![‘Précis of correspondence relating to Zanzibar affairs from 1856 to 1872. Prepared by Captain P D Henderson, attached to the Foreign Department’ [‎113v] (66/114)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000833.0x0001a7/IOR_L_PS_18_B150A_0066.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "‘Précis of correspondence relating to Zanzibar affairs from 1856 to 1872. Prepared by Captain P D Henderson, attached to the Foreign Department’ [‎113v] (66/114)")
‘Précis of correspondence relating to Zanzibar affairs from 1856 to 1872. Prepared by Captain P D Henderson, attached to the Foreign Department’ [113v] (66/114)
The record is made up of 1 file (55 folios). It was created in 1872. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: 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. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
Events at Zanzibar from the arbitration to the death of Syed Majid-
the other Consuls exercised political functions, the dignity of his Government
would be compromised.
" But," said Colonel Felly, " the Sultan's advisers reminded His Excellency that upon this
point the position of his Government was not ana^olous with that of other Crovernments; that
the law generally obtaining is, that where there is no Ambassador or Minister residing in a State,
a Consul exercises the functions of a Minister ; but that in the case of Portugal, in her relations
to Zanzibar, His Excellency himself, as Governor General of Portuguese territories contiguous
with those of Zanzibar, stood virtually in the position towards Zanzibar of Ambassador from
the King of Portugal ; and hence that in political questions there could be no necessity for
interpolating a third and inferior agent between His Excellency and His Highness. What
the advisers of the Sultan feared, in truth, was this, that, if a Consul, having daily access to
His Highness, possessed political powers, he might elicit, on some unforeseen occasion from
His Highness, a verbal promise, having reference to boundaries, inconvenient in itself, and
less likely to be elicited, if writing should remain the sole means of political communication.' ,
Colonel Felly's proceedings were approved by the Government of India.—
(JPolitical, Ay April 1862, Nos. 241-243^.
62. Detention of Dr. Krapff at Pangani .—In March 1862 Colonel
Pelly reported that, although under Articles I. and II. of the Treaty with Zan
zibar, British subjects were to enjoy full " liberty to enter, reside in, trade with,
and pass through," all parts of the Zanzibar dominions, there had, nevertheless,
been a strong tendency always shown by the Sultan to evade these obligations
and to hinder strangers from residing in, or even travelling through, his pos
sessions on the Arabian Coast. Only recently Dr. KrapfF, who had been strongly
recommended to Colonel Felly's good offices by the Foreign Office,
and had received a passport from the Sultan, was reported to have been
detained with his party by the Governor of Fangani—a place only 40 miles from
Zanzibar. Colonel Felly immediately remonstrated with the Sultan against this
infraction of the treaty, and, not receiving in due time a satisfactory reply,
threatened, if the captives were not released, to proceed himself to Fangani and
release them by force. This threat produced an effect, the captives were releas
ed, the Governor of Pangani was ordered to Zanzibar in disgrace, and a proper
apology for the occurrence was made by the Sultan. All the European Consuls
waited in a body on the Sultan and insisted on his issuing a circular to all his
Governors, enjoining on them the observance of the treaty provisions. Colonel
Pelly's action was approved by the Bombay Government and the Government
of India, and he was desired to express to the Sultan the regret of Government
at this illegal detention of British subjects and the tardy reparation afforded.
It may here be mentioned that during the progress of the negotiations Colonel
Pelly was much embarrassed by the action of the senior naval officer at
Zanzibar, who, when required by Colonel Pelly to convey him to Pangani, if
such a step were necessary to obtain the release of the prisoners, raised numer
ous objections in regard to coal, sailing, coastal difficulties, and other causes, so
much so, that Colonel Pelly had made up his mind to proceed in a Native
dhow
A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean.
.
To obviate such difficulties for the future. Colonel Pelly proposed that a war
steamer of light draught should always be placed at the disposal of the Agent.
No such vessel was, however, available at the imiQ.— ^Folitical, A, May 1862,
Nos. 190-92.^
63. E xpedition headed by the S ultan against rebels on the main
land .—Syed Majid was compelled in the end of 1863 to head in person an
58
About this item
- Content
The file is a précis of correspondence related to affairs at Zanzibar between the years 1856 and 1872, prepared by Captain Philip Durham Henderson of the Foreign Department in the Government of India. The contents of the précis, which includes reports from Christopher Palmer Rigby, the British Consul at Zanzibar, and Sir William Marcus Coghlan, relate to: the death in 1856 of the Sultan of Muscat Syed Saeed [Sa‘id bin Sulṭān al-Sa‘id] without a direct heir; the succession struggle between Syed Thoweynee [Thuwaynī bin Sa‘id al-Sa‘id] and Syed Majid [Sa‘id Majid bin Said al-Sa‘id]; British arbitration in the dispute; succession arrangements at Muscat and Zanzibar; the slave trade between Zanzibar and Muscat. The précis is organised into six chapters (labelled I to VI), as follows:
- I – Events preceding the arbitration by the Government of India;
- II – Arbitration of the Government of India;
- III – Proceedings subsequent to the arbitration relating to the question of subsidy;
- IV – Events at Zanzibar from the arbitration to the death of Syed Majid;
- V – Events in Zanzibar from the death of Syed Majid;
- VI – Slave Trade.
The contents page lists four appendices (labelled A to D) that are not included in this copy of the précis.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (55 folios)
- Arrangement
The correspondence contained in the précis is arranged in an approximate chronological order, with those of earliest date (1856) at the front, and those of latest date (1872) at the end. The correspondence is further arranged into six chapters labelled I to VI. Subheadings throughout the précis are numbered from 1 (for the first subheading in chapter I) to 131 (for the last subheading in chapter VI). A contents page (ff 82-84) lists the chapters, subheadings and subheading numbers. Note that a discrepancy appears between the subheading numbers and the subheading contents in chapter VI.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 81, and terminates at f 137, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right hand corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additonal foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 6-192; these numbers are also written in pencil but, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
Pagination: The file also contains an original printed pagination sequence 1-105.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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‘Précis of correspondence relating to Zanzibar affairs from 1856 to 1872. Prepared by Captain P D Henderson, attached to the Foreign Department’ [113v] (66/114), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B150A, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023935572.0x000043> [accessed 16 May 2024]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/18/B150A
- Title
- ‘Précis of correspondence relating to Zanzibar affairs from 1856 to 1872. Prepared by Captain P D Henderson, attached to the Foreign Department’
- Pages
- 81r:137v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence