Sir, Inclosure No. 2. Commander Blaxland to Rear-Admiral Fremantle. 66 Griffon," at Zanzibar, September 4, 1888. IN compliance with section 4 of Article 130 of the Station Orders, I have the honour to report that Lieutenant Myles H. Cooper, of Her Majesty's ship under my command, has informed me that while cruising in the "Olga," off the Island of Pemba, on the 29th ultimo, he observed a dhow standing in towards Kokota Gap. On approaching her he saw she was flying French colours, and hailed her to heave to. This she refused to do until two blank rifle charges had been fired across her bows. On visiting her Mr. Cooper found she had French papers, viséd the 30th July, 1888, and from them he gained the following information :— Name of dhow, "Bittila"; captain, Mahomet; owner, Attomon Abdallah; port to which belonging, Mayotta. The captain said he was from Zanzibar, having left that place on the 28th August. Her papers appeared to be genuine; she was not detained or searched. She had thirty or more Arabs and crew, a large number of whom had rifles. 2. Mr. Cooper also informs me that he noticed that the dhow had four heads, a very large galley, and a large quantity of slave food and firewood, and suspecting she was engaged in the Slave Trade, and actually had slaves on board, he dispatched the whaler to observe where she anchored, and ordered Abdallah, one of our interpreters, to land and watch her proceedings. She anchored in Port Kinyu, and the whaler, having landed the interpreter, returned to the "Olga." The interpreter returned some hours after and reported that he had watched her proceedings from a tree, and that between 6 and 9 P.M. she landed seventy-five slaves. When all had been got ashore the crew of the dhow marched them off to Tongoni, where a sale was held. Seventythree were taken to Wadi, a place in the centre of Pemba, and two were purchased by an Arab named Sadi Benzar, living at Finga. The interpreter, in support of his statement, brought three witnesses with him, viz., a domestic slave and a native called Hamfi, who were up the tree with him, and an Arab named Ali Benahomed, who lives at Tongoni. Forwarded, observing that I considered this Report of such importance as to render advisable my telegraphing the substance of it in my telegram of the 5th September, 1888. I would add that I have it from other sources that the French flag is unblushingly made use of to cover a nefarious Traffic in Slaves, generally carried on, no doubt, by Arabs in native dhows, with which we are powerless to interfere; but no such clear case as the one reported has hitherto been brought to my notice. The reports to which I allude are as follows:- It has been reported by the Captain of a Cerman man-of-war that he has seen five French dhows, which he believed to have been slavers, sail from Lindi on the same day. I have it also from high native authority that in July last a cargo of 200 slaves was openly landed at Mayotta, in the Comoro Islands (I may remark that the dhow now referred to belonged to that port), by a vessel flying French colours. We have also the reports from the Vice-Consul at Majunga which have been forwarded to me through the Admiralty, the last dated the 21st March, 1888, in which it is stated that over 700 slaves were recently landed on the west of Madagascar, presumably by dhows under the French flag, and he calls for a British man-of-war, which, I fear, would be of little service. The present case is such a clear one that it can no longer be denied that the French flag is made use of as stated, and I trust that, on this being pointed out to the French Government, they will take energetic steps to stop the Traffic. Should the French Government be desirous of supporting Cardinal Lavigerie's crusade and discouraging the Slave Trade, I would suggest that the right of visit and search should be granted to our officers to board dhows or native craft flying French colours, and that, should slaves be found on board, the vessel should be given up to the nearest French Consular or naval authority to be dealt with as necessary. Unless some such measures are taken it is certain that we are only beating the wind in capturing occasional Arab dhows, when the protection of the French flag is given to slavers who can carry on the Traffic with impunity. I would remark that it is absolutely necessary to visit these French dhows, as the remark in section 8, p. 273, of the Slave Trade Instructions, as to the numerous indications which, apart from the colours, are sufficient to show to the practised eye of a seaman the nationality of a vessel," is obviously inapplicable. The steps taken by Lieutenant Myles H. Cooper to ascertain beyond doubt the character of the vessel, and the courage of the interpreter Abdallah in obtaining it, have received my warm approval. (Signed) E. R. FREMANTLE, Rear-Admiral. My Lord, Inclosure No. 3. Colonel Euan Smith