'Memorandum on the Drafts of Despatches regarding the Affairs of Muscat and Zanzibar' [‎26v] (2/24)

When kings differ the natural solution of their
difference is war. If for our own convenience, and
for the better prosecution of our buying and selling,
we interfere between two rulers, as we have done
twice in these last ten years, and stop war, we are
clearly bound to settle all quarrels which, but for
our interference, would he settled by appeal to the
sword.
lo my mind, it would be perfectly monstrous to
use force to compel Zanzibar to pay the 40,000
dollars, unless we either adjudicated this new cause
of quarrel arising out of Thoweynee’s murder, and
punished the murderer, if found guilty, or left the
uncle and nephew at liberty to settle the question,
as to the guilt of Salim, by appeal to arms. No
Arab will ever be deceived by the arguments now
used by the Government of India ; and we shall
only confirm the suspicion the Arabs have begun to
entertain, that, for some selfish object of our own
we secretly approve of Salim’s crime, and desire to
profit by it.
loss ot honour, satisfy Salim without further out-
ragmg Thoweynee, would be by paying Salim our
selves. This seems to me to be the logical conse
quence of the course we have adopted in interfering
to keep Salim on the throne, and the only course by
which we can avoid further wrong-doing and disgrace.
Probably, if we agreed to do this, Zanzibar would
consent to some fresh and more effectual arrange
ments for abolishing the slave trade, and there can
be no doubt that, as a mere question of money, it
7n n 6 WOrth 0Ur while to P a y milch more than
40,000 dollars per annum for any agreement which
won d f'nable us to reduce our squadron now em-
Afnca SUpi)re8s slaver y on the east coast of
-i• r» , ~—r*'' m nay tnucn mon
a life grant to Syud Majid. To him the aboli
*LtvYn aV Vu d V mplieS ’ not onl >’ execratioi
every household of note within 100 miles of
coasts of the Red, Arabian, and Persian Seas
a complete destitution of the labour which ’i
cultivates his clove and sugar gardens in /ali
and yields nine-tenths of his income.
If we really wish to stop the slave trade, to h
faith with all concerned, and to avoid adding
mistakes we have made during the past three ye
we should empower the Government of India
end out an envoy like Sir William Coghlan
an assistant like Mr. Badger,* as secfe arv
instructions to this effect. xecietaiy,
a revidon a of a Z e e be - t r en MuSCat and Zanzibar
hig basTs :- 8tlns a « reem ent on the foil
(a.) Complete separation of interests and obli
tmns.as regards both Muscat and Z
(*.) The Government of India to pay veariv
Muscat the sum now due from Zanzib
* I mention these
officers because
they are intimately
acquainted with
the whole subject,
and are personally
known to every
one of the parties
affected by the
treaty, and enjoy
their confidence.