'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' [‎95] (103/126)

f Vide Captain Felix Jones' despatch to Mr.
' 4 ' Political Department,
ddted 26th May 1856, paragraph 4.
Government approved suggestion in above
despatch and expressed intention to forward a
copy thereof to the Honourab e Court of Directors The London-based directors of the East India Company who dealt with the daily conduct of the Company's affairs. .
95
slave-trade, rnd X Ceases 0 Te b0 cm 1 lidVred t 're e n ntS >' C ff Pta!n Felix J ones 0 "
it in these seas (see Resident's despatches to M * effecluall y t0 abolish
34,44 67 and 75 of 1856 and 698 ofT85 7) t0 ^ Secretar y Anders °". Nos.
34. Captain Fehx Jones submitted that slave trarlo u
Vide Captain Felix Jones' desp atch to Mr Sec i'uishpH In P If , neVer be eXtln "
retary Aade, S on, So. 7 s.p.d. of Au£ust 28 ; .'s^. f" the Gp 1 ' "n' 1 ' a regular organised
recommended therefore that a shvp for 6 e . st a b,lshecl by Government, and
character, and properly en u nned Tor 1' COns l stln g of vessels of a particular
ordinary Gulf 'ke
quarter. ^ slave season in the proper
35- Slaves, he was of opinion, were not often brought by boat north of Maskat
p M ag c aph 3of ^ a P tain FeIix Jones' des. ^ owl ng to the well-known vigrilance of
^P-ttm.nfd^uSA'^nSjt 0 - ^ l,0 " ,iMl our were landed at Soor* or other
paragraph 2 of above despatch. ports to the south of the Imarn's territo
*->" """ 1""
<i a nr V t de ^? I,X J cnes ' des P 3t ch to Mr. in Mesopotamia and Persia Hi<; rvwn
IS'SaXrTr^. 0 - 34 ' '' oliliral '• experience, from a lengthened r'esidence In
many instances slaves were conveye^^rland^TuXh Irabirfro' 1 ^,,!"
southern extremity of the Peninsula of Arahip lt , Arabia from the
b..«•» mjssi S™ tTtSrasra: s
the neighbourhood of Zanzibar or off
Manzeiraf Island. If, however, there exist
ed State reasons to render their location
in those tracts inadvisable, no course
would be left available, but, with far less
. r • . chances of success, to exercise a crrfztor
itsel^betwee'i^MaskaTand'the y'uoinsf' and t0 chase ^^t showed
36. Captain Felix Jones preferred seeing steamers of light draught em-
despatch No. 698 of November 18,1857, P^yed on slave duties to sailin^ vessels
from Captain Fehx Jones to Mr. Secretary Ander- His r^nnc ( 11 ■ VCbSe,S *
son,paragraph 9. nib icasons were the toilowing. Steamers
r 0 e b I I0U l S ' i be • P robabl y the more effective. The 7 dead calmTTaT sometimes
igned during the months of June, when the transport of slaves was at its
height, necessitated the officer and crews of the Honourable Company's sailing
vessels of war occasionally to lower boats in pursuit of sails in sight, and to be
frona their hand^ a ing Gulf SUn ' lest the sIaves ' if 011 board,"should escape
37. The Resident pointed to the unequal action and pressure of our con-
Wde paragraph 5 of Captain Felix Jones' des- VCUtionS with the Several powers in the
Cus t t 0 2 8, r I 856. CretaryAnderson ' No - 75, dated Gulf as open to many inconveniences;
, j. . . f or whilst Acts of Parliament had been
passed tor giving effect to our slavery engagements with His Highness the
Fide paragraph 5 of Captain Felix Jones' des- Imam of JVIaskat, and the Maritime
AugustT856. r ' Secretary Anderson . No. 6 7 of Arab Chiefs on the Arab Coast, no such
Acts existed with respect to Persia and
1 urkey. 1 hus, while the vessels of the two former Powers could be seized and
confiscated, those of the two latter remained free. Nay, further, those of
Turkey must be conveyed by the captors from the southern end of the Gulf or
wherever captured, to the nearest Turkish port, and be made over to 'the
i urkish authorities for adjudication. To the above, it may be added, that
whilst in the case enslavers taken from the Imam and Oman Chiefs, the captors
by the Acts of Parliament derived profit for their labours, no such remuneration
Vide paragraph 5 of Captain Felix Jones' des- } VaS S iven , whe " Persian Or Turkish vessels
patch to Mr. Secretary Anderson, No. 67 of August became priZCS.
3 0 ' ^ ^he eyes of the Maritime Chiefs of Oman, who are independent
Vide paragraph 7 of Captain Felix Jones' des- ^ VvaS Strange that WC should Confiscate
patch to Mr. Secretary Anderson, No. 69S of their Vessels, if found guilty of slave fraffir
November 1857. , • .! f & , ^ i-iauiCj
whereas in the case of the Maritime Arab
Chiefs on the opposite side of the Gulf, who were subject to Persia, we neither