CO129-406 - Public Offices - 1913 — Page 157

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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