'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.' [‎43r] (94/208)

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APPENDIX 0.
DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE CASE OF SALIM-B1N-SE1F.
No. 1.
Sir A. Hardinge to the Marquess of Salisbury.
(Extract.) Zanzibar, June 17, 1898.
I HAVE the honour to traTisrait herewith correspondence respecting the case of
Salim-bin-Seif, a Peraba slave-trader, who, after long baffling the vigilance of the authorities,
has at last been caught in the act of shipping slaves from that island by Captain Goldie-Taubman's
police, and whom the French Consulate claims to protect. This Salim is the man referred to in
my despatch No. 166 of the 6th instant. I should explain that the main coiTespondence was
carried on by the French Consul with Brigadier-Greneral Raikes, and that it was only on failing
to obtain satisfaction from the latter that he applied to me. Since my note to him of the 10th
instant he has not again addressed me on the subject.
Your Lordship will be able to judge from the inclosed papers of the validity of the grounds
on which M. Laronce tries to show that Salim-bin-Seif was entitled to ex-territorial immunities as
a " French-protected person." It is sufficient to say that in previous cases of a similar nature,
such as those of Sheikh Abdullah, of Patta, Abdullah-bin-Selam, and others, these reasons have
been dismissed by your Lordship as insufficient, and the claimants summarily dealt with as local
subjects'. The present case has, however, excited considerable interest among the Pemba Arabs,
and our success in stamping out the export Slave Trade from Pemba will be greatly affected by
its solution. n ^
No reply having been received up to date from M. Laronce, the Court, composed of Greneral
Raikes and the Arab Cadi, Sheikh Burhan-bin-Abdul Aziz, pronounced judgment on the prisoner
this morning. An English translation of this judgment is inclosed herewith.
I have told General Raikes to send a copy of the judgment to M. Laronce, and to inform
him at the same time that the French flags and papers found on the convict's dhows will be duly
returned to the French Consulate.
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
M. Laronce to Sir A. Hardinge.
M. I'Agent et Consul-General, Zanzibar, le 8 Juin, 181)8.
PAR une lettre en date d'hier, M. le Brigadier-General Raikes, Premier Ministre par interim
de Sa Hautesse, m'informait qu'un Sieur Selim avait ete amene de Pemba le meme jour a
Zanzibar sous escorte pour un fait de Traite.
Le General Raikes ajoutait qu'il me remettrait cet individu lorsqu'il aurait re9U de moi
I'assurance que le prisonnier etait bien protege Fran9ais.
Je repondis aussitot au General que Selim-bin-Seif etait proprietaire de deux boutres battant
pavilion Fra^ais, le " Majunga " et le " Selama," qu'il etait inscrit sur les registres de ce Consulat,
et qu'en consequence il voulut bien m'en faire la remise.
Jusqu'a I'heure actuelle, je n'ai eu aucune reponse a ma lettre d'hier, et S^liin-bin-Seif ne
m'a point 6t6 envoye.
Ce precede constituant une violation de nos droits, je fais mes reserves pour la suite, et vous
laisse le soiu d'apprecier les faits.
Veuillez, &c.
(Signe) R. LARONCE.
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