Page 118 - Records of Bahrain (3) (i)_Neat

108 Records oj Bahrain

Petitioners’ Agont has beon instructed to inform petitioners that tho
Court requires an affidavit on the following points to bo mado^jeforo Ilor
Britannic Majesty’s Vico-Consul at Busbiro
(a) The dote on which petitioners despatched tolog ram to London,
requesting Messrs. Strict & Co. to cliaugo tho port of dc estiuation of their
arms from Busbiro to Maskat,
(b) The date on which arms and ammunition found in Busbiro woro 6oized
by the ordors of tho Persian Government.
(c) Tho reason for their wishing tho destination of their arms and ammu­
nition on tho S.S. “ Baluchistan ” to bo changed from Busbiro to Maskat,
Maskat ; (Sd.) 0. Q. F. Fagan,
The Uth August 1898. Her Britannic Majesty's Consul,

Proceedings, 17th October 1898.
Petitioners have failed to comply with the ordors of tho Court, and have
•imply written a letter in reply to the question sent. I consider that peti­
tioners have now been given sufficient time to produce any evidence in support
of their claim for my good offices, The case is, therefore, now closed.

Maskat ; (Sd,) • C. G. F. Fagan,
!
The 17th October 1898. Her Britannia Majesty's Consul.

ORDER,
Messrs. Malcolm & Co., British subjects and traders of Busbiro, had a
consignment of 8 cases containing 1<L0 Martini-Henry rifles and 10 cases
containing 30,000 Martini-Henry cartridges on board the S.S. “ Baluchistan.”
These cases were manifested Busbiro, optional Maskat, and wore amongst
those seized by. H.M.S. “Lapwing” on tho 24th January 1898 by virtue
of an agreement entered into s by the Sultan of Maskat with the British and
rersian Governments, by which authority was givon to vessels of war of the
r f 1 owers to seize all arms and ammunition found on British, Persian
or Maskat vessels in MaskaLwators destined for Persia.
As the seizure was effected within the territorial jurisdiction of His Higli-
ness tiie Sultan, His Highness held a Court on the 16th. April to adjudicato
on the legality of the seizure.
The Court found—
(1) That the seizure was legal arid in accordance with the authority given
by His Highness to British mon-of-war,
(2) That the arms woro intended for Persian ports.
(3) That the alteration in tho port marks of destination on the cases was
carried out during the stay of tho S.S. " Baluchistan ” at Port Said, with the
intention qf misleading as to tho truo destination of those oases.
Messrs. Malcolm & Co. havo petitioned this Consulate to use its good
offices with the Sultan to obtain the release of the afore-mentioned cases belong­
ing to them. This could only bo dono if Messrs. Malcolm & Co. were a. 0
to provo that those cases or their contents wore not intended for P^1,810?
pons, and that the alteration in' port marks was not intonded to nnslea
as to the true destination of thoso cases.
Mossrs. Malcolm & Co. could only havo one of two objeots in wishing
to land their arms, &c., in Maskat. Either their object in landing tho arm*
iiere was because a move favourable market existed in Maskat than in Bushire,
or it was done to ovado the seizure of arms, which was being carried out by the

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