"ملف 59/15 B (A 14) مسقط: تجارة الرقيق تحت مظلة العلم الفرنسي" [و‎‎١‎٦‎١] (٣١٠/٢٤٨)

Acquisition of property in Maskat by foreigners.
I do not see that the notification as it stands contains anything to which
the .French could take objection, and I hope, therefore, that the Secretary of
State's concurrence will in due course be received.
•> -
a v.
No. 424, dated Maskat, the 21st September 1902.
From— Major P. Z. Cox, I.S.C., C.I.E., His Britannic Majesty^s Consul and
Political Ag -ent, Maskat,
To—The Right Hon'ble the Marquess op Lansdowne, K.G., P.C,, etc.. His
Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
I have the honour to submit copy of a notification which I issued in
Maskat on 13th instant with the concurrence of His Highness the Sultan, who
has promulgated a copy of it for the information of his own subjects.
2. I consulted the Government of India as to the general position in this
connection, but the notification has not been issued with their authority, as
there were urgent reasons for the issue of something of the sort without delay,
and the responsibility for the form of the notification is therefore my own.
I trust it will meet with Your Lordship's concurrence and approval.
The reasons for the issue of the notice are twofold :—
(1) The British Indian (Hindu Banya) traders of Maskat and other
ports of Oman, who are mostly usurers, have become a necessity
to the Arabs, but at the same time occupy in their eyes much
the same position as the Jew usurer does in Europe, and it is one
of the chief difficulties which British representatives in Oman
have to contend with, and is an increasing one.
In the course of their business these Banyas frequently advance
money to Arabs on the security of deeds hypothecating their
houses and landed property, situated sometimes at long distances
from the coast; and saying nothing about them at the time,
produce the deeds years afterwards with the complaint that the
mortgagor cannot redeem the property and claim their Consul's
interference, to put them in possession.
Not to interfere is to some extent damaging to British prestige; to
interfere is to sow a considerable amount of anti-British feeling
among the inhabitants of Oman which we can ill afford to do at
the present day.
The notification under report was devised primarily as a remedy to
the above state of things.
(II) The reason for its immediate urgency is a different one.
Most of the desirable building sites in Maskat belong to British Indian
subjects, many of whom are not too scrupulous. There is no doubt that
intrigues are now going on, with Monsieur Goguyer for their medium, for the
furtherance of Russian aims in Maskat. My French colleague told me con
fidentially only a few days ago that he knew the individual above mentioned to
be endeavouring to get made Consular Agent for Russia, and the Russian
Consul-General at Bushire has twice addressed letters to the Sultan in which
he expresses the hope of paying his respects to him at an early date.
The first thing they will need to do will be to effect the purchase of a
suitable building site, and it is very necessary that His Majesty's Consul
should be in a position to know what is going on in that direction as far as
possible, in view of the fact, before mentioned, that most of the desirable sites
are the property of British Indians.
3, The notification only applies to British subjects and, by reason of the
Sultan's publishing a copy of it, to Arab subjects; and I am not forgetful of
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