'Muscat Dhows Arbitration. In the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague. Grant of the French Flag to Muscat Dhows. The case on behalf of the Government of His Britannic Majesty.' [‎7v] (23/208)

10
the purpose of preventing his subjects from engag
ing in the oversea Slaye Trade from Africa, and of
preventing the import of African slaves into his U* Aitchison.
dominions either in transit to other parts of the Naval
world, or for sale in Oman By the Treaties inBtmctio hb.
the Sultan has entered into definite obligations
as to the measures to be undertaken within his
territories and territorial waters for the sup
pressing of such trade.
The European Powers have for many years
interested themselves in the suppression of the
oversea Slave Trade from Africa to Asia, and
that trade has ceased to be carried on by Euro
peans, and so much of it as still remains is carried
on by Asiatics or Africans in native craft.
France has for many years refused to permit
the exercise by warships of any other Power of
any droit de visite on the high seas with regard
to ships carrying the French flag. Arabs con
cerned in the oversea Slave Trade (" traite des
noirs ") are fully aware of this policy, and have
sought to obtain the benefit of the French flag in
two ways: (1) by hoisting it without authority;
(2) by obtaining licence to hoist it from French
Consuls in the Eastern seas, or from the authori- glave Trade
ties in French Colonies or Protectorates. KeportB,
1888, o. 5578
The existence of tiiis abuse of the French flag (No. 72), to icoi.
by Asiatics has been ascertained by the experience *
of the naval officers engaged in suppressing the
oversea Slave Trade, and the attention of the
French Government has been from time to time
called to the abuse of the French flag by Arab
slave-traders.
In 1890 a Conference of the Powers was held at
Brussels for the purpose of concerting measures
for the complete suppression of the African Slave mte.—TU Aet
Trade, and the Conference resulted in the passing ^o^ 0 ^ 1011 ^ to t jj®
of a General Act on the 2nd Jul v. 1890. Appendix, bnt a
copy may be at-
The General Act was ratified by France on the tached to or lodged
2nd January, 1892, subject to a provisional reser- wuh th(> Case "
vation with a view to a later agreement of Articles
21, 22, 23, and 42 to 61. This partial ratification
was coupled with a declaration that Articles 30-41
would be spontaneously applied by the French See "BrusselsAct,
Government in the territory of Obokh, and, ac- SedeC pp^M7.
carding to necessity, in the Island of Madagascar
and the Comoros.
The effect of the partial ratification is to pre
serve the claim of France to resist any claim to
exercise on the high seas the droit de visite or to
detain vessels under the French flag which are
suspected of carrying slaves.