, diaries, financial records, art work and other materials documenting the personal life and commercial activities of the family members.