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Moresby Treaty
Encyclopedia
The Moresby Treaty was an anti-slavery treaty
made between Sayyid Said, Sultan of Muscat and Oman and Fairfax Moresby
, senior officer of Mauritius, on behalf of Britain in September 1822.
Initially composed of six articles, the purpose of the treaty was to limit the Indian Ocean slave trade by preventing the importation of slaves to British holdings in India
and the Indian Ocean
from land ruled by Omani Arabs in East Africa
. The treaty barred the sale of slaves to Christians of any nationality, recognized the sultan’s jurisdiction over the waters near the East African coast, allowed for the installation of a British official in Zanzibar
or the mainland, and created the Moresby Line.
in Mozambique - through the Indian Ocean to the city of Diu on the coast of India. The transportation of slaves west of the established line, a primarily Muslim zone of the Indian Ocean, was at this point considered legal but prohibited on the eastern side. To enforce this rule, warships were given the authority to confiscate ships carrying slaves in illegal waters east of the line and punish the captain in the same manner as a pirate, by “death without the benefit of clergy”. The only exemption to this regulation provided for ships that had gone past the line due to conditions beyond their control including extreme weather conditions. Confusion arose as to who exactly was to enforce this part of the treaty as the English version of the text placed responsibility on the Omanis while the Arab text placed the onus on the British.
s, they were considered ‘free men’ by the Omani ruler who was a Muslim himself.
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
made between Sayyid Said, Sultan of Muscat and Oman and Fairfax Moresby
Fairfax Moresby
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Fairfax Moresby GCB , born in Calcutta, India, to English parents was a British naval officer.-Early life:Moresby was the eldest son of Fairfax Moresby, Lieut...
, senior officer of Mauritius, on behalf of Britain in September 1822.
Initially composed of six articles, the purpose of the treaty was to limit the Indian Ocean slave trade by preventing the importation of slaves to British holdings in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
from land ruled by Omani Arabs in East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
. The treaty barred the sale of slaves to Christians of any nationality, recognized the sultan’s jurisdiction over the waters near the East African coast, allowed for the installation of a British official in Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
or the mainland, and created the Moresby Line.
The Moresby Line
Among the stipulations was the creation of the Moresby Line. The line ran from the southernmost point of the sultan’s territory in Africa – Cape DelgadoCape Delgado
Cape Delgado, Portuguese Cabo Delgado , is a coastal promontory on the border of Mozambique and Tanzania, and is the northernmost point in Mozambique....
in Mozambique - through the Indian Ocean to the city of Diu on the coast of India. The transportation of slaves west of the established line, a primarily Muslim zone of the Indian Ocean, was at this point considered legal but prohibited on the eastern side. To enforce this rule, warships were given the authority to confiscate ships carrying slaves in illegal waters east of the line and punish the captain in the same manner as a pirate, by “death without the benefit of clergy”. The only exemption to this regulation provided for ships that had gone past the line due to conditions beyond their control including extreme weather conditions. Confusion arose as to who exactly was to enforce this part of the treaty as the English version of the text placed responsibility on the Omanis while the Arab text placed the onus on the British.
Amendment
On December 17, 1839 the treaty was expanded in scope, adding three more articles to the original agreement. The extension increased the area in which the transportation of slaves was considered illegal by moving the endpoint of the Moresby Line west to the port of Pasni on the Makran Coast. Additionally, the amendment prohibited the sale of Somalis as slaves because, as MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, they were considered ‘free men’ by the Omani ruler who was a Muslim himself.