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 boun 
ties to be paid. The treaty was then communi 
cated 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 per 
mitted 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 what 
ever. 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, in 
cluding 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 Sul 
tan, 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 pro 
hibiting 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 impor 
tation 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 punish 
ment.” By the Convention of 1851 the Persian 
Government agreed that the ships oí war of the 
British Government and of the East India Com 
pany 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 exten 
sion ?—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.