"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الجزء II. ج. ج. لوريمر. ١٩١٥" [‎٢‎٤‎٧‎٧] (١٢٦٢/٩٩٤)

2477
By the treaty just described means were provided for the extmction decision not
of the slave trade between Africa and India; but a w ide belt within
which the traffic continued to be lawful was intentionally left, connecting t; - on 0 f
the east coast of Africa with ''Oman. In 18-37-38 the practicability of traffic, 1838,
inducing Saiyid Sa'id and the Shaikhs of Trucial ^Oman to forbid all
trade in slaves within their dominions was discussed; but it was found
that such a prohibition would entail payment of heavy compensation to
the signatories-—among whom the Saiyid complained of having already
lost $! 00,000 a year by the treaty of 1822—not to mention a very large
expenditure on preventive arrangements ; that the Muhammadan popula
tions affected, by whose religion slavery was lawful and whose conveni
ence had come by long custom to depend on a regular supply of slaves,
would be greatly exasperated by so drastic a change; and, finally, that no
beneficial result was to be anticipated, inasmuch as the trade would
merely be deflected to Turkish and Persian territory and to the jurisdic
tion of independent rulers, such as the Shaikh of Qatif, with whom
no agreements had been formed in restraint of the traffic.
In 1839, apparently in connection with fresh arrangements which
were then being made with the Shaikhs of Trucial 'Oman, the Saiyid 1822^17^
of Masqat consented to an amplification of the Treaty of 1822 the December
principal new provisions authorised the detention and search by British 1839.
government cruisers of 'Omani vessels found beyond the restrictive line
and suspected of being engaged in the slave trade, also the confiscation
of the same if shown to contain slaves intended for sale beyond the
restrictive line, provided that the presence of the offending vessels beyond
the line was not involuntary. At the same time the sale of Somalis
as slaves was declared to be, for the future, punishable as piracy, on
the ground that Somalis were by nature " Hurr ^ or free, that is, that
they belonged to a race regarded as unenslavable by Muhammadan jurists.
The restrictive line was modified by being made to pass from Cape
Delgado two degrees seaward of the island of Soqotrah and thence to
Puzimon the coast of Persian Makran; by this change, it will be
observed, the Saiyid^s ports of Gwadar and Chahbar on the Makran
coast were closed to the slave trade.
On the 18th of August 1845 Saiyid Sa'id agreed on behalf of him- Salyid's ^
self, his heirs, and his governors, to assist in apprehending British ^ f nd ^ kin g
subjects who might be engaged in the slave trade. This was apparently
a condition which had been unintentionally omitted in framing the
Treaty of 1822.
Before the end of the same year a step further was taken Further Ag-
in the conclusion of a further Agreement, dated 2nd October 1845 j o e T e o f >, of
by which the Saiyid undertook to prohibit, under the severest penalties, ^ u «tober
the export of slaves from Ms African dominions ; to prohibit, also under
the severest penalties, the importation of slaves from any part of Africa
into his possessions in Asia; and to use his utmost influence with all
the chiefs of Arabia, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf to prevent in like
manner the introduction of slaves from Africa into their respective
territories. Saiyid Sa'id in this same Agreement, which was to come into
effect on the 1st of January 1847, authorised ships of the Royal Navj^