Report from the Select Committee on Slave Trade (East Coast of Africa); together with the proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence, appendix and index

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 832922498

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-79587

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Report from the Select Committee on Slave Trade (East Coast of Africa); together with the proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence, appendix and index

Place of publication:: [London]

Publisher:: [The House of Commons]

Year of publication:: 1871

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (XXIV, 242 S.)

Collection:: Economics Books

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ON SLAVE TBADE (EAST COAST OF AFRICA). 19 officer so cautious as Brigadier Coghlan were Blade known to the British nation, not a voice ^ould be raised against so small an acknowledg ment to Zanzibar as 8,500 I per annum for the attainment of so noble an object as the extinction of the East Indian African Slave Trade.” ^46. Mr. Crum-Ewing.That does not con- femplate the payment of the full amount of 20,000/.?—No ; but that was 10 years ago, and pi’obably the slave revenues have greatly in- oreased since then. 247. Chairman,^ We had it in evidence on Monday that all that the Sultan of Zanzibar had ^ right to, under his treaty, was the introduction pf slaves for the service required in Zanzibar Itself ; and it was stated that for that purpose ri700 slaves per annum was the outside quantity j'oquired ; if that is the case be must derive a large revenue from an illegal slave trade, in volving, as has been stated, the sacrifice of half ^ Bullion lives in five years?—Yes; I would only recommend that he should be compensated for the surrender of the legal traffic, 248. Mr. Kin7iaird.~\ Supposing that policy to be adopted, and the slave trade to be put down,’ you would save the amount that would be in curred in compensation by the withdrawal of the squadron ?—Y es. 249. Putting it as an economical arrangement, It is by far the cheapest thing to pay him this Compensation ?—Yes, I have always thought so. 250. Mr. Crum-Eicmg.~\ Do you think the Multan of Zanzil ar could put down the slave trade if he were willing to do so without the assistance of the squadron ?—No, he could not. 251. Mr, Fowler.~\ Do you think that in three or four years he would be able to do Without the squadron?—Yes, if the suppression the slave trade were done gradually and not hastily, and if steps were taken at the same time to import free labourers into Zanzibar, the thing Blight be done in time without damage to com merce, or the internal industry of the country. 252. Sir .7. The expenditure of 1,500/. Wdiich you have just alluded to is entirely inde pendent of the expenditure on the squadron ?— entirely ; the recommendation of the Slave ■frade Committee that sat at the Foreign Office, that as a beginning the establishment at ^^Bzibar should be increased, because we wanted fo put some vice consuls or agents upon the main f^nd, so as to superintend the emigration, and on, and that the cost of this increased establish ment should be fairly divided between the Indian Government and the Imperial Exchequer ; it Was supposed that what is now 2,000/. a year. Would be increased to about 3,000/. a year, and the proposal was, that the two Governments should divide the latter amount fairly between them. 253. The difficulty which the squadron has to ^Bcounter, as I understand it is this, that the t^^^^for of domestic slaves along the coast within c legal limits, covers the illegal transport of ® ^ves to foreign countries ?— That is the diffi culty. ^ 254. That being so, your proposition is, that a Cum by way of bonus should be paid to the Sul- an of Zanzibar, as a compensation for the aboli- mn of the present legal traffic in domestic f ^wes, so that the legal traffic in slaves should y Bceforth be no cover for the illegal traffic ?— ÇS ; I should recommend that a sum should be paid to him equivalent to what he 0.116. gams in revenue on the slave traffic not ¡nohibited by treaty. 255. Have you considered what that sum would be ?—No ; I am very imperfectly ac quainted with the details of the slave trade itself, but I believe it is generally considered that the amount of the subsidy of 8,000 /. which he pays to the Imaum of Muscat, would about cover what he would lose ; so that if he were freed from the payment of this 8,000 /. to the Imaum of Muscat, he would be in a position to abandon the revenue to which I have referred, so I con sider in round numbers about 8,000 /. would be the right amount ; that is about the sum re commended to be paid him by Sir George Clerk in 1860. 256. You think there is no reason to suppose that it would be require 1 to be larger now ?— No, I think not, because some agents of the Sultan of Zanzibar were in this country two or three years ago, and they hinted that if the Sultan was relieved from the payment of the subsidy, he would be able to carry out the wishes of the British Government. 257. Is any part of the expenditure which is required for the maintenance of the squadron employed in the suppression of the slave trade borne by the Indian revenue ?—I know we pay a fixed sum towards the support of Her Majesty’s ships in the Eastern seas, viz., 70,000/. per annum. 258. That is not specially applicable to the slave squadron ?—No, it is for the entire maritime defence of India. 259. Would the Indian Government be pre pared to make a larger contribution than that 70,000 /., with the view of increasing the squadron on the coast of Zanzibar, and thereby hastening the suppression of the slave trade ? —I cannot answer that question. I do not think we would like to pay any more th m the 70,000/. we now pay, considering that in addition to that we have to pay for our own tran ports. 260. Mr. Kevnmray.'] Have any instructions been issued to the Government of India, with regard to the continuance or discontinuance of the subsidy ?—The last instructions which went out to the Government of India, with regard to the subsidy, have not yet been acknowledged by the Government of India, but the matter stands at present in this position. It is fair to state that there is a great difference of opinion between the different authorities with respect to the maintenance of the subsidy. The Go vernment of India are strongly of opinion that we should maintain the subsidy, and that it would be a great breach of faith to release the Sultan of Zanzibar from the payment of it, while the views generally of Her Majesty’s Govern ment are, I think, that the Sultan of Zanzibar should be released from the payment of the subsidy. Under these circumstances tbe India Office has suggested that an officer of high rank and experience should be sent out to inquire into the state of affairs, and to bring about some amicable arrangement between the Sultan of Zanzibar and the Sultan of Muscat, which should be a permanent arrangement. 261. Did I rightly understand you to say, that the Treasury having refused to bear any part of the expenses of the Zanzibar agency, the Indian Government were about to send instructions to the agent to discontinue his endeavours to sup press the slave trade ?—We have written to the c 2 Foreign Sir J. W. Kaye. 13 July 1871.

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