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'Egyptian Claims to Sovereignty over the Somali Coast.' [21r] (41/62)
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.
17
“ Such being the c^se, in spite of our admission
“ of Egyptian jurisdiction, it appears to me but
“ legitimate, and not contrary to international
“ etiquette, that we should, subject to ratification
“ by Turkey, be perfectly justified in entering into
“ an agreement of the nature I propose, to guard
“ not only our own interests, but those of the
“ universal and mercantile public trading and
“ travelling in these seas.
“ Such agreement would further assume the
“ character, under the circumstances, of tending to
“ coerce Egypt to make some move for the general
“ good, which, at present, she would appear loth
“ to do ; and, on these grounds also, would appear
“ politic.”
To Foreign Office, 10th April 1879. In forwarding this letter to the Eoreign Office,*
Sir L. Mallet stated that, in Lord Cranbrook’s
opinion, the attention of Lord Salisbury should be
specially invited to Brigadier-General Loch’s state
ment that, up to the present time, no assumption
of rights and no formal proceedings had in any way
been entered on at Hafoun by the Egyptian
Government.
No t * 2 r 9 om Folei « n 0fflcc - 3rd l879 > Sir J. Pauncefote replied as follows f
“ Lord Salisbury desires me to observe that, as
far as this Department is concerned, the only
question which appears to His Lordship to call for
any observation is that which relates to the proposal
that we should enter into an agreement with the
~ yj Sultan Alulah, Chief of the Mijjerteyn Somalis, for
the protection of the lives and properties of British
subjects wrecked on bis coast.
“ Under ordinary circumstances, I am to observe
that this would, of course, be an advisable step to
take, and the only objection to pursuing such a
course on the present occasion would appear to be
the fact that Her Majesty’s Government have
entered into an agreement with the Egyptian Go
vernment by which European jurisdiction is acknow
ledged on the African coast as far south as Has
Hatbun, and we could not, therefore, consistently
enter into treaty engagements with the Chief
Alulah in regard to territories the sovereignty over
■which we have already acknowledged as being
vested in the Khedive. It is true that the assent
of the Porte has not yet been given to the Conven
tion by which we have acknowledged Egyptian
jurisdiction as extending to Has Hafoun, and the
Egyptian authorities have not yet taken any steps
to assert their authority over the coast in question;
but as the principal object of Her Majesty’s Go
vernment in acknowledging Egyptian jurisdiction
over the coast as far as Ras Hafoun is to prevent
any other foreign Power from forming establish
ments there, and as a stipulation to that effect is
inserted in the Convention with Egypt, it would,
in the opinion of Lord Salisbury, be extremely un-
ad visable on the part of Her Majesty’s Government
to do anything which could throw any doubts on
Egyptian rights to the coast, and to enter into a»
11516. E
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