to the Marquess of Salisbury. Zanzibar, September 19, 1888. IN continuation of my telegram of the 6th instant, informing your Lordship that RearAdmiral Fremantle proposed to send a gun-boat to Madagascar with orders to cruise for slavevessels and to show the British flag in all ports, and inquiring whether your Lordship would entertain any objection to this project, I have the honour to state that my telegram above referred to was dispatched at the special request of the Commander-in-chief himself, who wished to be informed whether there were any political reasons in connection with the French occupation of Madagascar which would render the presence of a British man-of-war in its waters undesirable at this juncture. Admiral Fremantle has since received a telegram from the Admiralty authorizing him to dispatch a man-of-war for the purposes stated, and Her Majesty's ship Algerine" accordingly sailed for Madagascar yesterday. It is expected that she will be absent from Zanzibar for about six weeks. I have, &c. (Signed) C. B. EUAN-SMITH. My Lord, Inclosure No. 4. Colonel Euan-Smith to the Marquess of Salisbury. Zanzibar, September 20, 1888. IN continuation of my telegram of the 6th instant, I have the honour to forward, for your Lordship's information, the copy of a letter, with inclosures, received by me from his Excellency Rear-Admiral the Honourable E. R. Fremantle, C.B., C.M.G., reporting the landing at Pemba on the 29th August of seventy-five slaves from an Arab dhow carrying French colours. The papers of the dhow were found to be in perfect order, having been vised by the French authorities as recently as the 30th July, 1888. Immediately on receipt of Admiral Fremantle's letter I communicated with the French Consul, who was good enough to call on me without delay, and to assure me that he had taken all necessary steps to have the dhow and her captain captured on their return to Mayotta. M. Lacau also informed me that he would address the French Government, begging them to send out a cruiser to the East Coast of Africa in order to put down this illegal Traffic under French colours, though he seemed to doubt whether this request would meet with any success. It seems evident that there is a marked increase in the Slave Traffic carried on under the protection of the French flag. The German Consul-General has informed me that he had received reports from the officials of the German East African Company stationed at Kilwa, Lindi, and other places along the coast, to the effect that dhows carrying French colours were constantly and regularly leaving for the Comoro Islands, Mayotta, and Madagascar, loaded with slaves. By the courtesy of Dr. Michahelles, I am enabled to forward, for your Lordship's information, a translation of an official Memorandum addressed by him to the French Consul on this matter. It is unnecessary for me to point out to your Lordship that the protection of the French flag now accorded to the Arab dhows engaged regularly in the Slave Trade must in the end render entirely nugatory all the efforts of Her Majesty's cruisers to put down this Traffic. The right to fly the French flag is, to my certain knowledge, at the present moment most carefully guarded at Zanzibar. M. Lacau rarely, if ever, accords this right. But it appears that the flag can be obtained with great facility either at Mayotta, Nossi Bé, the Comoro Islands, or Madagascar, at all of which places the difficulties regarding the supply of labour are very great and pressing, and at which it cannot be pretended that the authorities are entirely ignorant of what goes on. It is some considerable time since so grave an instance of protected Slave Traffic as that which I am now reporting has occurred either in Zanzibar, Pemba, or the vicinity. The fact that the slaves in question were landed in sight of the boats of Her Majesty's ship "Griffon," who were unable to interfere, has had a very undesirable effect. It is almost certain that this successful venture will be followed by others. Should this be the case, for every single slave captured by our cruising boats between the mainland and Pemba, twenty slaves will probably be lauded in perfect security under the French flag. At the time when Cardinal Lavigerie is proclaiming throughout Europe the shortcomings of England and of the civilized world in connection with the suppression of the Slave Trade, the immense encouragement accorded thereto by the protection of the French flag cannot be too strongly animadverted upon. It would be beyond my province to attempt to suggest a complete solution of the many and complex political difficulties by which this question, as regards England and France, seems to be surrounded. I would, however, with all respect, propose that, as far as East Africa is concerned, some sort of compromise might be effected. If Her Majesty's cruisers were accorded the right to board native vessels