'Volume II. MEMORANDA REGARDING OTHER EXTERNAL AFFAIRS. 1905.' [‎27r] (58/228)

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Maseera prisoners had died, and that the release
of two others, who were sick, had been permit
ted by the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Maskat. Under the
circumstances, he hoped Government would
acquiesce in the release. He was informed, in
reply, that a decision was deferred pending
receipt of his reply to our letter of 25th May.
{Vide paragraphs 15 and 16 of Memoran
dum for May 1905.) Major Grey reported
that, it having come to his knowledge that
a request preferred for the loan of the Sultan’s
steamer to enable the Prench Vice-Consul
and his wife to return from Sur had been
refused by His Highness, he instructed the
Commander of H. M. S. “Lapwing” to call
at Sur and offer to bring Mons. and Madame
Billecocq hack to Maskat. The “Lapwing”,
however, returned to Maskat without Mons.
and Madame Billecocq, who would not accept
the offer on the plea that a Prench mercantile
vessel v-as calling at Sur shortly, and that
they had arranged to return to Maskat by her.
{Vide paragraph 18 of Memorandum for
May 1905.) The following additional inform
ation has been extracted from the news-letters
of the 4th and 11th May 1905 received from
Khan Bahadur Mirza Yakub Ali Khan,
News- writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. at Herat, regarding the import
ation of arms from Maskat:—
Monday, the 1st May 1905 .—* * * *
******* Certain
Lohanis, comprising Nasirs, Kharots, Suleiman-
khels, and Mahikhels, have imported some 706
Martini-Henry rifles with cartridges from
Maskat to Herat. They avoided the high
road, and on arrival at the Herat frontier
presented the Bandardar with a ride and thus
got through.
They also gave a bribe of seven rifles to the
Herat Customs officials. So far they have
been able to sell here five rifles at 450 to 500
Krans per rifle with 100 cartridges. The
remainder they propose selling in the country
and in Kandahar. Last year some 600 rifles
were imported from Maskat probably by the
same men. ******
{Vide paragraph 10 of Memorandum
for January 1905.) Major Grey has expressed
the opinion that it would be better not
to approach the Sultan on the proposed
change in the currency, until he
has had an opportunity of discussing the
Customs question with the latter, but
that, should the Sultan himself introduce the
subject, he would of course deal with it.
Any initiative on the subject will, therefore,
be left to the Sultan until the Hague Arbitra
tion proceedings are over {vide paragraph 12
of Memorandum for March 1905).
It was anticipated that the decision would
be known by the 1st July 1905, in accordance