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case wc were compelled by the urgency of the matter to authorise Colonel Kemball to
search for the arms said to have been sent to Kowcit, but, before directing our officers to
take such action generally, we desire, in accordance with the instructions contained in the
telegram of nth August 1900 from your predecessor, to refer the matter for the opinion of
His Majesty's Government as to the course which it is advisable to adopt. The present
position of affairs in which Mons. Goguyer apparently intends to establish a branch of his
business at Kowcit which seems likely to become an intrepdt for the arms trade, is emi-
nen tly unsatisfactory. In view of recent declarations on the subject of the status of Kowcit
His Majesty's Government may possibly be willing now to authorise seizure of arms under
the proclamation. If, however, it is held to be undesirable to assert our predominant interests
so openly, perhaps the Turkish Government, who are vitallj interested in checking the trade
in arms in Northern Arabia, may agree to our searching all vessels in Koweit waters with­
out prejudice to the question of the authority under which the right is exercised, or to our
exercising such a right of search in Turkish territorial waters in the Persian Gulf outside
the Shat t-el-Arab without referring specially to Koweit. Some such arrangement would
probably make our position in the matter secure against all objccctors.
We are advised that it would not be necessary to make over arms seized in territorial
waters of an Arab Chief under our sole protectorate to the Chief, so that the difficulties
anticipated by Colonel Kemball would not necessarily arise. Arrangements arc in progress
for opening a British Post Office at Koweit in charge of an Indian Assistant ‘Surgeon,
and, as soon as this has been done, we propose to dispense with the services of our present
agent. As long as Mons. Goguyer remains at Koweit, it will be necessary to arrange for
frequent visits of a Political Officer and ship of war to that place, and it may be hoped
that these- overt signs of our interest in his proceedings will induce Sheikh Mubarak to
adopt a more satisfactory attitude on the subject of this arms traffic than he did on the
occasion of his last interview with Lieutenant-Colonel Kemball. The attention of Major
Cox, who will shortly succeed Lieutenant-Colonel Kemball on the departure of the latter
on leave, will be specially drawn to the necessity for consolidating our influence at
Kowcit.”
Amendment of the rules in respect to the traffic in arms and ammu­
nition at ports on the seaboard of Persia, the Persian Gulf,
Baluchistan and Gwadur, 1903.

98. Under date the 27th April 1903, the British India Steam Navigation
Company submitted for consideration the
External A., May 1904, Nos. 168—171.
following enquiry :—
'* Whether arms, ammunition and warlike stores shipped at Bombay under permits
from the Commissioner of Police for ports in the Persian Gulf, should not be allowed free
transmit in mail and other steamers calling at Karachi, and the Company exempted from
the necessity of procuring licenses from the Karachi Magistrate under Home Department
Notification No. 967 of 13th April 1900, which we hold applies to steamers from foreign
ports and not to vessels from Indian ports carrying goods, the export of which has already
been licensed by the proper Government of India official at the port of shipment.”
99. The Government of Bombay on the 1st June 1903 pointed out that in
accordance with Home Department Notification No. 967, dated the 13th April
1900, arms, etc., brought into an Indian port and declared under manifest to be
consignments without transhipment to any port on the seaboard of the Persian
Gulf must be covered by a license.
It was the practice in the Bombay Customs House to treat Maskat, for the
purpose of this notification, as a port on the seaboard of the Persian Gulf and to
require licenses in the case of arms consigned without transhipment to that port.
But a strict interpretation of the notification did not warrant this procedure, as
Maskat is. not in the Persian Gulf.
As it was doubtless the intention of the Government of India to extend the
restriction to Maskat and other ports adjacent to the Persian Gulf, the Governor
in Council suggested that the notification be amended so as to include all ports
on the Mekran coast and on the eastern and southern coasts of Arabia.
100. In reply the Government of India observed nat in view of French
treaty rights to demand the free admission into Oman of merchandise of all
kinds, it had hitherto been found impracticable to suppress the arms traffic with
Maskat, and so long as present conditions were maintained in this respect, the
Government of India considered it inexpedient to place restrictions on British