Page 104 - Gulf Precis (III)_Neat

I
88

I carefully examined so as to exclude these for the grant of tchich no just cause
existed, a French man-of-war, tho Drome, was despatched to Maskat with the
ostensible object of conducting this examination and investigating the question
whether any dhows with French papers wero implicated in the slate trade.
412. The actual proceedings of the Commander of tho French vessel were
Tdi'cmin to Secretary of State, dated llic 2Gth reported by Captain Cox to be of a very
Auguit 1900. dillorent nature. Ho made no enquiries
into the question whether tho French flag-holders were implicated in tho slave
trade, but directed bis endeavours mainly towards intimidating the Sultan
into returning to the dhow-owners the French papers which they had handed
over to him, and to persuading IIis highness to receive as an intermediary
between llis Highness and tho Freuch Consul Abdul Aziz whom tho
Sultan had dismissed from his service. The attitude maintained by tho Sultan
in this situation was most satisfactory. lie persisted in his refusal to receive
Abdul Aziz, and declined to return the papers to their owners. The French
vessel then visited Sur, and apparently persuaded some of the Sheikhs to
recant from their undertaking given to the Sultan, and to plead that they had
given it under pressure. Two of the owners of tho papers, however, who had
handed them over to the Sultan, came into Maskat and after receiving their
papers hack from the Sultan, handed thorn over to M. Ottavi. On her way
to Sur, the Drome met and stopped several Suri dhows proceeding to Basrah,
and compelled them to come to Maskat flying the tricolour.
413. It was not until tho Drome had left Maskat that the Government of
* Secretary of Stuto’e telegram dated tbe 20th India were authorised* to convey to
September 1900. Captain Cox the approval of Her Majes­
ty's Government of his action in supporting the firm and becoming attitude of
the Sultan and in protesting against the French demands.
414. A second French vessel (the Catinat) called at Maskat in December
1900, and took the opportunity to visit Sur. The French Commander is said
to have made muoh of the French flag-holders, and to have assured them that
he had settled Ihe matter of the flags with the Sultan in a satisfactory way
and that His Highness had agreed to let them all remain French subjects.
(ii) Captain Cox’s Report on the origin and manner of granting the French Flag,
June 1900.
415. Now to go to Captain Cox’s reportf on the points raised on the Secre­
Secret E., September 1000, No*. 6-66. tary of State's Despatch No. 47, dated
t Letter No. 313, dated 18th June 1900, to 24-tll November 18u9, quoted above
BetidcuU
Ibid, No. 41. (paragraph 402).
The modus operandi followed by the French in giving the flags has been
described above (paragraphs 236-239).
416. As regards the evidence of the French connivance in slave trade
under the protection of their flag, Captain Cox, after careful enquiries at Sur
2 Slave running aeaion* aro just before and just during visit in Juno 1900, found that
after the soath-weit tnomoon. on the course of the season} just over,
1,000 slaves had been imported and landed close to Sur. Of these 850 were
brought in large consignments in five dhows, three of which flew the French
flag and arrived at Sur, when M. Ottavi was there. He was probably not an
eye-witness of the landing of these slaves, which must have been done, some­
where to the south of Sur, hut Captain Cox felt no doubt that M. Ottavi and
bis dragoman Abdul Aziz knew the facts well hut only winked at them.
417. There were several irregularities in the way the French papers were
given to the Arabs, which offended against tho provision of tho Brussels Act,
Articles XXX, XXXIV, &c. For example residence of tbe protdgSs was left
out in several papers, no proper description of the vessel was given in some.
418. Tho particular law of France under which papers or flags were
given by the France Consuls, Captain Cox reported his inability to trace.