'File 9/5 Vol. 1 Naval & Shipping: A. British Navy: (5) Khor Kuwai' [‎6v] (17/384)

2
P. 1717/99.
Aitch.
(1933),
Yol. XI,
No. ix,
pp. 303-4.
From. CoL
Rigby, No. 2,
2.1.61.
To Lord
Cowley,
27.6.61.
From Lord
Cowley, 4
and 11.10.61
P. 1717/99.
Lor. I, 447.
“The undersigned . . . being furnished with the necessary powers here
declare in consequence that Their said Majesties take reciprocally this engagemen
Its Origin. 1 13. T1
8. The Declaration arose out of discussions which had reference primarily 1 1
the position of Zanzibar. Sultan Saiyid Said, who had ruled over both Musi,
and Zanzibar, died in 1856 He had been anxious that his elder son, who l! u ,
acted as his deputy in Muscat, should succeed to the rulership of Oman, and
younger son to the rulership of Zanzibar. Serious dliferences arose between rg u j tai]
sons/ as the elder in virtue of his succession to Muscat also claimed feui^ ^ r ,
suzerainty over Zanzibar. These difficulties were finally composed by the int i ^
vention of Lord Canning, then Viceroy of India, who, in an arbitral Award. a pj
eT\ 1 A *1 1 C ) /^ 1 J J „ M X Uv i- 'X .-x r-r » b'v I T "1 1/1 I \ / I /H /~V T /~VT l\/I T 1 ^ / 1 lx
ren
2nd April 1861, decided that Zanzibar should be independent of Muscat and shoi^^. .
pass to the younger son of Saiyid Said, but that it should pay to Muscat an anni r ‘ t y u ’ s
subsidy of 40,000 crowns. L t t0 re ‘
9. As both H.M. Government and France had on the date of the Awfhort tir
separate treaties with the Sultan of Muscat, it was apparently considered necessfunion 1
that France as well as H.M. Government should recognise the separjtablishe
independence of the two States. (It is noteworthy, however, that this does iference
appear to have been thought necessary in the case of the United States of Ameritncluded
which had been in treaty relations with Muscat since 1833.) But the immedii Muscat
cause of the Anglo-(french Declaration of 1862 appears to have been the erection; Maurit
the French of a large barrack at Zanzibar for occupation as a mission house a France
hospital. The building could easily be occupied by troops, in which case it woi 14. T1
dominate the town, and H.M. Ambassador in Paris w r as accordingly instructed the An
make enquiries on the subject of the French Government. M. de Thouveneltference
reply gave satisfactory explanations and added that the Emperor of the Freaterest ir
was ready to enter into a reciprocal engagement to guarantee the independence have bt
the Sultan of Zanzibar. In the light of this intimation the Anglo-French Declaratiot the a{
under which both parties recognised the independence of Muscat and of Zanzibting as
was prepared and signed at Paris on 10th March 1862. Despite the paramoionsul, b
importance of Indian interests in Muscat, no prior reference was made to t
Government of India, who first learnt that the Declaration had been concluc . _
in 1871. , ,
t about
nrpose c
British Treaty of Commerce of 19th March 1891. dnt polio
10. The Treaty of Commerce of 1839 referred to in paragraph 5 above, wterests (
replaced in 1891 by a revised treaty between Great Britain and Muscat (signed amdatio]
19th March 1891 and ratified in 1892), which is still in force. Article 4 of itered ur
Treaty of 1891 provides inter alia that each of the High Contracting Parties “shven in t
allow the subjects of the other to enter all ports, creeks and rivers with tliad unsuo
vessels and cargoes . . . and ... to hire, purchase and possess housial shed
warehouses, shops, stores and lands ” in each other’s dominions. 26. In
$94 and
Exclusive Agreement of 20th March 1891 between Great Britain and Muscat. : j )eiise o
11. The Exclusive Agreement of 20th March 1891 recorded that the Sultan few da;
Muscat and Oman “does pledge and bind himself, his heirs and successors neithority.
to cede, to sell, to mortgage or otherwise give for occupation, save to the Britt the Sr
Government, the dominions of Muscat and Oman or any of their Dependencieontrary 1
This agreement (which may be regarded as being inconsistent with the termf a Frex
the Anglo-French Declaration of 1862) has never been officially eommunicate&bellion :
the French Government by H.M. Government. When it was communicated site lo
the Sultan to the French Vice-Consul at Muscat in 1899 (see paragraph 31 belesulted is
the Vice-Consul replied in writing that he could not recognise it as it was conttaragrapl
to the Declaration of 1862. iscussior
. !.M. Goa
Relations of Muscat with France and Great Britain, 1770-1934. cached b
12. Before proceeding to consider the importance in the present connectioi etu e . en ^
the engagements referred to above, and the interpretation which has been ph a( ‘ smce
on the Declaration of 1862 in correspondence between the British and the Frei
Governments, it may be convenient to refer very briefly to the relations of Fra ^ g.
and of Great Britain with Muscat in the period from about 1770 to the present ti a ^ 2 )ceiJ