"معاملة العبيد واحتجازهم من قبل الكوتشيين في زنزبار" [و‎‎١‎٢‎٤] (٦٣/٣٦)

33
Consulate, in order to enable me to determine whether the slaves in their possession
were in domestic slavery or otherwise,
It will, I fear, be a difficult matter to distinguish between domestic slavery and
the real slave trade, as the former may assume the character of the latter at any
time, if domestic slavery be kept within certain bounds. Taking my stand, there
fore, on the spirit, if not the letter, of His Excellency the Governor General's
opinion in this matter, I have decided that no Kutchee slave owner should be
allowed to hold more than a very limited number of domestic slaves, say two or
three, according to his circumstances.
I beg leave to forward, for the information of His Excellency the Governor in
Council, a copy of my letter to Seyd Majid on this subject, together with two
notices affixed at the Custom House and at the Consulate, that I have addressed to
the Kutchees under the Sultan's protection, with reference to the carrying on of the
slave trade by them.
I shall avail myself of the first opportunity to proceed along the coast, in order
to carry out more effectually the wishes of the Indian Government. The total
absence at present of any British man-of-war renders my doing so just now
impossible, and I doubt whether any of Her Majesty's ships would be available for
this purpose, as they come with special instructions from the Commodore. I,
therefore, strongly beg to suggest the expediency of sending to Zanzibar a small
vessel of the Indian Navy, to be placed at the disposal of the Political Agent.
There are many occasions on which a vessel of this kind would be invaluable at
Zanzibar, and it would render the Right Honourable the Governor's Agent much
less dependent on the Sultan's good will in carrying out the orders of Govern
ment. A steam ship would be preferable to a sailing ship, but the latter would be
better than none at all, and I urgently venture to press the matter on the
consideration of His Excellency the Governor in CounciL
No. 20, dated Zanzibar, the 20th January 1869.
H. A. Churchill , Esq., C.B., Her Britannic Majesty's Consul and Political Agent,
Zanzibar, to His Highness Seyd Majid , Sultan of Zanzibar.
With reference to Your Highness's letter of the 23d Shaban 1284,* relative to the
natives of India under Your Highness's protection being amenable to British law, I
have the honour to inform Your Highness in writing, as I have already done
verballv, that the Government of India by no means recognize the claim set up by
certain'Kutchees and other subjects of the protected States in India, to be eman
cipated from all control over them by this Political Agency, on the ground that
they have neglected to inscribe their names in the Consular Registers, and I am
enjoined to interfere authoritatively, and by all the means at my disposal, to
put down slave-dealing when carried on by such persons.
The majority of the Kutchees engaged in this illicit trade having placed them
selves under Your Highness's protection, it is necessary to inform you that I have,
by a public notice posted up at the Custom House and at the Consulate, ordered all
Kutchees, and other natives of India residing in Your Highness's dominions who
may possess slaves, to present themselves at this Consulate without loss or time,
under pain of severe punishment, in order that I may be enabled to carry out the
orders of the Government of India. , , v
I have the honour to forward to you a copy of this notice, and trust that Your
Highness will, on this occasion, as you have always done in other matters of a
similar importance, afford me your valuable cooperation in preventing the natives
of India, domiciled in your dominions, from continuing a practice which inflicts
incalculable misery on a weak and helpless population, and the existence of which
is the source of so much pain to Her Majesty's Government.
11532.
* Note,
. 21st December 1867, Letter given at pp. 21, 22.
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