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will, it appears to me, stop the British Qovcrnmont from pleading those objections on any
future occasions. The admissions which have been made, however much they nro to ho
T egret tod, arc pnrhaps still capable of being explained away, but onco an arrangement has
been concluded which formally recognises the Turkish claims, we shall not bo able to go
behind it. Again, while it is possible that serious considerations may inlluonco the Porto
to accept the oontemplated arrangement, it is also conceivable that they may after some dis­
cussion and correspondence hack out <>f it. They may tako the ground that thoir sovereign
rights extend farb'dow El-llassa, and that they cunnot consent to any understanding by
which these rights will be abbreviated. In this event the fact of our having endeavoured to
conclude the arrangement, whereby Turkish sovereignty on the El-llassa coat-t was acknowled­
ged. would place us in a worse position logically than that which we now occupy in conse-
onence of the language of passed communications. It would, for instance, augment the
difficulty now felt in sanctioning local visits for police purposes by British men-of-war.
*' 2. With regard to tho arrangement itself, I beg to suggest—
“(1.) That its operation be confined—
" (a) to the El-llassa coast and waters, and
11 (i) to those portions of that coast whero Turkish authority may for the time
being actually and (irmly established-
" (2.) That pirate captured by British officers in pursuranee of the provisions of the
arrangement bf» dealt with under the orders of the Resident at Baghdad or the
Resident at Bushire as may bo most convenient.
" With regard to (6), the Foreign Office despatch proposes the recognition of Turkish
jurisdiction wherever Turkish authority i6 at tho pro ent time actually and firmly established.
For tho words'at the present time ' I propose to substitute the words * for the time being/
because it is not improbable that the Turks may he ousted from the positions which they now
occupy of tho coast, and if this contingency should arise, we should bo relieved from the obli­
gation of recognizing Turkish jurisdiction on any given part of the coast, the moment Turkish
authority ceased to he actively aud firmly established there.
“ 3. The exact point to which the El-FIassa coast extends is perhaps not certainly known.
It is. however, necessary that we should he fix in our own minds the limits of that coast, so that
British officers may know the teiritory which is understood by the British Government to be
comprehended in the arrangement. 'The sea line of the El-llassa coast has been described as
extending from the mouth of the Shat-ul-A rah to a point nearly opp site to the island of
Deraaun just 6outh of Katif, between the 26th and 27th parallel of latitude. If this definition
be accepted a considerable portion of the very coast which has of late years been used by the
pirates as thrir principal resort will be excluded from tho operation of the arrangement. In
other words, tho action of British officers on this part of the coast will ho unfet.teied by any
consideration of Turkish claims to sovereignty. Again El Bidaa, with its so-called dependency,
Walera, is situated on the El Katr (tiuttur), coast, El Bidaa therefore would also be beyond
tho operation of the arrangement. That is, if l understand corroctly the effect of the arrange­
ment, the Turkish claims to the tract from Deiuaun to Ojair and El Bidaa will bo iguored, and
if need le repudiated/'
431. Mr Go^chen observed that the main point of Mr. Plowden’s memo­
randum was the alleged inexpediency of reoognising the sovereignty of the lurks
even north of Odeid, and that he would so frame the action of Her Majesty's
Government as to rccogntee these claims as little as possible. This however,
Mr. Goschen said, did not appear to be the policy to which expression was
given in Lord Salisbury's despatch No. 13*
• Political A, Miy 18S0, No. 63.
of 5th January 1880, in which His Lord-
ship stated that the views of Her Majesty’s Government upon the matter were
decided:—
u Wherever the Turkish authority is at the present time actually and firmly established
upon the crast they art rtady to rocogniso it, and would bo glad to see it acoompanied by
regular and civilized administration/'
432. The question was then referred by the Foreign Office for Lord
Hartington’s opinion. In reply, 8ir Louis MaLlot in his letter of 30th August
1880 wrote:—
91 In reply to the request for Lord Hartington's views oo tho subjoot, I am direoted to
that the terms of Mr. Goscheo's note appear to bo in strict accord with tho instructions con­
tained in Lord Salisbury's despatch No. 12 of the 5th January last, which, as well as tbe
concurrent despatch No. 13, wus the roMilt of a very full correspondence with this oihoe eudwg
with my letter of the 2‘Jtb December 187U.