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for the benefit of navigation, yet, having no mercuntile arine or even vessels of war, and as they did not possess the right to levy dres on Foreign vessels beyond
those specified in Treaty stip lutions they declined to incur the expe se or responsibility of maintaining the
light.
They, however, expressed their desire, that, whilst
the Lighthouse was to be considered a Moorish Government
building and provided that no other flag was hoisted
there but the Moorish, the administration of the estab-
lishment should be conducted by a Board formed of the
Agents of the several Powers resident at Tangier, who
might grunt an annual subscription for the maintenance
of the light.
As the French Government had taken from the first
an active part in urging the Sultan to build the
Lighthouse and had even placed an Engineer at the dis-
Losal of the Moorish Government to conduct the works,
the Moorish Minister requested the French Representative
to endeavour to come to an understanding with his several
colleagues on the subject, and to make known the result
of
of their consultations to the Moorish Government.
Monsieur de Tallenay, the French Chargé d'Affaires
at the request of his Colleagues, drew up two documents
embodying the views and suggestions made by the
Foreign Representatives at Tungier respectively.
The four most important points aimed at were:-
(1) The acknowledged sovereignty of the Sultan.
(2) The neutrality of the guardians of the
lighthouse;
(3) The maintenance of the Light in time of
peace or war; and
(4) The necessity that no irregularity should
take place in the lighting of the lantern
consequent upon the negligence or ignorance
of Moors or deficiency of funds.
It was suggested at first to provide the necessary
funds by authorizing the Moorish Goverment to levy
Dues on vessels coming to the Ports of Morocco, but
considering the limited number of ships visiting the
ports of Morocco and the heavy charges that would be
consequently entailed on them, as well as the fact
that vessels making the transit between Gibraltar and
Tangier and Tetuan. would not profit by the Light;
considering