En vue de l'accomplissement intégral des dispositions ci-dessus mentionnées, mon présent Firman Impérial, orné de mon autographe Impérial, a été rendu et envoyé.

Le 27 Chaban. 1309.

Nr. 2.

Télégramme de son Altesse le Grand Vizir à Son Altesse le Khédive, en date du 8 Avril, 1892.

(Traduction.)

Il est à la connaissance de votre Altesse que Sa Majesté le Sultan avait autorisé la présence à El-Wedjh, Muellah, Daba, et Akaba, sur le littoral du Hedjaz, ainsi que dans certaines localités de la presqu'île de Tor-Sinaï, d'un nombre suffisant de zaptiehs placés par le Gouvernement Egyptien, à cause du passage du Mahmal Egyptien par voie de terre.

Comme toutes ces localités ne figurent point sur la Carte de 1257 remise à feu Méhémet-Ali Pacha et indiquant les frontières Egyptiennes, El-Wedjh a, par conséquent, fait dernièrement retour au Vilayet de Hedjaz, par Iradé de Sa Majesté Impériale, comme lui ont fait retour dernièrement les localités de Daba et Muellah. De même, Akaba aujourd'hui est également annexé au dit vilayet, et, pour ce qui est de la presqu'île de Tor-Sinaï, le statu quo est maintenu et elle sera administrée par le Khédivat de la même manière qu'elle était administrée du temps de votre grand-père, Ismaïl Pacha, et de votre père, Méhémet Thewfik Pacha.

Nr. 3.

Sir E. Baring to Tigrane Pasha.

M. le Ministre. Cairo, April 13, 1892. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's note of to-day's date, in which, in reply to mine of the 11th instant, you communicate to me the Turkish text and French translation of a telegram addressed on the 8th instant by the Grand Vizier of His Imperial Majesty the Sultan to His Highness the Khedive, informing His Highness that, in so far as the Sinai Peninsula is concerned, the status quo is maintained, and that it will continue to be administered by the Khedivate.

Your Excellency is aware that no alteration can be made in the Firmans regulating the relations between the Sublime Porte and Egypt without the consent of Her Britannic Majesty's Government. It was on this account that I was instructed to invite your Excellency's attention to the insertion in the present Firman of a definition of boundaries which differed from that contained in the Firman issued to His Highness the late Khedive, and which, if read by itself, appeared to imply that the Sinai Peninsula would for the future depend administratively, not on the Khedivate of Egypt, but on the Vilayet of the Hedjaz.

The telegram from the Grand Vizier, which your Excellency has done me the honour to communicate to me, makes it clear, however, that the Sinai Peninsula that is to say, the territory bounded to the east by a line running in a south-easterly direction from a point a short distance to the east of El-Arish to the head of the Gulf of Akaba is to continue to be administered by Egypt. The fort of Akaba, which lies to the east of the line in question, will thus form part of the Vilayet of the Hedjaz.

Her Majesty's Government signified to the Sublime Porte some weeks ago, through Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Constantinople, their willingness to assent to this arrangement.

Under these circumstances, I am instructed to declare that Her Britannic Majesty's Government consent to the definition of boundaries contained in the present Firman, as supplemented, amended, and explained by the telegram of the 8th instant from His Highness the Grand Vizier, which they consider as annexed to and as forming part of the Firman, and that they entertain no objection to the official promulgation of the Firman, with the addition of the above-mentioned explanatory telegram.

I am to add that Her Majesty's Government cannot admit that any existing territorial rights or claims are in any degree affected by changes which have been introduced into the language of the Firman, or by their acceptance thereof.

I have been instructed to address this note to your Excellency, as well as my note of the 11th instant, in order to place on official record the view maintained by Her Majesty's Government throughout the negotiations to which they have been a party on this subject, and which have now been brought to a close.

I have the honour to request that your Excellency will be so good as to cause this correspondence to be published simultaneously with the publication of The Firman and of the telegram from His Highness the Grand Vizier in the "Official Journal" of the Egyptian Government. I avail, &c.

M. le Ministre. Constantinople, May 3, 1906. Your Excellency is doubtless aware that by its note verbale of the 13th April, 1892, the Imperial Ministry for Foreign Affairs was good enough to transmit to this Embassy a copy of the Firman of Investiture granted on the 27th Shaaban, 1309, to His Highness Abbas Hilmi Pasha, Khedive of Egypt, together with a copy of the telegram addressed on the 26th March, 1308 (the 8th April, 1892), by Jevad Pasha, then Grand Vizier, to His Highness on the subject of the Sinaïtic Peninsula. In virtue of these instruments that peninsula is to be administered by the Khedivate in the same manner as

it was administered by Abbas Hilmi Pasha's predecessors, Tewfik Pasha and Ismail Pasha.

Notwithstanding this provision, the Imperial Government has occupied Taba with a military force which it refuses to withdraw, though repeatedly requested to do so, and though Taba is indubitably situated within the territory the administration of which is vested in His Highness the Khedive.

Both the substance and tone of the Grand Vizier's communication to the Khedive have made further negotiations at Cairo impossible. The contentions as to the frontier put forward in the Grand Vizier's reply are quite inadmissible; if admitted, they would seriously prejudice the position as regards the Suez Canal and Egypt. Negotiations have now been prolonged over several weeks not only without progress, but with increasing claims on the part of the Porte, to the prejudice of the administrative frontier of Egypt.

The Imperial Government is well aware that His Majesty's Government cannot remain indifferent in presence of any act tending to circumscribe the territories of Egypt, nor view without concern any violation or infringement of the rights of His Highness the Khedive as defined and established in the Acts and Treaties now in force.

I have consequently the honour to inform your Excellency that I have received from His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs instructions to request that the Ottoman Government will agree to the demarcation of the line from Rafeh to the head of the Gulf of Akaba on the basis of the aforesaid telegram of the 8th April, 1892, and that, pending such demarcation, Taba shall be evacuated.

Further delay must increase the difficulties of the situation, and I am therefore to add that if this request should not have been complied with within a period of ten days, the position will become grave.

M. l'Ambassadeur.

Nr. 5.

Note Verbale.

Le 14 Mai, 1906. J'ai eu l'honneur de recevoir la note que votre Excellence a bien voulu m'écrire le 12 de ce mois concernant l'occupation de Taba.

Permettez-moi de vous faire observer qu'il n'est jamais entré dans la pensée du Gouvernement Impérial de méconnaître le contenu du télégramme du 8 Avril de feu Djevad Pacha à Son Altesse le Khédive. Du reste, la communication que j'ai eu l'honneur d'adresser à votre Excellence le 11 de ce mois était tout à fait explicite. L'évacuation de Taba a été décidée, et les ordres ont été déjà donnés en conséquences.

Il est entendu que les officiers d'Etat-Major se trouvant à Akaba et les fonctionnaires qui seront envoyés par Son Altesse le Khédive se réuniront pour effectuer sur les lieux, et d'après les données topographiques, une enquête technique pour la désignation sur une carte des points de nature à assurer le maintien, sur la base du télégramme précité de Djevad Pacha, du statu quo dans la Presqu'île de Sinaï, et pour tracer la ligne de démarcation à partir de Rafeh, près d'El Arich, et allant vers le sudest en une ligne approximativement directe jusqu'à un point sur le Golfe d'Akaba à une distance d'au moins 3 milles d'Akaba.

Les vues exprimées dans la communication précitée de votre Excellence se trouvent ainsi pleinement réalisées.

En priant votre Excellence de vouloir bien communiquer ce qui précède à Londres, nous espérons que le Gouvernement de Sa Majesté le Roi y verra une nouvelle preuve de notre vif désir de maintenir toujours nos relations sur le pied de la plus parfaite cordialité. En nous exprimant de son côté sa pleine satisfaction, il nous aura témoigné lui-même du prix qu'il attache à la conservation et au raffermissement des bons rapports qui existent si heureusement entre les deux Etats.

