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‘Précis of correspondence relating to Zanzibar affairs from 1856 to 1872. Prepared by Captain P D Henderson, attached to the Foreign Department’ [131v] (102/114)
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.
Slave Trade-
supply the slave labor market, and can supply it only by kidnapping- their victims in the in
terior, and conveying them across from the mainland in a state of slavery."
The
Political Agent
A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency.
was, therefore, directed to enquire from Messrs. Fraser
what precautions had been taken by them to prevent these large demands
from operating as a direct and dangerous stimulus to increased activity in the
slave traffic with the interior, and also what guarantee they had that the labor
ers at the expiration of their five years' term of service would be declared free.
The Government of India on the 14th November 1866 observed to the
Bombay Government that, whatever the legal aspect of the case might be—
" it is evidently incumbent on the Government to do what lies in its power to discourage
and repudiate a line of conduct in any of its subjects so inconsistent with the attitude which
it holds towards the State of Zanzibar and other countries in respect of slave dealing."
The Messrs. Fraser were to be informed distinctly that the Government
and its representative will in no case support such contracts, or aid in respect of
any difficulties which might arise from them.
In the meantime the matter had been reported by Dr. Seward to the
London Foreign Office, and on the 5th November 1866 Lord Stanley replied—
" Having consulted the proper law officers of the Crown, I have to imform you that
Her Majesty's Government are of opinion that in entering into this contract, Messrs. Fraser
have violated the provisions of Act 6 and 7 Victoria, Chapter 98, which renders applicable
the provisions of the Act 5, George IV., Chapter 113, to all British subjects wherever they
may reside.
"The contract stipulates that for five years certain the laborers are to be at the sole
disposal of Messrs. Fraser and Company, after which term they are to be set free. During the
interval they are clearly slaves, and the case falls within the following words of the Act'cf
George IV., viz. (section 2), ' deal or trade in persons intended to be dealt with as j-laves'; * con
tract for the transfer of persons intented to be dealt with as slaves'
" I have, therefore, to instruct you to apprize Messrs. Fraser and Company that by entering
into these contracts they have incurred the penalties of the Acts in question, and you will
enquire and communicate to Her Majesty's Government whether anything, and what, has been
done under the contracts, and also whether Messrs. Fraser and Company have any representation
or submission to make upon the subject before proceedings are taken."
^ On being made aware of the decision of Her Majesty's Government,
Captain Fraser, who until then apparently had no opportunity of stating his
case, represented that the contract had been framed on a contract previously
drawn out by Colonel Playfair when
Political Agent
A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency.
at Zanzibar, and which
had been approved by the Bombay Government. Dr. Seward urged that
there was no similarity in the terms of the two contracts, but, as a copy of the
agreement framed by ( olonel Playfair was not submitted to the Government
of India, there are no grounds for forming an opinion in the matter. Mr.
Maine, the Legal Member ot Council, observed on the case—
ith the main question the Government of India does not seem to me to have anything
further to do. But it is a somewhat awkward element, in the case that Messrs. Fniser's
contracts should have been so fully concurred in by the former Consul, Colonel Playfair.
^ ir . S ewar ^ s part has been in the matter I fail to collect from this most unin-
tei igible letter.) Ihe offence against, the statutes is not holding slaves (which cannot generally
' e ' le 'p e ^ a slave-holding country) or employing, but contracting for their labor."
In March 1867 Dr. Seward informed the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs that the Sultan had, at his instigation, liberated 711 slaves who had been
working under contract with Messrs. Fraser and Company. Lord Stanley ex-
pressed satisfaction at the intelligence, and intimated that no proceedings
would be taken against Messrs. Fraser, provided they could undertake to abstain
in future from similar offences.— fFolitical, A, November 1866, Nos. 45-47;
May 1867, Nos. 141-43; May 1867, Nos. 181-83; June 1867, Nos. 24 ^ 25;
and April 1868, Nos. 145 8f 146.;
94
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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‘Précis of correspondence relating to Zanzibar affairs from 1856 to 1872. Prepared by Captain P D Henderson, attached to the Foreign Department’ [131v] (102/114), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B150A, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023935572.0x000067> [accessed 8 January 2025]
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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