'SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS AND MEASURES OF THE VICEROYALTY OF HIS EXCELLENCY LORD CURZON OF KEDLESTON, VICEROY AND GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA IN THE FOREIGN DEPARTMENT. I. JANUARY 1899-APRIL 1904. II. DECEMBER 1904-NOVEMBER 1905. VOLUME IV. PERSIA AND THE PERSIAN GULF.' [‎166v] (337/386)

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was despatched toMaskat with the ostensible object of conducting: tins exami
nation and of investigating the question whether any dhows with French papers
were implicated in the slave trade.
The ao'ual proceedings of the Commander of the French vessel were
to Secretary of Sute, dated the 26 tu reported by Captain Cox to be of a very
different nature. He made no enquiries
Telegram t<
August 1900.
into the question whether the French flag-holders were implicated in the slave
trade, but directed his endeavours mainly towards intimidating the Sultan into
returning to the dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. owners the French papers which they had handed over
to him: and to persuading His Highness to receive as an intermediary
between His Highness and the French Consul one Abdul Aziz whom the
Sultan had dismissed from his service. The attitude maintained by the
Sultan in this situation was most satisfactory. He persisted in his refusal to
receive Abdul Aziz, and declined tc return the papers to their owners. The
French vessel then visited Sur, and apparently persuade t some of the Sheikhs
to recant from their undertaking given to the Sultan, and to plead that they
had given it under pressure. Two of the owners of the papers, however, who
had handed them over to the Sultan, came into Ala skat and, after receiving
their papers hack from the Sultan, handed them over to M. Ottavi. On her
way to Sur, the “ Drome ” met and stopped several Suri dhows proceeding to
Basrah, and compelled them to come to Maskat flying the tri-colour.
It is important to notice that, in the course of this incident, no exception
v as tauen cither by M. Ottavi or by the French Commander to the terms of
the Sultan s edict, and that M. Ottavi stated, with a somewhat remarkable
divergence from the truth, that he had never claimed to give the fla^-holders
protection. °
It uas not until the “ Drome ” had left Maskat that the Government of
♦ Secretary of State’s telegram, dated tbe 20th India Were authorised* to CODVeV tf>
September 1900. ^ . _ *
Captain Cox the approval of Her
Majesty’s Government of his action in supporting the firm md becoming
attitude of the Sultan and in protesting against the French demands.
A second French vessel (the » Catinat’') called at Maskat in December
190 , and took the opportunity to visit Sur. Tbe French Commander is said
to have made much of the French flag-holders, and to have assured them
that he had settled the matter of the flags with the Sultan in a satisfactory
way, and that 11 is Highness had agreed to let them all remain French subjects.
. ^ Apiil 1901, Captain Cox suggested that the Sultan might be advised to
issue a further notification, in continuation of his edict above referred to, to
the effect that, from a date to be fixed, none of his subjects would be permitted
to fly within his territories or in his territorial waters any foreign flag except
with the written authority of the Sultan ; and that any one acting in contra
vention of this order would be liable to fine or other punishment.