I lost no time in referring to my Government the note which your Excellency was so good as to address to me on the 14th instant, in reply to my note of the 12th, on the subject of the occupation of Taba, and delimitation of the Peninsula of Sinaï.

His Majesty's Government have received with pleasure your Excellency's declaration that the Sublime Porte does not question the contents of the telegram addressed by the deceased Grand Vizier, Jevad Pasha, to His Highness the Khedive on the 8th April, 1892, that the withdrawal of the Imperial troops from Taba has been decided upon, and that instructions have been sent to the Ottoman Staff Officers now at Akaba to delimit and record on a map, jointly with the officials to be appointed by His Highness the Khedive, the line of demarcation running approximately straight from Rafeh in a southeasterly direction to a point on the Gulf of Akaba, not less than 3 miles from Akaba, so as to insure the maintenance of the status quo in the Sinaï Peninsula on the basis of the telegram above mentioned of the 8th April, 1892.

On behalf of His Majesty's Government I have the honour to take act of the foregoing declarations, as also of the declaration of His Highness the Grand Vizier, that orders have been sent for the withdrawal of the Ottoman troops into Turkish territory to the east of Rafeh, should any have crossed to the Egyptian side, and the resto

ration of the pillars said to have been lately destroyed there, and to express their satisfaction at the settlement of this question, which cannot fail to contribute to the maintenance and consolidation of those friendly relations which are so desirable in the interests of both countries, and which are no less appreciated by the Government of my august Sovereign than by that of His Imperial Majesty the Sultan. I avail, &c.

Arrangement concernant la délimitation administrative entre les Vilajets de Hedjas et de Jérusalem et la Péninsule de Sinaï; signé à Rafah, le 1er octobre 1906.

...

(Aus: Recueil de traités par G. Fr. de Martens. Troisième Série, Tome 5. 1912. S. 882 ff.) British and Foreign State Papers XCIX, p. 482. Agreement signed and exchanged at Rafah on (13 Shaban, 1324, 18 Ailul, 1322) October 1, 1906, between the Commissioners of the Turkish Sultanate and the Commissioners of the Egyptian Khediviate, concerning the fixing of a Separating Administrative Line between the Vilayet of Hejaz and Governorate of Jerusalem and the Sinaï Peninsula.

El Miralai Staff Officer Ahmed Muzaffer Bey and El Bimbashi Staff Officer Mohamed Fahmi Bey, as Commissioners of the Turkish Sultanate, and Emir-el-Lewa Ibrahim Fathi Pasha and El Miralai R. C. R. Owen Bey, as Commissioners of the Egyptian Khediviate, having been intrusted with the delimitation of the Administrative Separating Line between the Vilayet of Hejaz, and Governorate of Jerusalem, and the Sinai Peninsula, have, in the name of the Turkish Sultanate and the Egyptian Khediviate, agreed as follows:

Art. I. The Administrative Separating Line, as shown on map attached to this Agreement, begins at the point of Ras Taba, on the western shore of the Gulf of Akaba, and follows along the eastern ridge overlooking Wadi Taba to the top of Jebel Fort; from thence the Separating Line extends by straight lines as follows:

From Jebel Fort to a point not exceeding 200 metres to the east of the top of Jebel Fathi Pasha, thence to that point which is formed by the intersection of a prolongation of this line with a perpendicular line drawn from a point 200 metres measured from the top of Jebel Fathi Pasha along the line drawn from the centre of the top of that hill to Mofrak Point (the Mofrak is the junction of the Gaza-Akaba and Nekhl-Akaba roads). From this point of intersection to the hill east of and overlooking Thamilet-el-Radadi (place where there is water), so that the Thamila (or water) remains west of the line; thence to top of Ras Radadi, marked on the above-mentioned map as A 3; thence to top of Jebel Safra, marked as A 4; thence to top of