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tracting Parties further agree to permit his own subjects to be appointed to Consular offices by the other Contracting Party, provided always that the persons so appointed shall not begin to act without the previous approbation of the Sovereign whose subjects they may be. The public functionaries of either Government residing in the dominious of the other shall enjoy the same privileges, immunities, and exemptions which are enjoyed within the same dominions by similar public functionaries of other countries.

IV. There shall be perfect freedom of commerce and navigation between the High Contracting Parties; each shall allow the subjects of the other to enter all ports, creeks, and rivers with their vessels and cargoes, also to travel, reside, pursue commerce and trade, whether wholesale or retail, in each other's dominions, and therein to hire, purchase, and possess houses, warehouses, shops, stores, and lands. British subjects shall everywhere be freely permitted, whether personally or by agent, to bargain for, buy, barter, and sell all kinds of goods, articles of import, or native production, whether intended for sale within the dominions of His Highness or for export, and to arrange with the owner or bis agent regarding the price of all such goods and produce without interference of any sort on the part of the authorities of His Highness.

His Highness the Sultan of Muscat binds himself not to allow or recognize the establishment of any kind of monopoly or exclusive privilege of trade within his dominions to any Government, Association, or individual.

V. Subjects of Her Britannic Majesty shall be permitted, throughout the dominions of His Highness the Sultan, to acquire by gift, purchase, intestate succession, or under will, or any other legal manner, land, houses, and property of every description, whether movable or immovable, to possess the same; and freely to dispose thereof by sale, barter, donation, or otherwise.

VI. His Highness the Sultan shall be permitted to levy a duty of entry not exceeding 5 per cent. on the value of all goods and merchandize, of whatever description, imported by sea from foreigu countries into His Highness' dominions. This duty shall be paid at that port in His Highness' dominions where the goods are first landed, and, on payment thereof, such goods shall thereafter be exempt, within the Sultan's dominions, from all other customs duties or taxes, levied by, or on behalf of, the Government of His Highness the Sultan, by whatever names these may be designated, and no higher import duty shall be claimed from British subjects than that which is paid by subjects or citizens of the most favoured nation.

This duty, once paid, shall cover, from all other charges on the part of His Highness the Sultan, goods of whatever description coming from foreign countries by sea, whether these are intended for local consumption or for transmission elsewhere in bulk or otherwise, and whether they remain in the state in which they are imported or have been manufactured.

There shall, however, be exempted from payment of all duty the following, namely

1. All goods and merchandize which, being destined for a foreign port, are transhipped from one vessel to another in any of the ports of His Highness the Sultan of Muscat, or which have been for this purpose provisionally landed and deposited in any of the Sultan's custom-houses to await the arrival of a vessel in which to be reshipped aboard. But goods and merchandize so landed shall be exempted only, provided that the consignee or his agent shall have, on the arrival of the ship, handed over the said goods to be kept under Customs seal, and declared them as landed for transhipment, designating at the same time the foreign port of destination, and also provided that the said goods are actually shipped for the said foreign port as originally declared, within a period not exceeding six months after their first landing, and without having, in the interval, changed owners.

2. All goods and merchandize which, not being consigned to a port within the dominions of the Sultan, have been inadvertently landed, provided that such goods are reshipped within a month of being so landed and transported abroad. Should, however, such goods or merchandize, here spoken of, be opened or removed from the custody of the Customs authorities, the full duty shall then be payable on the same.

3. Coals, naval provisions, stores, and fittings, the property of Her Majesty's Government, landed in the dominions of His Highness for the use of the ships of Her Majesty's navy.

4. All goods and merchandize transhipped or landed for the repair of damage caused by stress of weather or other disaster at sea, provided the cargo so discharged shall be reshipped and taken away on board of the same vessel, or if the latter shall have been condemned, or her departure delayed, in any other manner.

VII. No article whatever shall be prohibited from being imported into or exported from the territories of His Highness the Sultan of Muscat, and no export duties are to be levied on goods exported from those territories except with the consent of the Government of Her Britannic Majesty, such consent being subject to the conditions that may be laid down in the notifications intimating the

same.

VIII. It is agreed and understood by the High Contracting

Parties that, in the event of an arrangement being entered into hereafter between His Highness and the Powers having Treaty relations with Muscat, and to which Great Britain shall be a consenting party, whereby vessels entering the port of Muscat shall be charged with shipping, tonnage, or harbour dues, such dues to be administered under the control of a special Board for the improvement of the harbour and construction and maintenance of lighthouses, &c., nothing in the aforementioned provisions shall be construed so as to exempt British vessels from payment of such shipping, harbour, or tonnage dues as may hereafter be agreed upon.

IX. It shall be at the option of the British subject in each case to pay the percentage duties stipulated in Article VI, either in cash or, if the nature of the goods allows of it, in kind, by giving up an equivalent amount of the goods or produce.

In the event of payment being made in cash, the value of the merchandize, goods, or produce on which duty is to be levied shall be fixed according to the ready-money market price ruling at the time when the duty is levied. In the case of foreign imports, the value shall be fixed according to the market price at Muscat, and in that of native goods and produce by the market price at the place where the merchant shall choose to pay the duty.

