'File 61/11 IV (D 77) Hejaz-Nejd, Miscellaneous' [‎23r] (53/366)

03)
*7
Enclosure in No. 1.
Memorandum hy Mr. Hope-Gill.
Royal Slaves : An Incident.
„ A 1 f'i 0 " 1 8 ' 30 011 Sunday morning, the 20th July, the Acting Minister for
■ o reign A flairs rang up to say that the four slaves whom we had manumitted and
had that same morning put on board the Italian boat, just due to sail for Massowa
were Royal slaves who had recently escaped. He asked me to have them returned
at once, under the agreement on this subject, and added that the ship would not be
aJlowed to sail until the slaves were taken off her.
2. I expressed surprise and incredulity, but said that I would at once
investigate and ring him up again shortly. As T rang off, M. Sollazzo came in
(somewhat grimly) and said that Fuad Bey had rung him up to say that the Italian
boat could not sail until four slaves put on board by us were debarked He had
replied that the slaves having been handed over by us, could onlv be returned to
us and at our request. He asked me to let him know in writino- if we wanted them
so ietui ned and also asked what he should do if the authorities tried bv force to
detain the ship, which was due to sail shortly. I said that I had just that moment
-Teen speaking to l uad Bey and was on the point of investigating the case. I thought
!i V i ,S i i • but would let him know the result as soon as possible I also
thanked him for his loyalty to us. He then left.
3. Mr. Thacker had. meanwhile, examined the manumission file and prepared
or me a resume of the particulars of the four slaves in question. Two had taken
retuge here seven weeks before (2nd June), one over a fortnight (4th Julv) and the
fourth more than a week before (11th July). They had been questioned by Ismail
Kffendi and further examined by Munshi A term used in the Middle East, Persia and South Asia to refer to a secretary, assistant or amanuensis. Munshis were employed in the British administration in the Gulf. Ihsanullah, and had given, apparentlv
satisfactory evidence as to the identity of their former masters. None of the slaves
seemed to heave any connexion with the Royal Household. We had been unable to
get them away earlier owing to lack of shipping facilities to Massowa
4 - } therefore rang up Fuad "Bey to give him these results, stressing the
different and considerable lengths of time these slaves had been here and givinc
vhe reasons why He asked for the names of their supposed masters, which I o-avS
him. He agreed that they could not be the slaves he sought, who had escaped tliree
or tour days ago, but added he would ring up again shortly.
f f T1 lt A ? t j ng . Govern ? r , of Jedda then oanie ' n (somewhat pallid) and beo-an
to ask for the debarkation of the four slaves. I explained that I was on the 'phone
to tuad Bey about them and that there had evidently been a mistake. Fnad Bev
just then rang up again to say that three of the slaves 'were clearly not Roval slaves
but that the faurth, Mubarek. who had fled from Sheikh Abdullah Suleiman's house'
was really the King s property, having been given to His Majesty bv a previous
owner, and had been placed by the King in his Finance Minister's hands Fuad
Bey did not demand his return, but asked His Majesty's Minister to consider the
position and return the slave if he thought right. '
■—v,,, 1 ;l '* ed Fuad Bey to tell the Acting Governor, who was still in my office
--x ;lt , e . uwtter was settled as far as the local authorities were concerned He did
S0 V. a : 1 l, lr l my i l ,r ^f e •! heikh A t ,dul ran! ? U P th e Officer Commanding, Jedda
and told him that the ship was free to leave.
7. After due consideration, Sir Andrew Ryan rang up Fuad Bev and told him
that, in view of the facts that {a) there had been no secret about this slave havino-
taken refuge here, (ft) he had been here seven weeks: (c) the local authorities them"
selves had a fortnight ago issued the necessary pass for his embarkation for
Massowa; (d) it was now almost too late to entertain any objection—the eleventh
hour m fact , and (. removal of the slave from an Italian ship on which he was
already embarked could only risk provoking international comment—in view of these
considerations Sir Andrew could only have the slave debarked if he were himself
fully covered by a formal promise to supply him with an official certificate declaring
this slave to be the King s property. If such a promise were given he would keen
the slave here pending telegraphic reference to the Foreign Office, which Sir Andrew
telt to be essential in a case which had become invested with such a verv Deculiar
character. While declaring his willingness to take these steps out of consideration
for the King, Sir Andrew urged that m His Majesty's own interests he should not