File 869/1904 Pt 2 'Arms Traffic: - Red Sea, Africa and Aden' [‎90r] (188/540)

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which he received from time to time from his Government were of a confiden
tial nature. Certain rules had, however, been published, and he retired for a-
few minutes into his Secretariat to get these.
6. Upon his return from his office he was evidently less inclined to he
communicative than before, He stated that beyond a general prohibition of
the illicit export of arras there were no particular rules on the subject except
such as were embodied in the ordinary Police Holes of the Settlement, or in
circulars issued on various points such as that already referred to regarding the
import of component parts of arms. Even that order, he said, was net in print
and had been sent to his Home Government for confirmation. It became
apparent that Doctor Ormibres did not find himself in a position to produce
any regular body of rules or regulations for comparison with those of the
British Somaliland Protectorates, and that he was either unable or unwilling
to furnish any further information on the subject.
7. In turning the conversation he referred to his recent experiences as an
official in the French Congo, \*here it transpired that the nature of the'
administration was not a little affected by commercial requirements. From
this it might be understood that the administration of Jibouti was perhaps
somewhat similarly situated, and that the commercial interests of the local
colonists were a not unimportant factor in the situation.
8. In regard to the Obokh, Doctor Ormi^res stated that native craft sailing
from Jibouti were not under the necessity of having their papers vised at that
port. Port clearances, he said, were only granted there to vessels to which it
was inconvenient to proceed to Jibouti or to which it was convenient to touch
at Obokh.
9. Doctor Ormikres was informed of the arrangements existing at Aden
under which native craft leaving that port for British Somaliland were'
hound over to first call at certain prescribed ports on the coast before proceed
ing elsewhere. And it was suggested to him that similar arrangements might be
made at Jihouti in regard to vessels leaving that port or Obokh for the Aden
Protectorate. Doctor Ormi&res was at first inclined to concur with this
suggestion if the proposal were formally made to him. But after his visit to
his office he expressed a desire that this and any other proposals should in the
first place be referred to the home authorities,
10. He expressed a similar desire in regard to the suggestion that
similar restrictions to those imposed in the zone referred to in Ardcle VIII of
tlie Brussels* Convention of 1890 should be extended to the slave zone
referred to in Article XXI, or that anyhow further action was desirable to
carry out the spirit of the wording of the first part of Article X.
11. It was evident that Doctor Ormibres himself was not in a position to
afford any further information or to take any further specific action towards
checking the traffic in arms now taking place between the Somali and the
Arabian Coasts. He expressed a general desire to co-operate and assist. He
was clearly animated by friendly motives; but the interests of the local
colonists were evidently predominant, and he was undoubtedly reminded of
this fact in the course of the few minutes during which he had retired to his
office and there met the local administrator.
12. Later in the day he again broached the subject of the General Swayne,
and whilst again expressing friendly sentiments and a personal inclination
to accept the general principle of prescribed ports, he again also expressed
his inability to take any independent action, and evinced some anxiety to avoid
committing himself to anything which might in any way prejudice the interests
of the local colonists. _
F. DeB. HANCOCK, Captain,
6th January 1906.
Acting First Assistant Resident, Aden.
Notes of discussion between General H. M. Mason and General E. J. E. Swayne as to
measures which should be taken to further check illicit traffic in arms, held on board
R. I. M. S. Ralhousie on 6 th January 1906.
It was agreed upon that it was desirable that there should be an exchange
of views between all local authorities concerned with a view to more concerted