File 869/1904 Pt 2 'Arms Traffic: - Red Sea, Africa and Aden' [‎90v] (189/540)

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action and the issue of a common set of rales and regulations under Articles
VIII to XIV of the Brussels Convention.
2. The authorities most concerned were those of Great Britain, Prance
and Italv. Turkey, however, was equally or even more concerned and should
therefore be also asked to exchange views.
3 It was agreed upon as desirable that similar restrictions to those
imposed in the zone referred to in Article VIII of the Brussels Convention
should be extended to the whole of the Slave Zone referred to in Article XXI.
4. It was agreed that it would be of advantage if certain specified ports
on the Coast of the Aden Protectorate, e.g.> Perim, Bas-al-Arab and Aden
were prescribed for the vis6 and examination of dhows’ papers before other
ports in the vicinity were allowed to be visited.
5. It was agreed upon as necessary that both the Aden Protectorate and
the Somali Coast littorals should be provided with an efficient service of Pre
ventive dhows and steamers.
6. It was agreed upon as essential that arrangements should be made on
the coast of Italian Somaliland to correspond with those made in British
Somaliland. General S wayne pointed out the necessity of perfecting his
arrangements as soon as possible with a view to securing the early and more
thorough co-operation of Italian authorities. It was agreed that with this in
view the matter of supplying him with an efficient Protective steamer to
supervise and assist bis dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. service was one of pressing urgency.
7. It was generally agreed that with an efficient preventive_ service of
steamers and dhows a good deal could be done to check the illicit traffic in
arms, and that the smuggling could also be much checked by the framing of a
common set of rules and regulations for the whole of the littoral affected.
8. It was however agreed that the most effective check to the evil would
be to prohibit the import of fire-arms into Eastern waters at all, or anyhow to
impose more rigorous restrictions thereon, which might be arranged for by a
special inspection post at Suez*
E. de B. HANCOCK, Cattain,
Acting First Assistant Resident, Aden,
MINUTE.
The understanding entered into with the Italian Consulate only affects
dhows proceeding to the Italian Protectorate.
On the 23rd June 1902, it was arranged between Captain Pottinger and
the Italian Consul that such dhows should first call at Hais, a port in the
British Protectorate, for examination, etc. The arrangement was that we
should issue port clearances to such vessels upon the Italian Consul’s certificate
that they had furnished security to him.
In his No. 188, dated 2nd July 1902, the Political Besident remarked that
there were grounds for supposing that certain dhows had been evading our
rules by sailing for ports in the Italian Protectorate, and thence sending their
cargoes overland to British Somaliland. He pointed out that the Italian
Government had no regular port on their coast where' ( dhows could be inspected,
as they were at Berbera, Karam and Hais in our Protectorate. He said that the
Italian Consul had readily promised to address his Government with a view to
establishing such a port at Bunder Kassim, and had meanwhile agreed that
Mijjertein dhows bound for their own country should be made to give security
to the Italian Consulate that they would touch first at Hais to show their
papers, etc , the ISlakhuda of each dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. being supplied with a certificate signed
by the Italian Consul-General to the effect that they had given the requisite
security.
It was understood, and later in the Italian Consul’s letter of 1st December
1902 formally agreed, that “ the Mijjertein coast should be subject to the
local rules for the traffic of sambuks in the Gulf of Aden,” that is to say, that
Mijjertein dhows should, as all other dhows leaving or arriving at the Port of
Aden, be subject to the provisions of Regulations ill of 1902 and rules framed
thereunder.