'Précis on slave trade in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, 1873-1905 (With a Retrospect into previous history from 1852) By J A Saldanha BA, LL B' [‎36] (44/126)

CHAPTER IV.
Anti-Slave Trade Operations in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Gulf of Oman,
1874—1904.
(i) Operation from 1874 to 1883.
24. We shall now see what operations were carried on by the^ British Gov
ernment for the suppression of the Slave Trade in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and the oulf
of Oman in pursuance of the treaties and engagements with the Asiatic and
African powers and their own Legislative enactments and orders.
25. The naval arrangements made are explained 'vn. Precis on Ncwal
arrangements in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
26. In 1873, two Dhows were captured by the Nimble on suspicion of
being engaged in Slave Trade and brought
Political A., January .874, Nos. 217-^. ^ {or ad j udicat i on >by t he Vice-
Admiralty Court there. What was the result of the investigation it does not
appear from our records.
27. The Government of India did not think it necessary to require a
report in detail of the circumstances attending the capture of Slave Dhows,
which operations were not within the control of this Government (Government of
India to the Bombay Government, No. 14-?., dated 2nd January 1874).
28. In October 1875, Lieutenant-Colonel Miles, Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Maskat,
Political B., December .875, No, 6.7. re P 0rt ? d du ™f thenar 1875 the im-
portation or fresh slaves into the dominions
of His Highness the Sultan of Maskat from East Africa was rery small. Not
more than forty were known to have been landed, and it was probable that the
total number imported did not exceed one hundred. Three Dhows arrived at Sur
during April and May and landed a few slaves, about twenty altogether, they had
brought up as part of their cargo. One of these vessels was owned by a native of
Sur and a subject of the Sultan ; the other two belonged to the Pirate Coast, but
they were all under French Colors having obtained papers at Nossi Be or
Zanzibar, their object in this being doubtless to evade search by British Cruizers.
Another batch of fifteen slaves was landed at Mattrah, a town two miles from
Maskat, one night in May 1875, an( l ^he Dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. got away undetected. This vessel
was under British Colors and unfortunately there was no man-of-war in the
Gulf of Oman at the time.
These were all the importations into Oman known to have occurred during
the season. As regards the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. it was reported that two or three slave
Dhows had entered the Gulf only, one of which was a Turkish vessel bound
from Jeddah to Basra or Kuwait and had a cargo of about 50 Abyssinian slaves,
chiefly young girls and eunuchs on board.
29. During the first part of the season, from March to June in 1875, no
watch was kept on the Oman coast, but since then a strict search was maintained
by Her Majesty s " Daphne " and " Rifleman," under the direction of Captain
C. E. Foot, Her Majesty's " Daphne", the senior officer of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
Squadron. No captures however were made.
30. It was apparent that so far as the coast of Oman was concerned the
old practice of running full cargoes of slaves had for the moment been altogether
abandoned, the dealers preferring to ship the slaves in driblets and trust to con
cealment or to passing them off as sailors when boarded by Her Majesty's ships.
3 1 - The import trade in slaves was, in the opinion of Lieutenant-Colonel
A lies, far too profitable for the Arab dealers to give it up without making every
effort to evade the restrictions on it. They were well aware now that both the
French and Turkish flags gave immunity from search of British Cruizers and
protected the trade and they had learned, moreover, that there were no
ditticulties in the way of their obtaining papers at the French settlements and
Consulates in the Indian Ocean or Turkish papers at ports in the Red Sea, and
it was probable that future importation would be almost entirely confined to
vessels sailing under one or other of these flags.