carrying the French flag, confining their operations solely to those craft that come strictly under the description of native dhows or native vessels, and if they were empowered to detain all such vessels found carrying slaves and to forward them to the nearest port at which there was a French Consular authority, for the purpose of being adjudicated on by him, the encouragement-the unlawful encouragement-that is at present accorded to the Slave Traffic by the carelessness or insouciance of the French local authorities would entirely cease. I would add, in conclusion, that, at my request, His Highness the Sultan dispatched a special official to Pemba, accompanied by the interpreter and witnesses of Her Majesty's ship "Griffon," to endeavour to recover the slaves landed and sold by the Arabs in the French dhow, and to capture the guilty parties. The transaction having been so very public, I am in hopes that the measures thus taken may have some good results. Trusting that my action may meet with your Lordship's approval, I have, &c., I HAVE the honour to forward herewith a copy of a Report made to me by Commander John E. Blaxland, commanding Her Majesty's ship"Griffon," of the landing of seventy-five slaves from a dhow flying French colours, for such action as you may think advisable, observing that, if the statement made therein is correct, a public sale was held of the slaves landed at a place called Tongoni, in the Island of Pemba. 2. It is also stated that the dhow was at this port on the 28th ultimo, which, no doubt, you will bring to the notice of the French Consular authorities. I have, &c. (Translation.) Zanzibar, September 12, 1888. ACCORDING to information which has reached the German East African Company from its officials in Lindi and Mikindani, a flourishing Slave Trade is being carried on from these places, and, indeed, it is principally by means of dhows under French colours which convey these forbidden commodities. The Arab masters of the dhows cause their vessels to be surveyed in Madagascar by the French authorities, obtain in consequence the right to fly the French flag, and are by this means protected against all supervision by the English men-of-war which cruise in the waters of the Sultanate of Zanzibar for the suppression of the Slave Trade. You will agree with me that this custom of the dhows as hitherto observed leads to a misuse of the French flag, and constitutes a serious obstacle to the suppression of the Slave Trade, which is desired by all the European Governments in common. While having the honour to draw your attention to the state of things thus set forth, and to request your assistance towards the removal of this evil, I take this opportunity, &c. (Signed) G. MICHAHELLES, Imperial German Consul-General. APPENDIX No. 5. My Lord, Mr. Cracknall to the Earl of Rosebery.—(Received September 25.) Zanzibar, August 17, 1893. I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that yesterday afternoon the Arab referred to in Mr. Rodd's despatch No. 191 of the 14th ultimo came to my house, and reported that a dhow, with slaves, would leave Mtoni that evening bound for Pemba. I therefore thought it my duty to communicate the information to the naval authorities, and wrote to Captain Gamble, of Her Majesty's ship "Raleigh," Senior Naval Officer, who sent a boat away in search, which succeeded in capturing the dhow in question. Lieutenant Wemyss, the officer in charge of the boat, informed me this morning that at 10 P.M. last night he found the dhow under way proceeding north outside the harbour within Zanzibar territorial waters, and hailed her, demanding that the sail be lowered, which request was refused. He then asked to see the papers, and only received the reply that the nationality was French, together with the exhibition of French colours. He then determined to verify the papers, and went on board, when the captain and another of the crew tried to push him off, compelling him to call on his men to board; when this was done, the examination of the papers and mustering of the crew and persons on board showed a serious discrepancy. This fact, together with the statements of some Swahilis that they were slaves taken against their will, together with the refusal of the captain to return to port, determined him to take charge of the vessel, which was anchored astern of Her Majesty's ship "Raleigh" for the night, during which the captain and the other of the crew referred to jumped overboard and swam ashore. This morning Captain Gamble called on the French Consul, who, although naturally annoyed, has now taken possession of the vessel, and informs me an adjudication will take place in due course. I have ventured to trouble your Lordship with these facts at considerable length, as I think they show the pertinacity of the belief of the Arab slave-traders in the protection of the French flag, the great care and tact exhibited by Lieutenant Wemyss, and the sensible attitude taken by M. Labossé, the French Consul. (A.) TITRE DE NAVIGATION SOUS PAVILLON FRANÇAIS, VALABLE POUR UN AN. Au nom du peuple Français. EN vertu des instructions du Gouvernement Français relatives aux navires dénommés boutres, exclusivement affectés à la navigation dans les mers des Indes, Nous (1), Vice-Consul de France à Mascate, déclarons que le boutre (2) Fatah-es-Salam, mesurant 17 m. 18 de longueur, 9 m. 13 de longueur moyenne, 5 m. 28 de largeur, 2 m. 38 de profondeur, jaugeant 70 tonnes, appartenant à Rachid-bin-Khamis, résidant à commandé par Mbarak-bin-Khamis, a le droit de naviguer sous pavillon Français pour faire la navigation (3) dans l'Océan Indien et mers environnantes, avec la faculté d'avoir un équipage composé d'étrangers. Le présent titre est valable pour un an. En conséquence, le Gouvernement de la République Française prie et requiert tous Souverains, États, amis, et alliés de la France et leurs subordonnés, ordonne à tous fonctionnaires publics, Commandants de bâtiments de l'État et tous autres qu'il appartiendra, de laisser sûrement et librement passer le dit navire, sans lui faire ni souffrir qu'il lui soit fait aucun trouble ou empêchement, mais, au contraire, de lui donner toute faveur, secours, ou assistance partout où besoin sera. Renouvelé à Muscate, le 26 Août, mil huit cent quatre-vingt dix-huit. Vice-Consulat de France, Mascate. (Signé) OTTAVI. [Cachet de la République Française.] Prolongation du titre de navigation du boutre "Fatah-es-Salam" jusqu'à son port d'attache. Zanzibar, le 28 Mars, 1900. [Cachet du Consulat de France à Zanzibar.] (Signé) R. LARONCE. (') Gouverneur ou Consul de France. (2) Nom du navire en Français et en Arabe, longueur et largeur, tonnage, gréement, et signes particuliers propres à le faire reconnaître, lettre signalétique du port d'attache et numéro qu'il doit porter. (3) Indiquer les parages. The stars are added by me.-P. Z. Cox, Captain, Political Agent at Muscat Vice-Consulat de No. RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE. Lettre signalétique, M. TITRE DE NAVIGATION SOUS PAVILLON FRANÇAIS, VALABLE POUR UN AN. Au nom du peuple Français. (B.) En vertu des instructions du Gouvernement Français relatives aux navires dénommés boutres, exclusivement affectés à la navigation dans les mers des Indes, Nous (1), Vice-Consul de France à Mascate, déclarons que le boutre (2) "Fatah-el-Kheir "* (de l'espèce dite Sambouy) de 45 tonneaux, appartenant à Selim-bin-Thabet, résidant à propriétaire du Saad-al-Karim,"* commandé par Salim-bin-Selim, a le droit de naviguer sous pavillon Français pour faire la navigation (3) dans l'Océan Indien et mers environnantes, avec la faculté d'avoir un équipage composé d'étrangers. Le présent titre est valable pour un an. En conséquence, le Gouvernement de la République Française prie et requiert tous Souverains, États, amis, et alliés de la France et leurs subordonnés, ordonne à tous fonctionnaires publics, Commandants de bâtiments de l'État et tous autres qu'il appartiendra, de laisser sûrement et librement passer le dit navire, sans lui faire ni souffrir qu'il lui soit fait aucun trouble ou empêchement, mais, au contraire, de lui donner toute faveur, secours, ou assistance partout où besoin sera. Fait à Mascate, le 27 Septembre, mil huit cent quatre-vingt-dix-huit. Vice-Consulat de France, Mascate. (Signé) OTTAVI (voir ci-contre). [Cachet de la République Française.] Le boutre "Fatah-el-Kheir," désigné ci-contre ne pouvant venir à Mascate pour s'y munir d'un nouveau titre de francisation, le présent titre de navigation sera valable pour une nouvelle année. TITRE DE NAVIGATION SOUS PAVILLON FRANÇAIS, VALABLE POUR UN AN. En vertu des instructions du Gouvernement Français relatives aux navires dénommés boutres, exclusivement affectés à la navigation dans les mers des Indes, Nous (1), Consul de France à Mascate, déclarons que le boutre (2) "Fatah-al-Kheir," deux mots pochés, jaugeant 50 tonneaux, appartenant à Salem-bin-Mohammed, résidant à * propriétaire du Yad-el-Kerim" (Z. 33), commandé par lui-même, a le droit de naviguer sous pavillon Français pour faire la navigation (3) dans l'Océan Indien et mers environnantes, avec la faculté d'avoir un équipage composé d'étrangers. Le présent titre est valable pour un an. En conséquence, le Gouvernement de la République Française prie et requiert tous Souverains, États, amis, et alliés de la France et leurs subordonnés, ordonne à tous fonctionnaires (1) Gouverneur ou Consul de France. (2) Nom du navire en Français et en Arabe, longueur et largeur, tonnage, gréement, et signes particuliers propres à le faire reconnaître, lettre signalétique du port d'attache et numéro qu'il doit porter. (3) Indiquer les parages. a This word is illegible in the original. * The stars in the above are added by me.-P. Z. Cox, Captain, Political Agent at Muscat. |