In the event of any dispute arising between a British subject and the Custom-house authorities regarding the value of such goods, this shall be determined by reference to two experts, each party nominating one, and the value so ascertained shall be decisive. Should, however, these experts not be able to agree, they shall choose an umpire, whose decision is to be considered final.

X. His Highness the Sultan of Muscat engages by the present Treaty to provide and give orders to his officials that the movement of goods in transit shall not be obstructed or delayed in a vexatious manner by unnecessary Customs formalities and regulations, and that every facility will be given for their transport.

XI. British vessels entering a port in the dominions of His Highness the Sultan of Muscat, in distress, shall receive from the local authorities all necessary aid to enable them to revictual and refit so as to proceed on their voyage.

Should a British vessel be wrecked off the coast of His Highness' dominions, the authorities of His Highness shall render all assistance in their power to the distressed vessel, in order to save the ship, her cargo, and those on board; they shall also give aid and protection to persons saved, and shall assist them in reaching the nearest British Consulate; they shall further take every possible care that the goods so recovered are safely stored, and kept for the purpose

of being handed over to the owner, captain, agent of the ship, or British Consul, subject always to rights of salvage.

His Highness' authorities shall further see that the British Consulate is at once informed of such disaster having occurred.

Should a British vessel, wrecked on the coast of His Highness' dominions, be plundered, the authorities of his Highness shall, as soon as they come to know thereof, render prompt assistance and take measures to pursue and punish the robbers, and recover the stolen property. Likewise, should a vessel of His Highness the Sultan of Muscat, or of one of his subjects, enter a British port in distress, or be wrecked off the coast of Her Majesty's dominions, the like help and assistance shall be rendered by the British authorities.

XII. Should sailors or others belonging to a British ship of war or merchant-vessel desert and take refuge on shore or on board of any of His Highness' ships, the authorities of His Highness the Sultan of Muscat shall, upon request of a Consular official, or, in his absence, of the captain of the ship, take the necessary steps in order to have them arrested and delivered over to the Consular official or to the captain.

In this, however, the Consular officer and captain shall render every assistance.

XIII. Subjects of Her Britannic Majesty shall, as regards their person and property, enjoy within the dominions of His Highness the Sultan of Muscat the rights of exterritoriality.

The authorities of His Highness the Sultan have no right to interfere in disputes with subjects of Her Britannic Majesty amongst themselves, or between them and members of other Christian nations; such questions, whether of a civil or criminal ature, shall be decided by the competent Consular authorities. The trial and also the punishment of all offences and crimes of which British subjects may be accused within the dominions of His Highness the Sultan, also the hearing and settlement of all civil questions, claims, or disputes in which they are the defendants, is expressly reserved to the British Consular authorities and Courts, and removed from the jurisdiction of His Highness the Sultan.

Should disputes arise between subjects of His Highness the Sultan or other non-Christian Power, not represented by Consuls at Muscat, and a subject of Her Britannic Majesty, in which the British subject is the plaintiff or complainant, the matter shall be brought before and decided by the highest authority of the Sultan, or some person specially delegated by him for this purpose. The proceedings and final decision in such a case shall not, however, be considered legal unless notice has been given and an opportunity

afforded for the British Consul or his substitute to attend at hearing and final decision.

XIV. Subjects of His Highness the Sultan, or any non-Christ nation, not represented by Consuls at Muscat, who are in regular service of British subjects within the dominions of I Highness the Sultan of Muscat, shall enjoy the same protection British subjects themselves.

Should they be charged with having committed a crime serious offence punishable by law, they shall, on sufficient eviden being shown to justify further proceedings, be handed over British employers, or by order of the British Consul, to the aut rities of His Highness the Sultan for trial and punishment.

XV. Should a subject of Her Majesty residing in the dominio of His Highness the Sultan of Muscat be adjudicated bankrupt, t British Consul shall take possession of, recover, and realize all ava able property and assets of such bankrupt, to be dealt with a distributed according to the provisions of English Bankrupt

Law.

XVI. Should a subject of His Highness the Sultan of Musc resist or evade payment of the just and rightful claims of a Briti subject, the authorities of His Highness the Sultan shall afford the British creditor every aid and facility in recovering the amou due to him. In like manner the British Consul shall afford ever aid and facility to subjects of His Highness the Sultan of Muse in recovering debts justly due to them from a British subject.

XVII. Should a British subject die within the dominions of II Highness the Sultan of Muscat, or dying elsewhere leave propert therein, movable or immovable, the British Consul shall be auth rized to collect, realize, and take possession of the estate of th deceased, to be disposed of according to the provisions of Englis law.

XVIII. The houses, dwellings, warehouses, and other premise of British subjects, or of persons actually in their regular service within the dominions of His Highness the Sultan of Muscat, sha not be entered, or searched under any pretext, by the officials of Hi Highness without the consent of the occupier, unless with th cognizance and assistance of the British Consul or his substitute.

XIX. It is hereby agreed between the two High Contractin Parties, that, in the event of an agreement being hereafter arrived a between His Highness the Sultan of Muscat and the various Power with which His Highness shall be in Treaty relations, including Great Britain, which must be a consenting party, whereby the residents of a district or town shall, without distinction of na tionality, be made subject to the payment of local taxes, for municipal and sanitary purposes, the same to be fixed and administered

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