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'Egyptian Claims to Sovereignty over the Somali Coast.' [6v] (12/62)
The record is made up of 31 folios. It was created in 1876-1879. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
12
“ Zeyla and Tajourra, the Habr Owul clan of the Berhera tribe, and the
“ Chiefs of Hais, Racooda, Unkor, Kurrum, and Ainterad, which had an
“ important hearing upon this question; and I intimated that, in Lord
“ Salisbury’s opinion, the existence of such engagements with these
“ tribes involved in serious doubt the policy of permitting their inde-
“ pendence to be extinguished.
“ 4 . Lord Salisbury expressed this opinion with special reference to
“ Balhar and Berbera. He had before him a correspondence extending
“ over a period of many years, which contained opinions from the Go-
“ vernment of India and successive Residents at Aden, that such exten-
“ sion of Egyptian power might not only menace generally our position
“ at Aden, but also obstruct the provisioning of that place, which was
“ largely effected from those parts, and he failed to trace any substantial
“ grounds for the Egyptian claim to the coast except the implied autho-
“ rity of certain firmans issued by the Porte in 1866 and 1873, the
“ validity of which was open to serious doubt; it was also to be feared
“ that the possession of the coast by the Egyptians, in the face of
<c evidence which seemed to a certain extent to implicate their officials
“ in slave trade proceedings, might not only weaken the hands of Her
“ Majesty’s Government in their efforts to put a stop to that abomin-
“ able traffic, but lead to possible complications in the event of dhows
“ flying Egyptian colours being captured in the Red Sea by British
“ men of war.
“ 5. There are, however, two considerations bearing in the opposite
“ sense, which desire to be carefully weighed. It appears that, for the
“ last five years, the Egyptian Government has openly committed itself
“ to an assertion of authority over Berbera and the adjacent coast, by
“ the stationing of garrisons and the display of its flag at more than one
“ place, and that this has been effected without any formal remon-
“ strance from Her Majesty’s Government, or any apparent objection on
“ the part of the tribes. Erom this claim it is not likely that Egypt
“ will recede, except under the pressure of measures on the part of
“ Her Majesty’s Government more decided than mere remonstrances.
“ Practically, therefore, the only result we can attain by declining to
“ recognize the sovereignty of Egypt, is to prolong the uncertain
“ ownership of the coast which, is even now the cause of some em-
“ barrassment.
“ 6. It must also be remembered that this uncertainty may be termi-
“ nated by other hands than ours. The possible establishment of other
“ European powers on the African coast of the Gulf of Aden is a con-
“ tingency which should be borne in mind. Abortive efforts in that
“ direction have been made, and indications are not wanting that they
“ may possibly be renewed. Such an event would, under present cir-
“ cumstances, be most detrimental to our interests, and would doubtless
“ be less likely to occur w T ere the country consolidated under Egyptian
“ rule than were it to remain parcelled out among a number of barbarous
“ tribes.
« 7. Under all the circumstances of the case, Lord Salisbury is dis-
“ posed to think, after much careful consideration, that it might be
“ more advantageous for Her Majesty’s Government to arrive at an
“ amicable understanding with the Khedive in regard to the sovereignty
“ of the Egyptian Government over the Somali coast, and the com-
“ mercial and other advantages which we desire to preserve at Berbera
“ and elsewhere.
“ 8. It is for Lord Derby to decide upon the definite form which the
“ negotiations on this matter should assume, and whether they should
te be carried on direct or through the Porte. It might be sufficient to
“ propose to Egypt a convention, recognizing her sovereignty more as a
“ friendly concession than an acknowledgment of right, and embodying
“ all our principal treaty stipulations with the tribes on the Somali
“ coast, with especial reference to freedom from monopolies, the unre-
About this item
- Content
A historical memorandum relating to Egyptian claims to sovereignty over the Somali coast, written by A W Moore, Assistant Secretary to 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. , in two parts, submitted 26 February 1876 and 11 October 1879.
The first part of the memorandum provides a historical narrative of events leading from the discovery in June 1870 of an Egyptian warship at Berbera on the Somali coast, with consequent suspicions that the Egyptian Government wished to occupy that place, up to the production of a draft Somali Coast Convention in 1876. The memorandum reproduces correspondence between the Resident at Aden, the Secretary of State for India, and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in which the authors consider the impact of Egyptian and Turkish influence at Berbera on British trade interests at Aden; on the independence of local Somali tribes; and on British efforts to suppress the slave trade. The memorandum also includes the terms by which HM Government agree to recognise Egyptian sovereignty.
Appendices to the first part of the memorandum reproduce several 'Treaty Relations with Tribes on the African Coast' and 'Geographical Notes'.
The second part of the memorandum opens with an account of events which preceded the signing in 1877 of the Somali Coast Convention by the British Government and by the Egyptian Khedive, describing the Khedive's attempts to extend the limit of proposed Egyptian sovereignty as far south as the Juba River, and subsequent British threats to enter into agreements with Somali chiefs independently of the Khedive.
The memorandum goes on to describe renewed discussions in connection with the procedure in Constantinople necessary to give validity to the Convention after it was signed by the Khedive, and reproduces a note issued by the Ottoman Porte, which asserts Turkish sovereignty over the territory covered by the Convention, but falls short of providing assurances against ceding any of that territory to other foreign powers.
The memorandum closes with the reproduction of correspondence discussing the text of a proposed firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). , to be issued by the Ottoman Porte, which would give validity to the Convention signed by the Khedive.
Appendices to the second part of the memorandum reproduce the text of the 'Somali Coast Convention' and an 'Agreement in regard to the Island of Socotra'.
- Extent and format
- 31 folios
- Arrangement
This file is in two parts - the first part consists of a historical narrative (ff 1-9), followed by two appendices (ff 10-12); the second part consists of a historical narrative (ff 13-29), followed by two appendices at the end (ff 30-31).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 31; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/18/B3
- Title
- 'Egyptian Claims to Sovereignty over the Somali Coast.'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:27r, 28r:30v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence