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were shipped on tho Jean Bart, and she loft for Stir on tho morning of 18th
April with the Froneh Consul and his Dragoman, Abdul Aziz, on board.
515. Captain Cox, accompanied by Dr. von KraITt had proceeded to Sur in
a buggalow on 14th April; the departure of the French Consul was probably
hastened by this fact, and from roports of heats from Sur it appears that Mona.
Ottavi reached his destination before the British Consul, which contingency
tho latter was anxious to avoid.
GIG. On the morning of tho 20lh April, tho It. F. cruiser lvfernct
arrived and, in accordance with custom, saluted the Sultan’s flag. Short­
ly after she dropped anchor, Mous. Goguycr, accompanied by a peon from tho
French consulate, proceeded on board.
517. While endeavouring to make duo allowance for tho bias of his sur­
roundings, Captain Cox could come to no
Secret E., Auguat 1001, Noe. 171-203.
other opinion than that tho difficulties
recently experienced by Dr. von KraO tand himself were due in tho first instance
to tho specific clTorts of the French Consul and Abdul Aziz on arrival at Sur
a few days before thorn, and in the second place, indirectly to the effect of tho
systematic dissemination for tho past year and a half among tho Sheikhs of tho
Sharkiych of the notorious “ Eye-opener ” leaflet, which had acted as an elect­
ive fertiliser to a naturally productive soil, and made of it a real field for the
crop of calumny which the British mission in tho neighbourhood of Sur put it in
French Consul’s power to sow. From the moment that tho British parly arrived
at Mislook on 21st April, French connection with what was passing formed the
constant theme of conversation between individuals or groups of Arabs of which
Captain Cox was often an unsuspected listener, hut tho reports of letters and
messengers which were from time to time alleged to he passing between tho
French Consulate and the Uiiiawi Sheikhs were, lie was afraid, often unreliable,
and he bad, therefore, no wish that they should be taken into account in tho
absence of actual proof, which was not tboa forthcoming (Political Agent’s
letter A’o. 2<9, dated L2lh June 1901).