'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.' [‎47v] (103/208)

56
report on the subject which I have received from Mr. Sinclair, who is temporarily in charge of
Her Majesty's Vice-Consulate in Pemba. . r j a
My statement that Salim had obtained Government employment is incorrect; it was tounded
on information supplied to me by Sir Lloyd Mathews, but it is now evident that there was a mis
understanding, either on his part or on mine, as to what had actually taken place.
From the evidence that Mr. Sinclair has been able to obtain, in one case from an eye-witness,
there appears to be little doubt that Salim was actually born in the Island of Pemba, and this
fact, unless it can be disproved, will finally dispose of his claims to French protection.
I have, &c.
(Signed) BASIL S. CAVE.
Inclosure 1 in No. 11.
Vice-Consul Sinclair to Mr. Cave.
g| r Chaki-Chaki, Pemba, October 25, 189&
I HAVE the honour to submit the following report with reference to the case of Salim-bm-
Saif, which, in accordance with your verbal instructions, I have made the subject of special
Your information that he is now in Government employ is without foundation, and Captain
Taubmann. whom I consulted, and who gave mo very great assistance in collecting evidence as
to his parentage, was of opinion that it would be unwise to interview Selim (or Msellim, as ms
correct name seems to be), as he is known to be still antagonistic to the Government, and it
might lead him to attach importance to his case. i , ,
Inquiries, however, which I made at Weti leave little room for doubt that he was not, as he
stated, born at Comoro, but here in Pemba. An M'Pemba, named Hamis-bin-Said, whose evidence
I first obtained, stated that he had known Msellim-bin-Saif all his life, having been brought up in
the same village with him ; his mother, who died about three years ago, was, he said, a r emba
woman, named Binti Ali, the daughter of Ali-bin-Suliman, of Kinyazini a place just south o
Weti. She married a Muscat Arab named Saif who settled at Pemba, and this witness is willing
to swear that Binti Ali never left Pemba, and that Msellim was born there. An old Arab named
Abdulla-bin-Salem-bin-Abdulla of Kwimone confirmed the above evidence, and added that he
remembered the marriage taking place here. I inclose his written statement that Msellnn was
born in Pemba. This witness, on being asked if he had ever heard that Msellim possessed property
elsewhere, said that he had heard that Saif, Msellim's father, had married a woman of Gazija
(Comoro), who possessed property there. > > i ^ r • u j
The most direct and convincing proof as to Msellim's birthplace is, however, that turmsned
by Selimah-binti-Juma-bin-Suliman, who was examined by one of the native ofiicers. Captain
Simba; this woman is a cousin of Msellim's mother, whose name she says was Bisharah-binti-Ali-
bin-Suliman, who was born at Pemba, her mother being a native Pemba girl; Selimah states that
she was actually present at the birth of Msellim-bin-Saif, which took place at Chavom, and that
he had one brother, who died in infancy, and a sister whose mother was a Suria named raida.
Another witness, Khamis-bin-Saif, declared that there was a third son named Mahomed-bm-bait
by a wife from Gazija (Comoro). i- i j i x 4.1. +
In view of this evidence, which is amply confirmed by others, there can be little doubt that
Msellim-bin-Saif only assumed false nationality, and so obtained French protection in 01 dei to
more safely carry on his well-known malpractices in slave-trading, to which their nag has
unfortunately acquired the undesirable reputation of affording an effective screen in these wateis—
a reputation which his punishment has, so I am informed, done much among the natives 01 this
island to eradicate.
I have, &c.
(Signed) JOHN H. SINCLAIR.
Inclosure 2 in No. 11.
Statement of Ahdalla -bin-Saleim-bin-A.l)dalla.
(TU TBDALLA-Bra-SALEM-BIN-ABDALLA-EL-ESMAIL KWIMONE states he knows
Msellim-bin-Saif was born here, and his mother was here; his father and mother were mafned
here
(Signed) ABDALLA-BIN-SALEM-BIN-ABDALLA-
EL-ESMAIL.
Witness :
(Signed) Ahmed-bin-Saif-bin-Said.
October 25, 1899.