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Excellency very desirable that the opportunity should not bo lost, though it
was necessary to seo the Sultan through, if we accepted the draft.
405. TThon the Secretary of State was about to reply that Her Majesty's
Government would not support any attempt by the British Consul to induce
the Sultan by promise of aid to cuforco on his subjects tho disuse of the French
Flag, another step was taken by tho Sultan, which complicated or perhaps
rather simplified tho situation, still more.
400. In Juno 1900, when Captain Cox paid in tho Sphinx his usual annual
- q„nlnm,in, lnr»n *•„. r rr visit to Sur where there are about 25 to
Capuiu ,>c.>a>i tdrermua, dated'i6:b* and loth 30 Hindu British subjects, the Sultan
juno«mi:-3 a July jo°°. also accompanied him‘for the place, this
being lus first visit to the place. The
Sphinx arrived at Sur on 8th June. The two tribes at Sur gave the Sultana
very hearty welcome, which was rather a pleasant surprise to him. The Chief
elders of all denominations came oLF to tho Sphinx to call upon him directly
she had arrived and took him off to the shore, where they placed a house at
his disposal. Two days later Abdullah bin Salim, tho Amir of the Beni-Abu
Ali (one of tho two tribes in Sur), came in with nearly one thousand men to do
His Highness honour.
407. There was then—owing to tho good offices of Amir Abdulla bin
Salim—a spontaneous movement to give up their French Flags. All the
holders of these flags, covering altogether forty-five dhows, presented to the
Sultan on 12th Juno a document solemnly declaring their allegiance to the
Sultanas “his vassals and under his protection,** and undertaking to return
the French Flags aud papers they had taken to tho French Government and
disclaiming all rights under them from tho date of tho document. Three of the
papers, which bad been granted by M. Ottavi, were returned to him, but he
refused to accept them, and the remainder, their respective holders undertook
to return to the other Consulates from which they had beon taken as soon as
the monsoon season was over.
408. The Sultan then issued tho following edict on 13th June 1900
(Political Agent’s telegram, dated 3rd
Jlid, No. 35.
J uly 1900) : —
“We have observed tlmt subjects of ours have ignorantly taken flags and articles from a
Foreign Government, whe>eun<ler they pretended to claim their protection. This has been
taken in the past, but there must he n-.-ne of it in the future aud you must understand that
such procedure is contrary to the duties and obligations of subjects. You are, therefore,
hereby informed that we do not recognize Jlngs and articles in our territory, and will not
pardon any one, who takes them otherwise than with our written permission and sanction in
accordance with treaties between us and foreign powers .*’
Copies of this edict were forwarded to tho three Foreign Consuls at Maskat
on 15th June, tho Sultan having returned from Sur on the 14th.
409. Garbled accounts of these proceedings were wired by M. Ottavi to
the French Government, and by M. Goguyer to the Press alleging use of
insulting language against tho French Government by the Sultan, violence
and force against the tribes, throats of bombardment by the Sphinx, etc. There
was no truth in these charges. The Commander of the Sphinx and Captain
Cox kept entirely aloof from tho Sultan’s proceedings and not the slightest
demonstration of force was used (Captaia Cox's telegram, dated 15th June
1900).
410. Her Majesty’s Government did not, however, see their way to
supporting tho Sultan in the position which
8ecret E., September 1900, Hoi. 6*56 {No. 47).
he had assumed, and in a telegram, dated
the 20th July 1900, they directed that the “ Sultan should be advised to make
it clear that the edict affected only the issue of flags and papers to his subjects
after the date of its communication to the French Consul; while in regard
to those issued before that date, any doubtful or disputed case would he the
subject of examination between himself and tho French Government.
411. M. Cambon having intimated on 26th June 1000 that in future no
papers of protection would be given, and that the existing papers should be