"ملف رقم II/٩ مذكرات معلومات من إدارة الخارجية بخصوص شؤون الخليج الفارسي ومسقط والساحل العربي من الخليج الفارسي. نوفمبر "٠٧ - ديسمبر "٠٨" [و‎‎٣‎٠] (١٣٢/٦١)

PERSIAN GULF.
63. (Vide para. £3, February 19'ft.)
With reference to the
jW AotxAI* Tx.1*
Proposed appointment pr< posul 01 the Itiilmn
of an Italian Consul at Government to send
an Agent to Masknt
to organise a service of information regard
ing the arms traffic to Somaliland, tl:e Italian
Ambassador, on the 2nd January 190S,
intimated that it was now the intention of
his Government to found at Maskat a regular
official Consular Agency, and it wns stated
that Cavaliere Francesco Crispi, Captain of
the Royal Colonial Troops, had been appointed
Consular Agent. The Italian Government
asked for the co-operation locally of the
British Government, both with reference to
the Agent’s ordinary duties, and as regards the
arms traffic.
The Government of India, whose views
were invited as to the answer to be given
to the Italian Government, referred the
question to the Political Resident at Bushire,
who expressed the opinion that there appeared
to be no adequate grounds for the a- ceptance
of a Consul, and suggested that a trusted and
secret Native Agent would be much more
likely to effect the object aimed at. He
enquired whether the matter could not, at
any rate, be postponed until the close of the
Arms Traffic Conference. In replying to the
Secretary of State, the Government of India
endorsed the latter suggestion, agreeing with
the views expressed by the Resident, as to the
desirability of inducing the Italian Govern
ment to substitute a native news-agent for
a Consular officer.
64. The Directors of the British India
maskat. Steam Navigation
Arms traffic at—. Company, Limited,
have issued instructions forbidding the convey
ance of Afghans to Maskat by any of the
Company’s steamers.
65. ( Vide para.
maskat.
Brussels Arms Traffic
Conference.
21 y February 1908.)
Major W. G. Grey,
Political Agent at
Maskat, and Captain VV. S. Bowman, R. N.,
late of H. M. S. “ Sphinx ”, have been
deputed to attend the Brussels Conference on
the subject of the arms traffic. The latter
officer represents the Admiralty as well as the
Government of India.
66. (Vide para. 43, March 1908.) On
Abu Musa red oxide the 6th April, the Poli-
concession. tical Resident in the
Persian Gulf telegraphed that the R.I.M.S.
“Lawrence” and tl.e German steamer had
left for Abu Musa. He added that the
German Consul, in a communication received