Page 217 - Gulf Precis (III)_Neat

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a. There are two suggestions in Captain Dowding’s latter—one concerning Sur and
the other concerning telegrams Irom Zanzibar giving information as to movements of
slavers.
3. Captain Dowding’s opinion appears to be that the most effective method of dealing
a blow at the slave trade would be by the re-establishment of the Sultan’s power at Sur
which he considers an absolutely necessary resort for slavers on account of wind, fresh
water and other reasons.
I gather from this that Captain Dowding deems it better to carry out operations
agarost the slave trade on the importing Arabian coast than on the exporting coast of
Zanzibar.
4. There is no doubt that Sur is a convenient port of call for dhows after a long
voyage and many slavers and others touch there; but it is by no means an indispensable
resort for them, and in my belief the closing of Sur to slavers would be as little efficacious
towards suppressing the trade as stopping one of the holes in a rabbit warren would be
towards exterminating all the rabbits in it.
5. A common resort for slavers requiring water on the passage up is the vicinity of
Mcrbat, and dhows having filled up there generally make direct for their ultimate destina­
tion, vis., the Batineh Coast. Delays are dangerous, and they are naturally anxious to get
rid of their cargo as soon as possible.
6. The demand for slaves in the interior behind Sur is limited, and consequently the
number landed there is but small compared co that landed in the Batineh, where they are
in high request. Slaves are, however, sometimes re-shipped at Sur in small boats and taken
up the Gulf for sale in small batches.
7. Nothing would be easier than for the slavers to avoid Sur if they knew that it was
closed against them.
There is no absolute need for their calling there, and as a matter of fact they do not
always do so. Their chief reason for calling is to obtain fresh water and this difficulty ■
can oe met by their shipping a larger quantity at Zanzibar or by touching at one of the
numerous watering places on their way up along the South Arabian Coast, of which I
could mention nearly a hundred.
8 For reasons irrespective of the slave trade, I should be glad to see the Sultan's
power and influence at Sur increase, but my humble opinion is that direct interference on
our part towards this object would be as impolitic as it is unnecessary.
9. But in speaking of measures to be adopted for the suppression of this trade, it seems
beside the question to discuss the value of Sur to the slavers. Experience has shown that
the proper locality for our operations is on the exporting Hast African coast.
10. This point was admitted in 1873-74 when Her Majesty’s ship London was
established at Zanzibar, and the great success she had in practically stopping the trade for
tea years serves as a beacon to indicate the direction our future efforts should take.
11. The difficulty of watching the importing coast, compared with that of watching
the exporting coast, may be best understood by measuring the extent of each on the map.
12. The strip of coast in the Sultan of Zanzibar's territories, from whence all the
Negroes are exported, to Southern Arabia and the Persian Gulf extends from Ras-Delgado
to Mombasa, a distance of some 420 geographical miles. The importing Arabian Coast
extends from Mogulla to Mossendum, a distance of over 1,200 miles, and besides this
there is the entire coast of the Persian Gulf.
13 I have stated to Government my opinion before that it is quite within the power
of the Sultan of Zanzibar to suppress the trade in his dominions if it pleased him to do so.
He is an absolutely despotic ruler, and there is no one to dispute his will. The pure Arabs
in his country do not number more than 3,000 or 4,000; the rest of his people are mongrel
Arabs, a degraded race, and the aboriginal Negroes, a large proportion of whom, are slaves.
With his wealth and the means at hi* disposal he could have put down the slave trade
many years ago, but I believe he was never sincere in his co-operation with us.
14. The position of the Sultan of Oman is totally different. His country contains a
numerous warlike and turbulent race accustomed from ages to govern themselves, and over
whom he cannot pretend to exercise the same control that his brother does over the sub­
missive Negroes of East Africa. However much therefore His Highness Sayyid Toorkee
might desire it, he has not the means of actively co-operating with us against the slave
trade.
15. As regards the utility of telegraphic advices of the movements of slave dhows, it
would of course be of great advantage if Her Majesty’s representative at Zanzibar could
furnish the information suggested by Captain Dowding; but if he can obtain this informa­
tion 1 don't know why Sir John Kirk should not make Use of it himself to intercept the
vessels. Of the numerous slavers that are known to have arrived in Arabia in the last two
years, not one has been advised from Zanzibar.
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