'File 35/85 I A 8. Muscat: French Flag Question' [‎170v] (347/512)

{Received on 28th November 1904 with Political Secretary's letter No. 46,
dated 11th November 1904.)
PERSIA AND ARABIA.
(maskat.)
CONFIDENTIAL .
No. 1.
The Marquess op Lansdowne to Sir E. Monson.
Foreign Office,
October 13th, 1904.
(No. 539.)
S ir,
I signed with the French Ambassador to-day the terms of reference
to the Hague Tribunal in the case of the matters in dispute between the
British and French Governments with regard to Maskat.
The documents having been signed, His Excellency observed that His
Majesty's Government had asked to be famished by the French Government
with a list of the owners of dhows entitled to fly the French flag. As to
this, he wished to remind me that at one moment the French Government
had put forward a series of proposals for an amicable settlement of the
difficulties which had arisen between us. It was a part, of this proposal
that a list of the kind which I had mentioned should be put in by the
French Government. We had, however, declined to accept the proffered
terms, and had proposed as an alternative recourse to arbitration by the
Tribunal at The Hague. In these circumstances it seemed to M. Lelcasse
that the French Government were no longer called upon to furnish the list.
I said that I was not aware that the proposal had ever been dropped, and that
I had always understood that the list was to oe furnished whether we went
to arbitration or not. In the circumstances I preferred to express no
opinion upon the subject until I had refreshed my memory by reference to
the correspondence,
I am, etc.,
lansdowne.
[October ISth-l
Section 5.
Received on 28th November 1904 with Political Secretary's letter No. 46,
dated 11th November 1904.
India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. ,
9th November 1904.
S ie,
. . t , refere ^ ce to the telegram from the Viceroy of the 28th ultimo
as to the mqmnes made by the Amerieau Consul at Maskat on the subject
of the Maskat Arbitration, I am directed to state that Mr. Secretary Brodri-k
is disposed, sub]eot to the concurrence of the Marquess of Lansdowne, to
approve the instructions given by the Government of India to the Political
Agent at Maskat.
regards the suggestion in the last sentence of the Viceroy's telegram
that the French Government should be pressed for a list of their flagholdera,
Mr, Btodrick, having regard to the statement on the subject made by the