IOR/R/15/1/157, ff 164-170

The letter and its enclosures relate to an instance in which a slave who had absconded from Bushire, returned to that port in the service of the Indian Navy. In response to Jones’s predecessor Captain Arnold Kemball’s request from Government on guidance in the matter, should the man be re-enslaved by his former master. Anderson encloses two letters:

1. Letter no.43 of 1855 (folios 165-68) from Anderson to George Edmonstone, Secretary to the Government of India, dated 5 March 1855, outlining the scope of the case involved, and a narrative of the consultation with Government officials, including discussion of whether deserters can still claim protection under the British flag, the extent of British authority to intervene in cases, particularly in relation to Persia, and details of the ethnic breakdown of the crew of the Akbar, concluding that Africans make up its majority, most of whom are runaway slaves;

2. Letter no.3968 (folios 169-70) from J. Dalrymple, Officiating Secretary to the Government of India, to Anderson, dated 9 November 1855. The letter is a condensation of the conclusions arrived at in Edmonstone’s letter above; namely, that while in the service of the Indian Navy, runaway slaves are protected by the British flag, whether at sea or on land. However, if the crewman deserts, his fate is dependent on the local government and the laws of the country.