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'Muscat' [‎3v] (4/40)

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The record is made up of 1 file (20 folios). It was created in 7 Jun 1901. 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. .

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4
Secret This practice had been a subject of complaint by the Indian Government
' ever s ^ llce when the Erench Government made a promise to discontinue
dated tth it ' 1)ut on] y, Jis they subsequently (16th October 1897) explained, so far as their
Dec. 1891. Consulate at Aden was concerned. The ground of complaint was, primarily,
that it threw grave dilTiculties in the way of carrying out the Act of the Brussels
nJJ'n .ii Conference in regard to the Slave Trade. Though discontinued at Aden,
AV 47, '' the practice was reported in 1892 to continue at Madagascar (India Letter
dated 24th No. 46), at Obokh (Nos. 66 and 98), and (No. 231 of 1892) it was stated that
Xov. 1899, its discontinuance would be even more effectual than systematic cruising in
Lnc. 4. stopping the slave trade.
Pol. 803/97. 1^93. it was proposed that the Sultan of Muscat should be invited to
subscribe to Chapter IV. of the Act of the Brussels Conference; but the
proposal was not carried out, partly because it was at the time understood that
the Act was not to apply to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and partlv for fear of em-
S- ntch barrassment with the Jbrench. In 1894 the Government of India instructed
to India, 1 the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. to advise the Sultan to inform
No. 48,' the French Vice-Consul that the assertion of French protection over Suri
dated 19th boats in Oman waters would be a contravention of the Anglo-French
Declaration of 1862. Her Majesty's Government approved these
Secret instructions. In September 1896 the question was brought prominentlv
Despatch, forward owing to the seizure by II.M.S. "Sphinx" of two dhows fiyin 'o-
Jht 121] i ^ renc ^ colours, which were found to be full of slaves. They were handed
\piii 1897 over ^ ie ^ renc h Consul at Muscat for adjudication; and a repre
sentation was made to the French Government, who, while stating that
Pel. 1815/97. these cases would be dealt with, denied that they had ever had any intention
No 117 of of discontinuing the grant of French papers to Suri dhows. The Government
1897. ' India thereupon revived the suggestion that the Sultan should adhere to
the Act of the Brussels Conference ; but the Foreign Office preferred a pro-
No ^fof P osa ^ Sultan should be advised to institute a distinctive flag for the
18 x) 7 1 0 use of vessels belonging to his subjects.
1898. —On the 1st January 1898 an incident occurred which seemed to
show that the Sultan was again assuming an unfriendly attitude. He declined
to hoist the British flag as usual on that day, at the instance, it was said, of
the French Vice-Consul, in order to show his independence of the Govern
ment of India. (The Resident, who was present, had, however, no difficulty
in inducing him to apologise, and the flag was hoisted with a salute on the
3rd January.) He agreed Without difficulty to issuing a proclamation with
regard to the arms traffic; but he was obstructive in the matter of adjudi
cating on the arms seized in the" Baluchistan.'' His attitude in this matter
1747/98. also was attributed to French intrigues. Again a proposal was made to
him that he should appoint a British officer to control his customs, with
a view to remedy grievances under which British Indian traders were
suffering. Nothing, however, was done, nor were any steps taken by him
to remedy the grievances.
^y 8 o9 of I n March the Government of India reported on the proposal to induce
the Sultan to institute a distinctive flag for his subjects to the effect that,
Pol. 460/08. " so long as facilities for obtaining French flags and papers exist, no
" distinctive flag can successfully be introduced by the Sultan among his
" subjects at Sur." A strong representation was then made by the India
Office to the Foreign Office with a view to Her Majesty's Government
taking up the question with the French Government (23rd May 1898). This
the Foreign Office eventually (20th December 1898) declined to do, on the
ground that Her Majesty's Government had no locics standi, as " Muscat is
not a British Protectorate," and Her Majesty's Government had " received
No. 48 of no request from the Sultan to do so." The Government of India were then
1898 - instructed to revert to the proposed prescription of a distinctive flag.
Meanwhile, in October, the French gunboat 4< Scorpion " visited Muscat,
1022/98, bringing presents for the Sultan, who took the opportunity to make a great
114b;98. demonstration in honour of the French.
Coincidently with this visit an outbreak occurred at Sur, but it was not of
a serious nature and subsided before the end of the year. About the same
time, the Sultan dismissed his TTazir, Seyyid Saeed, to whom reference has
already been made. This step was, it was believed, taken at the instigation
2488/98.

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A memorandum on British relations with Muscat for the years 1895 to 1901. It was prepared by Colin George Campbell for the 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. on 7 June 1901.

The document gives a history of British and French relations with the Sultans of Muscat, and to a lesser extent, Zanzibar. It opens with a brief historical outline from 1798, when the first agreement was signed between Britain and Sulṭān bin Aḥmad al-Sa‘īd, the Sultan of Muscat at the time, to 1895. It then goes into more detail for each year until 1901, covering the diplomatic activities of the two European powers. On folio 2 there is a genealogical table for the al-Sa‘īd dynasty covering the period in question. There are notes on sources in the margins throughout.

Extent and format
1 file (20 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation for this description commences at f 2, and terminates at f 21, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-6; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.

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English in Latin script
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'Muscat' [‎3v] (4/40), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B129, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023462336.0x000005> [accessed 30 December 2024]

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