IOR/L/PS/10/115/3

The correspondence relates to complaints made by Abraham Elbaz (agent for Antoine Goguyer, a French arms merchant at Muscat) that his dhow Fath-el-Khair was being interfered with by HM's vessels causing him to suffer substantial financial losses.

The correspondence also discusses negotiations taking place with the Sirdars on the Persian and Mekran Coast to try to prevent illegal arms being landed along their coastline, and efforts to stop and search vessels in the Persian Gulf that are suspected of trafficking arms and ammunition.

Later correspondence discusses the French dhow Musaffa which was stopped by a British vessel and boarded off Chahbar [Chābahār] owing to suspicions that the dhow was not a legitimate French vessel and was attempting to smuggle arms and ammunitions onto the Persian Coast.

Correspondents include the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat (Arthur Prescott Trevor, Stuart George Knox); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Percy Zachariah Coz); the French Consul at Muscat (Charles Céleste Albert Jeannier); the French Ambassador to Britain (Paul Pierre Cambon); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Edward Grey); the Secretary of State for India (Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst) and representatives of the Foreign Office and the India Office.