"ملف ٥/ ١٩٦ II‏ الاتجار بالرقيق في الخليج" [و‎‎١‎١‎٣] (٤٤٠/٢٣٠)

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
nW
PERSIA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
74^1 u( t,!
August 20, 1931.
Section 3.
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tyrl U
[E 4319/4319/91] No. 1.
Mr. Dodd to Mr. A. Henderson.—(Received August 20.)
(No. 422.)
HIS Majesty's representative presents his compliments to His Majesty’s
Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and has the honour to transmit
herewith copies of a note from the Persian Government, dated the
5th August, 1931, and of a note to the Persian Government, dated the
10th August, 1931, on the subject of the manumission of slaves at Henjam.
Tehran, August 10, 1931.
Enclosure 1 in No. 1.
Translation of a Memorandum from the Persian Ministry for Foreign Affairs
to His Majesty’s Legation, dated Mur dad 13, 1310 (August 5, 1931.)
THE Ministry for Foreign Affairs have the honour to bring to the notice of
the British Legation that, according to a report which they have received from
Henjam, about sunset on the evening of the 29th Khordad last, four slaves escaped
from Sharjah and took refuge in the telegraph house.
Mr. Lowe, the official in charge, without any reference to the local officials,
immediately brought them on board the warship “ Folkestone,” and from there
they were transferred to the “ Penzance,” which removed them to a destination
unknown. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs would draw the attention of the
Legation to the law of 18th Bahman, 1307, which lays down that as soon as a
slave reaches Persian soil or Persian territorial waters he is free; and to the
illegal steps taken by the head of the Henjam Telegraph Station in this matter.
It is requested first that the Legation take steps to bring about the return of the
slaves in question to Persian soil, and, secondly, that they call upon the head
of the telegraph station to abstain from actions which are outside the scope of
his duties.
Enclosure 2 in No. 1.
Note from His Majesty’s Legation to Persian Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
His Majesty’s Legation present their compliments to the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs and with reference to the latter’s memorandum of the 5th August
(15th Murdad) last on the subject of the escape of four slaves to Henjam, have
the honour to state that the true facts of this case have already been communicated
to the Legation Briefly, they are as follows :—
2. The four slaves in question left the telegraph house and of their own
accord took refuge in His Majesty’s sloop “ Folkestone.” As the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs remarks, they became free men from the moment when they set
foot on Persian soil, and they acted as free men in proceeding on board one of
His Majesty’s ships. They recognised that in doing so they would be sure of
manumission. It is, therefore, not clear to His Majesty’s Legation in what way
the telegraph clerk has committed an illegal act. The fact that the slaves became
free by landing on Persian soil implies that they were under no obligation to
remain any longer than they wished in Persia. They exercised their own free
will by boarding one of His Majesty’s ships : it can hardly be the intention of
the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to suggest that in so doing they incurred the
slightest risk of losing the freedom which they had acquired.
[227 u—3]