"مُلخّص المراسلات المتعلّقة بشؤون زنزبار من ١٨٥٦ إلى ١٨٧٢." أعدّه النقيب ب. د. هندرسون، الملحق بالإدارة الخارجية" [ظ‎‎١‎٣‎٣] (١١٤/١٠٦)

98
Slave Trade.
115 Doubts regarding jurisdiction op V ioe- A dmiraltt C ourt.—
A doubthad been raised by Dr. Seward in May 1866 as to the competency of
the Vice- Admiralty Court to adjudicate, under existing treaty arrangements,
within the Zanzibar territories in the matter of confiscating vessels the pro-
per tv of subjects of the Sultan of Zanzibar, which might be seized by the
shins of Her Majesty's Navy on suspicion of being engaged in the slave
trade within the Sultan's dominions. The Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs decided that—
"Dr. Seward 's doubts on this subject were not well founded and that any decisions he
might have s ivcn as Judge of Her Majesty's Vice-Admiralty Court m the temtones of Zan-
zibar would have been perfectly valid."
116 HuLiss issued by S ultan to check slave tuafpic .- The Political
A-ent, Zanzibar, in a letter of the 9th April 1868 forwarded, for information,
a copy of a stringent set of rules issued by the Sultan, m order to check the
trade in slaves. Of late the Sultan had, he said, been making endeavours to
put down the traffic.— (Political, A, July 1868, j\os. 83-84.)
117 Stjltan threatens confiscation oe all dhows belonging to
Northern A rabs .—Shortly after this, the Sultan addressed letters to the
several Sheikhs along the Arabian Coast, giving them notice that as the
Northern Arabs were in the habit of repairing to the East Coast of Arabia with
no other motive than that of running slaves to the Persian Gulf, all dhows
coming to Zanzibar, or any part of the Sultan's dominions, would be forthwith
seized and burnt. The Government of India expressed satisfaction at the
evidence of the Sultan's desire to co-operate with the British Government.—
[Political, A, July 1868, Nos. 85-87.)
Subsequently, Mr. Churchill pointed out to the Sultan that Her Majesty's
Government would be bound, by its treaty engagements, to take notice of any
hostile proceeding against the Arab tribes in treaty with it, so long as ley
did not engage in the slave traffic. The Sultan accordingly modified his
original notice to the Arab chiefs, and declared that he would confine himseit
to destroying the vessels of such chiefs as *had failed to fulfil
engagements with Her Majesty's Government.— [Political, A, August >
Nos. 262-64!.)
118. Mr. Churchill's unfavorable ofinion of existing measures
for the suppression of the slave trade .—In a despatch to Her Majes j s
Secretary of State for Eoreign Affairs (dated 22nd August 1868), a copy o w ic
was forwarded for the information of Government, Mr. Churchill discusset ie
condition of the East African slave trade, and proposed more effectual s eps
for its suppression. He also suggested precautionary measures by w uc i
British cruisers would be better able than they had done to distinguis i s aye
vessels from regular traders. With regard to the mistakes frequently commi
ted by the cruisers, Mr. Churchill observed—
"In order to stimulate the officers and men of Her Majesty's Navy in the fulfilment of
the onerous duties devolving on them, it is thought necessary to offer a premium or ^
slaver or slave captured ; and as the investigations made to ascertain whether a dhow is re y
engaged in the illicit trade are not always very minute, it not unfrequently occurs ia a ®-
trader engaged in legitimate trade is captured and destroyed. This mode o P r °^ e ? ^ ^
against which, I am sorry to say, many complaints have been forwarded to Her aje y
Government without any result, has had the unhappy end of estranging from us those wio
friendly disposed towards us in former days, and of crippling the legitimate trade^ w ic
most powerful instrument we have in hand calculated to supplant the slave trade.