'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.' [‎68r] (148/208)

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[530] G 2
Bentation to the British Government, You have now asked me the same question again, and I
repeat to you that I have no experienced man whom it is possible for me to send, and hope that
vour great Government will kindly represent me and endeavour to gain my object.
^ J F FEISAL BIN TURKX
Dated Muscat, Moharram 11, 1323
{March 19, 1905).
APPENDIX 3.
Major Fagan {British Consul at Muscat) to British Consul-General at Bushire.
Muscat, January 20, 1898.
I HAVE the honour to furnish you with information regarding the two dhows carrying
slaves under the French flag captured'by His Majesty's ship " Sphinx" in September 1896.
2. The names of these two dhows were the " Salama " and the " Saad." The captain of the
" Salama" was Abdulla-bin-Muhammad, Baluch, an inhabitant of Abu Abali, a place on the
Batineh coast, about 50 miles from Muscat, and within the territories of His Highness the Sultan.
The owner was Hamed-bin-Abdullah, Baluch, of the same place. It will be observed in the litre
de navigation of this vessel (copy of which I attach) that the owner is described as Ahmed-bm-
Abdullah, resident of Majungo"(a port in Madagascar), and that he is only accorded the right of
sailing under the French flag on the coast of Madagascar and the islands contiguous to
(" avoisinant") that coast. _ _
3. The captain of the " Saad" was Mubarak-bin-Saeed-bin-Ali, Arab, of the Bern Kasib tribe,
an inhabitant of Siir. The owner was Saeed-bin-Muhammad-bin-Abdulla, Arab, of the Beni
Rasib tribe, also an inhabitant of Siir. It would appear, from an office Memorandum of this
vessel's papers made about the time of capture by Captain Beville (copy inclosed), that she is
represented therein to be owned by Mibzami Nouli, of Great Comoro, and that she^was licensed
to trade under the French flag on the African and Madagascar coasts and in the Gulf of Oman.
(No copy of ihe actual titre de navigation of the " Saad" appears to have been kept.)
4. ft would thus appear that in the case of the " Salama," the owner,, when applying for
French papers, gave his right name, but fraudulently described himself as an inhabitant^ of
Majungo, while the " Saad's " papers were obtained by fraudulently representing her as belonging
to an inhabitant of Great Comoro, to whom she, in point of fact, did not belong.
5. I am informed that it is quite a common practice for inhabitants of Sur, the Batineh coast,
and other places in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , who own dhows and wish to procure the right to navigate
them under French protection, to send their dhows down to French settlements and to fraudulently
represent that they belong to inhabitants living in those places, thus obtaining French papers and
the right to fly the French flag.
(>. The following is a case in point; About two or three months ago Abdul Muhasan, an
inhabitant of the Island of Keis (Persian territory), made a complaint to the Sultan of Muscat
against one Yousaf-bin-Saeed, of the Yal Sad tribe, an inhabitant of Mesnxh, Batineh coast, to the
effect that this individual was the Nakhoda of complainant's dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. , and, while serving in this
capacity, he took the dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. to Bookeyn (a port in Madagascar), and fraudulently obtained French
papers for the dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. which he registered in the name of Salim-bin-Muhammad A1 Badi, who was
at the time living in French territory, but was originally a subject oF the Sultan of Muscat. The
complainant represented at the same time that the Nakhoda had returned to Mesnah, on the
Batineh, and had beached the dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. and put her up to auction.
7. On receiving this complaint the Sultan ordered the Wali to make inquiries into the case,
which he did, with the result that the complainant's story was found to be correct. Sa1im-bin~
Muhammad A1 Badi, who happened to be at Mesnah at the time, took over the papers and the
French flag from the Nakhoda of the dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. , and delivered her over to the Wali. I am informed
that there has been some correspondence on the subject between the Sultan and the i rench
Vice-Con sul.
8. I beg to add, in conclusion, that the two Nakhodas sentenced on the_28th August, 1897, by
the Court at"Eeunion to a term of imprisonment were released on the 18th instant at the request
of the French Vice-Consul.
No. 66, Lettre signaletique M.
No. d'inscription 28.
Titre de Navigation, sous Pavilion Fran^ais.
Yalable pour un an.
Au Nom du Peuple Fra^ais.
En vertu des instructions du Gouvernement Fran9ais relatives aux navires denommes boutres
exclusivement affectes a la navigation dans les Mers des Indes: