Treaty with the Sultan of Zanzibar 
Treaty with the Sultan of Zanzibar 


Royal NavyEast Africa slave trade  

Treaty between Her Majesty and the Sultan of Zanzibar for the Suppression of the Slave Trade.

In the name of the Most High God.

HER Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and His Highness the Seyed Burgash-bin-Saîd, Sultan of Zanzibar, being desirous to give more complete effect to the engagements entered into by the Sultan and his predecessors for the perpetual abolition of the Slave Trade, they have appointed as their Representatives to conclude a new Treaty for this purpose, which shall be binding upon themselves, their heirs, and successors, that is to say, Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland has appointed to that end John Kirk, the Agent of the English Government at Zanzibar, and His Highness the Seyed Burgash, the Sultan of Zanzibar, has appointed. to that end Nâsir-bin-Saîd, and. the two aforesaid, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, have agreed upon and concluded the following Articles: -

ARTICLE I.

The provisions of the existing Treaties having proved ineffectual for preventing the export of slaves from the territories of the Sultan of Zanzibar in Africa, Her Majesty the Queen and His Highness the Sultan above named agree that from this date the export of slaves from the coast of the mainland of Africa, whether destined for transport from one part of the Sultan's dominions to another or for conveyance to foreign parts, shall entirely cease. And His Highness the Sultan binds himself, to the best of his ability, to make an effectual arrangement throughout his dominions to prevent and, abolish the same. And any vessel engaged in the transport or conveyance of slaves, after this date, shall be liable to seizure and condemnation by all such naval or other officers or agents, and such Courts, as may be authorized for that purpose on the part of her Majesty.

ARTICLE II.

His Highness the Sultan engages that all public markets in his dominions for the buying and selling of imported slaves shall be entirely closed.

ARTICLE III.

His Highness the Sultan above named engages to protect, to the utmost of his ability, all liberated slaves, and to punish severely any attempt to molest them or to reduce them again to slavery.

ARTICLE IV.

Her Britannic Majesty engages that natives of Indian States under British protection shall be prohibited from possessing slaves and from acquiring any fresh slaves in the mean time {the words "in the meantime" are redundant here. They were connected in the original English draft and in my translation, from which they are copied, with the sentence "from and after a date to be hereafter fixed"-G. P. B.} from this date.

ARTICLE V.

The present Treaty shall be ratified and the ratifications shall be exchanged at Zanzibar as soon as possible, but in any case in the course of the 9th of Rabîa-el-Akhir [5th of June, 1878] of the months of the date hereof. In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have affixed their seals to this Treaty, made the 5th of June, 1878, corresponding to the 9th of the month Rabîa-el-Akhir, 1290.

(Signed) JOHN KIRK,
Political Agent, Zanzibar.
(L.S.)

The mean in God's sight,
(Signed) NASIR-BIN-SAID-BIN-ABDALLAH
With his own hand.
{No seal is appended to this signature. The defect is made good by the signature and seal of the Sultan to the ratifications following. - G.P.B.}


We have looked into and considered this Treaty, and we agree to it and accept it; and we confirm everything which it sets forth in all its provisions and articles. And we confirm the same on behalf of our heirs and those who may succeed us, giving our firm bond and covenant, and our faithful word, to carry out all that is set forth in the body of this written document, and to avoid as much as possible everything that contravenes it, and to the best of our ability not to transgress its provisions and conditions. In conformation of which we hereto affix our seal and our signature with our own hand this 9th of Rabîa-el-Akhir, 1290 [5th June, 1878].

Approved by

The poor, the unworthy,
(Signed) BARGHASH-BIN-SAID-BIN-SULTAN.
Written by his own hand. (L.S.)

Translated by
(Signed) George Percy Badger.
June 30, 1873.


Treaty between Her Majesty and the Sultan of Zanzibar, supplementary to the Treaty for the Suppression of the Slave Trade of June 5, 1873.

Signed at London, July 14, l875.

HER Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and His Highness the Seyyid Barghash-bin-Said, Sultan of Zanzibar, having concluded a Treaty at Zanzibar on the 5th June, 1875, corresponding to the 9th of the month of Rabîa-el-Akhir, A.H. 1290, for the abolition of the Slave Trade, and whereas doubts have arisen or may arise in regard to the interpretation of that Treaty, Her Britannic Majesty and His Highness the Sultan of Zanzibar have resolved to conclude a further Treaty on this subject, and have for this purpose named as their Plenipotentiaries, that is to say:

Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Right Honourable Edward Henry, Earl of Derby, Baron Stanley of Bickerstaffe, a Peer and a Baronet of England, Her Majesty's Principal Serretary of State for Foreign Affairs, &c., &c., &c.;

And His Highness the Seyyid Barghash-bin-Said, Sultan of Zanzibar, Nâsir-bin-Saîd-bin-Abdalla;

Who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, have agreed upon and concluded the following Articles: -

ARTICLE I.

The presence on board of a vessel of domestic slaves in attendance on or in discharge of the legitimate business of their masters, or of slaves bona fide employed in the navigation of the vessel, shall in no case of itself justify the seizure and condemnation of the vessel, provided that such slaves are not detained on board against their will. If any such slaves are detained on board against their will they shall be freed, but the vessel shall, nevertheless, not on that account alone be condemned.

ARTICLE II.

All vessels found conveying slaves (other than domestic slaves in attendance on or in the discharge of the legitimate business of their masters, or slaves bona fide employed in the navigation of the vessels) to or from any part of His Highness' dominions, or of any foreign country, whether such slaves be destined for sale or not, shall be deemed guilty of carrying on the Slave Trade, and may be seized by any of Her Majesty's ships of war and condemned by any British Court exercising Admiralty jurisdiction.

ARTICLE III.

The present Treaty shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at Zanzibar as soon as possible*.

In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have affixed thereto their seals.

Done at London the fourteenth day of July, in the year of Grace one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.

(LS) DERBY.
(LS.) NASIR-BIN-SAID-ABDALLAH.


This is ratified.
(LS.) BARGHASH-BIN-SAID.

* The Sultan of Zanzibar's Ratification is attached to the original Treaty. That of Her Majesty was delivered to the Sultan in Zanzibar, September 20, 1875.




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