"الملف 35/85 III A 10 مسألة الأعلام الفرنسية" [و‎‎٧‎٨] (٦١٠/١٦٦)

Inclosure 6 in No. 1.
Brigadier-General Baikes to Laronce.
Zanzibar, June 12, 1898.
Sir,
I am in receipt of your despatch dated the 11th June, and I acknowledge,
with many thanks, your reasons for claiming Salim-bin-Seif as a Trench proteg6;
but as regards his being born in Comoro, he himself says he was ; but I have
heard from other Pemba Arabs that he was born in Pemba. But this matters
little, as at the time of his birth, which he says was about forty-five years ago,
the French had not annexed the island, and therefore it can make very little
material difference. As regards his having bought the dhow " Selamti " at
Mayotte and himself being registered there, it seems a mistake, as he himself
says the " Selamti'' never belonged to him, but to Salim-bin-Ali, and that he
was captain or sailor in her for four years ; but as to that being true, it would
hardly make Salim-bin-Seif a French protege, as, I believe, it has been decided
in London before, that buying a house in Comoro does not allow the buyer to
claim French protection, therefore, I suppose, likewise a dhow, also before the
time of annexation ; but this is immaterial, as Salim-bin-Seif says he never did
own the " Selamti."
I have referred your letters to Her Britannic Majesty's Consul-General,
and he concurs with me that as yet there are no grounds for handing Salim-bin-
Seif over to your Court.
As regards the case of the tc Majunga " last year, I beliove it was not
liberated on account of nationality, but as Mr. Farler could not clearly prove
his case as to the shipment of slaves, the matter was allowed to drop and the
dhow liberated, and I don't think Salim was produced in your Court for slave-
dealing, the case not being continued with : therefore I do not think Sir Lloyd
Mathews had any correspondence as regards the nationality of Salim-bin-Seif.
I have no wish to keep Salim-bin-Seif after you have fully satisfied myself and
Her Britannic Majesty's Consul-General with regard to his notionality to our
satisfaction.
I have, etc.,
(Sd.) A. E. EAIKES,
Acting Trime Minister.
Inclosure 7 in No. 1.
Judgment on Salim-bin'Seif.
salim -BIN-SBIF,—You have claimed French protection, but as you have
not proved yourself such to my satisfaction, about which I will give my reasons
later, I have proceeded with the case of slave-dealing against you, and am now
going to pronounce judgment.
The evidence of all the slaves (seven) you have heard, and also of Nahotha
Bakari and the two Askaris, and also of Nasoro-bin-Ali. Their evidence all
more or less coincides. They (the slaves) say they were caught by Mwambieni
and Mwabruki, acting Nahotha for you, taken to the beach at Kinzu, and
shipped in a small dhow and taken and landed at Ndunne in a " dug-out " with
Mwambieni, where they met you, and were taken into some mangroves by you;
later they saw Nahotha Bakari, who told them they were going to be shipped,
and had better run away. Then they say Askaris came and caught them, and
that you w;ere there ; that the Askaris pointed their rifles at you, and yo u
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