Page 111 - Gulf Precis (III)_Neat

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11 (b) That the French Government it determined to talc* all necessary precautions for
preventing slave trading under the cover of the trench dig.
° (c) That no frexh papers of protection to Sun or Maskat dhows have been is used tinea
June 1900 and that the practice toiU be diiconliuued for the future.
u (d) That careful examination is bung made as the validity of the present claims to
protection based on the possession of French papers given prior to June 1900.
u («?) Thatno right of protection on shore or in the territorial waters of Afoctal is claimed
by the French Government in respect of the subjects of the Sultan if blaskut
holding such papers, and that within the Sultan's territory *hry are to be regarded
as subiect to his ordinary jurisdiction
A request was also made that a list of the dhows and their owners considered
to be entitled to the use of the French flog might be furnished to the Sultan, as
also to the British Consul for the information of the British cruisers statioued
in those waters.
450. When the above memorandum was read to M Cambon, His Ex­
cellency listened to it with evident approbation, but somewliaj demurred to the
pronosition as to the right to French protection claimed by French fl.ag-bolders
in Maskat territory. He promisod, however, to consider carefully what was
said in the memorandum.
451. In an interview which Lord I/m.sdowno had had with the French
Ambassador on 26th November 2902, a
Ibid, No. 2C8.
reference was made to the information re­
ceived from the Sultan of Maskat about fresh French papors given to two Suris.
The French Ambassador assured that the French Government were not
giving papers to any dhows which did not already possess them, although in
one or two cases new papers had been taken out io replace old ones, either be­
cause the old ones had been damaged or for some other equally sullicient reason.
462. The French Ambassador laid stress on the unofficial character of the
communications between him and the Foreign Office and on the necessity of
bearing in mind that no other Powers had the right to interfere in the dispute
arising from flag question (Foreign Office to Sir E. Monson, No. 4S5-A,
dated 9th December 190-).
(viii) Capture of Oman slave runners in Portuguese East Africa, 1903.
453. The Portuguese authorities of Mozambique having received informa*
d .p.t.h rrom S.crot.ry oi st.t. No. 88-scrrct, tion about the middle of February 1902 of
dated *7tb November 1S0:<, and oncloioro*. the prOSeUCC of a flotilla of Suspicions look-
secret E., May i9o4, n(B. 76-la (No. no). Arab vessels anchored in a small inlet
of Sanmeo Bay, an expedition was organized of 3 Portuguese men-of-war, the
Sao liaphael, Liberal and Chaimate against the Arab vessels. Twelve of this
dhows were captured, and 725 slaves in chains were liberated. The Arabs took
to flight, and after a hot pursuit 114 of them were captured.
454. A few days afterwards a dhow called Fateh Salam was captured iD
the neighbourhood by the Commandant of Momah, with large quantity of arms
and incriminating documents. Seventeen Arabs were made prisoners on the
Fateh Salam.
455. Of tho prisoners captured by the Sao Raphael 103 were tried in the
Court of Mozambique and sentenced each to 25 years* transportation on 17th
September 1903. The second batch of prisoners were sentenced in 1903 to 17
years* transportation and sent to Angola.
456. There were extraordinary delays between the days of their respective
captures and their trial, which were attributed partly to the temporary absence
of the competent judge and partly to magnitude of tho task of taking down
evidence of a large number of witnesses.
457. His Majesty’s Government did not consider that the punishments
inflicted under the Portuguese Penal Code, 1886, in force Mozambique were
excessive, and the Sultan who was much interested in the matter was informed
accordingly (Captain Grey’s letter No. 344, dated 18th July 1904).