File 869/1904 Pt 2 'Arms Traffic: - Red Sea, Africa and Aden' [‎86r] (180/540)

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My impression is that I saw, some three years ago, a confidential report on
officials at Djibouti, giving some interesting details as to Mons. Grandjean.
The report was, I think, communicated through tiie Aden Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. .
Mons., Manotte and his party were described to me by the Acting Governor
of Djibouti as adventurers.
NOTES.
M. Grandjean was one of a party consisting of himself, another French
man named Charles Manotte, an Italian Arturo Zanotti, a Swiss named
Mark Goliez with 27 Soudanese and 3 Somali followers, which was arrested
in July 1900, near Hargeisa, bv order of Colonel Hayes-Sadlier, the Consul-
General of the Somaliland Protectorate at that time. This party had applied
for, and been refused, permission to proceed for purposes of trade rrom
Jibouti into the Ogaden country. They nevertheless proceeded, obviously
with the knowledge and connivance of the Jibouti authorities, and were
arrested by the 2nd Central Africa Regiment at Hargeisa, and marched down
to the coast, and sent back to Jibouti. They had with them 51 rifles and 7,500
rounds of ammunition, and their object is reported to have really been to open
up a trade in arms between Jibouti and the Ogaden, contrary to our wishes and
to those of the Abyssinian authorities.
(Signed) F. de B. Hancock, Capt.t
Acting Fivst Assistant Resident, Aden.
Aden,
29th October 1905.
No. 957-C., Confidential, dated Somaliland, the 8 th November 1906.
From— Brigadier-General E. J. E. Swayne, Commissioners Office,
To—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.
I have the honour to acknowledge, with thanks, recei P t
note of the 29th October, forwarded under your endorsement No. 6680, ot the
31st October 1905. ' ^ ^
This is in continuation of my confidential letter of the 14 th October 1905
(No. 786-C). I was charged by Colonel Sadlier to stop the Grandjean-Manotte
party on its being known it had entered* the Esa country, within our borders.
I proceeded to the vicinity of the Esa Gadabursi frontier with Camel Corps
overland, hut eventually, after three weeks delay, that the Frenchmen
had had difficulties with the Esa and had been obliged to return. I returned
to the east of Somaliland leaving patrols, and instructions to a party o e
2nd King’s African Rifles at Hargeisa under Lieutenant Byrne, to act upon
information brought in by the patrols. Eventually, when the Frenchmen
came on again from Djibouti they proceeded some 50 miles to what was then
rail-head, and then left the train, coming via the Gadabursi country to
Dobolek 20 miles west of Hargeisa. Our camelry patrols had given warning,
and the detachment 2nd K A.R. was ready to meet and arrest the Trench
Caravan, which included 40 Soudanese Asharias ; Information had also been
brought to Sheikh, and I started immediately with Camel Corps for the second
time. 0 I arrived at Hargeisa a day or two later and conducted an enquiry,
which shewed that the Erenchmen had intentions of proceeding across the
Hand to the Mullah. They could not have done so, however, as their camels
were used up, and they bad made no provision to cross the waterless Hand I
eventually sent the 40 Soudanese under a Camel Corps escort to Zeyla and
thence to Djibouti, and I personally conveyed the Erenchmen under escort to
Bulhar and thence by dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. to Zeyla and Djibouti, where I handed them over
to the Governor per interim.
The interesting part of the affair was that it was proved that the Governor,
whilst informing Colonel Sadlier of the departure of the adventurers, had
himself registered the names of the Soudanese and lent his Railway carriage to
Mons. Manotte and party. Mons. Manotte assured me that the Governor,
judging from his own limitations, had no idea that the British could arrest any
one°even 5 miles from the Coast, and it was for this reason that he had thought
it safe to give us information and so cover himself.
3956 P. D.