Page 193 - Gulf Precis (III)_Neat

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placing all his subjects at Zanzibar under the jurisdiction of Her Ma;esty's Consul in the
same way as purely British subjocts, so that the case now stands thus; no Native of
India can either purchase or sell a slave, and out of the whole Indian population at
Zanzibar, about 4,000 in number, only 76, who had registered themselves previous to
the Rao’s proclamation, as subject to the Sultan's authority with the sanction of Govern­
ment, and who at the time had among them 171 slaves, are recognized as legal owners
of slaves; but they are not allowed to sell any of them, or fill casualties by buying fresh
ones.
4. The rest of the Banians and all new arrivals from India are absolutely debarred
from buying or holding slaves ; and I have discovered no grounds on which to suspect the
prevalence of slavery among them. There arc appearances, however, which subject them,
along with all other residents in Zanzibar, to unfavourable suspicions on the part of casual
observers. Large numbers of Negroes arc to be seen in their shops and houses,1 and
employed on out-door work, apparently differing in nothing from the slaves of Arabs,
But with regard to those employed in shops and houses, the Banians declare that many
of them are servants receiving wages, and some are freed slaves, who, of their own free-will,
prefer to remain in their families, where, I am convinced from what I have seen of
Zanzibar, they are much better off than they would be by leaving them. Numbers of
this latter class live with their families in their own huts, and when one of them dies,
the master whom he was last serving usually reports his death at the Consulate, in
order that his property may be disposed of according to law. All these Negroes know
well that they are free, and that the Banians cannot hold slaves; they go to the Consul
when ill-treated, and change one family for another. I am informed that within the last
three years or so only one case of slavery (not domestic) has been delected, in which a
Bohrah, being found guilty of having bought slaves on the Coast, was sentenced to banish­
ment and fine.
5. With regard to the Negroes employed by the Banians on out-door labour, they
(the Banians) declare that they are so employed usually on daily, and in certain cases on
monthly, wages. If a Banian requires 50 labourers he collects them without difficulty
within half an hour. It is a matter of indifference to him whether any of them, and how
many, are slaves. But in this he acts like all other merchants paying the price of labour
to the labourers in person. I may mention one significant fact that no Indian thinks of
agriculture in Zanzibar, simply from not being able to hold slaves like his Arab neighbour!.
The following are the rates of daily wages Muccadum (overseer) 4 annas (Bombay money),
adult labourer from 2 to 2^ annas.
6. Possibly slaves are hired from their masters, or, what is more probable, contracts
for the work to be done are given to persons holding slaves. But l am told this practice
is general among the European and American merchants in Zanzibar; when a case of a
British protected subject hiring slaves from their master is brought to the notice of the
Consul, he interferes to break the arrangement. If, however, it were held criminal to
employ slaves either on in-door or out-door work at Zanzibar, it would, under the existing
state of things, be almost impossible for Banians or Englishmen to live on the island. But
whatever may be the practices resorted to by Banians and other foreigners to obtain labour,
it requires a strong prejudice to believe even for a moment that all the Negroes employed
by them are their slaves.
7. Such is the information I have obtained from the Banians with regard to their connec­
tion with slavery in Zanzibar, and this information has been confirmed by independent and
most reliable authority. I have questioned the Banians collectively and individually, and
they all have declared that they do not deal in or own slaves. After this declaration what
more can we expect them to do ? How can we, without taking any steps to prove them
guilty, persistently accuse them of the crime of slavery ? If l am not wrong, Her
Majesty's Consul is competent to deal, and he does deal with it in the same way as a
Magistrate or Judge deals with crime within his cognizance. It is then dear that if any of
the Banians break the law they do so through the want of adequate supervision on
the part of the British Authorities.
8. With regard to the connection said to exist between the Banians and the slave-
trade, on which much has lately been said, it is necessary to understand the circumstances
under which the trade of Zanzibar is carried on. There are no Arabs who are known
exclusively to be slave importers. Those who bring slaves to the Coast from the interior
also bring ivory, copal, hides, and other merchandize as occasion may offer.
Arab merchants receive advances in goods and money, not only from Banians, but
also from the five or six European and American houses in Zanzibar, which, l am told, do
about one-half of the business. No stipulation as to slaves one way or another is made
from beginning to end, money or goods being the things advanced, and ivory, hides, or
money received in repayment. Cases are sometimes taken before Her Majesty's Consul
arising out of these transactions, but in no recent case has it been discovered that any
understanding with regard to slaves existed between the Arab merchant and his creditor.
Arabs kno>v well that with such an understanding Banians could not recover their money
in the Court; and they would not be slow to take advantage of this knowledge to impose
their own terms on their creditors in disputed cases.
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