'Muscat Dhows Arbitration. In the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague. Grant of the French Flag to Muscat Dhows. The case on behalf of the Government of His Britannic Majesty.' [‎12r] (32/208)

v
Shooting at French
flag, Sur.
Cox, April 11,
1903, pp. 199-201,
on file.
May 17, 190?,
Kemp to Drury,
file, p. 182.
>
Informal
interview May
13,1903, file,
p. 190 ; May 15,
1903, file, pp. 191,
192.
April 11, 1903,
Cox, April 18,
1903, file, pp 127,
132, 144; April 25,
1903, file, p. 170.
19
was to avoid any effect on the amour propre of
his country by action which might oblige the
owners of the vessels to give up the flags which
they already possessed.
From that date for a time the controversy
rested.
But in the year 1903 two events happened
which ultimately revived the controversy and
conduced to the present arbitration.
Abdulla-bin-Salem, Chief of the Gafiri Arabs,
resident at Sur, was engaged in a tribal war with
a section of another Arab tribe. Pinding that
his opponents were receiving supplies through
Sur, the Chief levied a fine on the town, and
forbade native vessels to leave until the Headmen
had paid the fine.
Mubarak-bln-Hamed Eazaiki owned a dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. ,
for which he had taken out papers in the name
of his son, Khamis-bin-Mubarak, and flew the
French flag. Both he and his son were residents
in Sur, and subjects of the Sultan. To avoid his
tribal liability, Mubarak expressed his intention
of taking his ship out, and on his persisting, some
of Abdulla-bin-Salem's men fired on the vessel,
and a shot went through the flag.
This incident was made the ground of a claim
by the French Consul on the Sultan-for an
indemnity of 1,500 dols. The claim was chal
lenged by the British Consul, and was withdrawn
or postponed.
On the 8th April, 1903, the British mail
steamer " Chindwara," from Bombay, arrived off
Muscat, having on board, among other passengers,
five Arabs, all natives of and residents at Sur.
Their names were :—
1. Saeed-hin-Muharak-hm-RasUd, of the Faris
section of the Jennebeh tribe.
2. Mosallim-hin-Sultan, of the Mukanna section
of the same tribe.
3. Ahdulla-Un-Khamis-hin-AU, of the same sec
tion of the same tribe.
4). Salem-hiwAhdulla-hm-Khamis, son of No. 3.
5. Khalfan-UnSamed-hin-Muhammed Wad
Belan, of the same section of the same tribe.
Bombay being an infected port, the ship was
subjected to the quarantine laws of the Sultan of
Muscat.
Nos. 1 and 2, who were deck passengers, on
landing were sent to Haramah, the Sultan s
quarantine station, about 3 miles from Muscat.
Nos. 3, 4, and 5, who were second-class passen-
F