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SIR,
(No. 35.)
No. 47.
SIERRA LEONE.
GOVERNOR SIR F. CARDEW to MR. CHAMBERLAIN.
(Received March 5, 1900.)
[Answered by No. 77.]
Government House, Fort Thornton, Freetown,
Sierra Leone, February 17, 1900.
I HAVE the honour to transmit, for your information, a copy of a letter from Alimami Mohammed Gheirawani, which he addressed to me on behalf of himself and the Muslims of the Colony of Sierra Leone, expressing their sympathy with Her Majesty's Government in their struggle for independence in the Transvaal, South Africa, and requesting permission to use Government House grounds on the 5th February for the purpose of offering their prayers for success to the British Forces.
2. I had much pleasure in granting the permission asked for, and on the date named a large representative number of Mohammedans assembled on the lawn at Government House,
3. After they had engaged in prayer, I addressed them, thanking them for their loyalty, and I ventured to assure then that it will be peculiarly gratifying to Her Majesty when she hears that her faithful Mohammedan subjects have been praying for the cause of her Empire. On the conclusion of my address Alimami Gheirawani read an address, of which I enclose a copy, trusting that I shall inform Her Majesty that, should the need arise, of their readiness to place themselves at my disposal in her service. I beg to attach a report of these proceedings at Government House, as published in the Sierra Leone "Weekly News" for the 10th February, 1900.
4. It affords me the greatest pleasure to submit this testimony on the part of Her Majesty's Mohammedan subjects in Sierra Leone of their loyalty to Her Majesty, and their sympathy for the cause of the Empire in the war which is being waged in South Africa, a sympathy which is emphasized by the proffer of their services in case of need.
I have, &c.,
Enclosure 1 in No. 47.
In the name of the Most Just.
A
F. CARDEW,
Governor.
Fourah Bay, Freetown, Sierra Leone,
MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY,
January 31, 1900. Sin, The Muslims of the Colony, desiring to express their sympathy with Her Majesty's Government in their struggle for independence in the Transvaal, South Africa, request your permission to use the grounds in front of your residence on Monday next, the 5th February, from 2 p.m., for the purpose of offering their prayers for success to the British forces, and would esteem it a great favour if your Excellency would honour them by your presence.
In the name of the Muslims,
His Excellency.
Sir Frederic Cardew, K.C.M.G.,
Governor and Commander-in-Chief
of the West African Settlement, &c., &c., &c.
I am, &c.,
MOHAMMED GREIRAWANI,
Alimani,
Enclosure 2 in No. 47.
Address presented by the MusSULMEN of Sierra Leone to the GOVERNOR.
Your ExcellenCY,
I AM directed to express to you the pleasure it gives the Mussulmen of the Colony to again welcome your return amongst them, to express their gratefulness for your kindness in receiving them this day, and trust that you will inform our Queen-Empress that should the need arise their readiness to place themselves at your disposal in her service.
Enclosure 3 in No. 47.
PRAYER FOR THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA BY THE MOHAMMEDANS IN SIERRA LEONE.
+
ALIMAMI GHEIRAWANI, of Fourah Bay, having forwarded a request from the Mussulmen of the Colony for permission to use the Government House grounds for the purpose of offering prayers for success to the British arms in the war in South Africa, His Excellency kindly placed the lawn at Government House at their use.
At 2 p.m. on Monday, the 5th instant, a large and representative number of Mussulmen in the Colony assembled on the lawn and offered up their prayers,
At the conclusion of the service of prayer His Excellency the Governor, and Lady Cardew, accompanied by Captain Ibbetson, the A.1.C., and Hon. T. F. Meagher, Acting Colonial Secretary, went and met the Mussulmen on the lawn, and His Excellency addressed them as follows :— ALIMAMI GHEIRAWANI AND MUSLIMS OF SIERRA LEONE,
fr has afforded the greatest pleasure to accede to your loyal request to use the grounds of . Government House for the purpose of assembling to offer up your prayers to God to give victory to British arms in the struggle which is now going on in South Africa.
This struggle is perhaps the most momentous in the annals of the British Empire, its issues involve not only the existence of that Empire, but the question of the liberties and rights of the black races, not only in South Africa, but possibly throughout the length and breadth of the whole of that Continent.
Victory to the British arms would mean freedom from the curse of slavery to the black races in South Africa, for you well know Great Britain,bas during the last hundred years championed the cutise of freedom for att races, and this is her stiled policy wherever her dominions extend.
In humble dependence on God, I have no doubt as to the issue of this struggle ; no doubt that the British arms will be victorions and that the cause of liberty and justice for all races will triumph, and the fact that you have been moved to assemble yourselves this day to pray to God for success to the British arms is another confirmation of my conviction that our Empire will emerge victorious from this struggle.
This war has done more to cement and bind the Empire together and bring about its unity than any other event since its creation. The peoples of every race and creed within the Empire have, without exception, come forward to help in that object.
Of the 200 millions of Mohammedans in the world, nearly, if not quite, half that number are members of the British Empire and subjects of our Queen, and they are showing the same loyalty as yourselves to Queen and Empire. Only the other day the Mohammedans of Cape Town assembled in prayer to God to give victory to our arms and offered to fight for the cause, and the Nizam of Hyderabad, the most important Mohammedan Prince in India, declared that "the proudest title he possessed was that of Her Majesty's faithful ally-his purse, his army, and his sword were ever ready to defend Her Majesty's Empire."
Every Colony is sending forth men to fight for the cause of Great Britain; and in India, besides the Mohammedans, the great Hindu Chiefs have offered their help on an equally generous scale as the Nizam of Hyderabad : in fact every native Chief in India has offered to send horses to South Africa. Here in Si. rry Leone the people are equally loyal. Christians as well as Mohammedans are praying for the cause, and generally contributing their money ́to it.
It will I am sure he peculiarly gratifying to Her Majesty when she hears that you, her faithful subjects, have been praying for the cause of her Empire, unal I feel sure your loyal act will give great comfort and solavo to Her Majesty at this time of her anxiety and sorrow for the many brave soldiers who have fallen and for their widows and orphans.
In her mage 1 thank you most cordially and heartily for your loyalty and sympathy for her cause, and I fervently trust that God will answer your prayers.
On the conclusion of His Excellency's address Alimami Gheirwani replied as follows:- Your ExCELLENCY,-
IAM directed to express to yon the pleasure it gives the Mussulmen of the Colony to again welcome your return amongst them, to express their gratefulness for your kindness in receiving them this day, and trust that you will inform our Queen-Empress, that should the need arise their readiness to place themselves at your disposal in her service,
His Excellency then rose and thanked the Mussulmen for this loyal offer of their service and assured them that it will give bim the greatest pleasure to communicate to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for presentation to Her Majesty the Quern-Empress, who no doubt will be much pleased for this expression of loyal devotion to her throne from her Mohammedan subjects in Sierra Leone.
4897
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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