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have, howevor, reason to believe that this prohibition has not always been observed, and wo
have recently found it necessary to call the Sultan’s attention to tho matter, and to advise him
to direct his representative at Gwadur to confiscate all arms and ammunition which may be
landed on tho coast within Maskat jurisdiction. This advice the Sultan readily undertook to
follow.
:j. In reporting the result of bis communication to tho Sultan, our Political Agent at
Maskat observed that, primd Jacic, the prohibitory proclamation issued by the Sultan in° J8U1,
and his present action in enforcing the prohibition, scorned to bo incompatible with the terms
of Artielo 11 of tho l'rcueh Treaty with Maskat of 1844—16 : but that, as no objoction had
been raised by the French to the former notification, it appeared unnecessary to anticipate that
any would bo raisod in the present caso. In order to obviate any difficulty which might arise
in this connection, we are of opinion that the withdrawal of Gwadur from Maskat control and
its inclusion within the sphere of our predominant influence is very desirable. Signs have not
been wanting of a tendency on the part of other Powers to tako an interest in Gwadur and its
vioinity, and we have authorised Major Cox to inform the Sultan that the British Government
would certainly not permit Gwadur, surrounded as it is by territory under their control, to be
in any way associated with another Power. This warning may be sufficient to prevent tho
•Sultan from entertaining any such proposal so long as our relations with him remaiu as
friendly as they arc at present. But it is conceivable that the Sultan or his successor may
hereafter prove unfaithful to his obligations, and, in any case, should France demand to post a
representative at Gwadur, the claim might, uuder present conditions, be difficult to resist, and
an embarrassing situation might arise.
4. For these reasons wo are disposed to make an attempt, through His Highness the
Khan of Kalat, to obtain tho cession of Gwadur on readable terms. The offer might, we
think, be ostensibly made by the Khnn on his own behalf; but the price, if tho Sultan accepted
the offer, would be paid from Indian revenues. We have ascertained from Major Cox that
the annual revenue which the Sultau derives from Gwadur is about 22,200 dollars, while the
cost of administration is probably little, if at all, in excess of 111,UOl) a year. The net value of
Gwadur to the Sultau, at 15 years’ purchase, may therefore, be taken at about 4$ lakhs of
rupees.* We consider that this sum, or, if it
* 22,200 dollars = R31.080 minus, sav, K1.0S0
for expenses of uduiiuisti&tion = U3ij,OuOx R16 were arranged to take a lease of the place instead
= 4,50,000. of purchasing outright, an annual payment of
1130,0U0 to 1140,000, would not be too high a
price to pay as an insurance against any foreign attempt to obtain a footing ou the Balucli-
Makran Coast, and we commend the suggestion to Your Lordship’s favourable consideration.
5. We have, of course, taken no steps at present to sound the Sultan as to his willingness
to part with this portion of his territory, and it is possible that, the offer might meet with a
refusal. It is also possible that, if the offer were accepted, exception might bo taken to the
transaction by the French Government on the ground that, although tho rendition would be
made nominally to the Khan of Kalat, it would practically result in the extension of British
influence over territory which has been in the possession of Maskat, the independence of the
ruler of which was guaranteed by the Anglo-French Declaration of 1862. But we'caoseo
nothing derogatoiy to the Sultan’s independence in his selling back to the Khan a piece of
land, the transfer of which from Kalat to Maskat was a mere accident, and which consists
only of a few miles of coast-lino, entirely surrounded, on the land side, by Kalat territory.
Indeed, the independence of the Sultau would appear to be viudicatcd, rather than impaired,
by his ability to part with such au outlyiug possession, forming no part of Maskat proper, and
not even belonging to the Arabian pcniusula. We apprehend therefore that an objection based
on the Declaration of 1862 could scarcely bo sustained.
286. With reference to this despatch, Lord Lansdowne agreed in tbo
conclusion arrived at by the Government
Secretary of State’s despatch No. 47 (Secret)’ . e n ,
dated 21st November 1902, with enclosures.— Ot India that the Sale Or lease of Gwadur
Seorot E., April 1903, Nos. 128*129. would not, strictly speaking, he in contra­
vention of the Anglo-French declaration of 1862, but anticipated that the
transaction would he strongly opposed by the French Government who would
have at least colourable grounds for their opposition. In these circumstances
His Majesty’s Government were of opinion “ that it would not be judicious to
raise the questiou at the present time.”
287. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, however, made an alter­
native suggestion, whether it might not be possible that the proposal should be
of a more limited character, as, for instance, that the Customs Administration
of Gwadur should be leased to the Khan of Kalat for a term of years in consi­
deration of a fixed annual stipend.
288. As to this suggestion, Sir George Hamilton feared that there might
be iuc'onvcnicnce in making an arrangement that might furnish a precedent
that could afterwards he used by other Powers for endeavouring to negotiate
the lease of the customs at. some port in the Persian Gulf or in the Persian
littoral; moreover tho situation of Gwadur brings it so indisputably within tho
prepondering influence of the British Government, that tho warning already
;
I