58
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE SELECT COMMITTEE
I should leave the disposition of those ten vessels engaged in ordinary trade are manned by slaves?
G. Heath, entirely in the hands of the officer commanding —Many of them are manned partly by slaves,
K_^- them. The tactics of the slave dealers vary each probably taken to sea with the view of selling
year, and each year the officer commanding must them if a good price was found for them,
187^ kis disposition of the fleet also. 779. Was it the practice to capture those ves-772.
If the seven vessels under your command sels equally with others?—Xes.
only succeeded in capturing one slave out of 20, 780. Chairman.'] Is there anything you wish
what reason have you to suppose that 10 vessels to add to the evidence you have given ?—I should
would entirely put a stop to the trade ?—I have like to give the Committee my opinion about the
never said that that was my opinion. Muscat subsidy, if the 1 ommittee wish to hear
773. T ou do not think that 10 vessels would it. I should like, in the first place, to read a
put a stop to the trade ?—No. letter which I addressed to the Governor of
774. In the evidence you gave on Thursday Bombay, dated 12th February 1869 ; that was at
last, you complained of the Admiralty regula- a time when the question of stopping the subsidy
tions,^ with refeience to the capture of vessels was being agitated : “ ¡\ly Dear Sir Seymour,—-cairying
domestic slaves, and I think you ex- Although I am neither your political Secretary
pressed an opinion that that rather tended to pre- nor a member of your Council, I hope you will
vent the squadron exercising due vigilance in the not object to my offering an opinion upon the
capture of slave dhows ?—Tes. IMuscat subsidy question, in which I naturally
775. Are you aware that complaints had been take a considerable interest. I understand that
made to our Government of the capture by our the Secretary of State is willing to release
squadron of vessels which were really carrying Zanibar, provided India will make the pavment
only a limited number of domestic slaves, not for out of Indian funds, or, as an alternative, that he
sale? So far as I am aware, the first complaint will allow the payment to cease altogether if you
that was made vyas by Sir Edward Bussell, the should report that Muscat can do without it. I
Judge of the Vice Admiralty Court at Aden ; take for granted that India will not pay this subhis
complaint was made in a letter, which will be sidy, and I am afraid that, if you should say the
found in the Blue Book for 1870, at page 73, a money is essential to the strength of Muscat, the
letter dated 29th January 1869. So far as I am Secretary of State will leave the matter in statu
aware, up to that time it had been the universal quo. I cannot think that the power of Muscat
custom to consider that naval officers had nothing in the Persian Gulf depends upon the receipt
to do with the particular sort of slavery, for which of this annual sum. Its vessels, its forts, its guns,
the slaves found in the dhows were intended; its troops, are all perfectly contemptible even
their printed instructions are very distinct. You with the subsidy, and its superiority over its
will find at page 22 of those instructions, that an neighbours rests really upon the known friendofficer
is justified in concluding that a vessel is ship of the Indian Government. I should doubt
engaged in, and equipped for the slave trade, if the policy of much strengthening its military poyou
find any slaves on board. There is no sition; but if it were desirable to do so, the loan
limitation as to the status of the slaves, and up of an engineer officer, and the expenditure of
to the date of that letter, all judges had con- 1,000/. in properly mounting and arrano-inc? one
demned dhows for having domestic slaves on or two of our old guns, would, I think, be more
board. I may instance, Mr. Churchill, a Mem- effective than the annual 10,000 /. (this should
her of the recent Committee, having condemned have been 8,500/.) now paid into native hands,
a dhow whilst I was in Zanzibar, merely because I have never seen the papers connected with oui*
there was one single slave on board. Mr. guarantee, but however loosely they may have
1?^ my opinion about it, not been worded, it never could have been intended
officially, and I said that it had been the uni- that we should be bound for ever, and under all
versal practice to condemn dhows for having possible contingencies. The present opportunity
domestic slaves on board, and I thought that the seems a fair one for shaking off our oblio’ation.
insti notions would not justify an officer in not The throne is no longer in the possession of a
taking a dhow in which he found domestic slaves, descendant of Saed Saed, and Toorkee mio-ht be
•j ^ answer very con- distinctly told, that if he accepts any help whatsiderably
it the Committee wish me to argue the ever from us in establishing himself at Muscat,
point as to whether under our treaties domestic he must remember that we have withdrawn our
slavery at sea is allowed. guarantee, and that, practically, the Zanzibar
776. I think it is unnecessary to enter upon subsidy will never again be paid. I have a strono*
justification in the matter; I only want to impression that the time has come for either withknow
whether, as a matter of fact, complaints drawing from all attempts at puttino- down the
were made of dhows being captured which were East African slave trade, or for prosecutino- our
carrying domestic slaves not for sale?—It can assaults upon it with far greater vigour than herehardly
be called a complaint, because it was the tofore. The Sultan of Zanzibar declares, that so
universal practice to forbid slaves being carried long as he has to pay this large annual sum so
at sea whether domestic slaves or others. long must he continue to encourao-e this slave
777. Up to the time when the new regulations trade, on account of the revenue he^derives from
were made by the Admiralty, it had been the it, and England’s guarantee thus becomes an
universal practice to eapture dhows even when active incentive to the continuance of the traffic,
they had a limited number of domestic slaves on —Yours, very truly, L. G. Heath.''’ Though
board not expressly for exportation ?—Yes; the the circumstances have changed since that letter
reason probably was that a domestic slave is a was written ; though the present rulers of Muscat
saleable article, and is very often sold, as shown and Zanzibar are now again both sons of Saed
by extracts from correspondence and from reports, Saed, still we have the same oprobrium hangwhich
will be found at page 75 of the same Blue ing over us. England’s guarantee is still put
^77« T *f + 4L f ^ r r. 1 1 »8 being a direct incentive to carry
7/8. is It not the fact that many of the vessels mg on the slave trade at Zanzibar ; I think the
proper
