'File 35/86 V A. 77 Muscat Commercial Treaty' [‎57r] (128/442)

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3.
Article 12 .
(l)(i) His Highness proposed the omission of the words
"and courts 1 '•
(1)(iv) His Highness asked for^ and was promised, an
explanation of "questions of personal status".
(2) His Highness preferred in the first sentence "The
Courts" of the Sultan. He maintained his objection to the
second sentence as a reflection on the standard of justice
administered in his courts, and said he could not agree to it
even if a reciprocal provision were inserted allowing an
opportunity for his representative to be present in the
Consul's court. If a British subject were dissatisfied with
the decision of the Sultan's Coiu't he would have a right of
appeal to the Sultan himself,
(3) His Highness desired that in the latter part of the
paragraph an insertion should bo made giving his authorities
also the right of entry and search, i.e. that words similar to
those in the beginning of the paragraph should be inserted in
the latter part.
(4) After considerable discussion directed to showing
His Highness that the Consul hnd not a free hand for the
deportation of British subjects and that some such provision
as was proposed in our draft was necessary in our' view the
Sultan desired the cancellation of the whole Article. He said
he could not agree to any provision requiring the production,
or taking, of evidence in connexion with a request of his for
the expulsion of a British subject, and he therefore preferred
to withdraw the Article suggested in his draft (Article 19).
Article 14 , So far as this Article v/as discussed it became
clear that the Sultan's objection, at least as stated by him
on this occasion, Y /as to the delay which he might experience,
as a result of the proposed procedure, in imposing taxes and
above/