![‘Précis of correspondence relating to Zanzibar affairs from 1856 to 1872. Prepared by Captain P D Henderson, attached to the Foreign Department’ [‎116r] (71/114)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000833.0x0001a7/IOR_L_PS_18_B150A_0071.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "‘Précis of correspondence relating to Zanzibar affairs from 1856 to 1872. Prepared by Captain P D Henderson, attached to the Foreign Department’ [‎116r] (71/114)")
‘Précis of correspondence relating to Zanzibar affairs from 1856 to 1872. Prepared by Captain P D Henderson, attached to the Foreign Department’ [116r] (71/114)
The record is made up of 1 file (55 folios). It was created in 1872. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
h of Syed Majid.
A zan bin G iies. V iews
s t zibaii and M uscat .—In
there were indications
jhes himself, at least on
nent, to invade Zanzibar,
lis own responsibility he
eace of the place. The
litical Agent should be
umstances, to undertake the
Dceedings likely to give rise to
position. The Government of
f Zanzibar by sending a naval
Bombay have been informed
of peace in the waters of the
of sanctioning any expedition
nmon good of Zanzibar and
ivill protect either Zanzibar or
i to itself perfect freedom of
t/i April 1870 J
opinion to the effect that
i Zanzibar. Syed Majid,
a proclamation that any
is the people of that State
punished. This was ex-
e with Irade, but to give
3 persons, and to prevent
it claims for compensa-
previous year, about the
from Oman had been
Kirk attributed the peace
iow to be borne. —In
tnmission on the slave
•ved in their despatch to'
uch as those which form the
duties of the Agent should be
i correspondence of the Agent
it of India, and regarding the
, of course, not contemplated
^e required in connection with
d be thrown on the revenues
he political duties at Zanzibar,
and at present, may properly
tain its present control over
r of despatch from the
li contained an intimation
Manning's arbitral award
f India were made aware
iords of the Treasury, in
emission, that a portion
Events at Zanzibar from the arbitration to the death of Syed Majid.
of the charges of the Zanzibar
Agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
should be borne by the Imperial
Government. On the receipt of this despatch the Government of India
wrote—(Despatch No. 45, dated 12th August 1870.)
"In the event of our being instructed to convey t'» the Sultan this decision (i. tf.,
regarding the subsidy) on the part of Her Majesty's Government, we would represent that,
with the release of the Sultan from his obligation to Muscat, \he interest of the Government
of India in the affairs of Zanzibar will be at end. Under such circumstances there would no
longer exist any reason why this Government should retain the control of the Political
Agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
in that State, or whv any portion of the cost of the Asrency should be debited to the revenues
of India. We, therefore, request that we may be freed from all official connection with the
Agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
, and that the Agent may henceforward be appointed and controlled by Her Majesty's
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
" With reference to the letter addressed by Lord Clarendon to the Lords of the Treasury,
we would repeat our opinion that the suppression of the slave trade on the east coast of Africa
is not an object for which the Indian revenues should be forced to contribute. It is a matter
exclusively connected with Imperial policy, and in which the Government of India have no
concern, and the expenditure which it necessitates should, therefore, be defrayed solely from
imperial sources. We cannot consent to debit any portion of such outlay to the Indian
Budget, and we trust that Your Grace may think fit to urge Her Majesty's Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs to re-consider this proposal. As already observed in paragraph
3 of this despatch, we consider it right that, under the altered relations of Zanzibar to the
State of Muscat, the Government of India should be relieved of all connection with Zanzi
bar and all expenditure in that quarter. But should Her Majesty's Government think other
wise the only alternative arrangement which wuld command our assent is that proposed in
paragraph 10 of our despatch No. 29, dated the 20th of May 1870, m., that we should continue,
as heretofore, to pay the political charges and have control of the Political
Agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
at Zanzibar,
the entire cost of the arrangements for the suppression of the slave trade being borne by the
imperial revenues. We cannot believe it to be just, under any circumstances, to impose a
portion of the latter charges on the revenues of India."
73«. D eath of S yed M ajid .—In a letter of the 7th October 1870
Mr. Churchill reported the death of Sultan Syed Majid after a brief illness
of only a few days' duration.
63
^ l,|ri
About this item
- Content
The file is a précis of correspondence related to affairs at Zanzibar between the years 1856 and 1872, prepared by Captain Philip Durham Henderson of the Foreign Department in the Government of India. The contents of the précis, which includes reports from Christopher Palmer Rigby, the British Consul at Zanzibar, and Sir William Marcus Coghlan, relate to: the death in 1856 of the Sultan of Muscat Syed Saeed [Sa‘id bin Sulṭān al-Sa‘id] without a direct heir; the succession struggle between Syed Thoweynee [Thuwaynī bin Sa‘id al-Sa‘id] and Syed Majid [Sa‘id Majid bin Said al-Sa‘id]; British arbitration in the dispute; succession arrangements at Muscat and Zanzibar; the slave trade between Zanzibar and Muscat. The précis is organised into six chapters (labelled I to VI), as follows:
- I – Events preceding the arbitration by the Government of India;
- II – Arbitration of the Government of India;
- III – Proceedings subsequent to the arbitration relating to the question of subsidy;
- IV – Events at Zanzibar from the arbitration to the death of Syed Majid;
- V – Events in Zanzibar from the death of Syed Majid;
- VI – Slave Trade.
The contents page lists four appendices (labelled A to D) that are not included in this copy of the précis.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (55 folios)
- Arrangement
The correspondence contained in the précis is arranged in an approximate chronological order, with those of earliest date (1856) at the front, and those of latest date (1872) at the end. The correspondence is further arranged into six chapters labelled I to VI. Subheadings throughout the précis are numbered from 1 (for the first subheading in chapter I) to 131 (for the last subheading in chapter VI). A contents page (ff 82-84) lists the chapters, subheadings and subheading numbers. Note that a discrepancy appears between the subheading numbers and the subheading contents in chapter VI.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 81, and terminates at f 137, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right hand corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additonal foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 6-192; these numbers are also written in pencil but, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
Pagination: The file also contains an original printed pagination sequence 1-105.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/18/B150A
- Title
- ‘Précis of correspondence relating to Zanzibar affairs from 1856 to 1872. Prepared by Captain P D Henderson, attached to the Foreign Department’
- Pages
- 81r:137v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence