File 619/1907 Pt 10 'Arms traffic:- Persian Gulf. Prize Money for captures in Persian Gulf.' [‎131r] (266/424)

“ relations in modem times leaves no doubt tliat it would have been expressly
“ excluded.” 0
The Memorandum explained that His Majesty’s Government had hoped
that the result of the recent Arms Conference at Brussels would have been
to enable them to cope with this evil, but that as the results of the Conference
had been merely negative in regard to Muskat, they had been compelled to
devise other means of dealing with the situation. The French Government
were no doubt aware of the “ serious and costly steps ” recently taken with
a view to checking the traffic at its source. These measures had been
attended with considerable success and were in a fair way to achieving the
object aimed at, when His Majesty’s Government “ learned to their great
“ concern that the French Consul at Muskat had facilitated the despatch of
“ cargoes of arms by a French citizen on a dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. , and possibly other dhows,
“ flying the French flag, in order by this means to evade the patixd now
“ being carried out by His Majesty’s Ships.” The Memorandum reminded
the French Government of the “friendly co-operation ” recently rendered by
His Majesty’s Government in stopping a similar illicit traffic in arms off the
coast of Morocco,! and expressed the earnest hope that France would co
operate in the same friendly manner in putting an end to a trade which
“ entails grave danger to the tranquillity of the British Indian Empire and
“ great prejudice to British interests on the Indian frontier.
72. In these circumstances His Majesty’s Government, “ confident in the
“ readiness of the Government of the Republic to accede to so legitimate a
“ demand,” made the following proposals :
( 1 .)
( 2 .)
( 3 .)
That the Sultan of Muskat should be empowered to prohibit the
import of arms and ammunition into Muskat for a period of one
year from the 1st June 1910.
That instructions should be given to the French Consul at Muskat
“ to abstain from any steps tending to facilitate the tiaffic in arms
“ and ammunition with the coasts of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
That the right of search at present exercised by His Majesty’s
Government over Muskat and Persian dhows m Muskat terri
torial waters should be extended _ so as to cover dhows undei
the French flag for the same period of one year from the 1st
June 1910.
73 Sir Francis Bertie was instructed to take the first opportunity of
D communicating the above Memorandum
Sir F. Bertie to Sir E. Grey, dated ^ ]r renc p Minister for Foreign
5tli April 1910. Affairs, and at the same time to impress
3241 / 10 - upon M. Pichon the importance which
HG Maiestv’s Government attached to receiving an early reply. In con versa-
tion with the British Ambassador on the 4th April M Pichon, after referring
to the difficulties in the way of accepting the British proposals, said that i
mio-ht be possible for the French Government to consent to the prohibition
of the import of arms and ammunition into Muskat for the proposed period
of one vZ “from about two months later than the date suggested by
His Maiestv’s Government,” i.e., from about the beginning of August 19 0),
i , fir bis Concession would be “with the view to giving time for a
general ^settlement of the question.” As regards the search of dhows under
?h7 Tench flag by British ships of war, M. Pichon considered this proposal
ETEZ observed with reference *o -e^in this
°f arms iid —ition at Muskat. See
Appendix I. Morocco His Maiesty’s Government had agreed to allow the search of
BriM\Zrb lf“hipTof war ^in Moroccan territorial water,, and the trial of
offenders before the proper tribunal.