‘Précis of correspondence relating to Zanzibar affairs from 1856 to 1872. Prepared by Captain P D Henderson, attached to the Foreign Department’ [127r] (93/114)
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
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85
Slave Trade
94. C onflicting instructions of H ome and I ndian G overnments.
C olcnel P ellt's views on the slave trade .—A report dated 1st February
1862 received from Colonel Pelly on the East African slave trade, serves admira
bly to illustrate the difficulties attending the position of the officer at Zanzibar,
who at that time received conflicting instructions from the Home and Indian
Governments with regard to the slave trade. It possesses also peculiar value as
throwing a light on the effect of the action taken by the British Government
to repress that nefarious traffic. When Colonel Pelly was appointed to
Zanzibar, he was directed by the Bombay Government to give his earliest
eiTorts towards procuring the acceptance by Syed Majid of—
"all treaties and agreements entered into by the British Government and the Imam of
Muscat, as binding on the now recognised Sultanet of Zanzibar."
He was further desired to take no further active measures for the sup
pression of the slave trade on the East Coast of Africa than such as might be
warranted by existing engagements and treaties with the family of the late
Syed bin Saeed. " Accordingly," wrote Colonel Pelly—
<f my first intention was given to an examination of the treaty upon which our anti-
slavery relations with the Imam were founded, and on arrival at Zanzibar, I took the
earliest opportunity of proposing to the Sultan an acceptance of all subsisting treaty
engagements.
"I found the slave treaty to be a document bearing date 2nd October 1845, for f the
suppression of the, exportation of slaves from his Highness' African dominions/ but acknow
ledging the right of the Imam to transport slaves along the coast of his African dominions
within spacified limits; and I found also that a letter from the Imam to Lord Aberdeen,
dated 8th April 1844<, and the reply of Lord Aberdeen to the Imam, dated 21st December
] 84-4, gave greater clearness and precision to the t^rms of the treaty, and tended to show
that the treaty was mooted on account of the desire of the ' British people that no slaves
should be taken from Africa to Arabia, Persia, and the Red Sea;' and went, moreover, to
declare 4 that Her Majesty's Government claim no right to interfere with the passage of
slaves in your (His Highness') ships between the above-mentioned ports (Lamoo and Keelwa,
including the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, and Monfea) and islands on the coast of your
African dominions. And accordingly, in the draft of agreement to be proposed to Your High
ness, the right to continue such transport of slaves has been treated as a reservation made
by Your Highness rather than as a concession made to you by Her Majesty.'
"This, then, was the treaty that, in obedience to instructions, I proposed to His Highness
to confirm in the month of October last. His Highness readily agreed and suggested only
the introduction of a clause providing that his coasting craft within the specified limits should
not be injured by our cruizers without being in the first instance brought to Zanzibar for
adjudication by the Consul. The Sultan was evidently anxious on the question of the slave
treaty, assured me that already his coasting trade was in a large measure destroyed by our
cruizers, and begged to be informed whether, if he should now ratify the old treaty, he would
be left at peace on the subject. 1 submitted it to be the wish of Government to accept the
treaty at present obtaining, and that it was not the desire of Government to urge any active
measures unsanctioned by the terms of that treaty. * * * *
" After the lapse of some time, however, I learned that, prior to his departure from
Zanzibar, Lieutenant-Colonel Rigby had received instructions from the Foreign Office f to de
mand from His Highness such a modification of his treaties with Her Majesty for the sup
pression of the slave trade, as should authorise Her Majesty's ships to seize all vessels belong
ing to his subjects who might be found transporting slaves coastwise wilhiu his dominions ;'
that, acting under these instructions. Colonel (iighy had entered upon a series of discussions
with the Sultan ; that eventually the Sultan had declined to accede to the demand, and that
Lieutenant-Colonel Rigby had animadverted on this refusal to Government."
Colonel Pelly, therefore, felt it his duty to tell the Sultan that the demand
of Her Majesty's Government remained uncomplied with, and that he must
expect it to be repeated probably with increased emphasis. The Sultan showed
that a compliance with the demand meant expulsion or death to himself and
ruin to his country.
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.
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- 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