"الملف 35/85 IV A 11 التحكيم الخاص بمراكب الداو الشراعية في مسقط" [و‎‎١‎٠‎٣] (٤٩٢/٢٠١)

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No. 2360, dated Bushlre, the 7th (received 15th) October 1906.
From — M ajor P. Z. Cox, C.I.E., Political Resident in the Persian Gulf,
To—S ir L ouis D ane, K.C.I .E., C.S .I., Secretary to the Government of India in
the Foreign Department.
I havcthe honour to solicit reference to the printed papers marginally noted,
Foreign Office to the India Office, No. 26494 of which were forwarded to me for informa-
,3 |Iidt. U officr.VK'r°'g„ <! 'bffic^ dated th. 20 th tion Foreign Department Endorse-
August. ment No. 3843-E. B., dated 26th Septem
ber.
In his letter No. 26494, dated August 13th above cited. Sir Eldon Gorst
mentions that His Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs held that in
expressing certain views in my letter of 26th June to the Government of India, I
was losing sight of the two principal advantages of the Aw^rd.
When considering my communication, I think the Government of India had
sufficient on their record to satisfy them that such was hardly the case, but as
His Majesty's Secretary of State may not have been cognisant of views previ
ously expressed by me, I venture to furnish the following explanatory details of
the grounds on which my observations under reference were based.
They were
(a) The weak character of the pr(sent Sultan of Maskat when left to his
own devices and the consequent apprehension which I entertain
that the owners and crews, (with their families) of so many dhows
associated with the French Flag, will, in spite of their documentary
abandonment to the Sultan's jurisdiction, form a sufficiently potent
element in Soor to leaven the whole community and encourage
them to continue, as heretofore, to defy the irresolute Government
of His Highness the Sultan. I admit that the latter's weakness is
no fault of ours or of the French, but it is a factor which affects
our own interests and cannot be locally ignored. In this connection
I venture to attach, for con-venient reference, a copy of my letter
No. 454. of 17th September 1905, where this question is more fully
dealt with and my views generally on the terms of the Award are
expressed.
{b) That whereas the material for controversy will admittedly cease to exist
automatically with the death of the present flag-holders ; neverthe
less the latter are an able-bodied and long-lived class, and it is
to be feared that the number of Maskat Dhows claiming the
protection of the tricolour will not appreciably diminish during the
lifetime of His Highness Sir Seyyid Feisal.
3. I notice that in his communication of 31st July to His Majesty's Secre
tary of State, Monsieur Cambon is pleased, and by no means for the first time, to
make unfriendly allusion to the connection of the representatives of the Govern
ment of India, including my humble self, with the negoclations.
Throughout our dealings with the French Government of the last 7 or 8
years the credit or discredit of the Government of India's respresentatives con
cerned has been the care of His Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs and, with reference to the penultimate paragraph of Sir E. Gorst's letter,
I venture respectfully to express the hope that the French Ambassador's some
what uncalled for observations were not allowed to pass without comment.
I disclaim for myself, as well as for other local officers with whom I have the
honour to serve, any other feeling than the desire to see the Sultan's interests
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