2
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE SELECT COMMITTEE
Hon.
C, Vivian^
10 July
187».
the south, including the islands of Zanzibar,
Pemba, and Momfia, so that he thus restricted
the traffic entirely to his African possessions, and
did not allow it to goon any further b et we en Africa
and Asia. This treaty was carried into execution
by the Act 11 & 12 Viet. c. 78, which contained
regulations for the trial of vessels and the bounties
to be paid. The treaty was then communicated
to the Arab chiefs in the Persian Gulf, and
they severally engaged in April and May 1847,
to prohibit the export of slaves from the coast of
Africa and elsewhere on board their vessels, and
those of their subjects or dependents, and permitted
the cruisers of the British Government to
detain and search their vessels, and to seize and
confiscate any found violating this engagement
by the exportation of slaves from the coast of
Africa and elsewhere, upon any pretext whatever.
This treaty also was carried into effect by
the Act 12 & 13 Viet. c. 84. The traffic in
slaves was thus entirely prohibited between
Africa and Asia, and localised to the African
coast within the limits of Kihvay and Lamoo, including
the islands of Zanzibar, Pembia, and
Momfia. On the 6th of May 1850, a declaration
was signed by the Imaum of Muscat, granting
permission to Her Majesty’s ships of war to enter
his creeks, rivers, and harbours, and territorial
waters, to seize vessels engaged in the slave trade,
and to destroy slave barracoons. This permission
was, I believe, confirmed by a letter of the late Sultan,
Seyud Majid (the man who has just died). In
October 1863 Synd Majid (the late Sultan) issued
orders forbidding the export of slaves from the
portofKilwa; and on the 1st of January 1864
he issued two notifications, one entirely prohibiting
any transport of slaves during the season
of exportation, viz., from 1st January to 1st May,
and the second, prohibiting householders from
renting houses to the northern Arabs, who visit
Zanzibar for the purpose of kidnapping slaves.
Those are all the treaties we have with the Imaum
of Muscat.
8. What are the treaties we have with Persia,
with respect to the slave trade ?—A firman was
issued by the late Shah (and confirmed by the
present Shah) to his governors in June 1848,
containing positive and strict injunctions to all
the slave dealers trading by sea, that the importation
and exportation of negroes by sea into the
Persian Dominions is entirely forbidden, but not
by land. “ Not a single individual ” (says the
firman) “ will be permitted to bring negroes by
sea without being subjected to severe punishment.”
By the Convention of 1851 the Persian
Government agreed that the ships oí war of the
British Government and of the East India Company
shall, in order to prevent the chance of
negro slaves being imported by sea, be permitted
to search Persian merchant vessels, but not
government vessels, provided a Persian officer
is on board the British cruiser. If slaves are
found they may be taken possession of by the
British authorities, without causing further
damage or undue detention to the captain or crew
of the vessel, which must be delivered up to the
authorities of the Persian Government, who
undertake to punish and fine the owner in a
suitable manner. The treaty was to run for
11 years, and it was renewed in 1857.
9. Was it renewed for any definite time in
1857?—For 10 years more; the treaty did not
expire till 1862, then it was to expire in 1872,
and then only by notice on one side or the other.
and no notice has passed. We consulted our
minister in Persia whether it was likely that we
should gain any good end by denouncing the
treaty and proposing a new one ; whether we
could get rid of the stipulation that a Persian
officer is to be on board our vessels, which has been
found to be rather an inconvenient stipulation,
but he advised us not to endeavour to procure a
modification of the treaty, as we might probably
lose it altogether.
10. Has the Sultan of Zanzibar fairly and
faithfully carried out those treaties ?—I believe
that the Sultan of Zanzibar lias to the best of his
ability carried out the treaties, but I do not
believe that the Imaum of Muscat has, or that the
Arab chiefs in the Persian Gulf have. You will
find from the information you will get, that all the
damage is done by the Arabs coming down from
the north ; they come down with the north-east
monsoon to Zanzibar, and whilst they are there,
they are a terror to everybody there ; no black
man can show his head outside his house, and it is
they who do all the damage. They are, for the
most part, subjects of the Imaum of Muscat and
of the chiefs of the Arab tribes in the Persian
Gulf.
11. Muscat and Zanzibar, which formerly
constituted one sovereignty, is now divided ;
when did the division take place ?—The kingdom
was divided in 1856 ; Seyed Saeed left Zanzibar
to one son, named Seyed Mejid, and he left
Muscat to his other son, named Thowaynee, who
did not at all assent to the arrangement, and a
quarrel was imminent, but in in 1861 they referred
it to the arbitration of the Government of India,
and Lord Canning decided, by awarding Muscat
to Thowaynee, and Zanzibar to Seyed Mejid,
and Seyed Mejid was to pay the Sultan of
Muscat 40,000 crowns (or about 8,500 L a year)
as a subsidy.
12. Lord F. Covendish.~\ In perpetuity?—
I believe so : but Sir John Kaye will give better
information upon that than I can ; there has been
a question about the terms of the arrangement,
buti fancy it is in perpetuity.
13. Chainyian.'] Is there any considerable
number of British subjects in Zanzibar?—I think
there are 22 English subjects, but there are a
great many British Indian subjects; I think there
are altogether 3,710 British Indians and British
protected subjects.
14. Mr. Km7iaird.'\ Is there a trade springing
up in Zanzibar ?—I believe so.
15. Which is capable of almost infinite extension
?—Yes, I understood so; I have not been
there myself.
16. You understand so from your iuformation ?
—Yes ; I think there is a trade springing up
which is capable of considerable expansion.
17. Chairma7ï.~\ What is the system pursued
by the slave traders on the coast to obtain slaves
from the interior ?—The Northern Arabs come
down with the monsoon from Muscat on the
Persian Gulf in January, February, and March,
to Zanzibar, at which point, or on various
parts of the coast, slaves have been collected
in the meantime by the slave-hunters, and the
slave dhows then carry off the slaves (at great
risk to themselves, but one or two successful
voyages make up for a good many failures),
picking them up as they run along the coast. If
they see one of our cruisers, they generally run
on shore, turn all the slaves out, and escape as
best they can.
