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File 21/1911 Pt 1 'Aden Protectorate:- Italian & French recruitment of Arabs.' [‎167r] (127/270)

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The record is made up of 1 item. It was created in 22 Mar 1905-13 Feb 1917. It was written in English and French. 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. .

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No. 8785 (Confidential), dated Bombay Castle, the 9th November 1911.
From— C. A. Kincaid, Esq., Secretary to Government, Bombay,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department.
I have the honour to refer to your letter No. 1551-E.B., dated the 23rd
•No, 21 -Secret, dated the 4 th August i 9 ii. August 1911, forwarding a copy of the
A 0 , marginally cited despatch* from His
Majesty s Secretary of State and to reply as follows.
2 . The Secretary of State has quoted in his despatch 4 cases in which the
Governor in Council took exception to outsiders entering or seeking to initiate
commercial enterprises within the territories of the protected Chiefs of South
Arabia. The first case in order of time was that in which the Governor in
Council prohibited on the 24th March 1910 the Eadthli Sultan from granting
a coal concession to an Arab merchant of Aden called Sheikh Saleh ^Balaxa.
The second case was that in which the First Assistant refused, when asked by
the Consul-General for Italy, to give an unrestricted permission to Italian
subjects to start wireless stations, commercial and engineering enterprises and
generally to exploit the State of Shehr and Mokalla. The third case was the
refusal of the Resident^ to permit the Italian Consul General to visit Lahej.
The fourth case was that in which the Bombay Government recently insisted
that the Sultan of Shehr and Mokalla should ask their permission beford^ranting
a prospecting concession to the Eastern Syndicate Limited.
3. The fourth case in order of time must, in the opinion of the Governor
in Council, be distinguished from the others. For the applicants for concession
were Englishmen and not foreigners. Now it is obvious that treaties drawn
up by an English Government could not contain a clause which prohibited the
party from communicating or making agreements with
I he guide, therefore, to such a case must he found in
This in the opinion of the Governor in Council fully
other contracting
O
British subjects,
existing practice.
f Governirx'nt of India
dated 24th July 1896.
telegram No. 1303 E.A.,
supported his action. In 1896 the Govern
ment of India concurred! with the Go
vernment of Bombay in refusing to allow a certain Thomas Brown, a jockey,
to enter the service of one Nawaz Jung in the territories of Mokalla. In 1905
it was laid down in the case of A. Knox Brown that the previous approval of the
Government of India was necessary to an agreement to exploit and develop
Government of India letter No. 1328 -e.b., dated the country round Aden and the Island
t e 1 st April 1905 . ^ 0 £ s oco tra. In the same year it was
decided that only with the previous sanction of Government could a Mr.
Kirkpatrick obtain a guano concession from the Sultan of Socotra. As may
be seen from page 1S8, Volume XIII, Aitchisou’s Treaties, the latter’s relations
with Government are very similar to those of the South Arabian Chiefs. Thus
three instances have occurred in which Government have enforced their
privilege of refusing Englishmen from entering the Arab States under their
protection.
4. In the second and third cases in order of time mentioned by the Secre
tary of State the applicants were foreigners. As regards the former, attention
is invited to the Mokalla treaty of 1882 at page 175 Aitchison’s Treaties. In
Article 1 the Sultan agreed not to dispose of his possessions or territories or
any part thereof to any person or Power other than the British Government.
Now the Consul General, as I have said, asked for a general permit to Italian
subjects to establish electric stations and initiate commercial enterprises in
Mokalla. The establishment of stations and the initiation of such’ enterprises
necessarily involved a grant of land. This would have been a disposal of part
of the Sultan’s territories to a person other than the British Government and
is expressly forbidden by the above article. It is no doubt true that the
Mokalla treaty of 1882 was followed by that of 1888 at page 176 ibid, but the
latter merely recites with greater emphasis the dependence of the Sultan. It
does not abrogate the former treaty. For instance Article 4 of 1882 treaty
provides for a payment of the stipend to the Sultan. It still holds good

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The papers concern the recruitment by the governments of Italy and France of natives of the British protectorate of Aden for military and colonial policing purposes.

The main correspondents are the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. , Aden; the Viceroy of India; and senior officials of the Foreign Office, the 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. , and the Government of India.

The papers cover: the recruitment by Italy of Arabs (referred to as 'Ascaris') for service as soldiers in Italian Somaliland (also referred to as the Benadir Coast), a proposal to which the British authorities had no objection, March 1905 - April 1908 (folios 210-238); the British decision to refuse permission for further recruitment by the Italians, because a state of war existed between Italy and Turkey and the recruitment was an infringement of British neutrality under the terms of the Foreign Enlistment Act 1870, September-October 1911 (folios 188-208); the reasons for the detention by the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. , Aden of ammunition stores destined for the Governor of Benadir, November 1911 (folios 174-187); opposition from the Government of India to further recruitment by the Italians in the Aden Protectorate for service in the military or police in their African colonies, because of the effect on the Aden labour market, 1914 (folios 147-168); a French request to recruit substitutes for Arab labourers (' coolies A term used to describe labourers from a number of Asian countries, now considered derogatory. ') in Madagascar, December 1914 (folios 135-142); permission granted to the Italians to recruit 500 Arabs from the Hadramaut [Hadramawt], January - June 1915 (folios 111-134); and the granting of permission to the French to recruit colonial troops in Aden, 1917 (folios 105-110).

The papers include one letter in French from the French Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

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File 21/1911 Pt 1 'Aden Protectorate:- Italian & French recruitment of Arabs.' [‎167r] (127/270), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/190/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100035497809.0x00008b> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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