'File 35/85 III A 10 French Flag Question' [‎38r] (86/610)

" Eait le 16 Safar, 1318 (15 Juin, Written on 16tli Safar, 1318.
1900).
<c Qu'il soit bien clair pour vous <e Let^ it become clear to you that this
que cet avis a cours & partir du 16, . notification comes into force from the
Safar; les patentes au sujet des dates' 16 th Safar, and as to the articles in the
desquelles il y aura 'doute seroat ex- case, of which there is doubt in the mat-
aminees d'accord avec la Puissance ter of the date on which they were
qui les aura delivrees. Salut!" taken, there will be an investigation in
to it with the Government from which
they have been taken, and salaams.
According to the view of His Majesty's Government, the notification, read
by the light of the events which immediately preceded it, is in no sense a
recognition oi litres granted prior to its issue.
Immediately before the issue of the notification the Sultan had visited Sar,
British Case, Appendix 23, p..'68. and had ithere ireceived and accepted the
jEritish.Case pp. psm agreement by the Siiris to surrender all
French flags held by them. The document by which this was carried out are
printed at pp. 68 and 69 of the British Case, and it is clear from those docu
ments and ,from the terms of the notification itself, that the Saltan treated the
acceptance of the articles and flags as inconsistent with the allegiance of his
subject to him.
THE MASIRA INCIDENT.
' At the end of the French Counter-Case (p.(i9} the Masira incident is
treated as if it constituted a violation by Great Britain of the Sultan's indepen
dence and of the obligations created by the Declaration of 1862. This incident,
consisting in the murder of the crew of a British merchant ship wrecked on the
Island of Masira, was naturally of a character to call for the close attention
of the British Consul. The Consul did go to the island, but the offenders were
dealt with by the Sultan himself, and were executed by his men, the British
Consul attending, at the Sultan's request. The British Consul held no official
inquiry in the island, and confined himself to making inquiries of some of the
accused, with a view to establishing the identity of the victims of the massacre
THE SLAVE TRADE.
It is quite true, as stated at p. 55 of the French " Contre-Memoire," that
the Slave Trade only indirectly concerns the present controversy. But the
effect of the French action as to the Brussels Act and of the French claims in
Oman is to impede its complete suppression by the Signatory Powers, and
also to impede the due execution of the Sultan's arrangements for the suppres
sion of the trade in Muscat waters, by' creating a class of native vessels which,
according to the French claim, can be policed in these waters only by French
war-ships.
M. Ottavi, in his letter of the 19th
" P- 247 - Jime, 1895, comments on—
" cette singuli^re recrudescence d'importation de n^gres qui se concen-
trerait tout entiere sur le point du Sultanat de Maskat, ou nous
avonsleplus d'interets."
The singularity on which comment is made disappears when the facts are
considered. 0 They have already been stated, but apparently need reiteration.
The part of Muscat where, according to M. Qttavi, the interests of France are
largest, happens also to be that occupied by tribes of Arabs who have taken
advantage of their, geographical position from time immemorial to engage in
* Note.
Consulates.
. This last paragraph does not occur in the document.as supplied by the Suitaa to fche British and American.
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