Page 251 - Gulf Precis (III)_Neat

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(ii) Capture of slave dhows by the " Philomel/' 1885.

17a. H. M. S. Philomel captured in October 1884 a dhow with 154
slaves off the Ras-el-Hadd, and proceed­
ExtorntI A., M»rch >835, Noj. 1*33.
ings in the case were taken in the Maskat
Vice-Admiralty Court. Soon afterwards the same vessel captured another
dhow with 51 slaves near the Masira Island on its way to Aden, and the
case was disposed off at Aden. The proceedings taken in both these cases
being typical ol the rest are printed in exienso below.
They will show (1) how the captures of slaves were made; (2) the proceed­
ings in the Vice-Admiralty Courts ; (3) the way the slaves were dealt with after
these proceedings; (4) what money was spent on the slaves, etc. :—
No. 398, dated Muscat, 31st October 1884.
From— Luut.-Col. S. B. Micas, II. B. M.'s Political Agent and Consul, Muscat,
To—Libut.'Col E. C. Ross, C.S.I., Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Her Majesty’s
Consul-oencral lor Pars.
My telegram of the 14th instant, post copy of which is attached, will have already
acquainted you with the capture by H. M. S. Philomel of an Arab dhow with one
•128 male. hundred and fifty-four slaves* on hoard ; and
20 female. I have now the honour to report that the case has
since been brought into this Vice-Admiralty Court for adjudication, and the dhow con-
demned with cargo.
2. The circumstances of the capture as related to me by Captain Lang are as
follows
On the 18th instant the Philomel was lying at anchor near Ras-Had watching for
slavers when she sighted a dhow coming up from the south-west. Chase was made under
sail, but a*s the dhow gained rapidly a gun was fired across her bows as a signal to heave
to. No notice was taken of this by the nakhoda of the dhow who now steered in straight
for the shore with the obvious intention of beaching his vessel—a manoeuvre which Captain
Lang, having in the meantime got steam up, was fortunately able to prevent by intercept­
ing her before she reached it. The nakhoda seeing all was lost abandoned the dhow in
his small boat, accompanied by several of the slave-dealers, and made for the shore. Three
of the Arab dealers were captured by the Philomel's boats, but the nakhoda and five of
the dealers succeeded in escaping.
3. From the evidence of the crew and some of the slaves recorded in Court, it appears
that the dhow sailed from Zanzibar on the 10th of September last for Dar-el-Salaam, a
port on the mainland to the south of and about 40 miles distant from the town of Zanzibar.
At this place the dealers who had previously sent agents across to collect a cargo, shipped
the greater number of the slaves and others were taken in subsequently at Mboamaji and
Ras Ndege, from which latter place the dhow sailed on the 21st September for Oman, her
destination being El Khudthra, on the Batinah Coast.
4. The slaves were for the most part Wazaramo, a coast tribe engaged in cultivation
and in the collection of gum, copal, and caoutchouc. They are by no means a wild people
and but seldom, I believe, fall into slavery. The famine prevailing this year in their
country has probably been the cause of their falling easy victims to the slave-hunters.
5. The slaves were found to be in a wretched state on board the dhow when captured,
and most of the children were mere skeleton*. Provisions and water had run short on the
way, and for two days none had been issued.
6. The crew, and those of the passengers whom I ascertained to have no interest in
the cargo, I released. But six of the Arabs on board who were proved to be slave-dealers
1 handed over to His Highness Seyyid Turki, who immediately imprisoned them in Merani
fort, pending the pleasure of Government. His Highness has also sent orders to Soor to
arrest the nakhoda and has intimated to me his intention of imprisoning him.
7. On arrival at Muscat with the dhow Captain Lang found a telegram from the Admiral
awaiting him, directing him to proceed at once to Aden, and on my representing the
difficulty I sh'ould have in arranging for the reception of the slaves on shore and for their
shipment to Bombay, he decided to take them on with him to that port. Nine of the
slaves, however, seven males and two females, were in a sickly state and unfit for the
voyage, I tobk charge of. Two of these have since died in hospital. The others I will
arrange to dispose of locally under surveillance or will send to Bombay in a man-of-war.
8. Among the nakhoda of the dhow's effects was found a large packet of letters, and
from these I have been able to extract a good deal of information respecting the proceed­
ings of the slave-dealers. It appears that the prices for slaves at Dar-el-Salaam this season
ranged from five to thirty dollars. That the nakhoda had a small venture of nineteen